Winter's Awakening

Honestly Shelley Shepard Gray is probably my favorite Amish Fiction author of the current Amish Fiction craze. Her reflections into the lives that interact and are affected by the Ohio Amish are fresh and refreshing. I enjoyed her previous Sisters of the Heart Series and I am fairly certain that I will be even more impressed with her new Seasons of Sugarcreek Series if this book is any indication.

Most romances these days are all about the new relationship that is budding. This book however shows true romance from a different perspective, the future of a relationship that is already in existence. I have never read a book that touched on the relationship behind marriage quite like Shelley was able to in the pages of this novel.

Reading show more into the lives of Gretta and Joshua and hearing their thoughts and feeling their emotions while they try to understand whether they were meant for each other in God's divine plan is quite an adventure. Learning the neighbor Lilly's secrets and past relationships and decisions on new ones with throw you for a twist. Reading between the lines on other characters in the way they interact is all so amazing. This book is full of possible routes and choices and really allows a reader to imagine what might be.

I highly encourage you to jump in and read along into the lives of the Sugarcreek Amish and their Englischer neighbors. See if things are how you would imagine they might end up to be. What do you envision your marriage to be? Would you be willing to work on it if it was not quite right?

*Thanks to TLC Book Tours and HarperCollins Avon Inspire for providing a copy for review.* show less

"Winter's Awakening was a breathe of fresh air for me. It was refreshing to read a story about young love that didn't involve an overly immoral theme. Granted one of the main characters had committed an indiscretion and landed her family in Sugarcreek to escape the humiliation that would come in their hometown; it still focuses on more important things. Things like making the right choices, accepting others' faults, and growing up.

"Every character in this story is wonderful and I loved being able to hear from each of the main characters. They all were at a stage in their lives where they needed to make some difficult decisions and become adults. Being what I consider a fairly spiritual person myself I really appreciated Gretta's show more character, her quiet thoughtful ways and her desire to listen to God. And though each of the characters eventually acknowledged their own need to rely on God I never felt I was being 'preached' to. I have to say, that was so nice!

"One of the other wonderful bits about this story that I loved is that it was in Ohio. It is in fact somewhere that holds a special place in my heart after spending a year and a half long mission for my church in the areas central and southern Ohio. It was wonderful being transported back to a time and place that I fell in love with. I still recall the buggy's riding down the road and the Amish store just within walking distance of one of my residences. Shelley did a magnificent job of describing the scenery and beauty that encompass that entire area, somewhere I long to visit again.

"All in all I would highly recommend this book. It was a quick, fun and meaningful read. And as I said before, refreshing in today's market that's saturated with immorality, it was nice to read a book that wasn't preachy, but still morally based. Another great thing is that it's the first in a series with the second book, Spring's Renewal, due out in May. I can't wait!" show less

I have been a big fan of Shelley Shepard Gray's Amish fiction. Her previous series, Sisters of the Heart, was really fun to read because I felt that they were comfort Amish reads. I never feel as if the Amish lifestyle is being pushed on me. Instead reading Gray's books are more of an introduction to the Amish as opposed of making me feel bad for not living like them. In this new series, we are shown what happens when the Amish and English world come together. I was really happy with how that was handled in this book. No one in the book wants to leave the Amish, no one wants to join the Amish. In fact there weren't very many cliches that are found in other Amish books which made me very happy.

The main characters in this book are all in show more their late teens and early 20s so this book has cross over appeal with a young adult audience as well. Even though Gretta is totally Amish, I felt like I could relate to her and I really liked her character. To be honest, I was not a fan of Joshua and how he treated Gretta. I was actually rooting for her to get over him, maybe not with Roland but anyone else. Still though I really pleased with how the story fleshed out. I found myself sympathizing with Lilly due to the way her parents were treating her. I understand why they acted the way they did but I think they might have taken it too far. Therefore it was an interesting contrast at how Joshua's family reacted when they found out about her situation.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Even if you don't normally read Amish fiction, if you enjoy a light contemporary read, this is a good one for you. It's not preachy or trying to push any agenda. The story just gives a good look into the Amish lifestyle while being able to embrace the outside world as well. One huge plus for me was the talk of food, which I always greatly enjoy when I read about the Amish. This is another wonderful comfort read from Shelley and I know I'll be looking forward to to spending more seasons with this community. show less

This is the first book in an older series by this author that I missed reading before. I really enjoyed this quick Amish romance. I enjoyed reading about Gretta and Joshua and especially Anson. I love the troubles that Anson seems to get into. This is a sweet romance and very inspirational. I enjoyed reading about Lilly and seeing how she works through her predicament. I definitely recommend this story.

“Winter’s Awakening” is the first in Shelley Shepard Gray’s Seasons of Sugarcreek series.

This book was not at all what I expected and that is a very good thing. After reading Shelley’s first series: Sisters of the Heart, I had an idea in my head already of what I could look forward to from her writing and the book appeared to be going away from it all. I was very relieved when I saw where the story truly was going.

Regardless of my misgivings, I was drawn in by the intriguing story and Shelley’s descriptive writing so I did go on to read the story and I have to say, the way it turned out may not have been what I was expecting but it could not have been done any better!

Honestly Shelley Shepard Gray is probably my favorite Amish Fiction author of the current Amish Fiction craze. Her reflections into the lives that interact and are affected by the Ohio Amish are fresh and refreshing. I enjoyed her previous Sisters of the Heart Series and I am fairly certain that I will be even more impressed with her new Seasons of Sugarcreek Series if this book is any indication.

Most romances these days are all about the new relationship that is budding. This book ...more Honestly Shelley Shepard Gray is probably my favorite Amish Fiction author of the current Amish Fiction craze. Her reflections into the lives that interact and are affected by the Ohio Amish are fresh and refreshing. I enjoyed her previous Sisters of show more the Heart Series and I am fairly certain that I will be even more impressed with her new Seasons of Sugarcreek Series if this book is any indication.

Most romances these days are all about the new relationship that is budding. This book however shows true romance from a different perspective, the future of a relationship that is already in existence. I have never read a book that touched on the relationship behind marriage quite like Shelley was able to in the pages of this novel.

Reading into the lives of Gretta and Joshua and hearing their thoughts and feeling their emotions while they try to understand whether they were meant for each other in God's divine plan is quite an adventure. Learning the neighbor Lilly's secrets and past relationships and decisions on new ones with throw you for a twist. Reading between the lines on other characters in the way they interact is all so amazing. This book is full of possible routes and choices and really allows a reader to imagine what might be.

I highly encourage you to jump in and read along into the lives of the Sugarcreek Amish and their Englischer neighbors. See if things are how you would imagine they might end up to be. What do you envision your marriage to be? Would you be willing to work on it if it was not quite right?

*Thanks to TLC Book Tours and HarperCollins Avon Inspire for providing a copy for review.* show less

Winter's Awakening was a wonderful look at the prejudices on both sides. It was also a look at the temptations that both sides faced. I believe we tend to assume things when we don't have all of the information.

Joshua and Gretta live in Sugarcreek and it has always been expected that they will get married. Then an English family moves in next door to Joshua and Lily catches his eye. This causes him to question his feelings for Gretta. Gretta’s family has moved here because Gretta is pregnant. People are talking on both sides about Joshua and Gretta. Gretta just wants a friend and finds it in Joshua. When a snow storm blows in can both sides put aside their differences and their beliefs to help each other?

I really liked this one. It show more is well known that the Amish don’t associate on a personal, friendship level with the non-English because of a difference in beliefs. I thought this was a very accurate telling of that relationship. Because of their relationship with God they will bend over backwards to help those in need. Great recommended read. show less