The Riverhaven Years

Rachel’s Secret (#1)

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In this new, groundbreaking series, BJ redefines the traditional Amish novel for today’s readers.

With the first book, Rachel’s Secret, she introduces a new community of her trademark unforgettable characters and combines all the elements her readers have come to expect from her historical novels: a tender love story, the faith journeys of people we grow to know and love, and enough suspense to keep the pages turning quickly.

When the wounded Irish American riverboat captain, Jeremiah Gant, bursts through the fog into the rural Amish setting of Riverhaven, he brings chaos and conflict to the whole community–especially for the young widow, Rachel Brenneman, and her family.

The unwelcome “outsider” needs a safe place to recuperate before continuing his secret role as an Underground Railroad conductor. Neither he nor Rachel is prepared for the forbidden love that threatens to endanger a man’s mission, a woman’s heart, and a way of life for an entire people.


Where Grace Abides (#2)

Where Grace Abides

In the compelling second book of The Riverhaven Years, readers are offered a closer look at the small Amish community of Riverhaven and the people who live, love and work there.

Rachel Brenneman finds her faith and her love for the forbidden “outsider”, Jeremiah Gant, sorely tested, while Gant’s own hopes and dreams are dealt a life-changing blow, rendering the vow he once made to Rachel seemingly impossible to honor.

Other characters introduced in Rachel’s Secret find their quiet, unassuming lives of faith jeopardized by a malicious outside influence, while those striving to help runaway slaves escape to freedom through the Underground Railroad face deception and the danger of discovery.


River of Mercy (#3)

River of Mercy

BJ’s faithful fans will delight in River of Mercy, the exciting conclusion to BJ’s bestselling Riverhaven Years trilogy, Rachel and the “outsider,” Jeremiah Gant, desperately search for God’s will amid the turmoil of their forbidden love for each other. Adding to the suspense is Gant’s ongoing struggle to maintain the secrecy of his dangerous work with the Underground Railroad.

Meanwhile, Rachel’s brother, young Gideon Kanagy, faces a life-altering challenge, as well as an unexpected romance with his Amish friend, Emma Knepp.

How will the story end? Will Gideon return to the Amish? Will Rachel and Gant finally find their desired haven?