Showing results by author "Shelley Shepard Gray" in All Categories

When Beverly Overholt’s beloved Orange Blossom Inn is broken into, she’s devastated. The inn has been her whole life since arriving in the quaint Amish vacation town of Pinecraft, Florida. Hoping to repair what’s been lost, Beverly calls Eric Wagler, the inn’s handsome owner. Ever since her fiancé jilted her, Beverly’s been closed off to love. However, with Eric, things feel different. She’s hopeful that their work relationship will turn into something more, even if they’re from different worlds.

Rebecca Kinsinger has always dreamed of being a teacher. But when she's given the opportunity she's been waiting for at Charm Amish School, she's dismayed to discover that teaching is hard work - work she's afraid she's not very good at. That is until Lilly Yoder joins the class. A 13-year-old who's just lost her parents, Lilly is in need of someone like Rebecca. For the first time since starting her new job, Rebecca feels a sense of purpose.

Amelia Kinsinger is the perfect Amish woman - at least according to her neighbors. And while Amelia takes pride in her role as homemaker, she's also harboring a secret: She's been in love with bad boy Simon Hochstetler for as long as she can remember. Too bad he's about as far from perfect as an Amish man can get...but that's exactly why she's so drawn to him.

Ex-con Seth Zimmerman has spent the last three years making amends by helping the vulnerable in his former Amish community. Lately, this mission includes calling on Tabitha Yoder, whose divorce from her abusive husband has isolated her from the community. Even though she never comes out of her house to talk to him, Seth knows she watches him from the window while he chops wood, clears her driveway, and drops off food.

It’s set to be a white Christmas in Hart County, and Grace King is pet-sitting in a beautiful home with only a difficult dachshund for company. Just as she starts to miss the bustle of her large Amish family, Grace runs into a familiar face. Living right next door is John Michael Miller. He’s a fireman now, but five years ago, he had courted her older sister, then broke her heart. Seeing him again stirs Grace’s anger, but also reminds her of deeper feelings she’s done her best to deny.

After family secrets come to light, causing an uproar, Roman Keim is taking a much-needed vacation to Pinecraft, the Amish snowbird community in Florida. The warm weather is a welcome break from the bleak Ohio winter, as is a week off from all his family's drama. But Roman's own drama begins when he meets his next-door neighbors: Amanda Yoder, a beautiful young widow, and her adorable daughter, Regina.

Elsie Keim doesn't want to be left behind. Her twin sister, Viola, and her older brother, Roman, have both found love and are building lives of their own. But Elsie? She's still stuck at home, being treated like a child. No one seems to consider her a capable woman - all they see are the thick lenses of her glasses, constant reminders that Elsie suffers from keratoconus and is slowly going blind.

Elsie knows there's much more to her than her disease. That's why when a new neighbor, Landon Troyer, shows some interest in her, she doesn't want anything to scare him away…even if it means keeping her condition a secret.

When her mother passes away, Ella is 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.

It’s Christmastime at the Brenneman Bed & Breakfast, and everyone is excited about closing down for the holiday. Anna and Henry will be celebrating their first Christmas as a married couple, and for Katie and Jonathan Lundy, it’s their first Christmas with baby Stefan. Winnie and Samuel Miller plan to stop by as well for a wonderful two weeks of family and rest. But when two unexpected visitors show up, hoping to stay for Christmas, the family must test their commitment to hospitality.

Tim Graber arrives in Sugarcreek to help his aunt and uncle with spring planting. At first, Tim doesn’t fit in with his many cousins and their crowded lifestyle. But when he meets Clara Slabaugh, the local school teacher, he understands why the Lord brought him to Sugarcreek. Clara is shy and quiet. Scarred from a fire when she was small, Clara has resigned herself to living alone and caring for her mother, who tells her that no man will ever see past her scars....

In the small Amish town of Sugarcreek, Ohio, Joshua knows what’s expected of him: to work at the family store and to finally marry Gretta, whom he’s courted for years. But when a new English family moves in next door—and their teenage daughter catches his eye—Joshua wonders if his future plans are set too firmly in stone.

An English woman and an Amish man must struggle with how much to sacrifice for their love in Autumn’s Promise, the final book in the Seasons of Sugarcreek series by Shelley Shepard Gray. A poignant and unforgettable novel of love and faith, Autumn’s Promise concludes one remarkable fictional year in the real-life Amish town of Sugarcreek.

Twenty-year-old Ruth Stutzman is a wonderful caregiver - but she has no experience with children. Laid off because of budget cuts from her job at a retirement home, she's relieved to find work - even if it means temporarily watching widower Martin Rhodes's brood of six! Martin has been doing his best since his wife's passing, but he and the children need help. Their house, once full of laughter and light, has been darkened by sadness. .

When Viola Keim starts working at a nearby Mennonite retirement home, she strikes up an unlikely friendship with resident Atle, whose only living relative, son Edward, is living as a missionary in Nicaragua. Viola understands the importance of mission work, but she can't imagine leaving her father in the hands of strangers. Even though her family is New Order Amish, it's not the Amish way, and though she doesn't know Ed, she judges him for abandoning his father. But when Ed surprises his father with a visit, Viola and Ed both discover an attraction they never expected.

Penny Troyer rarely disobeys her parents. But tonight she's bending the rules because Michael Knoxx, the most famous member of The Knoxx Family Singers, a traveling Mennonite Evangelical family - is scheduled to speak. Penny has heard of Michael - how he lost part of his leg in a terrible accident and uses the experience to inspire others - and knows she must meet him. Though he speaks about living life to the fullest, Michael knows he needs to take his own advice.

When a fire destroys the Lundys’ barn, Winnie is injured trying to get the animals to safety. Confined to a hospital for weeks, out of touch with her loved ones who live too far away to visit by buggy, she must depend on Englisher Samuel Miller to keep her company. Though his family is part of Winnie’s tight-knit Amish community, Samuel left years earlier to pursue a university education. Through conversations, and Samuel’s dedication to her recovery, a friendship forms.

In the Amish town of Sugarcreek, love comes in many forms. But will it come at all for Miriam? Miriam Zehr has worked at the Sugarcreek Inn longer than she cares to admit. The restaurant is a favorite of town residents as well as the many tourists who come to taste the famous Amish fare. Though she always tries to have a smile for every customer, deep down Miriam knows something's missing: a family of her own. Miriam has never felt particularly beautiful, especially because she's always been a bit heavier than other girls her age.

Twenty-year-old Katie Brenneman has always quietly fancied Jonathan Lundy. So when the brokenhearted widower asks her to help him take care of his two young girls, Katie knows it will be a trying time - yet she cannot pass up a golden opportunity to get to know this man better. Just as she’s settling into her new life, a message arrives from Katie’s past, threatening to expose her darkest secrets.

Christina Kempf has always felt that God chose Aden Reese to be her husband. When they were children, Aden was there to save her when she fell through a patch of thin ice, and he's been by her side ever since. After his parents died in a car accident 10 years ago, the Kempfs raised Aden as one of their own, and everyone sees Aden and Christina as brother and sister. But Christina has never given up hope that Aden will one day see her as the perfect woman for him…and ask her to be his wife.

Randall Beiler will sacrifice anything to take care of his younger siblings and the family farm, even if it means forsaking love. But when his brother offers pretty Elizabeth Nolt a job cleaning and cooking for the family, Randall is furious - and feels guilty about the way he once broke Elizabeth's heart. Then he learns that Elizabeth and her grandmother are struggling to make ends meet and he knows the offer, no matter how painful, is the right thing for everyone.