Thankful by Shelley Shepard Gray Litfuse Book Reviews

About the Book:

Thankful, Book Two in the Return to Sugarcreek series

New York Times bestselling author Shelley Shepard Gray captures the beauty, devotion, and warmth of Amish life in this engaging tale of family, commitment, trust, and love set in the beloved community of Sugarcreek.

Christina Kempf has always known that God chose Aden Reese to be her husband. As children, he was there to save her when she fell through the ice, and he’s been by her side ever since. After his parents died in a car accident ten 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 ask her to be his wife.

Aden always planned to court Christina. But losing his mother and father changed everything—except his love for her. Her parents generously welcomed him into their home and treated him like a son. He can’t betray their kindness by admitting his feelings for the girl who is like a sister . . . yet so much more.

Pressured by her parents to court, Christina begins to accept the attentions of Sugarcreek’s young men, and now, Aden must make a choice. Will he stand by and watch the love of his life slip away? Or will he risk losing the love and trust of the family he holds dear to tell Christina how he truly feels?

Thankful includes a P.S. section with additional insights from the author, background material, suggestions for further reading, and more.

My Review: I really liked this different kind of storyline. Christina and Aden have practically grown up as siblings but yet they have feelings for each other. Finding, the guts really, to confess their feelings to their

But what really kept me captivated in this work was the secondary storyline of Judith and Ben. As a former foster mother, and an adoptive mother, AND a mother who has lost a baby I completely empathized with Judith in this storyline and found it captivated me more than the main story of Christina and Aden. I want to read more on what happens in Judith and Ben’s story.

Another thing I noticed about Thankful is that Shelley brings up issues of race in a tasteful way. It’s really small and doesn’t detract from the storyline but I wondered how she would deal with it. I would also be curious to read a little more about the realities of the Amish community accepting a person of color (in case I go visit some day).

If you enjoy Amish fiction you will enjoy this sweet book involving 3 story lines. I do recommend you read book 1 to capture the feel of the community and the other characters.

About the Author: 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.

Connect with Shelley: website, Facebook

Buy the Book: [simpleazon-link asin=”0062204475″ locale=”us”]Thankful: Return to Sugarcreek, Book Two[/simpleazon-link]

More Litfuse Reviews: http://litfusegroup.com/author/sgray

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group as part of their Blogger Review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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