Stepping Stones Books

The first book in a new Amish romance series by beloved novelist Linda Byler, an active member of the Amish church. With her copper red hair and inquisitive personality, Mary is an anomaly in her Amish community in western New York. She tries to join in the fun with the other youth as they gather for hymn singings and games, but she finds it all rather dull. None of the young men are interested in her and she's even less interested in them. With each passing year, she feels more and more out of place and stifled by life as a misfit in a rural Amish community. When her aunt comes for a visit and suggests she return to Lancaster with her to help manage her bakery, Mary sees her opportunity for the change she's desperately craving. But her parents forbid her to go, her father convinced that leaving the family for the busy life of Lancaster will lead her down a path of destruction. Mary is deeply distressed, wanting to honor her parents' wishes and also knowing she can't stay trapped in their isolated community forever. At twenty-one, she's old enough to decide for herself, and yet it's painful to be at odds with her father. Will she go, despite her father's dire warnings? If she stays, will she just continue to disappoint her parents, asking too many questions and never finding a man to marry? One thing is sure. Before she can even think about dating, she needs to figure out who she is and where she belongs. And that might require a boldness she didn't know she possessed.

Follow Mary's journey as she continues to search for a sense of belonging in this second book in the Stepping Stones series, following Who Is Mary? Running her own bakery in Lancaster, Pennsylvania keeps Mary busy and her active mind engaged. But she continues to struggle with anxiety that is sometimes crushing, and though she has Aunt Lizzie and a few good friends, she often feels lonely and out of place. She's still questioning her very conservative Amish upbringing, too, and feeling torn between fear of an angry, exacting God and the hope of a loving, forgiving one. At a hymn singing, Mary meets Steve, a young man who intrigues her, but their fledgling relationship is interrupted when she learns that her father has been in an accident and she must return home to rural New York to care for him. Tending to her very strict father stretches Mary nearly to breaking point. Will they ever be able to really love and respect each other? And how can Mary even begin to know God's will for her life when she's not even sure she knows who God is? 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.

Follow Mary's journey as she navigates love, marriage, and motherhood in this final book in the Stepping Stones series Decisions have always been hard for Mary. Her whole life, she has found herself so controlled by the stern voice of her father that she struggles to hear God's voice or even know her own desires. What does it mean to give up one's will when you can't tell what your own will is, never mind God's? Finally, Mary commits to marriage, and so begins a tumultuous journey into life as a wife and mother. Will she pass her insecurities on to her daughter, or will she choose a new way of parenting? And will her daughter be able to navigate life and love without the same pain that Mary faced? 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.