An Amish Family Christmas by Shelley Shepard Gray

October 20, 2016

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

An Amish Family Christmas by Shelley Shepard Gray was a great Christmas themed book. This is the fourth book in this series, and even though I did enjoy this book, I think I liked the third book more than this one. I had a hard time connecting with these characters which were something that caught me off guard. I did like the book, but it was harder for me to get through this book. I know that there always can be one book in a series that isn’t your favorite and this book was that for me. I liked Penny in this book, but I didn’t feel like I could connect with any of the other characters in this book. If you love Amish fiction, I would for sure check out this book but know that you may have a hard time getting into the book like I did.

About The Book

In Shelley Shepard Gray’s fourth book in her Charmed Amish Life series, an unlikely Amish romance reveals that Christmas is a time for family, miracles—and love.

Ever since his father died in a tragic fire, Levi Kinsinger has felt adrift. Newly returned to Charm, Ohio, Levi is trying to fit into his old life, only to discover he seems to have outgrown it.

But when Julia, his young widowed neighbor, asks for his help with a Christmas project, Levi finds a sense of purpose for the first time in months. She and her daughter are new to Charm and could use a friend, a job Levi takes personally. Soon enough, friendship grows into attraction, but Levi can’t help having doubts. There’s something about Julia that doesn’t ring quite true…

Like Levi, Julia Kemps has survived her fair share of hardships—but only by hiding the truth of her past. Being an unmarried mother in an Amish community was unthinkable. Feeling hopeless, Julia did the only thing she could do: she moved to a new town and pretended to be a widow. But meeting Levi, she’s hopeful for the first time. Little by little, she begins to imagine telling him her darkest secret, and eventually…perhaps even sharing her life with him.

Christmas is a time for family, and as the holiday draws closer, Julia and Levi will have to face their pasts together…in order to find the healing, support and love they so desperately desire.

About The Author

Shelley Shepard Gray is a two-time New York Times bestseller, a two-time USA Today bestseller, a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers prestigious Carol Award, and a two-time Holt Medallion winner. She lives in Southern Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town’s bike trail.

Find Shelley online:website, Facebook, Twitter

Buy A Copy

Add-On Goodreads

Let’s Be Friends

A Sisters Wish by Shelley Shepard Gray

October 20, 2016

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

A Sisters Wish by Shelley Shepard Gray was a good book. This is the third book in the series, and I knew I would love it because I have loved all of the other books in this series. This author writes my favorite Amish fiction books, so I know once I find out she has a new book out that I will probably end up liking it. I think that these characters have to be one of my favorites in this series because I felt like I could relate to Amelia. I was able to get through this book pretty quickly which is something that I also love about this author. If you have never read Amish fiction before this would be a great series to start reading. This is the third book in the series, and even though they can be read as a stand-alone, I would recommend reading the whole series and reading them in order. If you love Amish fiction, I am sure will love this book as much as I did.

a-sisters-wish-by-shelley-shepard-gray

About The Book

New York Times Bestselling Author

In Shelley Shepard Gray’s third book in her Charmed Amish Life series, a respectable young woman finds herself falling for an Amish man from the wrong side of the tracks.

Amelia Kinsinger is the perfect Amish woman—at least according to her neighbors. And while Amelia takes pride in her role as homemaker, she’s also harboring a secret: She’s been in love with bad boy Simon Hochstetler for as long as she can remember. Too bad he’s about as far from “perfect” as an Amish man could get… but that’s exactly why she’s so drawn to him.

Life hasn’t been kind to Simon. He ran away from an abusive home at fifteen and things went downhill from there. Eventually, Simon landed in prison. But the experience changed him. Now back in Charm as a grown man, he’s determined to make a new life for himself and not think too much about his wild past…unless it pertains to Amelia.

He’s loved Amelia for years. To him, she represents everything good and kind in the world. When he realizes that she returns his affections, he starts calling on her in secret, even though her older brother Lukas—who just happens to be Simon’s best friend—has made it perfectly clear that Amelia deserves better. Simon disagrees and believes he’s the only one who can truly make her happy.

But when Amelia gets hurt, it sets off a chain of events that forces them to consider their future together—and face their past mistakes. There’s a chance for love… but only if Simon dares to trust Amelia with the secrets of his past.

Shelley Gray

About The Author

Shelley Shepard Gray is a two-time New York Times bestseller, a two-time USA Today bestseller, a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers prestigious Carol Award, and a two-time Holt Medallion winner. She lives in Southern Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town’s bike trail.

Find Shelley online:website, Facebook, Twitter

Buy A Copy

Add-On Goodreads

Let’s Be Friends!

A Son’s Vow by Shelley Shepard Gray

January 28, 2016

A Sons Vow by Shelley Shepard Gray was another great book. I love all of the books about the Amish that Shelley has written, but if I am honest, this book has to be one of my favorites. I like Darla from the start and even though I didn’t like some of the things that Aaron did I had a soft spot for him because felt he was more relatable than some other characters. I am a huge fan of these books because I love that I don’t have to worry about what will be in the books, and they always are such sweet stories. I would recommend this genre to anyone who is looking for a change in what they are reading because I don’t think that anyone would hate these books. They are always easy reading and great stories. I love that I always feel good after I finish one of the books, and I know you will probably love it as well.

About The Book

Shelley Shepard Gray’s first book in her Charmed Amish Life series is set in the quaint Amish village of Charm, Ohio, and tells the stories of the Kinsinger siblings who are each struggling to find both forgiveness and love in the face of tragedy.

Three months ago, everything changed for Darla Kurtz and her family. Darla’s father was responsible for a terrible fire at Charm’s lumber mill which killed five Amish men. And though he, too, lost his life, the town of Charm hasn’t looked at her family the same since. Even Lukas Kinsinger—with whom Darla used to have a close friendship.

Now her brother’s anger at the town is spilling over onto Darla, and she has the bruises to prove it. The accident already cost five lives, but if something doesn’t change soon, Darla fears it will cost her—and her family—even more.

Lukas Kinsinger wants to mourn the loss of his father, but he can hardly find the time to breathe. Suddenly the head of his father’s lumber mill and responsible for taking care of his three siblings, he’s feeling the pressure. He has also never felt more alone—especially with the new tension between he and Darla. But when he learns of her troubles at home, Lukas knows he can’t simply stand by and watch. Someone has to help her before another tragedy occurs.

As Lukas and Darla attempt to repair their families, they discover something deeper than friendship growing between them. But will Lukas and Darla’s love be accepted after so much loss? Or will the pain of the past overcome any chance of future happiness?

About The Author

Shelley Gray is the author of The Heart of a Hero series. Her Amish novel (written as Shelley Shepard Gray), The Protector, recently made the New York Times best seller list. A native of Texas, she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Colorado and taught school for ten years. She and her husband have two children and live in Southern Ohio.