Long Road Home (Byler)

The second book in The Long Road Home series, a unique and gripping Amish romance trilogy set in the South at the turn of the century. At the end of Banished, Clinton has died and May is left to fend for herself in a city where she knows almost no one and has no way of earning a living. Not knowing where Oba had wound up and realizing she can't return to her uncle's home after all he'd put her through, she decides to journey to the Amish community where she spent her first years, before her parents' died. Perhaps the relatives who once turned her away had had a change of heart and would be willing to take her in or help her get settled on her own. After being shuffled from home to home, May finds a kindred spirit in Clara, a middle-aged Amish woman who welcomes her. Clara is single, having long since sworn off romantic relationships. She doesn't trust men, and it doesn't take her long to realize May had her own painful past, though she doesn't know the full extent of what May suffered. Clara helps May to reintegrate into the Amish community, but May sinks deeper and deeper into depression as she tries to keep her dark past concealed. What will it take for May to finally face her past and begin to heal? Will she and her brother Oba ever see each other again? And could May ever open her heart to another man? In the midst of great darkness, May discovers a beacon of light. This unique Amish romance tackles heavy issues of abuse, racism, and the damage done when a community puts reputation over faith, but ultimately there is also hope, love, and the unflinching faithfulness of a good God.

This final book in The Long Road Home trilogy is full of unexpected twists. The redemptive ending will leave you smiling for days. As May settles into family life, she has so much to be grateful for. Yes, there are plenty of challenges as she continues to heal from the demons of her past, but her loving husband and sweet children are the greatest earthly gift she could ask for. And having Oba in their home is almost more precious than she could have imagined... at least, if it weren't for his ongoing anger and hardness of heart. May's children are steadily growing older, and eventually they begin to face relationship struggles of their own. Can May help them navigate the turbulent waters of young love? And will Oba's heart ever soften enough to find love, or will he always face loneliness and despair? This is the final volume in a unique Amish romance that tackles heavy issues of abuse, racism, and the damage done when a community puts reputation over faith. But ultimately, there is also hope, love, and the unflinching faithfulness of a good God.

The first book in The Long Road Home trilogy, a unique and gripping Amish romance set in the South at the turn of the century. It was the early 1900s when Obadiah (Oba) and Merriweather's (May's) parents died tragically, leaving them orphans at ten and eleven years old. When none of their nearby relations volunteer to take them in, they are set on a train to Arkansas to go live on their Amish aunt and uncle's cotton farm. Once there, it didn't take long to discover they would be treated cruelly, no matter what they did. May, always anxious to be a godly young lady, took on more and more responsibility, trying desperately to keep the peace and convince her older brother not to run away. But when they became teenagers and Oba received one especially cruel beating, he disappeared, leaving May to shoulder even more responsibility while navigating the dangerous and lonely world she'd been placed in. When she encounters Clinton, a young black man, on the road one day, she sees a kindness in his eyes that she's been thirsting for. He is immediately drawn to her, too, but quickly reminds her that he is black and she is white. In that time and place, there is no chance of starting a friendship. But still, they find themselves meeting discretely, spending more time together than is proper, finding joy and solace in each other's company. When things go from bad to unbearable at the farm, May realizes she must escape from her aunt and uncle. If only she knew where Oba had gone! Can she turn to Clinton for help? Where is God when she needs Him most?