“The Promise of Palm Grove” by Shelley Shepard Gray

A young Amish woman finds herself torn between the man she’s pledged to wed and the man her heart desires in this heartwarming story of chance, duty, and choice in the face of love—the first volume in the beloved New York Times bestselling author’s new Amish Brides of Pinecraft series.

Amish bride-to-be Leona is thrilled to be in Florida, on a mini-vacation in the pretty town of Pinecraft. Her girlfriends think she’s happy because she’s away from the stress of wedding planning. They have no idea that Leona’s real joy is in being away from her fiancĂ©.

Edmund is a good man, and will make a decent husband . . . just not for Leona. The more time she spends with him and his overbearing ways, the less she wants to be his wife. Her cousins are sure Edmund is the right man for her—and their certainty makes Leona begin to doubt herself. But when a chance encounter with a wayward cat brings her face-to-face with a handsome, fun-loving Amish man named Zachary Kauffman, Leona’s faced with two vastly different futures.

Shelley Shepard Gray can spin a yarn with the best of them, and this one is particularly sweet.  Gray knows just how to keep the romantic tension strong while encouraging the reader to believe in pure, innocent love.  The feelings between Leona and Zach are just that:  sweet, innocent, and full of the bloom of love.  You can’t read this story and not hope for a happy ending for this pair.

It doesn’t look easy for them in the beginning, though. They both have difficult obstacles in their path towards each other, and I enjoyed how they persevered and tried to figure out whether a relationship would be right, both for themselves and for the other person.  Leona’s decisions are not always opportune, and they teach that the best decision possible must be made, even when difficult and uncomfortable.

I loved Leona’s parents.  Their support not only adds a new dimension to the story, but it also speaks volumes to the kind of parents who have strong relationships with their children.  They are great examples of loving parents.

The Promise of Palm Grove may be full of emotional drama, but it’s also long on fun. It has enough fluff and flip-flops to balance the tears, leaving a solid, full-on fun story behind.

Another winner for Gray.

Read other reviews in this bloggy hop here or buy your own copy now.

 

Shelley Shepard Gray is a two-time New York Times bestseller, a two-time USA Today bestseller, 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.

Find Shelley online: website
 
 
I received a free copy of The Promise of Palm Grove from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.

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