Loves of Snyder County Books

John Friesen is a bachelor at the age of twenty-three and is having the time of his life. One of the most handsome eligible men in the Mennonite community, John has never been in a hurry to choose a wife and settle down. He’s not a bit worried about being “passed over.” He enjoys the simple life of helping his dad with the family farm and breeding registered Tennessee Walking horses on the side. Every unmarried gal in the Mennonite community has her eyes on John, not only because of his stunning looks but his godly, quiet demeanor and kind, gentle ways. Whenever the girls are together, John’s the talk of the quilting circles and Sunday fellowships after church. Three girls, in particular, care deeply for John and secretly determine to win his heart in their own special way. Only a serious accident—a fall from his horse—leads John to the one girl who will love him unconditionally. But which one does he choose?

Twenty-five-year-old Louellen Friesen falls in love with handsome Dr. David McAndrew, an “English” widower with two teen girls, for whom she cleans every Saturday. There’s only one problem. Louellen is already married. Well past the marrying age, Louellen had wed Amish Eli Friesen three years prior, due to pressure from her family. Eli, also in his mid-twenties and in danger of being “passed over,” had married Louellen for one reason: to have sons. Louellen struggles to love a man who returns little love to her but sets out to be the best wife and mother she can be…when God blesses the marriage with kinner. However, Louellen is barren and devastated. And Eli feels trapped in a marriage that has produced no offspring even though he knows he has the medical problem. Their frustrations draw them farther apart, and their wedded life is nothing but a disappointment to both. What should Louellen do? Turn her back on her husband, her Ordnung, and the only life she’s ever known? Should she leave and marry Dr. McAndrew, a man who has promised her the moon? And will she find the truth about eternal life, which will give her the evasive peace in her heart she has longed for all her adult life? Published in connection with Hartline Literary Agency, serving the Christian book community. Visit us at www.hartlineliterary.com.

Valerie Friesen, Louellen and Eli’s beautiful daughter and teacher at the Mennonite school, is engaged to Jeremy Zook, her boyfriend since childhood. But Valerie’s parents are concerned that the couple’s platonic relationship will never become something more and won’t stand the test of time. To complicate matters, Lamar Hornberger, a handsome widower with a mysterious past, comes to town and sweeps Valerie off her feet. For the first time in her life, Valerie feels the “pangs of true love” and wrestles with her decision to marry Jeremy. Nonetheless, she goes through with the wedding. Shortly after, Jeremy is killed in a farm accident, and pregnant Valerie is left with a farm she can’t manage. Tobias Schmidt, a handsome Mennonite man, tells her that he’s always loved her but has never pursued her because of Jeremy. Should Valerie accept Tobias in marriage and allow him to take care of her and her child? But what about Lamar, whose secretive past comes to a focal point when the elders of the church confront him about being a pow-wower like his grandmother and father? Lamar still has deep feelings for Valerie, but can she marry a man whom her church and community watch with a suspicious eye?