Book Description:
In the third book of New York Times bestselling author Shelley Shepard Gray’s Charmed Amish Life series, a young woman finds herself falling for an Amish man from the wrong side of the tracks.
Amelia Kinsinger may seem like the perfect Amish woman, but she is harboring a secret: She’s been in love with bad boy Simon Hochstetler for as long as she can remember.
Life hasn’t been kind to Simon. He ran away from an abusive home and landed in prison. Now back in Charm, he’s determined to put his wild past behind him and make a new life.
And Amelia is off limits. Everyone thinks she’s too good for Simon—most of all her older brother, who just happens to be Simon’s best friend. When a chain of events forces them to face their past mistakes, all their secrets are revealed. Now Simon must dare to trust Amelia, and she must show him that he is already everything she ever wished he could be.
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. Having just returned to Charm, Ohio, Levi tries to fit into his old life only to discover he seems to have outgrown it.
When Julia, Levi’s young widowed neighbor, asks for his help with a Christmas project, he 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 task Levi takes seriously. Soon enough, his friendship with Julia grows into attraction, but Levi can’t help harboring doubts. There’s something about Julia that doesn’t ring quite true . . .
Like Levi, Julia Kemp has survived her fair share of hardships—but only by hiding the truth of her past. Then she meets Levi and, for the first time, she feels hopeful. 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.
My Thoughts:
I hadn't read the previous books in this series but I really enjoyed these two. In A Sister's Wish, Amelia and Simon are the main focus. There is quite a bit about family woven through but they are the focus. I liked that Simon was not the typical Amish hero, but more of a 'bad boy' who has been redeemed. Amelia was a unique character that I got to like quite a bit. Sometimes the family was great and sometimes they annoyed me but overall that was a lot like a normal family!
In An Amish Family Christmas, the focus of the family/story is Levi. He is having trouble dealing with his parents' death and not being present in his life. Julia is new and there is an attraction between the two. Secrets may keep them apart but it is after all, Christmas time so a time for miracles!
I truly enjoyed getting to know these characters and this family. I do have a few questions but mostly it is just wanting to know how the previous books went and those stories. These aren't the typical Amish romance but delve into some things that are difficult to deal with and the author did a wonderful job with these touchy subjects.
Both are 4/5 for me. I plan to go read the previous 2 books.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copies of these book (via litfuse). I received these books in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine