"Christmas is a time for family..." (back cover)
Title: An Amish Family Christmas
Series: The Charmed Amish Life, Book 4
Author: Shelley Shepard Gray
Publisher: Avon Inspire, An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Release Date: October 18, 2016
Genre: Inspirational Contemporary Fiction/ Amish
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.
What to do when being with your family reminds you of what you've lost? What if the very thought of being in the same house where your parents are no longer there stirs up the grief that's still stewing inside of you? An Amish Family Christmas explores just that. Levi Kinsinger, the youngest brother of the family still struggles with losing both his parents. Lost and uncertain, he doesn't know how to bring back his old self, until Julia Kemp and her daughter, Penny waltz into his life. And will Julia be able to open up to Levi, her only friend since moving to Charm, OH?
I love The Charmed Amish Life series by Shelley Shepard Gray. Each book dealt with what grief can do to a person, as well as their family and their journey to oversome. With An Amish Family Christmas, it is no different. The difference lies in how the author closes this series with the one who's been lost since the the first book. Even though you can read each one of the books as a stand alone, I would recommend reading it as a series to fully grasp the extent of the lost and pain this family and those close to them felt. And the author has done a marvelous job of extracting exactly how differently each individual deals with grief. In the process of that, finding the love that can encompass all, that's just icing on the cake. I love how this series ends with Christmas, a time of God's love for us through the birth of Jesus Christ, a time for families to gather, and a time for love to shine. Levi's story of loss and doubt when it comes to family is the perfect one for a Christmas story. For Julia, it is a time to understand forgiveness that was so freely given to us by our God. Though it's sad to see this series come to an end, it's also a pleasure to have read every one of them in sequence, and journey with each character in their development. Well done, indeed.
I love The Charmed Amish Life series by Shelley Shepard Gray. Each book dealt with what grief can do to a person, as well as their family and their journey to oversome. With An Amish Family Christmas, it is no different. The difference lies in how the author closes this series with the one who's been lost since the the first book. Even though you can read each one of the books as a stand alone, I would recommend reading it as a series to fully grasp the extent of the lost and pain this family and those close to them felt. And the author has done a marvelous job of extracting exactly how differently each individual deals with grief. In the process of that, finding the love that can encompass all, that's just icing on the cake. I love how this series ends with Christmas, a time of God's love for us through the birth of Jesus Christ, a time for families to gather, and a time for love to shine. Levi's story of loss and doubt when it comes to family is the perfect one for a Christmas story. For Julia, it is a time to understand forgiveness that was so freely given to us by our God. Though it's sad to see this series come to an end, it's also a pleasure to have read every one of them in sequence, and journey with each character in their development. Well done, indeed.
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Title: A Sister's WishSeries: The Charmed Amish Life, Book 3
Author: Shelley Shepard Gray
Publisher: Avon Inspire, An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Release Date: September 27, 2016
Release Date: September 27, 2016
Genre: Inspirational Contemporary Fiction / Amish
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.
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.
I know, you already know what I think of A Sister's Wish, but I like it so much, I want to highlight it again. It's a beautiful story filled with emotional tugs and heartwarming love. And as the quote below says, with love, we have the world. A Sister's Wish showed us what love can do. It can heal the soul and heart from the love of our Lord God. From page one, I'm rooting for Simon and Amelia. From page one, I want to keep turning the pages. From page one, Shelley had me, and that goes for each and every one of The Charmed Amish Life series.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review, and have not been compensated for this. This is my honest opinion.
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Shelley Shepard Gray is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, 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.
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