THE GIFT by Shelley Shepard Gray

Publisher:     Avon

Published:     November 7, 2017

ISBN:        978-0062469144

Genre:      Young Adult, Amish Romantic Suspense

Format:     Print

Obtained via:  Publisher

Reviewed by name and email address:  Gina  myreviewbooks@aol.com

THREE-1/2 HEARTS

The Schwartz family is looking forward to their first Christmas in their new home in Hart county.  While they were thrilled to move from Berlin to Hart County and from their small duplex to a larger farm, the neighbors having been exactly friendly.  Things turn decidedly unpleasant when Susanna Schwartz is on her way home one night and someone begins to take shots at her.  In the aftermath of her buggy overturning she is rescued by a man she just cannot forget.  At church the next week she sees him once again but their second meeting is not pleasant at all—it was his family the Schwartz’s bought their farm from and the Vance’s didn’t sell because they wanted to. 

Neil Vance was born, raised and thought he would spend his life on his family’s farm.  He, along with the rest of his family are bitter about having to sell their home and while not rational, they blame the Schwartzs.  But once he meets Susanna he begins to realize how wrong he might be.  But when yet another attack, this one even more heinous, is lobbed against the Schwartzs Neil realizes just how deeply he’s come to care for Susanna.  But this time he may end up losing more than her friendship.

I’ve been enjoying Shelley Shepard Gray’s Amish of Hart County series and was looking forward to book 3, THE GIFT.  While a good read, it wasn’t quite as good as the first two books, HER SECRET and HIS GUILT.  It wasn’t a bad read, it just seemed more juvenile in language and a bit more repetition of the Vance’s feelings around losing their farm than needed. 

I liked Susanna and Neil as characters.  Even with Neil’s anger at his family losing their farm he comes across like a good guy.  Dale and Amanda are billed as secondary characters but they added a lot to the story.  I really enjoyed how their relationship progressed. 

Each book in the series is a standalone. The may thread between them is Hart County.  There are brief appearances of characters from the earlier books but we are not really caught up on what has been happening in their lives – the focus is strongly on Susanna the Neil’s story.  What’s nice about this is you can pick up any of the books in any order and sit back and enjoy.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

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