Review: An Amish Surprise

An Amish Surprise by Shelley Shepard Gray
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I hadn't had the chance to read the first book in a series. However, I found that to be no problem at all. If I go by what I read, then this series will revolve around a bookmobile and the driver, Sarah Anne. The next book in the series "A Christmas Courtship" (Berlin Bookmobile Series, The Book 3) will be out on October 19, 2021, and I can't wait to read it. As a matter of fact, I am going to buy the first book in this series and pre-order the next!

"An Amish Surprise" gave me everything I expect from my Amish/Mennonite books. A wonderful, life-affirming story with some tears and a lot of joy. I am not a religious person - I read these books more to calm my mind and revel in an alternate lifestyle, and with this book, I got everything I needed.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves happy endings, a relationship conflict, a side story of romance among those over 60, and just pure happiness.

*ARC provided by the publisher, the author, and ATTL/Edelweiss.

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SYNOPSIS: "Miriam and Calvin Gingerich have been trying for a baby for several years, but the Lord hasn’t seen fit to bless them. Though Calvin claims he’s content with their childless state, Miriam knows he’s not, and when he starts spending more time off their farm, she worries he’s found someone else. But just as she finds herself at her lowest point, she discovers the ultimate surprise. Unable to confide in anyone who might tell Calvin—out of fear she’ll disappoint him with another miscarriage—Miriam turns to bookmobile librarian Sarah Anne Miller—and any books she may have on pregnancy and childbirth.

Calvin has been keeping a secret from his wife, but it’s not another woman. It’s a little boy. One afternoon when visiting Sarah Anne’s bookmobile, he meets Miles, a ten-year-old living with a foster family down the road. But after spending more time with the boy, Calvin learns that his foster family has no plans to adopt him. Calvin feels a connection with Miles and yearns to give the boy a home, but he’s afraid to tell Miriam, knowing she’s devastated they can’t have children of their own.

As weeks pass and Sarah Anne learns that Miles has nearly given up hope of ever finding a real home, she knows it’s time to intervene. It’s going to take some fancy footwork and a whole lot of prayer, but she knows she can help make this struggling couple into a happy family of four."