Winter's Awakening

Title: WINTER’S AWAKENING
Author: Shelley Shepard Gray
Publisher: Avon Inspire
March 2010
ISBN: 978-0-06-185222-0
Genre: Inspirational/Amish

Joshua thought he had his future all mapped out. He’d work in his father’s store, marry Gretta, and they’d have babies… but then a new English family moves in next door, and their young daughter catches Josh’s eye. Suddenly, Josh feels trapped. What if he isn’t meant to marry Gretta? If he can look at another woman, then Gretta must not be the one for him. So, he breaks off the relationship.

Gretta is shocked by the sudden changes in Joshua. When Josh breaks things off, another Amish man, Roland, is quick to move in. Roland is calm, quiet, and kind, but he is not the man that Gretta loves. Still, she needs to give Roland a chance.

Lilly is new to Sugarcreek, but she is there in shame as her parents are hiding her away until after the birth of her baby. Lilly is fascinated by the Amish next door, and especially Joshua. He’s like no boy she’s ever met before.

WINTER’S AWAKENING is the first book in Ms. Gray’s newest series, Seasons of Sugarcreek. I enjoyed getting to know Joshua, Gretta, and Lilly, and even some of the secondary characters. At first I thought that Josh acted a bit immaturely, but he is only nineteen, and there aren’t that many really mature nineteen year olds out there.

Gretta is a sweet young lady, thrown into a tailspin by Josh’s decision, and her subsequent meeting of “the other woman” but she still was kind and gentle with people, whether she wanted to be or not. I really appreciated her attitude.

I enjoyed reading WINTER’S AWAKENING and the ending is completely sweet. I’m not one hundred percent certain Ms. Gray got all her Amish facts right, but it is a good story. Discussion questions are included at the end of the book as well as a sample chapter of the next book in the series, Spring’s Renewal. $12.99. 276 pages.