Litfuse Blog Tour: A Sister's Wish and An Amish Family Christmas by Shelley Shepard Gray (Review + Giveaway!)
Don’t miss books three (A Sister’s Wish) and four (An Amish Family Christmas) in Shelley Shepard Gray’s Charmed Amish Life series. In A Sister’s Wish, when Amelia gets hurt, it sets off a chain of events that forces Amelia and Simon 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. In An Amish Family Christmas, 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.
Enter to win a book pack (a copy of A Sister’s Wish and a copy of An Amish Family Christmas) from Shelley. Five winners will be chosen! Click the image below to enter to win. The winners will be announced November 7th on Shelley’s blog!
Don't forget to read what others are saying about these books on the Litfuse website!
My Thoughts on A Sister's Wish...
A Sister's Wish is the fresh, uncomplicated romance that I needed this weekend! While Shelley Shepard Grey's Amish romances tend to be hit or miss for me, The Charmed Amish Life series has been pretty darn good!
Continuing the Kinsinger family saga, this time with the youngest sister, Amelia and her former childhood crush, Simon Hochstetler, A Sister's Wish is a straight-up, short and sweet love story. It reminds me a little of my very favorite story from Shelley, Autumn's Promise, in which a forbidden love beats the odds. While there are no Englischers in this book, Simon is as close to being a man of the world as it gets for a member of the Amish community. He has a checkered past that he believes Amelia and her family will not be able to overlook. What hooked me on this story was that Amelia never wavered in her adoration of Simon, from a nine-year-old girl crushing on the neighbor boy to Amelia as an adult realizing that love is worth the wait. Is there really a better romance than one that has stood the test of time? I think not.
I can't say enough about the sweetness of this book. That said, it wasn't overdone. Sometimes stories can be so saccharin, my teeth start to hurt. A Sister's Wish is a great book to spend the Saturday with!
...and An Amish Family Christmas
An Amish Family Christmas is a nice conclusion to the quartet. I'm not really into holiday books as they often come across as cheesy, but I know that some readers love them just for that reason alone! That said, the Christmas force is not strong with this one. It feels just like the previous novels, it just happens to have a little snow. There isn't much of a festive atmosphere to recommend it as a book to get you in the holiday spirit. I know, it's October, but whatever. Stores have had Christmas decorations out since August so, I feel like it's okay to talk Christmas! It is, however, a really nice story.
Once again, we have two people with secrets, trying to make a go of things all while coping with the loving but nosy Kinsinger family! This book has a little bit of a darker theme, presenting a case of domestic violence, which isn't the first thing that comes to mind when thinking on the peaceful Amish community. It makes one realize that no matter who you are, domestic violence can affect you or your friends and neighbors.
Shelley Shepard Gray's ability to weave a story that is both interesting and relevant to a wide audience of Amish fiction fans, romance fans, and Christian fiction readers alike is unsurpassed. This series has been a good one and I'm sad that it has reached its conclusion. I'm sure the next series, The Amish of Hart County will be worth a look, too!
*I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.*
Don't forget to read what others are saying about these books on the Litfuse website!
{MORE ABOUT A SISTER’S WISH}
A Sister’s Wish (Avon Inspire, September 2016)
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.
{MORE ABOUT AN AMISH FAMILY CHRISTMAS}
An Amish Family Christmas (Avon Inspire, October 2016)
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.
A Sister's Wish is the fresh, uncomplicated romance that I needed this weekend! While Shelley Shepard Grey's Amish romances tend to be hit or miss for me, The Charmed Amish Life series has been pretty darn good!
Continuing the Kinsinger family saga, this time with the youngest sister, Amelia and her former childhood crush, Simon Hochstetler, A Sister's Wish is a straight-up, short and sweet love story. It reminds me a little of my very favorite story from Shelley, Autumn's Promise, in which a forbidden love beats the odds. While there are no Englischers in this book, Simon is as close to being a man of the world as it gets for a member of the Amish community. He has a checkered past that he believes Amelia and her family will not be able to overlook. What hooked me on this story was that Amelia never wavered in her adoration of Simon, from a nine-year-old girl crushing on the neighbor boy to Amelia as an adult realizing that love is worth the wait. Is there really a better romance than one that has stood the test of time? I think not.
I can't say enough about the sweetness of this book. That said, it wasn't overdone. Sometimes stories can be so saccharin, my teeth start to hurt. A Sister's Wish is a great book to spend the Saturday with!
An Amish Family Christmas is a nice conclusion to the quartet. I'm not really into holiday books as they often come across as cheesy, but I know that some readers love them just for that reason alone! That said, the Christmas force is not strong with this one. It feels just like the previous novels, it just happens to have a little snow. There isn't much of a festive atmosphere to recommend it as a book to get you in the holiday spirit. I know, it's October, but whatever. Stores have had Christmas decorations out since August so, I feel like it's okay to talk Christmas! It is, however, a really nice story.
Once again, we have two people with secrets, trying to make a go of things all while coping with the loving but nosy Kinsinger family! This book has a little bit of a darker theme, presenting a case of domestic violence, which isn't the first thing that comes to mind when thinking on the peaceful Amish community. It makes one realize that no matter who you are, domestic violence can affect you or your friends and neighbors.
Shelley Shepard Gray's ability to weave a story that is both interesting and relevant to a wide audience of Amish fiction fans, romance fans, and Christian fiction readers alike is unsurpassed. This series has been a good one and I'm sad that it has reached its conclusion. I'm sure the next series, The Amish of Hart County will be worth a look, too!
My Ratings:
A Sister's Wish, 4 out of 5 stars
An Amish Family Christmas, 3 out of 5 stars
A Sister's Wish, 4 out of 5 stars
An Amish Family Christmas, 3 out of 5 stars
Happy Reading!
Renee, thank you for your terrific reviews and for hosting this generous giveaway. I will add the giveaway to my blog's sidebar. Have a safe and happy Halloween!
ReplyDelete