Eventide

There is something bittersweet that happens when a really great series of novels comes to a close in the final book and Eventide by best-selling author Shelley Shepard Gray is no exception. In her Days of Redemption series, we have followed the Keim family through a series of trials facing them as both Amish and English converts to the faith. In this conclusion to the series, Eventide wraps up some of the lingering questions that have plagued the family since the beginning.

Elise Keim is a twin who shares something that her twin doesn't. She is facing a degenerative eye disease that offers no hope of cure and will ultimately leave her blind. Seeing more than most, she just wishes she could have had the same hope for a future like all Amish women, the ability to fall in love, get married and have a family of her own. But Elise's family treats her like she is more disabled than she is, and finds herself fighting more with them internally than with her own struggle at losing her sight.

Thankfully Landon Troyer sees something in Elise her family doesn't. Her unique ability to face her fears head on with dignity and strength. She doesn't want to be treated any different than any other Amish girl and in order to try to make others see her that way, she fails to inform them just how progressive the loss of her eyesight is. But until Elsie can be honest to Landon and tell him what their future will look like, he believes she is like all other Amish girls and one that has completely captured her heart. Will she have the strength enough to tell him what the future really holds for him if he chooses to marry her?

I received Eventide by Shelley Shepard Gray compliments of Avon Inspired Publishers and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review. This is such a perfect novel because it deals with the power of finding forgiveness even when it might just cost you the future happiness you hoped for. Sometimes life involves taking the biggest risk of losing it all in hopes of finally reaching the other side. The one thing I truly admire about the Amish is their sense of family and community and that no matter what obstacle any of them face, they never face it alone. I rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars and bid a bittersweet farewell to the characters I've come to love and really appreciate in every sense of the word in this amazing series. For those of you that want to begin the journey, start with the first book Daybreak and then Ray of Light before closing with Eventide. There is even a Discussion Guide included for book clubs and a sneak peek at Shelley's next novel Peace at the end of this novel.

For more information about Eventide, Shelley Shepard Gray or where you can pick up a copy of this amazing novel please click on the links below:

Eventide by Shelley Shepard Gray 

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

You can read more reviews on Eventide from the Litfuse Publicity Book Tour by clicking here.


Shelley Shepard Gray is celebrating the release of the final book in The Days of Redemption series, Eventide, by giving away FIVE sets of the series. 

Five winners will receive:

• Daybreak, Ray of Light and Eventide by Shelley Shepard Gray

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on September 21st. All winners will be announced September 23rd at Shelley's blog.

Don't miss a moment of the fun; enter today and be sure to visit Shelley's blog on the 23rd to see if you won one of the book sets!

Ray of Light

Summertime is the best time to find some exceptional books to take to the beach or lakeside to immerse yourself in and I've got a great recommendation for those of you that love Amish Fiction. Take Shelley Shepard Gray's latest novel from her Days of Redemption Series, Ray of Light. This is the second book in the series and even though it's part of the series, you can pick this one up as a stand alone and still enjoy it just as much as the first one, Daybreak.

In Ray of Light, we meet Amanda Yoder who is living in the beach side Amish town of Pinecraft in Florida. She has spent the last two years attempting to find a way to move forward in her life after losing her husband, Wesley and is raising her daughter Regina on her own. Despite all the help from her in-laws, they don't seem to think that two years is enough time before Amanda can attempt to find a new love for herself and Regina. She hadn't exactly been looking for anyone either but when her next door neighbors brother comes to town, he seems at ease in talking to Regina. She hadn't been socializing much since her father died and it seems she has found a true friend in Roman Keim.

The only problem with this romance is that Roman is strictly in Florida on vacation and is leaving back to Ohio in a week. What will happened between Amanda and Roman? Will they both be willing to walk away from a potential relationship or will one of them be willing to uproot their home and move closer to the other?

I received Ray of Light by Shelley Shepard Gray compliments of Litfuse Publicity and Avon Inspire, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation for a favorable review. I've been a huge fan of Shelley's for quite some time and loved the blend of my favorite places Amish country in Ohio alongside a beachfront setting in Florida. It shows just how many times God will show us a ray of light in the darkest of our storms to teach us better things are on our horizon.

In relationship between Amanda and Roman there is hope being restored for each of them in the process. For Amanda its not only about finding love again but finding someone that it suitable for her younger daughter. Regina only makes the process that much easier when she befriends Roman before Amanda realizes what is happening and that relationship between them is genuine. Not just because Roman finds Amanda more than attractive. He understands the trust that must accompany his actions and words in respect to both Amanda and Regina. Now if they can only find a way to make the distance between them work. You'll have to read this one to see what happens along their journey as well for all the families involved. I rate this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

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

Ray of Light by Shelley Shepard Gray

You can also find Shelley Shepard Gray on Facebook so you don't miss any of her latest novels.

To read more reviews from the Litfuse Publicity Book Tour for Ray of Light, click here.

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Avon Inspire; Original edition (May 14, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062204424
• ISBN-13: 978-0062204424
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.7 x 8 inches 

This is available at your favorite book retailer in paperback, audio and eBook reader formats. 

Daybreak

What if everything you ever believed about your upbringing and the life your parents had lived was nothing but a lie? What would that make you think about all the decisions you've made that were called wrong when instead they could have been right, if only the true were allowed to shine through? Now you have the premise behind the latest novel from Shelley Shepard Gray in her new series The Days of Redemption. In the first book, Daybreak we are introduced to the residents of Daybreak Retirement Home where Viola Keim has been working in Mennonite community. Even though she herself isn't a Mennonite, but a New Order Amish, she finds herself wondering just how children can abandon their parents to live out the rest of their lives in the care of strangers instead of living at home with them.

She finds herself particularly drawn to an elderly man named Atle Swartz who is wheelchair bound but is ornery as they come and lately only Viola can dish it back to him in a manner that creates a wonderful relationship despite the age difference. However when Atle shares the letters from his son volunteering in mission work in Nicaragua, she isn't pleased when Edward returns home to see his father. She has a hard time coming to terms between the differences in caring for aging parents and feels obligated to share her concerns with him. However it seems there might be more sparks there than just anger but can they work through their differences before Edward has to return to Nicaragua?

When Viola learns that even her own family has been hiding secrets of their own, it opens her up to the possibilities that not everything as it appears on the surface. She learns that her own mother was born English and have hidden the facts of their lives before marriage from their children. Now Viola's parents have to come to terms that what people think about them as the perfect family isn't really true and that those same standards they have placed on their children growing up has made life more difficult than they could have imagined. What implications will that have not only on their immediate family but in the Amish community as well? Will this new knowledge help Viola move towards having a softer heart towards Edward and his own father?

I received Daybreak by Shelley Shepard Gray compliments of Avon Inspired, a division of Harper Collins Publishers and Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review. Once again Shelley does an exceptional job at writing a series that defines some valuable lessons in between, about judging a book by its cover! In this instance Viola is judgemental when it comes to how Edward deals with his father based on her own values in growing up Amish, but she doesn't understand what has motivated them to make the decision that worked for them. Much like how she has judged her own parents based on what she saw on the outside without really knowing the truth about their own pasts. I LOVED novels that offer a duality about them, incorporating an wonderful story with some valuable life lessons we can all relate to. I rate this one a wunderbaar (wonderful in Amish) 5 out of 5 stars and can't wait for the next book Ray of Light in this heartwarming The Days of Redemption series. You get a teaser chapter at the end of this one!

For more information about Daybreak, Shelley Shepard Gray or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Daybreak by Shelley Shepard Gray

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

To read more reviews on Daybreak from the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance tour, please click here.