An Amish Family Christmas: A Charmed Amish Life Christmas Novel
By: Shelley Shepard Gray
Published: October. 2016
Published By: Avon Inspire
Format Read: ARC, eBook
Genre: Amish Fiction, Christian Fiction
Date Read: August 4, 2016
Rating: 3.5/5
I was sent a copy of An Amish Family Christmas: A Charmed
Amish Life Christmas Novel by Shelley Shepard Gray, from the publisher via
Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.
After the death of his father, Levi Kinsinger is absolutely
lost. Unable to face his siblings he rents a small shack of a home in his
hometown of Charm. He attempts to distract himself with work at his family’s
lumber mill until he meets his beautiful new neighbour and her sweet little
girl.
Single mother Julia moves to town to create a better life
for her daughter Penny. Memories from her past keep her guarded, but an
unlikely friendship with Levi begins to blossom. Then a secret she had been
keeping for years comes to light and puts her and Penny’s safety in jeopardy.
Can the bond she, Levi and Penny have created stand the test of these
revelations?
Meanwhile Levi’s best friend Simon is helping his sister
open a refuge for abused women and children. An Amish Family Christmas is the
fourth book in Shelley Shepard Gray’s series The Charmed Amish Life.
An Amish Family Christmas is the first Amish fiction book I’ve
read that wasn’t set on a farm in one way or another. This was a welcome change
and gave me a different glimpse into their culture. It did seem as if the
characters were slightly more immersed in the “English” way of life, but they
still valued their faith and Amish traditions.
The characters were interesting with backstories that helped
to justify their personalities and the decisions they made. I think that author
could have easily extended the length of this novel on those stories alone.
Unfortunately because it was so short, I found as a reader
that I missed out on some important relationship development. Especially when
it came to Levi and Julia’s friendship. The secondary story line of Tess and
her refuge for abused women and children seemed to be lost amidst the main
story. Although hopefully the author will expand on this in future installments
of this series.
An Amish Family Christmas was a light and cozy read that
would be best read on a cold day, curled up by a roaring fire. It was a sweet
story with strong a strong family dynamic. Because this is the first book I
have read in this series, I am now curious to go back and read the first three
books.
I would recommend this book to fans of Amish fiction,
especially those have already read the previous books in this series.
I have started reading my Christmas review copies too. I love this time of year. Shelley Shepard Gray has written several book, most of them Amish, and many of them in series. I have a couple of her books to try on my library wishlist. Have you read the others in this series? Thanks for the great review.
ReplyDeleteThis is the first book I've read by this author, but it peaked my interest for the rest of the series. I hope you enjoy your Christmas reading, B.B.
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