"The Caregiver" by Shelley Shepard Gray

The Caregiver by Shelley Shepard Gray is the first book of Shelley’s “Families of Honor” series. It is about Lucy, an Amish abused widow who goes to take care of her cousin who is going through chemo treatments. On the train there, she meets Calvin Weaver who is going to the same place and learns that he his her cousin’s neighbor. They hit it off on the train until she witnesses his temper which reminds her of her dead husband and that she can’t trust men. Over time, she opens up and finds love with Calvin, big surprise--NOT! There are discussion questions at the end of this book so this could be a book club read.

Here's a little teaser from page 25:

She would concentrate only on Mattie's needs. That would enable her to keep her mind off her own pain and start to move on.

I didn’t care too much for this book because I really didn’t like Lucy, the main character or her cousin, Mattie, although I think she was the most believable of the characters with her faith waning as the chemo treatments progressed, making her feel worse instead of better. My favorite character was Calvin’s little sister, Katie, but she was only in the beginning of the book.  This seemed to move slow and I like books that I really look forward to seeing what happens next.  This just didn't grab my interest although I like the cover!

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Forgiven" by Shelley Shepard Gray

Forgiven by Shelley Shephard Gray is the third book of her Sisters of the Heart series about the Amish community. When Jonathan's barn is burned down, his sister is badly hurt and he is filled with anger and a desire to find out who was smoking on his property that caused the fire. The other story line is romance that his sister, Winnie, finds as a result of the fire. It has an interesting twist and is an enjoyable read. Naturally, as the title gives away, Jonathan finds forgiveness in his heart for the one who started the fire.

As with most Christian fiction, this was predictable but a nice change of pace from the intense suspense novels. It certainly shows what it's like being Amish and has a good message about forgiveness. If you like a happy Amish story with Christian romance, you will enjoy this book too.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

Check out our book giveaway of "I'm Outnumbered--One Mom's Lessons In The Lively Art Of Raising boys" to a mom (or gift for a mom)--winner to be announced May 1 so you have it in time for Mother's Day.

"Spring's Renewal" by Shelley Shepard Gray

Spring’s Renewal by Shelley Shepard Gray is a happy Christian romance story of how Cara, an Amish school teacher who is badly scarred from a fire sees her dreams come true.  When Tim meets Cara, he realizes he does not love his hometown sweetheart as much as he thought he did, but falls for Cara.  Although there are some obstacles to a life together, they find a way to work things out.  This is a light, heartwarming read involving balancing one’s responsibilities with the pursuit of happiness.  The main theme is “that it’s not right to judge a person by only outward looks.  Sometimes when you do that, you miss out on a lot.” It has some funny parts as well as some suspense in it.  I enjoyed it!
(Karen's review)

Read Meet Amish Romance Novelist Shelley Shepard Gray to learn about the author.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Hidden" by Shelley Shephard Gray

Hidden by Shelly Shephard Gray is the first book in the “Sisters of The Heart” Series. When Anna finds herself in an abusive relationship with Rob, her boyfriend, and discovers he has been misappropriating his campaign funds, she decides to hide with an Amish friend, Katie, at her Bed and Breakfast inn. While there, she has time to think about things and finds romance with her friend’s Amish brother, Henry, and a safe haven for awhile and learns to put others ahead of herself. Anna seeks God’s guidance and finally comes to a decision about some major choices in her life and stands up to her controlling parents and Rob, finally figuring out who she is and what she wants.

Hidden deals with self-doubt, loneliness, friendship, romance and trust with some discussion questions in the back. My favorite character was Henry I liked the decision Anna made in the end and the general theme of the book about people hiding who they are was obvious and well done. This was a quick, light Christian romance/suspense story. I read the second in this series first, Wanted, which is more about Anna’s friend, Katie. I liked that one better and look forward reading the last one, Forgiven.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help Japan get relief through Samaritan's Purse by leaving a comment on any of our blogs in March. We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month.

"Wanted" by Shelley Shephard Gray

Wanted by Shelley Shephard Gray is a happy little story of Jonathan, a brokenhearted widower with two little girls and an Amish woman, Katie, who faces her past in order to move on with her life and make her dream a reality.  When Jonathan asks Katie to help him live at his home and help him care for his girls, she sets out to show him what a good wife she would be.  I found it interesting to see how Katie struggled to connect with the girls and also gradually got Jonathan’s attention.  It focused on inner struggles and faith in God to work things out. 

Shelly Shephard Gray’s books have clean language and no sex scenes—a rare find in the romance genre.  This is a light, quick read that I finished in one day.   If you like Christian romance or stories about the Amish, I recommend this one.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help Canine Lifeline (a dog rescue organization that saved our dog, Abby) by leaving a comment on any of our blogs in March. We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month.