An Amish Family Christmas

Who doesn't love great endings? I know when I find an exceptional series of novels or even movies it is always bittersweet when you see it come to an end even though you know it's going to be great. Such is An Amish Family Christmas by Shelley Shepard Gray, who wraps up the love lives of a few characters in the Charmed Amish Life Series, which I have adored.

This time we still see our favorite characters who have become couples in their own previous novels but now its time for Levi, the oldest of the Kinsinger family who left Charm, Ohio after the fire killed his father. He ran not knowing how to live in their family home where memories of both his father and mother continued to haunt him. He arrives home at first in A Sister's Wish, the third novel in the series because it isn't helping to have him stay away from the only family he has known and now that Amelia is about to marry, Levi wonders what is next in his life. Since moving out of the family home and onto a run-down and in desperate need of cleaning home on Jupiter Street, his life consists of going to work, staying as long as he can, and returning home with just enough time to sleep and begin again in the morning.

Julia Kemp, although not her real name, has found a fresh start in Charm, Ohio even though she can barely manage financially to support herself and her 5-year-old daughter Penny. She has had her own fair share of running, including leaving the father of her child, who found abusing her was the only way to control her life. She left before he knew she was with child and could continue his beatings not only on her but on their daughter as well. This is why she needed a fresh start complete with a new name. It also meant she had to leave behind her family as well. She couldn't take the risk of Luther finding out where she had gone, so as much as it pained her, she really needed this. The last thing she ever expected was to find a man who could truly love her the way God intended and perhaps offer her a future she never dreamed possible. She only has to be willing to tell the truth, but is she willing to place her future on the line to do so?

I received An Amish Family Christmas by Shelley Shepard Gray compliments of Avon Inspired Publishers, a division of Harper Collins Publishers and Litfuse Publicity. I know Shelley is far from ending her Amish series and looking forward to the next one which readers get a sneak peek at with the conclusion of this novel. There are also Reader Discussion Questions included that is perfect for book clubs. In fact one such question asks if the reader has read all the books in the Charmed Amish Life series and if so, which is their favorite and I have to say, it would be A Sister's Wish because I love Amelia and Simon's story the best. I love how that comes into play as Levi and Luther come to a stand off when Julia is confronted with the truth and Simon has to step in. Oh how I would love to see this one come to life, but for now it remains locked away in my own imagination. For me, this one easily rates a 4.5 out of 5 stars in my opinion. There is even a great recipe in this one as well, but I'll save that as a surprise.

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For more information about An Amish Family Christmas, Shelley Shepard Gray or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

An Amish Family Christmas by Shelley Shepard Gray

You can find Shelley Shepard Gray on Facebook, to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on An Amish Family Christmas please visit Litfuse Publicity's Book Tour page. 

A Sister's Wish

It is always a pleasure whenever a long-overdue visit with family and friends happens and it suddenly feels as if no time has passed since your last visit. This is just the case whenever you immerse yourself into the lives of the residents of Charm, Ohio, a small mix of Amish and English alike through Shelley Shepard Gray's eyes and imagination. In the third book of this series, The Charmed Amish Life, A Sister's Wish combines the coming of age story between Amelia Kinsinger and Simon Hochstetler. They have always shared more than a passing feeling between them that began as children, when Amelia had the uncanny ability to see more to Simon than anyone else.

Being a child in an abusive home, Simon watched as both his older brother and sister both left home for something more than being on the receiving end of their parents anger. Even in Amish communities, abuse happens and sometimes nothing is done because no one wants to get involved. So it came as no surprise after the final beating that Simon had enough and followed in his siblings footsteps and left Charm. Only unlike his siblings, Simon came back and repented of his worldly ways with used violence as an outlet to enable him to make money at fighting. But he is done with all of that lifestyle and now only wants to do whatever he can to make Amelia his wife and begin a family with her.

However Amelia feels about Simon, her older siblings believe it's in her best interest to find a more suitable husband in someone else. They will do whatever they have to, to ensure that Simon moves on and leaves Amelia for someone more suited to her innocent way of life. She doesn't need Simon's blackened past to rear its ugly head in their family. Amelia has had enough and at 22, now feels the need to stand up to her well-meaning family and put her own happiness first, instead of running the family household. But when an accident leaves her in need of someone to care for her, who will step up and take the responsibility.

I received A Sister's Wish by Shelley Shepard Gray compliments of Avon Inspired Publishers and Litfuse Publicity. I absolutely love the intimacy that comes from the characters that Shelley introduces us to in her series and soon you find yourself feeling a part of the novel and their family. I think we have all had a well-meaning family member tell us what they feel is best for us in our own lives and Lukas fills that role for this novel. He has the best intentions but fails to realize that he hasn't considered Amelia's feelings in the process of his decisions. I love how Simon is willing to do whatever Amelia asks despite how much pain it causes him to tell her about his sorted and painful past in order to establish a solid foundation to build their relationship on. Readers will get a sneak peek at the final book in the series, An Amish Family Christmas coming in October of 2016. For me, this one rates a 4.5 out of 5 stars in this reviewer's opinion.

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For more information about A Sister's Wish, Shelley Shepard Gray or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

A Sister's Wish by Shelley Shepard Gray 

You can find Shelley Shepard Gray on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on A Sister's Wish, please visit Litfuse Publicity's Book Tour Page.

A Daughter's Dream

"Keeping twenty-five schoolchildren reasonably happy and on task for a solid hour was harder than it looked."

This is the first sentence that opens the second novel, A Daughter's Dream from best selling author, Shelley Shepard Gray, in her Charmed Amish Life series. I've been taking notice of how an author choices to begin each novel and what draws them to write that first sentence. This one immediately draws you into this amazing novel. Rebecca Kinsinger, has always had a dream to become a teacher in her Amish community of Charm, Ohio. Now she is filling in for Rachel Mast, from time to time when she needs to be gone for an hour or two or merely helping out when she is there. The one thing she can't quite figure out is why she is having such a hard time connecting with the students, if this is truly her dream job. Just as things are about to get out of control, Rachel returns and sets things to right.

Jacob Yoder finds that trying to fit in as a farmer now that he has moved back with his parents isn't working out as well as he hoped. Now he has taking over raising his thirteen-year-old niece Lilly after she lost both of her parents in an accident. She is barely talking and moving her away from her old school and friends probably isn't helping much. All he knows is he has to try. Lilly finds school boring and now being saddled as the new girl is about all a teen can handle. It's not enough that everyone is trying to help, but they just don't understand what she is dealing with. The only one who is really trying is another boy at school, Peter who seems to know just what she needs and right now that is a friend she can count on.

Rachel Mast loves that Rebecca wants to become a teacher soon, since she discovered she is pregnant and her husband Marcus insists that she quit her job as soon as possible. Not only that he wants her to refrain from seeing the Amish mid-wife and instead seek care under a real doctor and make plans to have their baby at the hospital. He can more than afford it, but how can Rachel convince Marcus that teaching is something she loves to do, and she knows she will quit when the baby comes. It just seems like everyone knows what they want to do and what they think is best for her as well.

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I received A Daughter's Dream by Shelley Shepard Gray compliments of Avon Inspire, a division of Harper Collins Publishers and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation, aside from a free copy of this novel, in exchange for my honest and personal opinion. The best thing about all of the novels I've read of Shelley's is that when you begin them, it's as if you have moved to one of her Amish towns and are learning about the people living there. At some point, it stops being a story and you find yourself actually living among the characters she introduces you to. While this is part of a series, you can read it as a stand alone, but trust me, you will want to go back and read a little more detail about Lukas life and how he met Delia! I can't wait for the next novel in the series which readers get a peek at in the conclusion of this one. There are even some great discussion guide questions for book clubs, a recipe for delicious granola bars, and an authors note from Shelley that takes you into the very heart of Charm, Ohio. This one easily garners a 5 out of 5 stars and a must read for Christian Amish Romance fans!

For more information about A Daughter's Dream, Shelley Shepard Gray or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

A Daughter's Dream by Shelley Shepard Gray

You can find Shelley Shepard Gray on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on A Daughter's Dream, please visit Litfuse Publicity's book tour page.