Garment of Praise: An Amish Romance (New Directions)

The final book in the New Directions series delves into the complexities of a blended Amish family. Are love and faith enough to navigate through relationship tensions, homesickness, and tragedy? Susan has been in Wyoming long enough to feel at home, but instead she finds herself still struggling to adapt to the dusty landscape, the different customs, and life so far from family. She knows she should be appreciating the big, beautiful log home that Isaac built, but sometimes even that feels like a burden—so much of it to clean, and Isaac always traipsing in with his muddy boots and clothes smelling of diesel. But those are just the surface problems. The real struggle is the same as it has been since the day she married Isaac—the long hours he spends away at his logging job and the way his son Titus seems to loathe her presence in their lives. Titus is growing quickly, coming closer to manhood every day. He's working with his father finally, always torn between wanting to impress him and being repulsed by the entire logging industry. He struggles with pent-up anger from his mother's death, Susan swooping in as if she could take her place, and never feeling like he's enough for his dad. But could a meeting with a young woman full of her own struggles change everything? Author Linda Byler is an active member of the Amish church and writes all her novels by hand with a pen and notebook. She offers a unique and fascinating look into Amish history and culture. Read more