I received a complimentary copy of this book from Litfuse Publicity Group and was under no obligation to post a review. No compensation was received for sharing this review and all opinions are my own.
Series: Amish Brides of Pinecraft #1
Published by Harper Collins on January 27th 2015
Source: Litfuse Publicity Group
Genres: Amish & Mennonite, Christian, Contemporary, Fiction, Romance
Pages: 288
Suggested Age: 13+
Note: I didn't see any reason that teens can't read. Nothing inappropriate to note.
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 beloved New York Times bestselling author Shelley Shepard Gray'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 fiancé.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 Kaufmann, Leona's faced with two vastly different futures.Leona must decide: Should she follow the path set out before her? Or take a chance with only the promise of what could be to guide her?
The Promise of Palm Grove is the first book in a new series, Amish Brides of Pinecraft by Shelley Shephard Gray. Now, I do want to say that the main story in this book was very well written and I enjoyed it very much. One part of me really wanted to rate the book five stars for Leona’s story. Leona is a disgruntled bride-to-be who is struggling with her decision to marry an overbearing man who never values her thoughts and opinions.
Her growing apprehension of settling down with Edmund has led Leona and her two friends to take a vacation to a quaint B&B in Pinecraft. There she meets a handsome and caring young man named Zach whom she quickly begins to have feelings for. Zach is everything that Edmund isn’t—caring, attentive and he puts the thoughts and needs of others above his own.
This is where things lost me a bit—the second story arc follows the owner of the B&B, Beverly. I felt that her story was lackluster and didn’t offer as much to the story. Now, don’t get me wrong here. I still loved the story. I just wished that I didn’t feel so confused about what Beverly had to lend to the overall theme of the story.
Overall though, the tone of the book is easy to read and the characters are easy to connect with. The story was a bit predictable but it’s still a solid, easy to read story. I really look forward to book two in the story, The Proposal at Siesta Key which releases in May of this year.
About Shelley Shepard Gray
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.
Sounds like a book I’d like:)