Shelley Shepard Gray is the beloved author of the Sisters of the Heart series, including Hidden, Wanted, and Forgiven. Before writing, she was a teacher in both Texas and Colorado. She now writes full time and lives in southern Ohio with her husband and two children. When not writing, Shelley volunteers at church, reads, and enjoys walking her miniature dachshund on her town’s scenic bike trail.
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ABOUT THE BOOK:
One of today’s most beloved authors of inspirational Christian fiction, Shelley Shepard Gray completes her acclaimed Families of Honor series with The Survivor—a poignant and beautiful story of love and faith in a small Amish community. Delving once more into the lives of these devout and fascinating folk, as she did in her popular Sisters of the Heart and Seasons of Sugarcreek novels, Gray tells the story of a young Amish woman who has survived the ravages of cancer, but now longs for the love of the one man who can heal her lonely heart. Like Beverly Lewis, Wanda Brunstetter, and Cindy Woodsmall, Shelley Shepard Gray introduces readers to characters they will never forget as she masterfully depicts a world of simple living, abiding faith, and honest emotions.
If you would like to read the first chapter excerpt of The Survivor, go HERE.
Learn more about Shelley and her books on her Website.
MY REVIEW:
The third book in Gray’s Families of Honor series, The Survivor features Mattie Lapp, a young Amish woman who has battled cancer and has indeed survived. As she regains her strength and her life begins to return to normal, Mattie’s heart desire is to find love, marry and have children. But Mattie has to wonder if it is presumptuous for her to expect another miracle. So far she has not met a man who can compete with her very best friend Graham but they have been friends for so long Mattie fears that he cannot see her in any other role. Graham has his own problems, he has been falsely accused of fathering a child and the entire town is talking about it and judging him harshly.
The Survivor brings old friends from the first two books back for a visit. New babies, new friends, and new romance fill its pages. With tragedies and triumphs the story has both highs and lows but as can always be expected, everything works out in the end. Graham’s young sister Katie adds her own brand of humor as in the previous novels. The Survivor ties up the series nicely with happy endings for more than one couple.
If you enjoy Amish fiction, The Survivor and the previous books of the Families of Honor series are must reads.
