Marta Perry – författare

In the first novel set in the Amish community of Pleasant Valley, a teacher must rely on her faith to guide her heart through challenging times.All of Pleasant Valley seems to think the newcomer from Lancaster County is the perfect match for schoolteacher Leah Beiler. After all, so few new families come to their secluded Amish community, and even fewer unmarried men. Daniel Glick is a widower with three young children to look after—clearly he's in need of a wife. But Daniel’s past haunts him at every turn. Though he cannot miss the beauty in Leah’s bright eyes and patient ways, he also sees a reminder of the pain he came so far to escape. Leah, too, has a burden on her heart. Years ago she was engaged to Johnny Kile, and was heartbroken when he decided to leave the Amish community. Since then she has immersed herself in her love of the children she teaches, forgetting any hopes of having her own family. When Johnny returns, seeking reconciliation, Leah must decide between two pathways, either of which will change her life forever...

An Amish widow must rely on her faith and the kindness of her close-knit community as she mends her broken heart in this compelling novel in the Pleasant Valley series. It has been almost a year since the Amish community of Pleasant Valley lost Ezra Brand to a tragic accident. Since then, his wife Rachel has struggled to raise their three children and run their dairy farm...Rachel’s friends and family have come forward to help. But all of their constant advice, however well intentioned, puts undue pressure on Rachel. And when Ezra’s best friend, Gideon Zook, asks her permission to build the greenhouse that Ezra had always promised her, she finds his presence too painful a reminder of the past.As spring turns to summer, and Rachel puts her heart into growing the plants that have always brought her joy, can she discover the courage to embrace new beginnings?

In the third Pleasant Valley novel, the Amish community welcomes back one of their daughters, but she hasn’t returned alone...After spending three years in the English world, Anna Beiler has come back to Pleasant Valley with a baby girl, which will surely cause a stir since Anna is unmarried. She is also hiding secrets: the baby is not hers by birth, nor does she intend to stay. Rather, she desperately needs sanctuary from the child’s violent father...It surprises Anna how quickly her Amish habits return to her, and how satisfying it feels to reconnect with her friends and family. Even Anna’s childhood friend Samuel, whose slow, thoughtful manner used to frustrate her, becomes a fond and reassuring companion.But Anna hasn’t fully faced the consequences of her irresponsible youth, and now, her mere presence may endanger the family she holds dear. If she wants to stay, she must seek forgiveness from the community whose blessing she took for granted, and experience the true change of heart required to make a new beginning.

In this compelling novel in the Pleasant Valley series, a woman opens a quilt shop that brings the Amish and the Englisch together—and brings her unexpected challenges...Hoping for a distraction after a thwarted romance, new arrival Katie Miller sets up shop on Pleasant Valley’s Main Street. It’s not long before a quilting circle forms and women from both the Amish and Englisch worlds are crafting and socializing together—much to the consternation of the furniture craftsman next door. Caleb Brand has kept to himself since he lost his betrothed under scandalous circumstances, and he could do without all the feminine chatter, not to mention Katie Miller’s carefree attitude.When Katie becomes involved with her Englisch friends in promoting Pennsylvania Dutch Days, some in town appreciate the new business it brings. But others are upset about the flood of outsiders it attracts. When acts of vandalism threaten Katie’s shop, she turns to Caleb for comfort and soon a fragile friendship forms. But will Caleb’s secret past prevent him from embracing a future with Katie? Or will their fragile romance develop the strength to last a lifetime?

Returning to Pleasant Valley gives a widow a much-needed chance at a new life. But now she must decide if she truly belongs in the Amish world...Unexpected tragedy has left Hannah without her soldier husband and a home for her baby son, Jamie. Seeking refuge, she comes to live with her aunt in Pleasant Valley, a place she hasn’t seen since childhood, when her parents left the Mennonite faith. Working in her aunt’s bakery is a way for Hannah to get back on her feet, but she isn’t sure if she can live by tradition—or if she and Jamie should stay for good. She finds an unexpected sympathetic listener in furniture maker William Brand. His stutter makes him feel like a permanent outsider in his Amish community, and he understands her loneliness. Hannah is irresistibly drawn to the shy, caring William, and her education in speech therapy makes it natural for her to want to help him speak more easily. But how can she encourage his attention when she might someday leave Pleasant Valley, and when her father-in-law, a military officer, is scheming to take Jamie away from her? As William seeks the courage to stand up for the woman who believes in him, Hannah must decide where her true home lies—in the free, ever-changing world she knows, or in the simpler, loving community she’s found...

An Amish woman is shocked when she learns of the siblings she never knew existed in the first Lost Sisters of Pleasant Valley novel. With no memory of her birth parents, or the tragic accident that took their lives, Lydia Beachy has always been grateful for the aunt and uncle who took her in and raised her as their own. Now a married woman with two sons, Lydia finds her life turned upside down when she discovers that she has two younger sisters: Susanna, who was adopted by an Amish family in another community, and Chloe, who was raised by their grandmother among the Englisch. Angry and confused, Lydia first seeks out Susanna but stops short of telling her the truth. To track down Chloe, she enlists the help of a neighbor who has spent some years in the Englisch world. Meanwhile, Lydia’s husband, Adam, is keeping a secret of his own. Lydia yearns to be united with the sisters she has never known, but will revealing herself to them tear their lives apart...or enrich them beyond all imagining?