Forgiven 

Sisters of the Heart, # 3

Paperback – ebook, Audio, hardcover, Audio CD

August 11, 2009

by Shelley Shepard Gray

• 262 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne; Original edition 
• ISBN-13: 978-0061474477

Tragedy strikes­—a brother and sister find themselves facing a situation that will shape the rest of their lives.

When a fire destroys the Lundys' barn, Winnie is injured trying to get the animals to safety. Confined to a hospital for weeks, out of touch with her loved ones who live too far away to visit by buggy, she must depend on Englisher Samuel Miller to keep her company. Though his family is part of Winnie's tight-knit Amish community, Samuel left years earlier to pursue a university education. Through conversations, and Samuel's dedication to her recovery, a friendship forms. But despite their growing attraction, Winnie knows it can never develop into something more as long as Samuel chooses to remain in the outside world.

When Winnie returns home, she finds her brother, Jonathan, struggling with his own dilemma. Cigarette butts were discovered in the debris of the barn and Jonathan is determined to find out who is responsible for destroying his property and putting his family at risk. But in a community founded on grace and forgiveness, will his unwillingness to move on eat away at the trust that is the foundation of their lives?

My thoughts: FORGIVEN is an older book by Ms. Gray. There is massive amounts of head-hopping and the cast of characters is very confusing. Who is who and how are they related? It took awhile to get situated in this reader's mind. While written in many points of view the main characters are Winnie and Sam. Sam is a sweetheart, one who left the Amish and got an education, but feels lost and misplaced in the Englisch world. Winnie - not sure about her intelligence level as she runs into a fire with bare feet and then just stands there?  Also wasn't sure how she ended up breaking a foot in addition to burning them. (The burning part was obvious. . .) and I'm not a medical doctor, but would they cast a foot that is so badly burned? I don't know.  

This one isn't as good as Ms. Gray's later books.  

Though third in a series, it stands alone. For readers who like to read series in order, they are: Hidden, Wanted, and FORGIVEN. 

3 stars.