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.
When her mother passes away, Ella’s forced to auction off her family’s farm. Her father died years ago, and she could never manage the fifty acres on her own. But after she moves to town, she can’t deny the pain she feels watching the new owner, Loyal Weaver, repairing her family’s old farmhouse—everything Ella had once dreamed of doing.
What Ella doesn’t know is that Loyal secretly hopes she will occupy this house again…as his wife. He begins inviting her over, to ask her opinion on changes he wants to make. As their friendship blooms, Ella starts to wonder about Loyal’s intentions, especially when her best friend, Dorothy, hints that Loyal is not who he seems. There’s no way the golden boy of their close-knit Amish community could be interested in Ella, long the wallflower, hidden away caring for her ailing parents.
Should she trust the man she’s always yearned for, or the friend who’s always been by her side? When one of them threatens to disrupt the independence she’s finally achieved, Ella is faced with a choice. She can protect her heart and keep things the way they’ve always been. Or she can come out of her shell, risk everything for the love she’s always wanted, and finally have a place to call home.
The Protector is the second book in Shelley Shepard Gray’s Families of Honor series. Revisiting the town of Jacob’s Crossing, The Protector features Ella Hostetler and Loyal Weaver and continues several subplots that began in The Caregiver, the first book of the series.
“Plain Ella” has spent most of her life on the fringes due to her shyness, lack of confidence, and later the isolation of caring for her ailing mother. After her mother’s death, the property was sold to Loyal, one of the most popular young men in the area. When Loyal begins to seek out Ella’s companionship, she doubts his motives and even he is surprised by his own actions. As their friendship grows, Ella’s friend and landlord Dorothy becomes increasingly agitated and Ella’s newly gained peace turns to fear.
The Protector is another fine example of Gray’s writing gift. Her characters are real with believable emotions and reactions. The story is laced with just the right amount of drama, action, humor, romance, and faith and a pinch of suspense thrown in for good measure. Stories like this are one reason I will continue to read Gray’s novels even when I become weary of much Amish fiction.
Carolyn Williford has authored seven books, including Jordan’s Bend, Devotions for Families That Can’t Sit Still, and Faith Tango, as well as numerous articles. She and her husband, Craig, live in Deerfield, Illinois, where he serves as president of Trinity International University. They have two children and four grandchildren.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
It All Comes Tumbling Down
As a storm rages in the night, unwary drivers venture onto Tampa Bay’s most renowned bridge. No one sees the danger ahead. No one notices the jagged gap hidden by the darkness and rain. Yet when the bridge collapses vehicles careen into the churning waters of the bay below.
In that one catastrophic moment, three powerful stories converge: a family ravaged by their child’s heartbreaking news, a marriage threatened by its own facade, and a college student burdened by self doubt. As each story unfolds, the characters move steadily closer to that fateful moment on the bridge. And while each character searches for grace, the storms in their lives loom as large as the storm that awaits them above the bay.
When these characters intersect in Carolyn Williford’s gripping and moving volume of three novellas, they also collide with the transforming truth of Christ: Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me.
As is the case with all of Melody Carlson’s novels, Double Take was a well written entertaining and easy to read book that flowed smoothly and contained some important lessons in life. While not a bad book, it was not one of my favorites.
The story features socialite Madison and Amish Anna whose chance meeting leads to Madison suggesting that they changes places for a short time. With very little planning, Anna finds herself off to Manhattan while Madison takes her place in the home of Anna’s relatives. While the girl’s ignorance of their new surroundings are described, I found it just a little hard to believe that the people they came in contact did not catch on to their scheme. How could Anna’s aunt believe the tall tale Madison came up with to explain why she couldn’t perform basic household chores such as washing dishes and cooking?
Other than the fact that the believability was a real stretch, the story was entertaining and would probably be good material for a Hallmark movie.
This book was provided for review by
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
ABOUT THE BOOK: Young Socialite Switches Places with Amish Girl to Escape Manhattan Scene!
“Why does everything have to be so complicated?” Madison shook her Blackberry at her mom…
“I’m sick of it…I can’t take it anymore…”
Anna Fisher was bored. But she knew better than to say that out loud – especially when everyone was busy with farming and fixing and all the additional chores that came with springtime.
Bestselling author Melody Carlson takes readers into the worlds of a socialite and an Amish girl struggling with who they are in Double Take (ISBN: 978-0-8007-1964-7, June 2011, $9.99). Have you ever wondered what would happen if you could switch your life with someone else for just one day? Readers will live the one-week experiences of a bored Amish girl and stressed out socialite when they decide to switch places in Double Take.
Spring break has arrived. It’s her senior year, and Madison VanBuren is fed up with her surroundings and the pressures of life. Stressed out over choosing an Ivy League school that will please her parents, their marital problems, and her boyfriend’s pressure, Madison gets in her car and drives west.
Meanwhile, eighteen-year-old Anna Fisher wants to escape the so-called simple life–which for her consists of caring for younger siblings, sewing, cooking, and gardening–and she’s well aware that her future will simply be more of the same with a man she doesn’t love.
Madison and Anna stumble into each other in a small town. Realizing their looks are uncannily similar, they both think their lives are boring. Thinking the grass is greener on the other side, they make a decision that will transform them forever and switch lives for one week.
Readers will love this funny and provocative tale of switching places from bestselling author Melody Carlson. As they get a glimpse and understanding of these two very different worlds. They may find themselves happy to be just who they are, and where they are.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books, several of them Christmas novellas from Revell, including her much-loved and bestselling books, Christmas at Harrington’s and The Christmas Bus. She also writes many teen books, including Just Another Girl, Anything but Normal, the Diary of a Teenage Girl series, the TrueColors series, and the Carter House Girls series. Melody was nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her books, including the Diary of a Teenage Girl series and several books which are being considered for TV movies. She and her husband serve on the Young Life adult committee in central Oregon.
The second book in Deborah Raney’s Hanover Falls series, Forever After focuses on two more characters affected by the devastating fire that destroyed the town’s homeless shelter and resulted in the deaths of several firefighters. Widow of firefighter Zach Morgan, Jenna has come to the realization that she can no longer pay for the lifestyle expected by her wealthy in-laws. She knows she has to make some serious adjustments but is fearful of returning to the poverty of her childhood. Lucas Vermontez is still recovering from injuries he received and is anxious to return to his duties at the fire department. Only his strong faith has kept him from despair during his long recovery period and his grief over his father’s death in the same fire. When Lucas and Jenna become reacquainted, their mutual attraction is evident but each of them has doubts about the wisdom of a relationship.
A convincing plot and well developed characters with authentic interactions made this novel a delight to read. Lucas in particular was a strong character who was not afraid to challenge Jenna when her behavior was questionable. His devotion to his family and to the Lord set a positive example that eventually helped Jenna to make the correct decisions. With a combination of drama, humor, and romance blended with a compelling message of faith, Forever After is definitely a book I would recommend to all who enjoy contemporary romance that surpasses the norm.
This book was provided for review by
LeAnn Hamby with Glass Road Public Relations.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Jenna Morgan mourned the loss of her husband, Zach, in the fire that destroyed the Hanover Falls homeless shelter and claimed the lives of three other firefighters. A year later, her ability to keep up the charade of prosperity she and Zach lived is at an end. Even with financial help from Zach’s parents, she can’t make the mortgage and credit card payments. But Jenna Morgan refuses to go back to the trailer home life from which she escaped. She’s come so far. She just can’t go back to that.
Lucas Vermontez has endured physical therapy for a year, but the legs crushed while he fought the homeless shelter fire are nowhere near 100% yet. Will his dream of returning to the fire station ever become reality? And can he conquer these feelings he has for his best buddy’s widow?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Deborah Raney is the award-winning author of several novels, including A Nest of Sparrows and the RITA award winning Beneath a Southern Sky and its sequel, After the Rains. Deborah’s first novel,
A Vow to Cherish, was the inspiration for World Wide Pictures’ highly acclaimed film of the same title, which in December 2004 aired on prime time network TV for the second time.
Deb’s novella, Playing by Heart, was a National Readers Choice Award winner and a 2004 Christy Award finalist. Her most recent novel for Howard/Simon & Schuster, Yesterday’s Embers, appeared on the ECPA Christian fiction bestseller list.
Deb has also written nonfiction books and articles and often speaks at women’s retreats and writers’ conferences around the country. She and her husband, illustrator/ author Ken Raney, have four children and make their home in Kansas.
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