Monday, April 13, 2015

"The Protector" by Shelley Shepard Gray

About the Book

EVERYONE NEEDS A SAFE PLACE TO CALL HOME
     
When her mother passes away, Ella's forced to auction off her family's farm.  Her father died years ago, and she could never manage the fifty acres on her own.  But after she moves to town, she can't deny the pain she feels watching the new owner, Loyal Weaver, repairing her family's old farmhouse - everything Ella has once dreamed of doing.
          
What Ella doesn't know is the Loyal secretly hopes she will occupy this house again...as his wife.  HE begins inviting her over, to ask her opinion on chonges he wants to make.  As their friendship blooms, Ella starts to wonder about Loyal's intentions, especially when her best friend, Dorothy, hints that Loyal is not who he seems.  There's no way the golden boy of their close-knit Amish community cold be interested in Ella, long the wallflower, hidden away caring for her ailing parents. 
        
Should she trust the man she's always yearned for, or the friend who's always been by her side?  When one of them threatens to disrupt the independence she's finally achieved, Ella is face with a choice.  She can protect her heart and keep things the way they've always been.  Or she can come out of her shell, risk everything for the love she's always wanted, and finally have a place to call home.




This book was released in June 2011
This book is from my own personal collection.
 

My Review
 
“The Protector” by Shelley Shepard Gray is the second book of her 'Families of Honor' series. Again this is the second time around that I have read this book. I have to be honest there were times, all because I knew what was happening, when it seemed as if I was watching this train wreck in slow motion. I mean that in the highest complement for I couldn't skip any part of the story even though I knew what was going to happen for there were too many details that were important to the story and couldn't be skipped. It was those little details that make the story so wonderful and interesting even after a second read.

Again this story shows that the Amish lives are not always idyllic but yet there is still something so very special in this story. There is nothing so dark that it shatters the Amish preconceive notions that most Englischers might have about them, but yet shows that they are not perfect for there are troubled people in all lifestyles. There is also a story line that continues from “The Caregiver”, though honestly there were two story lines continued from the first book, to go along with the book's story line. Though there are three different story lines, it really isn't all that confusing to follow along.

Ella is a young woman who has done all that she needed to do in order to take care of things that needed to be taken care of. Through the story it seems as if her eyes start to clear up and she sees things clearer as she examines things from her past in a different light. Ella also learns to trust things about herself more, and to open up to those around her when things don't quite seem right.

Loyal is a man who is just trying to spread his wings with the completion of his dreams, but things don't exactly go exactly as he planned. He was so sure he knew exactly what he wanted but in the end things ended up far better for him. There were things he discovered along the way in the story as well, showing some growth in his character.

Truly this is a story that I took away that one needs to trust their own instincts. When someone feels as if something is off a little then they need to pay attention. Things could have been so different in the book if a certain character did things differently that is for sure.

I highly recommend this book to all who enjoy romance and Amish for though this is a little like watching a train wreck, it is one of those train wrecks you just can't take your eyes off of, and are so interested in everything that happens to those who are involved. I thoroughly enjoyed the story.


Other "Families of Honor" books

The Caregiver
The Protector
The Survivor

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