[Book Review] Hidden (Sisters of the Heart, bk 1) by Shelley Shepard Gray

Posted 2 November, 2010 by Molly(Cover To Cover Cafe) in Book Reviews / 1 Comment

About the Book:

When Anna decides it’s time to leave her abusive boyfriend, she doesn’t know where to turn. Rob has completely won over her parents, and the entire community, with his good looks and smooth charm. Only Anna has seen his dark side.

Desperate, she runs to the only place she’s ever felt completely safe—the Amish Brenneman Bed and Breakfast, where Anna met life-long friend Katie Brenneman. The family welcomes her in, and with few questions asked allows her to stay, dressed in Plain clothing, and help around the inn.

Katie’s older brother Henry is the only one who doesn’t take too kindly to the intrusion. He tries to ignore Anna, knowing no good would ever come from caring for an Englisher like her. But as he gets to know Anna, he discovers her good heart and is surprised with her readiness to accept their lifestyle.

The more time Anna spends with the Amish, the more she feels she’s found a true home. But how can she deny the life she left behind? And will her chance for happiness be stolen away by the man from her past?

About the Author:
Hidden is Shelley Shepard Gray’s first novel in her Sisters of the Heart series. Before writing for the inspirational market, Shelley wrote several novels as Shelley Galloway. During this time, her books appeared on the Waldenbooks bestseller list, and she also won the prestigious Reviewers’ Choice Award fromRomantic Times magazine.


Before writing professionally, Shelley taught school for 10 years. She taught fifth and sixth grade in Arizona, Texas, and Colorado. When her family was transferred to Ohio, her husband encouraged her to finally give writing a serious try. He even found a local writers meeting for her to attend! After a lot of hard work and a lot of luck, she sold her third manuscript.

Shelley is an active member of her church. She volunteers on steering committees, helps with rummage sales, and helps out at the welcome center. 

She and her husband are also part of a small group that has been instrumental in guiding her faith.
When not writing, Shelley can usually be found with her family. Her two teenagers keep her busy and happy. They all also love to travel.

My Review:
Why have I NOT read this series yet?! I can’t believe there is an Amish series out there that I have NOT read! Somebody yell at me please! Oh my goodness! I LOVE Shelley’s work with her Seasons of Sugarcreek series but man oh man….her first book, Hidden, in her first series, Sisters of the Heart,was phenomenal. Utterly phenomenal. She captured me from the first page of the prologue and held me until the final sentence of the last page.

In Hidden, Ms. Gray takes so many emotions, from hurt and abuse, to hope and understanding, and combines them into one fabulous book. Anna was a wonderful character. She was instantly a part of me and I felt her struggles like my own. And sweet, sweet Henry, bless his heart, he was a wonderfully amazing character,too. The secondary characters of this novel really added flavor to the story but not overbearingly so. This book was wonderful! I can’t say that enough!

Through a touchy subject of abuse, and the incredible love of the Amish, Ms. Gray weaves her story of Anna and Henry with vivid detail and care. She mixes Gods redeeming love and mercy through out making this a fantabulous 5 star novel (though I would give it a thousand more!) that NO ONE should miss! If you aren’t already a fan of Shelley Shepard Gray, then please, don’t hesitate to start with this book in her first series….if you are a fan of Shelley Shepard Gray and haven’t read Hidden yet, then I must HIGHLY recommend that you do! I can’t wait to dive into book 2 in this beautiful series, Wanted.

You can purchase your copy here.

*This book was given to me as a gift and reviewed on my blog from my personal collection of books*

Tags:

Divider

One response to “[Book Review] Hidden (Sisters of the Heart, bk 1) by Shelley Shepard Gray”

Cover To Cover Cafe Loves Comments!