D Is for Daisy – Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner

About the Book

ISBN-139781496758835

Publication Date:06/30/2026

Pages: 288 pages

Synopsis (from Barnes and Noble)

Early retirement never sounded so good to Mervin and Ruthie Miller. After a lifetime in Millersburg, where Mervin worked at a furniture and shed factory and Ruthie helped out at a fabric store, they have exciting plans: They’re going to become “Amish Gentlemen Farmers.” That means buying a 30-acre, ramshackle farm, and all that comes with it—no matter what their grown children, friends, and aching muscles think . . .

Aaron Miller is worried about his parents, but there’s little he can do now that he lives in Kentucky and has a baby on the way. Then his childhood best friend, Kyle Burkholder, makes a heaven-sent offer: he’ll move in with Aaron’s parents to teach them about raising cows and chickens, and even give weekly reports to Aaron.

The arrangement is going well—until Kyle stumbles upon Daisy Lapp who’s just been in a bicycle accident. When he visits her in the hospital, he knows there’s something special between them. So does Daisy. But her something special is the fact that Kyle lives on the farm she’d always dreamed of buying one day. She knows it’s wrong, but she’s jealous. She wants nothing to do with Kyle and politely tells him so.

Still, like the Millers, Kyle’s not one to give up easily. Not on himself, not on the farm, and certainly not on Daisy. With dedication and a leap of faith, the lives they envisioned just might come true . . .

My Thoughts

This story tugged on my heartstrings and stirred my imagination as I was mesmerized by the story of perceptive Kyle and low-esteem Daisy. Kyle leaves home and moves in with Ruthie and Mervin Miller, wannabe farmers who have no idea what they are doing so Kyle is a godsend. Kyle is a willing worker and is also a good friend to neighbor Daisy. Daisy has a broken leg after a bicycle accident and Kyle attentively brings her flowers and checks on her. The progression of their relationship seems natural and even when there are bumps on the road, like another young Amish woman to whom Kyle is attracted, their friendship continues. I enjoyed the well-written plot with the addition of the drama and the discovery by Daisy that she is talented and worthy of loving. The characters were realistic, the plot moved along at a good pace and kept me engaged in the story. My favorite character was Velvet the cow…yes, the cow! Velvet didn’t say anything with words but her actions said a lot and she contributed to the choices that the characters made along the way. Velvet was kind of like Lucy in the Peanuts cartoons, offering advice that the people already knew but they had to talk to her to know that they knew it. Velvet was a humorous and welcome addition to the story, and I hope she will be in future alphabet books in this series.
I voluntarily 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.

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. You can find her online at ShelleyShepardGray.com

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