Pages: 243 (Paperback)

Publisher: P.S. a trademark of HarperCollins

Published: September 27, 2016

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Amelia Kinsinger has had her eye and heart on Simon Hochstetler for as long as she can remember. The trouble is her family doesn’t think he is good enough for her because of the time he spent away from the Amish after he ran away from an abusive home. Her family also thinks she is still a child that they need to protect even though she is in her young twenties. When Simon discovers Amelia hurt in the family barn he is determined to take care and never leave her side from that moment on. Will the Kinsinger family see that Simon has left his past behind and let love blossom between him and Amelia?

Amelia has been my favorite character throughout this series so far. I was happy to see that book three was about her. She is very soft spoken but full of gumption. Who else but Amelia would convince her family to keep her pet goat that has eaten everything but the house and barn? She has a spunkiness that comes out when she gets riled enough.

Simon is the character that we all wish was true in real life. He has taken his rough childhood and his misfortunate young adulthood and turned the bad into something good. He has learned how not to treat his own future “kinner” (kids) one day and to take his knowledge and try to help those who find themselves in the same situation. I like to believe that people can really change when it comes to drugs and alcohol but I have yet to see that in real life.

There is one more book in this series and I am excited to read Levi Kinsinger’s story.

Pages: 238 (Paperback)

Publisher: P.S. a trademark of HarperCollins

Published: May 24, 2016

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Once again we are visiting the Kinsinger family in Charm, OH. Rebecca Kinsinger has always dreamed of being a teacher at the Amish school but when her father died in a tragic accident at the family lumber mill her dream was put on hold. Now that some time has passed she has the opportunity to volunteer at the school when the regular teacher, Rachel, needs her. As she and Rachel are getting ready to leave the school for the day, Jacob enters with his niece, Lilly, to enroll her. Rebecca is smitten upon contact. Is Rachel’s dream of becoming a teacher still the dream of her future?

I am used to the Amish way of life in Northern Indiana as I have visited there several times. I have never been to Charm, OH (yet) so I am not sure if they practice a bit different. There are many difference sects of the Amish faith. I noticed that Gray mentions “he has short cropped hair” and the picture on the book shows the same thing and I am used to all the Amish men having bowl shaped haircuts. The characters seem a tad bit more prideful than I am used to reading. Even with this few differences I still love her Amish books and this series.

I enjoy reading Gray’s books as they are always entertaining and light enough to make it a calming reading experience.

Pages: 262 (paperback)

Publisher: P.S. a trademark of HarperCollins

Published: January 26, 2016

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

In A Son’s Vow, we enter Charm, OH as it is healing with the deaths of five lumber mill workers. Darla Kurtz’s dad was killed when a chain of events , one of which a rag her father had thrown in the dumpster, caused a fatal fire. Several in the town blame her father and have taken it upon themselves to publicly blame the Kurtz family. Darla wants nothing more than to be able to talk and share her heartache with her best friend, Lukas Kurtsinger, but his family owned the lumber mill and his dad was also killed in the fire. Lukas does not blame Darla’s father and misses her also. As he tries to renew their friendship he realizes something is off with Darla and her family. He is in for a shock when he finds out Darla is being physically abused by her brother and the family is helping her hide her secret. Can Lukas fix Darla’s problem like he has throughout their childhood or is the loss of their fathers to much to overcome?

Gray tackles the very heavy subject of physical abuse but does so with understanding, kindness and forgiveness as the main healing properties. I enjoyed how the Amish faith was not used as a cover up to the abuse but shown as a way to help someone in need.

This is the first book in a four part series and I hope the other books explore the secondary characters, especially Hannah, in more detail. Gray has it down perfectly in how she weaves the community in her story and her main characters lives. You feel that they are a part of the story and not just filler thrown in.

Shelley Shepard Gray is a great addition to my list of must read Amish authors.