A Wedding at the Orange Blossom Inn by Shelley Shepard Gray

A complimentary review copy was provided to me.

There is something very good about a book that can draw you into the story in the first chapter. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary that happened, a silly mutt had gotten away leaving it's family to locate it. But Shelley Shepard Gray with her straight-forward style and the way that she reveals enough about the characters to pique your interest, pulled me right into her new book, A Wedding at the Orange Blossom Inn.

The book takes place in Pinecraft, an Amish community nestled in Florida. For those that have read earlier books in the Brides of Pinecraft series, it revisits old characters and introduces many new. For those that are new to the series, there is nothing lost in having not read the earlier books.

The story is universal in it's storyline, the chance meeting, the common challenges, the shared issues and the opportunity for more, despite the unique setting and Amish characters. I think that is one thing that really appeals to me about this book (and others like it). Although it is Amish fiction, and their religious ways come into play, at the heart the stories are about people and emotions, something that we can all relate to. Gray does a great job developing the characters in the book and the reader is easily pulled in and watches as they open themselves up and close back down in worry, as they grow from experiences and come to discover that there is more out there, as they find love and worry about losing it.

If you are looking for an easy, enjoyable love story to read, you should definitely consider A Wedding at Orange Blossom Inn.

About the book:
A Wedding at the Orange Blossom Inn (Avon Inspire, September 2015)

A wedding brings together two young widowed parents . . . and gives them a second chance at love.

Emma Keim was heartbroken when her husband, Sanford, passed away, leaving her to raise three young daughters alone. Though several years have passed, her relatives have made it no secret that they expect Emma to remain a widow, mourning Sanford indefinitely. But when she meets Jay Hilty---a handsome widower with three young sons of his own---Emma is delighted to have a new friend who understands her struggles. Still, she is dismayed that her family is so opposed to their friendship---and the idea of it ever becoming anything more. She honors her husband's memory every day, but is she destined to be alone forever?

Emma's gentleness with Jay's boys stirs something in his heart that's been quiet for far too long. But when his oldest son becomes engaged to a local woman, suddenly Jay, Emma, and their children are swept up in wedding preparations. Witnessing his son's joy, Jay wonders if it's time for him to move forward, too, and find happiness again.

Once again, love has come to Pinecraft. But can these two parties of four become a happy, healthy family of eight?

Purchase a copy here.

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.

Find Shelley online: website, Facebook, Twitter

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No compensation was received for this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family. A complimentary review copy was provided to me.