Another solid addition: "Her Secret" by Shelley Shepard Gray

March 31, 2017

Another solid addition: "Her Secret" by Shelley Shepard Gray

about the book...

After a stalker went too far, Hannah Hilty and her family had no choice but to leave the bustling Amish community where she grew up. Now she’s getting a fresh start in Hart County, Kentucky…if only she wasn’t too scared to take it. Hannah has become afraid to trust anyone—even Isaac, the friendly Amish man who lives next door. She wonders if she’ll ever return to the trusting, easy-going woman she once was.

For Isaac Troyer, the beautiful girl he teasingly called “The Recluse” confuses him like no other. When he learns of her past, he knows he’s misjudged her. However, he also understands the importance of being grateful for God’s gifts, and wonders if they will ever have anything in common. But as Hannah and Isaac slowly grow closer, they realize that there’s always more to someone than meets the eye.

Just as Hannah is finally settling into her new life, and perhaps finding a new love, more secrets are revealed and tragedy strikes. Now Hannah must decide if she should run again or dare to fight for the future she has found in Hart County.

my review...

With a unique plot and characters you are sure to grow to care about, "Her Secret" is another solid addition to Shelley Shepard Gray's ever growing repertoire of novels. I think what most pleasantly surprised me about this book is that I wasn't expecting quite the level of suspense I encountered in this novel, as one doesn't typically think of such things when you consider "Amish" fiction. Thus, as much as I do enjoy the occasional Amish-themed novel, I liked that Gray has offered up something different here.

"Her Secret" is not overly long and so is fairly easy to read, such that I read it in one sitting. Sometimes it felt like the novel was aimed at a younger reading audience than your typical reader would expect, likely due to the age of the characters in the story, but this didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story. Gray deals with some deep themes here, like how women may not be believed when they tell people about the impact of a stalker, or her exploration of family tension and guilt that Hannah is dealing with. Gray's introduction of gentle romance into the story will no doubt please her myriad of fans, as will leave them looking forward to what lies next for these characters in the next book in the series.

Lovers of Amish fiction will enjoy diving into this book and appreciate the unique twists the author weaves into the plot. I award this book a solid rating of 4 out of 5 stars.

Book has been provided courtesy of the publisher and the Litfuse Publicity Group, for the purposes of this unbiased review.

about the author...

Shelley Shepard Gray is the "New York Times" and "USA Today" bestselling author of the Seasons of Sugarcreek series, the Sisters of the Heart series, and the Families of Honor series. She lives with her family in southern Ohio, where she writes full time. Before her work in the inspirational market, Gray wrote several novels as Shelley Galloway. During this time her books appeared on the Waldenbooks bestseller list, and she won "RT Book Reviews'" prestigious Reviewers' Choice Award.