PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION
In this endearing Christmas tale, a bookmobile librarian knows just the novel to help an Amish bachelor woo his next-door neighbor in the latest installment of the “charming” (Carla Laureano, RITA Award-winning author of Five Days in Skye) Berlin Bookmobile series.
A solitary sort, forty-two-year-old Atle Petersheim spends his time hard at work in his wood shop. But as the days get long, he realizes just how lonely he’s become. When his longtime crush, Sadie Mast, a widow and mother of three, asks him to help her build a room in their barn for her son Cale, Atle can’t say no. Eager to pursue Sadie at last, he turns to bookmobile librarian Sarah Anne Miller for courting advice. More than happy to help, Sarah Anne decides the best way to learn about love is through books–romance novels to be precise.
Between completing holiday orders for her flourishing food business, helping Cale navigate a dramatic new relationship with his boss’s daughter, and coming to terms with the trauma her late husband had inflicted upon her and her children–not to mention Atle showing up at her door with flowers–Sadie is in over her head. Though Atle’s efforts are initially clumsy and his declarations a bit awkward, Sadie can’t help but be charmed by him. He’s patient and kind…and at times even seems to know far more about romance than he’s let on.
Another delightful romance about the “transformative powers of love, hope, and faith” (Publishers Weekly), A Christmas Courtship is the perfect holiday read.
My Review:
Shelley Shepard Gray has given us a wonderful story about an endearing Amish family.
(Please note before you read this review: There is reference to past spousal abuse in this book. There are no graphic descriptions and the way it is mentioned is handled with consideration. But because it does have an influence on the story, I will be referring to it in the review. This story is sweet, clean, and filled with hope. But if that topic is a trigger to you, you might want to stop reading here.)
Sadie and her family completely captured my heart as I read. Sadie and her children had endured much hardship because of her late husband’s abuse, and in the years following his unexpected death, they have found a new way of life. Sadie wants to find a way to thank her sixteen year old son, Cale, for all the caring support he has given to both her and his younger siblings. So she decides to have a bedroom built just for Cale, so he can have some space to call his own. She hires Atle Petersheim to build the room for her. There’s one complication to this plan of which Sadie is unaware: Atle, a 42 year old bachelor, has a crush on Sadie. But he’s far too shy to tell Sadie what’s on his heart.
I loved reading about Atle’s attempts to figure out how to court Sadie. Even Sadie’s children are cheering him on and giving him advice. However, Atle knows that Sadie and her family are still recovering from the abuse. His challenge now is to show them that they can completely trust him as he completely seeks to love and serve God.
This story is filled with faith, hope, and love. I think you’ll love reading about the growing romance between Sadie and Atle as much as I did. Although this book is part of a series, you can easily read this one on its own.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
Click here to purchase a copy:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08VJMH2XG?pf_rd_r=7EW5ZTVQW8JWMSJXZ6ZA&pf_rd_p=1ab92b69-98d7-4842-a89b-ad387c54783f&pd_rd_r=97ff2973-14a3-420f-bac9-abd5eda29874&pd_rd_w=BqwSc&pd_rd_wg=mIIjW&ref_=pd_gw_unk
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.
I enjoyed your review, Patti! It sure makes me want to read this one. Ty for sharing!!!