Hopeful-Shelley Shepard Gray

Hopeful Shelley Shepard Gray Avon Inspire, Feb 4 2014, $12.99 ISBN: 9780062204486 In Sugarcreek, Ohio, everyone even her boss at the Sugarcreek Inn where she bakes delicious pies finds it amusing that twenty-five year old Miriam Zehr is always late. In her mind she feels especially late in finding a mate like her pregnant friends have. Much of her life Miriam has been attracted to customer handsome Albert “Junior” Beiler, but he never gives the Plain Jane a look beyond enjoying her pastries. Her hopes rise when Junior talks to her on a personal matter, but he crushes her crush when he asks how her how to get the attention of her pretty friend teacher Mary Kathryn. Heartbroken, Miriam offers to help Junior make it with Mary though she knows deep in her heart that her true reason is to be with him so that he will get to know and hopefully want her instead. Following up on the Seasons of Sugarcreek with a new series, the first Return to Sugarcreek is an engaging Amish romance. Miriam is a unique lead character whose caring innocence seems almost ephemeral while Junior misses clues re the feelings of others especially his companion that make him seem at times as an uncaring callous brute; which his younger sister would argue he is not. Though the storyline goes entirely as expected, readers will enjoy the awakening. Harriet Klausner