The Homestead

March 13, 2017
Byler’s latest Amish historical (after Hester Takes Charge), the first in her new Dakota series, is heavy on the Amish and very light on the romance. After the Detweiler farm in Lancaster County, Pa., fails during the Great Depression, Hannah Detweiler and her family head for a homestead in North Dakota, where they expect to find rich farmland. The family’s faith is sorely tested when they’re met with harsh blizzards and a climate ill suited for growing corn. At first, the Detweilers survive due to the kindness of strangers, including the Jenkins family, who have a nearby ranch. But when Hannah’s father begins to lose his grip on reality, Hannah realizes that her family will starve unless she gets a job. Her hard work at Harry Rocher’s Hardware and Mercantile doesn’t leave her much time to think about her burgeoning crush on charming rancher Clay Jenkins, and when tragedy strikes, it may separate the two forever. Byler is Amish, and the authenticity of her narrative shines on every page, as do her impeccable research and skillful plotting. This tale will captivate readers looking for clean Christian women’s fiction with a dollop of romance.

March 15, 2017

The Great Depression hit Hannah's family hard, even though they are Lancaster County Amish. Desperate to find a way to sustain his family, Hannah's father decides they should leave Pennsylvania and head to North Dakota. Unfortunately, their fortunes there are not much better, and 15-year-old Hannah is convinced that she needs to work. Although she is happy to find a position on a cattle ranch, Hannah is troubled by her growing attraction to ranch hand Clay. Byler ("Lizzie Searches for Love" series) draws on her Amish upbringing to create an authentic portrait of Amish life. Unlike other authors writing in this genre, Byler avoids the "Amish dialect" that can be off-putting to new readers, and pens character-driven and issue-oriented novels that are at times melancholy yet always moving. VERDICT This series launch is a good choice for curious readers interested in exploring Amish fiction and a genuine look at the Amish community.

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2017
After the Great Depression hits Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Moses and Sarah leave their Amish community and head west to homestead. With a temperamental teenage daughter in tow, they realize that they are utterly unprepared for life on the North Dakota plains. They do meet people who are surprisingly kind and generous but are not religious, and Sarah believes God will bless them if only they are faithful. So she is stuck between her devout husband and her tenacious daughter, Hannah, who becomes attracted to a ranch hand, weighing blind faith versus reason, with their very survival at stake. Byler (Hester on the Run, 2015) kicks off her new Dakota series with an intense tale of pioneering in its truest form. The complex relationship between religious faithfulness and worldly survival is rendered with an earthy style redolent of Jane Kirkpatrick. The greatest strengths of Byler's novel are the buzzing undercurrents of tension between mother and daughter, individual and community, loyalty and love. Thought-provoking and multilayered, this is an ideal selection for inspirational-romance fans and Christian book clubs.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)