This charming Christmas tale was so enjoyable to listen to as an audio book. The narrator did a nice job and the narration flowed well. The story itself was a fun peek into an Amish community at Christmas time.
The main characters who were dating when the story began, Wesley and Liesl, were a good example of a couple who had lost the original spark of interest that was there when they first decided to court. The romantic attraction they felt for each other as teens years earlier had settled into a dating relationship that was simply expected by everyone around them. It was clear to me from the beginning that neither Wesley or Liesl truly realized how far from love they had moved. I think that neither one understood that what they felt for each other did not compare to what real romantic love would be like, until they began to each feel it for someone else.
I believe that Liesl should have broken things off with Wesley years earlier and followed where her heart was truly leading her instead of trying to force Wesley to match an ideal that she had. However, it probably would have meant that her Aunt Jenny would not have come to town when she did and that would have been a shame, as she was definitely the perfect match for Wesley. I wouldn’t exactly call this a love triangle…perhaps a love square? I had fun listening to it and waiting to see how everything would get straightened out for these characters.
(4 stars)
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Hallmark and bestselling author
Shelley Shepard Gray
present a Christmas Amish romance
with lots of surprises in store…
Wesley is so busy running his family’s Amish market at the holidays, he barely has time for Liesl, the young woman he’s been courting for years. When she suggests her aunt Jenny could help Wesley out, he agrees to the plan. But Liesl neglected to mention her aunt is only twenty-six years old—and as charming as she is hard-working.
Jenny, still healing after a painful breakup, welcomes the distraction of working at the market. She soon realizes Wesley is everything she ever dreamed a man could be. But how can Jenny even think about romance with the man Liesl expects to marry?
But Liesl’s own feelings are more complicated than she’s willing to admit. With humor, faith, and a little help from their friends in the community, everyone might just find what their hearts are looking for this Christmas at the Amish market.
PURCHASE THE AUDIO BOOK HERE
PURCHASE THE BOOK HERE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Shelley Shepard Gray writes Amish and Inspirational romances for Simon & Schuster, and Kensington, Harlequin, and contemporary women’s fiction for Blackstone Publishing. With over a million books in print, and translated into more than a dozen languages, her novels have been Holt Medallion winners and Inspirational Readers Choice and Carol finalists.
Shelley has been featured in the Philadelphia Enquirer, Washington Post, Time Magazine, and USA Today. She has also been interviewed on NPR as well as numerous regional radio stations. Publishers Weekly calls her Walnut Creek series “A slow-burning, enjoyable romance… Embedded in this quaint story is a poignant message about the importance of community, compassion, and doing what’s right rather than what’s easy.”
Shelley has hosted several well-attended ‘Girlfriend Getaways’ for Amish reading fans. Her most recent Girlfriend Getaway, hosted with bestselling novelists Amy Clipston and Suzanne Woods Fisher in Sugarcreek, Ohio, was filmed by BuzzFeed and highlighted on NetFlix’s Follow This episode on the popularity of Amish fiction.
Before writing romances, Shelley lived in Texas and Colorado, where she taught school and earned her bachelor’s degree in English literature and later obtained her master’s degree in educational administration. She now lives in southern Colorado near her grown children, walks her dachshunds, bakes too much, and writes full time.
Britt Reads Fiction 
Nice review, Britt. My thoughts were quite similar.