25 books like Her Secret Amish Match

By Cathy Liggett,

Here are 25 books that Her Secret Amish Match fans have personally recommended if you like Her Secret Amish Match. Shepherd is a community of 10,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Book cover of The Best Is Yet to Come

Molly Jebber Author Of Rachael's Decision

From my list on escaping into a world of inspirational Amish romance and suspense.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve visited Amish communities for years as a tourist. An agent suggested I write it because of my faith in God. The Amish base their lifestyle and traditions on their faith in God, and she felt the books would be more authentic if the author felt the same. I’ve never been Amish, but the topic is fun to research, and some of the Amish are forthcoming in helping me. I love the fried chicken, homemade butterscotch pie, corn pudding, and beautiful quilts they have available when visiting the different Ohio and Indiana communities. They are not my typical audience.

Molly's book list on escaping into a world of inspirational Amish romance and suspense

Molly Jebber Why did Molly love this book?

Debbie Macomber is unique in her writing with pulling women together, making you feel like the friends you’d want to have. You’ll emphasize with them, laugh with them, and relate to them. The title alone drew me in. And Debbie puts you right into the story. You can see the surroundings, feel for the characters, and enjoy the character's triumphs.

By Debbie Macomber,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Best Is Yet to Come as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • When a woman alone in the world bravely chooses to open her heart, two lost souls have a new chance at belonging, in this intimate novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber.

A new beginning in charming Oceanside, Washington, is exactly what Hope Godwin needs after the death of her twin brother. There are plenty of distractions, like her cozy cottage with the slightly nosy landlords next door, and a brewing drama among her students at the local high school.

Even having settled quickly into the community, Hope still feels something is…


Book cover of Anna's Amish Fears Revealed

Molly Jebber Author Of Rachael's Decision

From my list on escaping into a world of inspirational Amish romance and suspense.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve visited Amish communities for years as a tourist. An agent suggested I write it because of my faith in God. The Amish base their lifestyle and traditions on their faith in God, and she felt the books would be more authentic if the author felt the same. I’ve never been Amish, but the topic is fun to research, and some of the Amish are forthcoming in helping me. I love the fried chicken, homemade butterscotch pie, corn pudding, and beautiful quilts they have available when visiting the different Ohio and Indiana communities. They are not my typical audience.

Molly's book list on escaping into a world of inspirational Amish romance and suspense

Molly Jebber Why did Molly love this book?

Tracy shows the flaws and fears in her characters really well. She weaves in the romance just the right way. You’ll feel like you know the characters personally as you read the story. You’ll enjoy her stories as I do. She also helps you learn about the Amish lifestyles and traditions.

By Tracy Fredrychowski,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Anna's Amish Fears Revealed as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Her faith in the Lord has been tried beyond all measure. Can this fearful believer rest secure in God’s protective care for her life?

Anna Byler is paralyzed by fear and anxiety. While the young Amish woman is devastated after Simon Kauffman leaves the Amish community, she finds little comfort in her new relationship with Jesus to fill the void Simon left in her life.

Still wrestling with accepting God’s comforting peace, Anna sets out on a journey to uncover the truth behind Simon’s disappearance and then his untimely return to Willow Springs. But her discovery leads her to question…


Book cover of An Amish Marriage of Convenience

Molly Jebber Author Of Rachael's Decision

From my list on escaping into a world of inspirational Amish romance and suspense.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve visited Amish communities for years as a tourist. An agent suggested I write it because of my faith in God. The Amish base their lifestyle and traditions on their faith in God, and she felt the books would be more authentic if the author felt the same. I’ve never been Amish, but the topic is fun to research, and some of the Amish are forthcoming in helping me. I love the fried chicken, homemade butterscotch pie, corn pudding, and beautiful quilts they have available when visiting the different Ohio and Indiana communities. They are not my typical audience.

Molly's book list on escaping into a world of inspirational Amish romance and suspense

Molly Jebber Why did Molly love this book?

Rachel keeps us guessing how this couple will ever get together. She makes you gasp and laugh! Her characters really come alive in her books. You won’t put her book down until you absolutely have to because you’ll want to finish it in one sitting! You’ll also learn how arranged marriages work. 

By Rachel J. Good,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked An Amish Marriage of Convenience as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In Rachel J. Good’s sweetly romantic inspirational series, a bustling Green Valley Farmer’s Market in Pennsylvania is the perfect place for residents of nearby Amish communities to find the partner of their dreams—when, and how, they least expect it! Will appeal to fans of Charlotte Hubbard, Amy Lillard, and Jennifer Beckstrand.

When widower Stephen Lapp moves his five children from New York State to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, his only plan is to buy his family’s farm stand, Lapp’s Pastured Pork. That way, his brother can move closer to his fiancée and open his own stand. But on Stephen’s first trip…


Book cover of The Amish Quiltmaker's Unexpected Baby

Molly Jebber Author Of Rachael's Decision

From my list on escaping into a world of inspirational Amish romance and suspense.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve visited Amish communities for years as a tourist. An agent suggested I write it because of my faith in God. The Amish base their lifestyle and traditions on their faith in God, and she felt the books would be more authentic if the author felt the same. I’ve never been Amish, but the topic is fun to research, and some of the Amish are forthcoming in helping me. I love the fried chicken, homemade butterscotch pie, corn pudding, and beautiful quilts they have available when visiting the different Ohio and Indiana communities. They are not my typical audience.

Molly's book list on escaping into a world of inspirational Amish romance and suspense

Molly Jebber Why did Molly love this book?

Jennifer writes a compelling story, but she has you laughing at just the right moments in the story. The baby adds an interesting twist, and plays a part you don’t want to miss in this story. You’ll be surprised as you turn the pages, and you won’t be disappointed when you finish the story.

By Jennifer Beckstrand,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Amish Quiltmaker's Unexpected Baby as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In the first in an engaging new series, an Amish quiltmaker moves from Pennsylvania to a new settlement in Colorado, where adventure, challenges, and love are waiting . . .
 
Esther Zook is starting over after her father’s death, piecing together a new life with as much care as she puts into her intricate quilts. When her wayward sister abandons her baby, it throws all those plans for a fresh start asunder. Esther had accepted her status as an old maid—but a mother? And a single one, at that? Not that she hasn’t noticed Levi Kiem, the eligible young man…


Book cover of The Hidden One

Karl Milde Author Of The Road Ranger

From my list on keeping you riveted until the very end.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have SB degrees in physics and electrical engineering from M.I.T. and a JD degree from the Georgetown University Law Center. I’m interested in how things work and how people think. I’ve written four novels, published countless articles, as well as many children’s stories. A few of them may be found on my author’s website

Karl's book list on keeping you riveted until the very end

Karl Milde Why did Karl love this book?

Linda Castillo is a master of the Amish whodunnit, having written fifteen books in a series staged in Amish country and culture. I’ve read five of them. Her characters are vivid and come alive on the page. The Hidden One, this latest “novel of suspense,” is written in the first person by her protagonist, Kate Burkholder, Chief of Police in Painters Mill, Ohio. Before you realize it, you are in Kate’s mind, trying to make sense of the many clues—bits and pieces of information—that make up a mosaic. All this is delivered up in what I would venture to say is a “woman writer’s touch”—with sensitivity and a warm heart.

By Linda Castillo,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Hidden One as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The discovery of an Amish bishop's remains leads chief of police Kate Burkholder to unearth a chilling secret in The Hidden One, a new thriller from bestselling author Linda Castillo.

Over a decade ago, beloved Amish bishop Ananias Stoltzfus disappeared without a trace. When skeletal remains showing evidence of foul play are unearthed, his disappearance becomes even more sinister.

The town’s elders arrive in Painters Mill to ask chief of police Kate Burkholder for help, but she quickly realizes she has a personal connection to the crime. The handsome Amish man who stands accused of the murder, Jonas Bowman, was…


Book cover of Liberating Lomie: Memoir of an Amish Childhood

Rachel J. Good Author Of Buried Secrets

From my list on realistic and heart-wrenching Amish stories.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always been drawn to realistic stories of moral dilemmas, hidden secrets, and unexpected twists. To do that in my novels, I draw from real-life experiences. I enjoy researching all my book locations and situations—everything from Amish special needs schools to Amish camel farms. Striving to be as authentic as possible, I spend time with my Amish friends, so the problems my characters face often are based on real-life events they’ve faced, and I have an Amish reader who checks the novels accuracy as I strive to write life-changing, heart-tugging novels of faith, hope, and forgiveness.

Rachel's book list on realistic and heart-wrenching Amish stories

Rachel J. Good Why did Rachel love this book?

As I experience secondhand the wrenching and difficult decision by an Amish family I know to leave the faith, Saloma Miller Furlong’s memoir of her own leaving rings true. But her tale is also marked by shocking secrets and terrible suffering.

She writes openly of her raw and painful emotions and the powerlessness of living in an abusive home, yet she lightens the heaviness with sweet moments of beauty and simplicity. I admire her courageousness in escaping the brutality as well as her unflinching honesty in revealing the chilling truths of her life, and the heartbreaking, but liberating, decision to leave the only life she’d ever known.

This true story is not an easy read, but I’m grateful she shared her struggles and gave others permission to share theirs.

Book cover of The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible

Corinne Maier Author Of The Conquest of the Red Man

From my list on tongue-in-cheek about social classes and clashes.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a french writer, I like to write satires and tongue-in-cheek books about society. Work, children, France, social classes... When you find the right angle almost everything can be funny. With my writing I want to entertain, but give the reader something to think about. I hope this list will make you laugh as much I did. 

Corinne's book list on tongue-in-cheek about social classes and clashes

Corinne Maier Why did Corinne love this book?

A. J. Jacobs, a journalist, decides to read the Bible and try to follow it literally for a whole year, to the point of eating locusts, throwing small pebbles at couples he suspects of adultery, slaying idolatry, and speaking the naked truth… Struggling to follow archaic rules, he lives a disconcerting experience under the perplexed eyes of his family and becomes quickly out of step with the present time. The Year of Living Biblically depicts a clash of worlds with a caustic humor and I’ve burst out laughing a couple of times. I recommend it to believers and non-believers, both will be amused by this witty book that gives us food for thought.

By A.J. Jacobs,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Year of Living Biblically as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the bestselling author of The Know-It-All comes a fascinating and timely exploration of religion and the Bible.

Raised in a secular family but increasingly interested in the relevance of faith in our modern world, A.J. Jacobs decides to dive in headfirst and attempt to obey the Bible as literally as possible for one full year. He vows to follow the Ten Commandments. To be fruitful and multiply. To love his neighbor. But also to obey the hundreds of less publicized rules: to avoid wearing clothes made of mixed fibers; to play a ten-string harp; to stone adulterers.

The resulting…


Book cover of Plain Truth

Rachel J. Good Author Of Buried Secrets

From my list on realistic and heart-wrenching Amish stories.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always been drawn to realistic stories of moral dilemmas, hidden secrets, and unexpected twists. To do that in my novels, I draw from real-life experiences. I enjoy researching all my book locations and situations—everything from Amish special needs schools to Amish camel farms. Striving to be as authentic as possible, I spend time with my Amish friends, so the problems my characters face often are based on real-life events they’ve faced, and I have an Amish reader who checks the novels accuracy as I strive to write life-changing, heart-tugging novels of faith, hope, and forgiveness.

Rachel's book list on realistic and heart-wrenching Amish stories

Rachel J. Good Why did Rachel love this book?

Told by an outsider, lawyer Ellie Hathaway, who left the Amish community years ago, Picoult immerses us in a stunning and heartbreaking story of a young Amish girl accused of murdering her newborn.

I admire the amount of research Picoult did to stay true to many of the Amish traditions, but she also spins a mesmerizing tale that captivated me emotionally and provided many twists and turns, including an unexpected and shocking reveal at the end. The story left many haunting moral questions that lingered long after I finished the book.

By Jodi Picoult,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Plain Truth as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the bestselling author of My Sister's Keeper comes the riveting story of a murder that shatters the picturesque calm of Amish country -- and tests the heart and soul of the lawyer defending the woman at the center of the storm.

The discovery of a dead infant in an Amish barn shakes Lancaster County to its core. But the police investigation leads to a more shocking disclosure: circumstantial evidence suggests that eighteen-year-old Katie Fisher, an unmarried Amish woman believed to be the newborn's mother, took the child's life. When Ellie Hathaway, a disillusioned big-city attorney, comes to Paradise, Pennsylvania,…


Book cover of Promise Lodge

Rachel J. Good Author Of Buried Secrets

From my list on realistic and heart-wrenching Amish stories.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always been drawn to realistic stories of moral dilemmas, hidden secrets, and unexpected twists. To do that in my novels, I draw from real-life experiences. I enjoy researching all my book locations and situations—everything from Amish special needs schools to Amish camel farms. Striving to be as authentic as possible, I spend time with my Amish friends, so the problems my characters face often are based on real-life events they’ve faced, and I have an Amish reader who checks the novels accuracy as I strive to write life-changing, heart-tugging novels of faith, hope, and forgiveness.

Rachel's book list on realistic and heart-wrenching Amish stories

Rachel J. Good Why did Rachel love this book?

Although I’m not convinced Old Order Amish women actually would venture out this way, I liked that the female characters made the tough decision to leave their community because of abuse and violence to start the new community of Promise Lodge.

The story delves into some of the hidden problems some Amish women have to deal with and exposes the dark secrets characters are hiding. Second chances, forgiveness, and fresh starts are all themes close to my heart, and I found the interesting, strong characters combined with their trust, faith, and community relationships made for a compelling story.

By Charlotte Hubbard,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Promise Lodge as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Hubbard writes Amish stories with style and grace." --RT Book Reviews

It's a better life, a fresh start--and a heaven-sent second chance. Founded by three Amish sisters determined to put misfortune behind them, Promise Lodge is a colony where faith's abiding promise can be fulfilled--and love can make all things new…

Energetic widow Mattie Bender Schwartz is working day and night to get Promise Lodge going. She's also hoping the change will help her son Noah's heart to heal after his broken engagement. But his former fiancée, Deborah, is looking for a fresh start too. Filled with regret, and cast…


Book cover of New York Amish: Life in the Plain Communities of the Empire State

Jonathan T. Jefferson Author Of Echoes from the Farm

From my list on rural life in upstate New York.

Why am I passionate about this?

Born in 1969 as the seventh of eight children to two Harlem-raised parents, I benefited from both the inner-city life of Queens, New York and childhood summers spent on a farm in rural upstate New York. Academic, professional, and physical accomplishments have punctuated my life. An adventurer by nature, I became the first African American to hike to the top of every mountain in the northeast US over 4,000' (115 of them) by September of 2000. At that time, less than 400 people had accomplished this feat; whereas thousands have scaled Mount Everest. My home city’s iconic landmarks create a psychological veil that blinds people to the vast open spaces that dominate New York State. 

Jonathan's book list on rural life in upstate New York

Jonathan T. Jefferson Why did Jonathan love this book?

I first saw Amish people in New York during the mid-1970s while spending summers on my family’s abandoned dairy farm in St. Lawrence County. We (Jeffersons) arrived in 1972, and a Swartzentruber Amish community settled nearby in 1974. Although we overlapped with our simply living county neighbors for ten summers (my parents sold our farm in 1985), I knew very little about them. This book provides readers with a college-level education on the inception, migration, internal conflicts, socioeconomic and sociopolitical lives of the Amish.

By Karen M. Johnson-Weiner,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked New York Amish as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In a book that highlights the existence and diversity of Amish communities in New York State, Karen M. Johnson-Weiner draws on twenty-five years of observation, participation, interviews, and archival research to emphasize the contribution of the Amish to the state's rich cultural heritage. While the Amish settlements in Pennsylvania and Ohio are internationally known, the Amish population in New York, the result of internal migration from those more established settlements, is more fragmentary and less visible to all but their nearest non-Amish neighbors. All of the Amish currently living in New York are post-World War II migrants from points to…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Amish, suspense, and Christianity?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about Amish, suspense, and Christianity.

Amish Explore 24 books about Amish
Suspense Explore 1,999 books about suspense
Christianity Explore 595 books about Christianity