Monday, January 2, 2012

Winter's Awakening (Seasons of Sugarcreek #1) by Shelley Shepard Gray

We are in a new year! Time to start it off with the first book review of 2012!

According to Goodreads:

 Joshua Graber knows his future is set. He′s expected to work at his family business, the Graber Country Store. He′s expected to marry Gretta Hershberger, who he′s been courting for several years. But when a new English family moves next door and their lovely teenage daughter, Lilly Allen, catches his eye, Joshua wonders if all the plans for his future are too set in stone.

Gretta doesn′t know what′s going on with Joshua. When they argue and later stew in silence, it feels a lot like the frosty atmosphere at her home. After promising herself to never have a marriage like her parents, she wonders if perhaps another man might be a better match. A man such as Roland Schrock. He′s steady and kind and somewhat boring. If she marries him, she won′t ever have to worry about loving him and getting hurt.

Meanwhile, Lilly is enamored with the Amish way of life, and especially her handsome neighbor Joshua. But despite being drawn to him, she has a secret that will only drive him away. Her family moved to Sugarcreek to hide her pregnancy from their community back home. Once she′s had the baby, they plan to send her off to college without anyone from their old neighborhood knowing the truth. But as Lilly becomes wrapped up in the simplicity and graciousness of the Amish people, she begins to question what′s expected of her, and whether giving up her baby, and leaving Sugarcreek, is what she truly wants.

As the coldest winter on record blows into Sugarcreek, these three young people must struggle to determine the path of their futures.

Winter's Awakening is the first book in the Seasons of Sugarcreek Series by Shelley Shepard Gray. I have read other Amish fiction stories and this one seemed slightly different. I am not sure if some of what was said in this book were actual facts among the amish. At times, I couldn't picture an Amish individual doing what was being described. However, putting that aside; overall the book was well written. The description of the events taking place allowed the reader to visually place themselves in the story! The story line was a good one. I look forward to reading the next book in the series: Spring's Renewal

5/5

No comments: