Shelley Shepard Gray

Unshaken is an entertaining, captivating romantic suspense read. The steadily paced, well-crafted plot with its foreboding sense of danger kept me engaged and anxious to find out what the future holds for Stephanie Miller whose quiet Amish life has been upended by a wrong place, wrong time situation! A memorable and emotionally impactful cast of characters drives the story. I admire the way Hardy, Bev, and Carter work together, without hesitation, to protect Stephanie who is a stranger to show more them. Even though Timothy made some terribly poor choices in his life, I felt compassion for him. I appreciate the gentle faith thread and how Stephanie, with great resilience, came to trust God for the future he had planned for her. Sweet romance adds a touching layer of interest to the story. I enjoyed this story and recommend it as a well-worth-your-time read.
I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher with no obligation to write a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. show less

This book is a perfect blend of suspense, romance, and faith with a well-paced well-structured plot and wonderfully created, compelling characters. Set in Crittenden County, Kentucky, the multi-layered plot features two storylines with two sweet love stories that merge expertly and satisfyingly. The story features cousins Bethanne Hostetler, an Amish book reviewer, and Candace Evans an Englisher beauty queen. Bethanne struggles to make peace with her past and move on with her life. show more Candace’s life is being upended and threatened by a stalker. Sweet romance walks alongside emotion-packed, pulse-pounding danger and suspense as their captivating story unfolds. Faith themes of forgiveness, trust, and reliance on God to overcome fear are inspiring. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and highly recommend it especially for fans of Amish fiction and/or romantic suspense. Note: Although there are carryover characters from a previous book, sufficient background information is provided to make this book work as a standalone.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley with no obligation to write a positive review all thoughts and opinions are my own. show less

Some readers love romantic suspense novels, and others prefer Amish fiction, but do they want them in the same story? In this new book, UNSHAKEN, author Shelley Shepard Gray once again uses her winning formula for combining these two genres, and the result is pure reading enjoyment! I was mesmerized from the first paragraph, when a young Amish woman locked eyes with a "scary young Englischer" after realizing that he had just fired a gun. A gun that left a man dead and Stephanie Miller a show more terrified witness to a murder. What follows is a tautly crafted plot that is hard to put down!!

UNSHAKEN has adventure, danger, and non-stop action! I loved the amazing connection and alliance that develops between Stephanie and her protector, Hardy Anderson, as he struggles to protect her and she experiences freedom for the first time! I'm also thrilled that most of the book is set in Crittenden County, Kentucky. Gray's Crittenden County series is a favorite, and I'm glad that she's used my home state as a book setting once again. Well-developed characters, page-turning suspense, and an inspiring faith element make this an engaging story that you don't want to miss. I recommend UNSHAKEN to all who enjoy thrilling romantic suspense and clean Amish romance.

I received a copy from the author and publisher. There was no obligation for a positive review. show less

So it has been a while since I have read an Amish/Mennonite romance, which is guess is pretty ironic as I live close to one of the biggest settlements in America, but I guess I have been so wrapped up in contemporary and historical romances that I forgot about this subgenre. But then I saw this story and I don’t know why, but the story seemed to speak to me. SO I delved into this book and I am so very glad that I did as this book opened my eyes up to what I had been missing.
The Christmas show more Bride in Pinecraft is really three stories in one, but they are all tied in together. But I am only going to tell you about our main characters and leave the rest as a surprise. So we start with one of our main characters Beverly Overholt. Beverly runs the Orange Blossom Inn and has done for the past 3 years since her Aunts death, at one time she thought she owned the whole business, but that turned out to be untrue and she was shocked to find out that englisher Eric Wagler owned the building. But this was 3 years later and she has not only become very comfortable with her role of manager and her relationship with Eric has blossomed too. But now Beverly has to call Eric in Philadelphia to tell him that the inn had been robbed!
Eric has been in love with Beverly since he met her that one fateful day, when he inherited the inn and now he is selling up his life in Pennsylvania and moving to Pinecraft to see if Beverly cares for him. But Eric has secrets of the past that will come back to haunt him and possibly destroy any feelings Beverly has for him.
But this is a Christmas story and Christmas is a time of forgiveness, happiness and good will to all men and Eric, Beverly and the people of Pinecraft are reminded of that and good things come from such sorrow.
I have not read a Pinecraft story before, but it honestly didn’t matter one little bit! This story is truly a standalone and I love every minute of it! This book really does remind you of humility and that not everything is as it seems. I honestly loved every single one of the characters in this book, because they honestly didn’t feel like characters in a book, but friends that are a vital part of my life!
So, down to the basics; the story was beautifully written, with no potholes and flowed smoothly. The book really provokes you to this about the hardships of people, not only in the story, but also in real life, but she does it in such an amazing way that it leaves you breathless and filled with joy by the end of the story.
The Christmas Bride in Pinecraft is such an enchanting book and that is why I give it 10 out of 10! show less