Anna’s Crossing

Veteran Amish romance novelist Fisher (Lancaster County Secrets series) sets the opener of the Amish Beginnings series in a very non-pastoral, non-peaceful location while still infusing it with distinct Amish flavor. In 1737, 19-year-old Anna Konig reluctantly accompanies her extended family and friends from their German village to a voyage across the Atlantic. The Amish community intends to settle part of William Pitt’s land in Pennsylvania, but first they must survive the harsh journey aboard the ship, the Charming Nancy. As she fends off matchmaking efforts from the matrons; attempts to corral the adventurous young Felix, the bishop’s son, whom Anna accompanies on his journey to join his father; and translates between her people and the ship’s crew, Anna befriends Bairn, the kind ship’s carpenter with an intriguing Scottish burr. Their burgeoning relationship faces seemingly impossible obstacles, her devout Amish faith not the least of them. Both must learn to trust God—Anna with the present, Bairn with his past. Faith plays an appropriately vital role in the characters’ development, buoying them through physical dangers and moral dilemmas. Based on true events, this novel is a winner, especially for Amish-fiction enthusiasts. Agent: Joyce Hart, Hartline Literary Agency. (Mar.)