Happy September, everyone! Well, I confess, about midway through August, I wondered if we’d ever escape the heat of summer. But here we are, well into September, and the temperatures have improved greatly. There’s a hint in the air that speaks of the autumn that’s approaching. The days are getting shorter, and we’ve said goodbye to summer for another year.  

There’s something about fall and those crisp mornings that beckon the reader in me to curl up with a good book and lose myself in another world for a little while.  

And what better way than to catch up with some of the Lone Star State’s very own Amish authors.  

Love Inspired author Pamela Desmond Wright has a new Amish romance coming out this October entitled Bonding over the Amish Baby. 

Two perfect strangers brought together by a tiny bundle of joy. 

After he wrecks his car, Dr. Caleb Sutter finds himself stranded in an Amish community in Texas. What he didn’t count on is becoming the temporary co-guardian to an abandoned newborn, along with pretty, Amish teacher Rebecca Schroder. But the baby soon raises questions about his own family history, catching Caleb at a crossroads between his past—and the love he never expected to find. 

Publishers Weekly Bestselling author Pamela Desmond Wright grew up in the small Texas town of Muleshoe. From the time she learned to read, books have been her passion. Beginning with Dick and Jane, progressing through Nancy Drew and then onto romances of all genres, Pamela devoured stories by popular authors such as Barbara Cartland, Jackie Collins, Rosemary Rogers, Shirley Conrad and many, many others. At one time Pamela was the proud owner of five library cards! 

After signing with Tamela H. Murray of The Steve Laube Agency, Pamela sold her first Amish Romance to Harlequin for the Love Inspired imprint. The Cowboy’s Amish Haven debuted in September 2021. Though her characters are often handed difficult challenges in life, they always persevere over the darker times through the power of faith and love. 

Like the Amish, Pamela is a fan of the simple life. Her childhood includes memories of the olden days: old-fashioned oil lamps, cooking over an authentic wood-burning stove and making popcorn over a crackling fire at her grandparents’ cabin. She also loves needlepoint and has dozens of projects to work on! Someday, she hopes to move into van life, living on the road as a traveling writer.  

In August, Kelly Irvin introduced us to a brand-new series.  

The Heart's Bidding (Amish Calling Book 1)  

Together, schoolteacher Rachelle Lapp and auctioneer Toby Miller must face their hardest battle yet: trusting God’s plan for their uncertain future. 

At twenty-nine, auctioneer Toby Miller is a notorious bachelor. But his job keeps him on the road for months out of the year, and he knows no Plain woman could want a marriage that would force her to live and raise children alone. Thankfully, Toby’s content to dedicate his life to the family business, especially now that his grandfather is retiring. So why does his heart keep longing for something—or more specifically, someone—he can’t have? 

Rachelle Lapp has already turned down two marriage proposals. Neither promised a future that would bring her more joy than her job as a teacher to Amish children with developmental disabilities, including her brother, Jonah, and Toby’s sister, Sadie. But when the parents’ committee votes to send her students to the English schools, where they will have access to many more resources, Rachelle finds herself out of a job. She’s forced to decide between pursuing her calling far from home and staying near to the man she can’t get off her mind. 

As their families matchmake, Toby and Rachelle realize their jobs may not be all that’s holding them back from a future together. They both must learn not only to trust each other, but also to trust God’s plans for them. But do those plans involve a lifetime together or them going their separate ways?  

Kelly Irvin is the bestselling author of more than thirty Amish romance and romantic suspense stories.  

The Kansas native is a graduate of the University of Kansas School of Journalism. She has been writing nonfiction professionally for more than thirty years, including ten years as a newspaper reporter. She retired in 2016 after working twenty-two years in public relations for the City of San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department. She is a member of ACFW and Alamo City Christian Fiction Writers. In her spare time, she blogs, reads fiction, and loves her family.  

If you would like to put a little suspense into your autumn reading, be sure to check out Linda Castillo’s latest Kate Burkholder novel, An Evil Heart (Kate Burkholder Book 15). 

Chief of Police Kate Burkholder investigates the brutal death of a young Amish man in An Evil Heart, the latest installment of the bestselling series by Linda Castillo. 

On a crisp autumn day in Painters Mill, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder responds to a call only to discover an Amish man who has been violently killed with a crossbow, his body abandoned on a dirt road. Aden Karn was just twenty years old, well liked, and from an upstanding Amish family. Who would commit such a heinous crime against a young man whose life was just beginning? 

The more Kate gets to know his devastated family and the people—both English and Amish—who loved him, the more determined she becomes to solve the case. Aden Karn was funny and hardworking and looking forward to marrying his sweet fiancée, Emily. All the while, Kate’s own wedding day to Tomasetti draws near... 

But as she delves into Karn’s past, Kate begins to hear whispers about a dark side. What if Aden Karn wasn’t the wholesome young man everyone admired? Is it possible the rumors are a cruel campaign to blame the victim? Kate pursues every lead with a vengeance, sensing an unspeakable secret no one will broach. 

The case spirals out of control when a young Amish woman comes forward with a horrific story that pits Kate against a dangerous and unexpected opponent. When the awful truth is finally uncovered, Kate comes face to face with the terrible consequences of a life lived in all the dark places. 

Linda Castillo is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She was nominated for the Mystery Writers of America’s Sue Grafton Memorial Award. Her work has appeared on numerous bestsellers lists and earned a spot on the Boston Globe’s shortlist for best crime novel. 

In addition to writing, Linda lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, three Appaloosas, and two feisty but loveable Blue Heelers. 

Until next time, dear friends, grab your favorite fall drink, one of these amazing Amish novels, and come with me as we lose ourselves in Amish Country this fall.   

All the best. . .