A respectable young woman finds herself falling for
an Amish man from the wrong side of the tracks.
A SISTER'S WISH
The Charmed Amish Life #3
Shelley Shepard Gray
Releasing on Sept 27th, 2016
Avon Inspire
In Shelley Shepard Gray’s third book in her Charmed Amish Life series, a respectable young woman finds herself falling for an Amish man from the wrong side of the tracks.
Amelia Kinsinger is the perfect Amish woman—at least according to her neighbors. And while Amelia takes pride in her role as homemaker, she’s also harboring a secret: She’s been in love with bad boy Simon Hochstetler for as long as she can remember. Too bad he’s about as far from “perfect” as an Amish man could get… but that’s exactly why she’s so drawn to him.
Life hasn’t been kind to Simon. He ran away from an abusive home at fifteen and things went downhill from there. Eventually, Simon landed in prison. But the experience changed him. Now back in Charm as a grown man, he’s determined to make a new life for himself and not think too much about his wild past…unless it pertains to Amelia.
He’s loved Amelia for years. To him, she represents everything good and kind in the world. When he realizes that she returns his affections, he starts calling on her in secret, even though her older brother Lukas—who just happens to be Simon’s best friend—has made it perfectly clear that Amelia deserves better. Simon disagrees and believes he’s the only one who can truly make her happy.
But when Amelia gets hurt, it sets off a chain of events that forces them to consider their future together—and face their past mistakes. There’s a chance for love… but only if Simon dares to trust Amelia with the secrets of his past.
BUY NOW
Amazon | B
& N | Google | iTunes | Kobo
EXCERPT
EXCERPT
Thirteen years ago
He
had almost made it.
All
he had to do was make it another two miles, then he’d be able to catch the bus
to New Philly and eventually Mansfield. After that? Simon Hochstetler reckoned
it didn’t really matter. He would be free and that was good enough.
But
for now, all he had to do was ignore the pain in his side, make it over the
next bend, then finally hike through the northern edge of the Kinsingers’
property. Once he did all that, the road would be flat. A whole lot easier to
walk on.
He
winced as he shifted his stuffed army-green backpack on his left shoulder, wishing
that his right one wasn’t as bruised as it was. ’Course, if he was making
wishes, he should probably start with wishing that he didn’t have a black eye
or cut lip. From there he could wish his ribs weren’t hurting, either.
His
father had been in fine form tonight.
He
walked on, patting his pocket, feeling for the wad of money he’d been saving
for the last year and kept hidden in an old coffee can near the woods. How long
was it going to last? He had no idea how far eighty-eight dollars lasted in the
city, but he was fairly sure it wouldn’t be far enough. He was going to need to
figure out a way to make some cash, quick.
Feeling
panicked, he stopped to readjust his backpack.
“Simon?
Hey! I thought that was you,” Amelia Kinsinger called out, her voice ringing
through the empty field like a bright, merry cowbell. “Whatcha doing?”
He
froze. Then, attempting to gather himself, he turned to watch her trot closer.
A bright smile was on her face. She looked really pleased to have spied him.
Though
he knew better than to stay, he remained where he was. Even at only nine years
old, little Amelia was the prettiest thing he’d ever seen. White-blond hair,
crystal-blue eyes, and pale skin that never seemed to tan, she was everything
delicate and perfect. She was also sheltered and his best friend’s baby
sister—and the only person who seemed to think he was worth something. Both of
her brothers had confided that Amelia had a terrible crush on him. They’d
thought it was embarrassing. Levi had even apologized for her.
He
hadn’t needed an apology, though. Simon had always thought Amelia’s infatuation
made him something special. He’d never let on that he noticed the way she
always looked at him. He never acted annoyed when she rushed over to tell him
about her day. Instead of making fun of her, he’d been patient and often sat
with her when her older siblings were too busy.
But
that said, he’d always taken care for her not to see him like this. He wanted
to look worthy in her eyes. Not beaten and bruised.
“Can’t
talk right now, Amy,” he bit out as he started forward. He took care to keep
his gaze fixated on the ground in front of him. Maybe then she wouldn’t catch
sight of his eye.
But,
as usual, she didn’t listen to his warning. Instead, she picked up her pace.
“Did you know that the sun is almost set? Where you going? It’s going to be
dark soon.”
“Ain’t
none of your business.”
She
stumbled, then caught herself before he reached out to steady her.
“Slow
down, wouldja?” she said.
“Can’t.”
She
sighed. “Why are ya being like this?” she asked, hurt in her tone. “All I asked
is—”
“Simon!
What happened to you?”
Unable
to help himself, he drew to a stop. Then, because he probably was never going
to see her again anyway, he allowed himself to lift his chin and let her look
her fill. As he’d expected, she was staring at him in concern, her pale pink
lips parted in wonder. And, he suspected, pity.
“Go
on home, Amelia.”
“Did
you . . . did your daed do
that?” she whispered, letting him know that his secret had never actually been
one. “Do you need something? Do ya need some help? ’Cause my daed’s
home. If we went to him, I bet he’d help ya.”
That
was why she meant so much to him. Here he was, bruised and battered, running
away from home, and she thought he could still be saved. “Your daed
can’t help.”
Tentatively,
she held out a hand. Then, to his shock, she swiped at a patch of skin just to
the side of his lip. When he flinched at her touch, she looked at him with sad
eyes. “Sorry, but your lip is bleeding.” She held up her finger to show the
stain.
Seeing
his blood on her hand was one of the worst things he’d ever experienced. It
symbolized everything that was his life . . . and everything he didn’t want it
to be. Unable to help himself, he grabbed her hand and roughly swiped it on his
shirt. “Wash your hands when you get home, hear me?”
“Oh.
All right. But . . . but, Simon, won’t you come with me? You could wash up,
too.”
“Nee.
I’ve gotta go.”
“You’re
leaving, aren’t you?” she asked softly. “Just like your brother and sister
did.”
He
couldn’t lie to her. “Jah. I’m leaving.
Just like Jeremy and Tess did.”
“Please,
don’t.”
As
much as he would have liked to do anything she asked, he couldn’t do that.
“Listen, do me a favor, wouldja? Don’t tell nobody you saw me.”
Her
bottom lip trembled. “But—”
“They’ll
find out soon enough. Just . . . just let me go, okay?” Then he did what he’d
sworn he’d never do. He looked at her directly in the eyes and let her see his
pain. “I have to do this, Amy.”
Around
a ragged sigh, looking so very sad, she nodded.
“Okay.”
“Bye,
Amelia. You take care of yourself.”
He
started walking before she could reply. Before he did something stupid and
followed her to her house. Before he thought about staying just a little longer
so he could see her again.
He
started walking because no matter how difficult and scary it was to leave, he
knew for certain it was always going to be a whole lot worse at home.
CAT'S REVIEW
A Sister's Wish is the story of Amelia and Simon. I truly liked both of these characters. Amelia is sweet and kind. She works hard to take care of her family home and her brothers and sister but is yearning for more. I liked that we saw a bit of fire in her as well. Simon has a some rough patches in his life yet he is now a hard worker and truly a decent man that loves and protects those most precious to him. I adored these two. Their growing love and relationship is certainly put through some tests. It was a bit disheartening to see the treatment they received by Amelia's siblings, yet it was also realistic as I believe most older siblings would react the same way. It did open up the harsh realities that many suffer through for past mistakes. The author does a good job of expressing the feelings of the characters. Often, I found myself become teary while my heart broke a little for our lovely couple. And, at times, I was angry at the unfair treatment by those that supposedly loved them. Overall, this is a lovely story that kept me turning the page, wishing and praying for the happily ever after Amelia and Simon deserved. (received copy for honest review)
★★★★
Shelley
Shepard Gray is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling
author, a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers prestigious Carol
Award, and a two-time Hold Medallion winner. She lives in southern Ohio, where
she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her
dachshunds on her town’s bike trail.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
