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Review of “An Amish Surprise” by Shelley Shepard Gray”


PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION

In the second installment of the “enjoyable and charming” (USATODAY) Shelley Shepard Gray’s delightful Berlin Bookmobile series, librarian Sarah Anne Miller returns to Berlin to help a childless Amish couple form the family they’ve always prayed for.

Miriam and Calvin Gingerich have been trying for a baby for several years, but the Lord hasn’t seen fit to bless them. Though Calvin claims he’s content with their childless state, Miriam knows he’s not, and when he starts spending more time off their farm, she worries he’s found someone else. But just as she finds herself at her lowest point, she discovers the ultimate surprise. Unable to confide in anyone who might tell Calvin–out of fear she’ll disappoint him with another miscarriage–Miriam turns to bookmobile librarian Sarah Anne Miller–and any books she may have on pregnancy and childbirth.

Calvin has been keeping a secret from his wife, but it’s not another woman. It’s a little boy. One afternoon when visiting Sarah Anne’s bookmobile, he meets Miles, a ten-year-old living with a foster family down the road. But after spending more time with the boy, Calvin learns that his foster family has no plans to adopt him. Calvin feels a connection with Miles and yearns to give the boy a home, but he’s afraid to tell Miriam, knowing she’s devastated they can’t have children of their own.

As weeks pass and Sarah Anne learns that Miles has nearly given up hope of ever finding a real home, she knows it’s time to intervene. It’s going to take some fancy footwork and a whole lot of prayer, but she knows she can help make this struggling couple into a happy family of four.l
Click here to purchase a copy:
https://www.amazon.com/Amish-Surprise-Berlin-Bookmobile-Book-ebook/dp/B08LDXSVDT/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1NFYTY0VO17HZ&dchild=1&keywords=an+amish+surprise+shelley+shepard+gray&qid=1621687871&sprefix=An+Amish+Surprise%2Caps%2C173&sr=8-1

My Review:
 I loved all the characters in this book, but ten-year-old Miles’ story captured my heart.  He had been through too much heartache for a young boyof his age, and I was cheering him on through every page to find a place to belong.  Calvin and Miriam were lovely, caring people; but they desperately needed to find a way to communicate their hopes and wishes clearly to each other.  Much of this storyline builds around finding faith to trust God for the next step and turning to Him in times of distress.  I also enjoyed following Sarah Anne Miller as she drove her bookmobile to different parts of the community and seeing her own relationship with Pete grow into a sweet romance.

It’s easy to read this book as a stand-alone story.  But once you’ve read this one, you’ll want to go back and read the first book in the series.  I think the next “Bookmobile” story will be set during the Christmas season, and I’m eagerly looking forward to reading that one.


I received a copy of this book from the publisher.  A opinions are my own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shelley Shepard Gray is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers prestigious Carol Award, and a two-time HOLT Medallion winner. She lives in southern Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town’s bike trail.

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