The Heart Knows the Way Home

Two long-lost friends reunite, but their faith differences may keep them apart in this touching Mennonite romance from Distler (A Cord of Three Strands). Janna Carpenter is a single mother returning to the Akron, Pennsylvania, area where she grew up. After a tree falls on her new house, she and her daughter, Kayla, have nowhere to go. By chance, Melinda Martin, an Old Order Mennonite woman whose mother-in-law, Salena, helped to raise Janna, runs into Janna and Kayla and invites them to stay with her and her children. Salena's grandson Luke and Janna had been best friends growing up, and now Luke is a widowed and overworked single father. After some initial missteps, Luke and Janna renew their friendship and their children become fast friends. When Luke asks Janna to stay on the farm to help his grandmother and care for his son, Janna agrees, but it’s not an easy transition and both must rely on God for help reconciling their differences. Distler’s believable setup and the conflict’s resolution make for pleasing reading. This sweet romance will win over fans of Amish and Mennonite fiction. (Self-published)