Review: The Loyal Heart by Shelley Shepard Gray

My rating: 3 stars / I liked it

Synopsis

Robert came to Galveston to fulfill his promise to a dying man and look after his widow. He didn’t expect to find love in the unlikeliest of places.

Robert Truax, former Second Lieutenant and Confederate officer in the Civil War, made a promise to his comrade Phillip Markham. If anything happened to Phillip, Robert would look after his beloved wife, Miranda. She was his life, his world, his everything.

After the war, Robert is left to pick up the pieces and fulfill his pact. When he arrives at Miranda's home in Galveston, Texas, things are worse than he imagined. Phillip's name has been dragged through the mud, everyone in town believes him to be a traitor, and his widow is treated as an outcast. Even more disturbing is her emotional well-being. Miranda seems hopeless, lost, and so very alone.

Robert had thought his duty would be simple. He would help Miranda as quickly as possible in order to honor a promise. But the moment Robert laid eyes on her, his plans changed. He's mesmerized by her beauty and yearns to help her in any way he can.

He makes it his duty to protect Miranda, turn her reputation around, and to find some way to help her smile again. But it doesn't prove to be an easy task—Robert knows something about Phillip that could shake Miranda to the core and alter her view of the man she thought she knew so well.

My Review

This was an enjoyable historical novel set during Reconstruction, with some flashbacks to memories of the Civil War. The pace was slow but steady for the first part of the book, then picked up in the latter half when more things began to happen. There was a lot of telling of the characters' thoughts and feelings, and for some reason I didn't quite connect with them on an emotional level. The theme of unconditional loyalty to one's brothers in arms was well represented, and Robert and his comrades rallied around Miranda to protect her and solve the mystery of her harassment. I wasn't too impressed with Robert's or the sheriff's investigative skills. The story didn't show much of what they did to figure out the problem, and the solving of who was behind the threatening letters came about pretty easily. I was surprised by how simple the conclusion was; I expected it to be more complex.

(Thank you to Zondervan Publishing for a copy of the book; this is my honest review)

Review & Giveaway: An Amish Family Christmas by Shelley Shepard Gray

My rating: 4 stars / I really liked it

Synopsis

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 Kemp 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.

My Review

A wonderful and finale to the Charmed Amish Life series! I loved seeing Levi work his way back into the community and his family, even though he doesn't quite feel like he fits in while he's struggling with his intense grief over his parents. He's so different from the accusatory hothead that abandoned his family in the first book. His compassion for Julia and her daughter is endearing and brings a special light into their lives.

We see a few scenes from the point of view of Tess, Simon's sister, and her work establishing a community resource center for abused women and children. My favorite part of the book actually was her fumbling beginnings of a relationship with a local cop who finds her irresistible. The nervous tension from them both created a sweet anticipation of good things to come. Just loved it!

This book was a bit different from the others in that there is a villain worked into the plot that creates some suspense as he gets closer to destroying the life Julia has built in Charm. The siblings from the previous books and their spouses play a significant role in helping Levi and Julia feel at home in their community. Highly recommend to fans of Amish fiction and those who enjoy following family members in a series.

(Thank you to Litfuse Publicity for a copy of the book; this is my honest review)

To enter the author's giveaway click on the picture below!

Review & Giveaway: A Sister's Wish by Shelley Shepard Gray

My rating: 4 stars / I really liked it

Synopsis

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.

My Review

I would definitely consider this to be a family saga series. There is a focus on how siblings relate to and affect each other, in positive and negative ways. Amelia is the main character in this book, but Lukas and Rebecca from the previous books play integral roles with their "support" aka meddling. Amelia and Simon have a sweet romance blossoming, so I missed that their relationship often took a backseat to the emotions caused by the sibling dynamic. I loved the message of redemption, repentance, and forgiveness. Each character, including Simon, had to work through accepting his past and moving beyond it to the man he is now- which was easier for Amelia than her brother and sister. Simon's reunion with his own estranged sister was heartwarming and added another layer to his character arc and the plot. Looking forward to the next and last book in the Charmed Amish Life series!

(Thank you to Litfuse Publicity for a copy of the book; this is my honest review)

Click the image to go to the giveaway from the author!