About the Book
Title: Her Only Wish, #2
By: Shelley Shepard Gray
Format: Paperback
Number of Pages: 304
Vendor: Revell
Publication Date: 2023
Dimensions: 8.50 X 5.50 (inches)
Weight: 9 ounces
ISBN: 0800741684
ISBN-13: 9780800741686
Sheltered yet adventurous, Betsy Detweiler is on a mission to get out of Kentucky and experience new things in life. She’s got a list–a life list. What better place to start than with her friends in beautiful Pinecraft, Florida?
From the moment Betsy walks into the Snow Bird Golf Course to sign up for lessons, August Troyer is mesmerized. Betsy is a mass of contradictions–beautiful yet awkward, outgoing yet unsure, joyful yet hesitant. She’s like no one he’s ever met before, and as the only child of missionary parents, he’s met a lot of people.
As Betsy and August embark on a month of enjoying life to the fullest, they’ll encounter several reasons to back off and play it safe. But playing it safe has its own consequences. This tender romance reminds us that life–and love–requires a fair amount of risk.
My Thoughts
This is an uplifting story of an Amish girl who has a health problem but is determined that it won’t stop her from fulfilling her “life list.”When Betsy arrives in Pinecraft to spend a month, she has goals that she plans to carry out, including learning how to swim and how to play golf. Having been sheltered all of her life because of her health issues with her lungs, Betsy wants to live life to the fullest and sets out to do so. At the golf course, she meets golf instructor August Troyer, a kind young man who is willing to teach her. Coincidentally, she also meets a young woman who will give her private swim lessons. Betsy’s life has been filled with “no’ and in this book, she finally discovers people who tell her “yes” and encourage her to reach for her dreams. I really enjoyed the story because it was positive and upbeat as well as realistically possible. The characters were well-developed and relatable, with regular flaws and problems of everyday life. The story moved along quickly and although many of the plot elements were predictable, there were a few twists along the way that kept the story interesting and engaging. Pinecraft is such a perfect setting for the story, with its beach and tourist attractions adding to the realism. This is a quick read and a light romance, clean Amish fiction that inspires as it entertains. Although this is book #2 in the series called “A Season in Pinecraft”, it can easily and enjoyably be read as a standalone. Highly recommend!
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
About the author
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 Weeklycalls 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 Thisepisode 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.
Purchase Links:
https://amzn.to/41SyWWm (Amazon)
https://bit.ly/3WhDUuG (Christian Book)
https://bit.ly/3oezTKW (Baker Book House)
https://bit.ly/3MNs0pr (Barnes and Noble)
https://bit.ly/3ImNHde (Powells)
https://bit.ly/3MgRyd1 (Google Play Store)
https://bit.ly/3MCvafh (Books A Million)
https://bit.ly/42LyRF3 (Bookshop)
https://bit.ly/3ByW3ux (Walmart)
https://bit.ly/41QfRnA (Target)
https://bit.ly/3BAxqxx (Kobo)
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 
It sounds wonderful, Vickie! I will see if Audible has it. (You know me, not very good at sitting still.🙄)
P.S. I had to laugh when I saw the cover. It reminded me of when I went to a retreat at our church’s camp, and I told a friend that my books were in the bookstore there. She excitedly asked which ones were mine. I told her they were the only ones that did NOT have a picture of an Amish girl in the cover. 😏
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