The Amish Bride of Ice Mountain

Putting a contemporary spin on traditional Amish romance novels, Long (An Amish Christmas Quilt) halfheartedly explores what an interfaith marriage might mean for family, community, and personal integrity. Mary King has been raised in the conservative and reclusive Pennsylvania Mountain Amish way, but the allure of Jude Lyons, an outsider researching the Amish, is more than she can resist. When the two are caught kissing and forced into a hasty marriage, Mary must figure out how to stay true to her religious beliefs while joining Jude’s much more worldly and material family in Atlanta. The story is peppered with tired clichés and idealized characterizations, but there’s a certain sweetness to the writing that delivers a sense of escape from today’s hustle and bustle into a gentler and simpler world. Agent: Natasha Kern, Natasha Kern Literary Agency. (Nov.)