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.
Learn more about A Sister's Wish and purchase your own copy at author Shelley Shepard Gray's website.
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.
Learn more about An Amish Family Christmas and purchase your own copy at Shelley Shephard Gray's website.
My Review: Author Shelley Shephard Gray is one of my favorite authors. I can always count on her to keep me interested in the story and connected to the characters. She did a fabulous job, once again, in both A Sister's Wish and An Amish Family Christmas. These two books are books three and four in The Charmed Amish Life Series. I did read the first two books in the series first, A Son's Vow and A Daughter's Dream. Although I think you might be able to read the books on their own, I definitely think you would get the most out of them if you read all four in the series as there is so much history to all of the characters.
A Sister's Wish focuses on Amelia and Simon, who want a life together but her family disagrees. They think Simon's past is too much for their baby sister. Forgiveness, trust, and following your heart are key elements in the story.
In An Amish Family Christmas, Levi and his neighbor Julia are both struggling. Levi with grief over the death of his father, and Julia running from an abusive ex-boyfriend and father of her child. Together, they learn to trust and open up again, to let the healing process begin.
Both books have a section at the end that I think is a great addition-the P.S. section. In it is a note from the author, information about the author, a recipe, interesting facts, discussion questions, and a sneak peak of the author's next book. I can't wait to try the recipe for Monster Cookies!
I highly recommend reading this entire series. I have enjoyed each and every book, and I'm sad the series has come to an end. Shelley Shephard Gray does such a great job that I feel like the characters are actual people I know! I wish I lived in an Amish area!
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*Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.