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A DAUGHTER'S DREAM
The Charmed Amish Life #2
Shelley Shepard Gray
Releasing May 24th, 2016
Avon Inspire
In Shelley Shepard
Gray’s second book in her Charmed Amish Life series, a young teacher and farmer
discover they have much in common, especially when it comes to healing old
wounds from the past…and finding love in one another.
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 thirteen-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. But when she meets Lilly’s uncle, Jacob, his good
looks and sweet, easy-going temperament are hard to ignore. How can she even
entertain romantic thoughts of Jacob when his niece is her student?
Suddenly becoming Lily’s sole caregiver,
Jacob Yoder never thought he’d be a single parent—or a farmer. Having been
living in Florida as a carpenter, Jacob feels more at home wielding a hammer
than a backhoe. The only bright spot in his life is Rebecca Kinsinger. As Lily
and Rebecca develop a bond, Jacob’s fondness for the pretty teacher grows, too.
But when a fateful accident brings
them together, Rebecca and Jacob must choose between duty and desire. Will they
follow the path before them? Or set out to find true happiness…and true love?
I'm going to keep my Review fairly short but only because I don't have much to say except buy this book(and in case you are wondering, yes I bought my own copy!)
Okay...so maybe you should also buy book one to read before you treat yourself to this one too!
Again, maybe it's because I'm a total fan girl(and I've only read two books total by Ms. Gray) but I really love these books.
Just like the first book in this series, I was totally "charmed" by it. Ms. Gray writes a well written, easy to read, thought provoking and inspiring novel. I didn't want to put it down. Again, the characters and town are well developed(boy, do I want to visit!)
Ms. Gray also handles a serious subject with grace and in a realistic, honest manner. I do wish that more time was spent on Rebecca and Jacob's relationship however, I'm guessing some of the other plot points are going to play out in the next book (can't wait!)
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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 Hold
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.
A Puppy in Amish Country
A
funny thing happened last Friday when I was in Amish country, kicking off three
days of events for our girlfriend getaway weekend. I bought a beagle/dachshund
puppy.
This
isn’t something I normally do! Every other time I bought a dog, my husband and
I carefully weighed the pros and cons. We discussed our decision for hours. We
prayed about it. We interviewed breeders. We’ve even been interviewed by
dachshund rescue workers. But a couple of things happened that made me think
that this was all meant to be.
The
first thing that happened was that one of our two dachshunds passed away a
couple of weeks ago. Butch was my husband’s dog. He was a darling little twelve
pound black dachshund that we rescued four years ago. About five months ago, we
learned he was sick. Then we discovered he had cancer. We tried our best to
save him, but it wasn’t meant to be. Since then, we’ve been mourning his loss.
Sadie, our other dog, has been missing him, too.
My
husband Tom and I knew that one day, eventually,
the time would be right to get another dog and give Sadie a friend. Maybe in a
year or so.
But
it seemed God had another plan. Right before I left to drive up to Holmes
County, Tom mentioned that his perfect new dog would be half dachshund and half
beagle. I laughed, saying I didn’t know how we were going to find one of those!
Then, I hopped in the car and headed north.
Then,
on Friday, I was with a group of ladies in my girlfriend getaway and we were
touring an Amish farm. To be honest, I was a little bored. I’ve been on lots of
Amish farms and in several Amish homes. Then we went to the barn.
Inside
the barn, spring was in the air! There were piglets and lambs. Baby goats and
tiny baby bunnies. An eight day old colt and a box full of kittens. And, a
female dachshund walking around.
She
was a pretty thing. She seemed happy and interested in the visitors and I was
interested in her. It was also obvious that she was nursing some puppies. One
of the ladies asked Roman, the Amish man who was walking around with us, about
that dog’s puppies. He pointed to a stall.
And
there they were! Seven half beagle/half dachshund pups! When Roman said I could
pick up the puppies and cuddle them, I didn’t hesitate. Off I went! Oh, they
were so cute. I picked each up. The mother dachshund came right by me and
wagged her tail, just as if she was happy to show off her pups.
After
realizing I’d been playing with those dogs for far too long, I walked out of the
stall and kind of joked with Roman, saying I sure wished I could have one.
That’s when he told me that five of them still needed homes. I then found out
that they weren’t going to be all that expensive either.
Amish
puppies? Beagle-dachshund mix dogs for a price we could afford? I excused
myself from the group, darted out to the parking lot and called my husband. As
you might imagine, at first he thought I was being silly. But then I started
sending him photos. Then he said he loved the one that looked like Eddie
Munster. We could get that one.
Huh?
I
darted back into the barn. By this time, some of the readers I was with had
heard about my phone call. When I told them what my husband said, they helped
me start trying to find which puppy was the one my husband liked. I started
posing with puppies and they took my picture and we’d send it to Tom.
Everyone
gathered around, and when my husband texted me back and said that was the dog
he wanted, we all cheered!
Later,
Roman told me that I was going to have to come back in two weeks. The pups were
just a little too young to leave their mom. But he took a good look at ‘Eddie’
and promised that he’d remember that he was spoken for. Soon after, I paid my
deposit and gave the office my phone number. I had a new puppy!
I
would say I can’t believe how it all worked out, but I certainly can. This past
weekend, the Lord guided me to an Amish farm that I would have never gone to if
I wasn’t a writer. He placed puppies in my path that would have never seen if
my new book A Daughter’s Dream hadn’t gone on sale and I wasn’t
promoting it. He also gave me a very kind and patient Amish man to help me get
over Butch’s loss, and a group of very sweet women who were willing to help me
figure out which pup was the right one for us! It really was a moment when I
knew the Lord was shining in my life and answering prayers.
It
was also a very good reminder that just like in my book, some dreams really do
come true.
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