"Maybe, she reflected, happy endings don't exist. Maybe happy endings were what you made of the pieces left behind, like some sort of crazy quilt." Frannie Eicher--from The Search
The Search is book two of Shelley Shepard Gray's The Secrets of Crittenden County. Shelley Shepard Gray is an amazing story teller, who just keeps getting better and better with every book. Shelley takes you to the land of the horse and buggy and shakes it up with contemporary themes and timeless struggles of life and death, faith, and of course, lovers, who at first glance are-- at best--star crossed.
Gray does not shy away from hard topics. Her stories have an edginess, softened by sincere characters such as Frannie, the inn keeper, and her faithful friend Beth--who takes over the bed- and- breakfast when Fannie has an accident requiring a hospital stay. Though Gray's characters are Amish, their personalities are far from plain. In fact, they have more secrets, questions, and choices to make--perhaps because of their Amish beliefs and life style.
Perry Borntrager is the murder victim whose presence permeates every page in this series. His life was cut short as it was hanging in the balance, leaving everyone pondering the effect that one life can have on the whole community.
Book three is on it's way, called Found, you won't want to miss it. Ask for the series--The Secrets of Crittenden County at your library (other readers will love you for it) and enjoy.
Shelley is having a special give away drawing for a lovely Amish tray--so head over there now!!
www.shelleyshepardgray.com (go to her blog) :)
Oh, and read on for more info on The Search!!!
This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing The Search Avon Inspire; Original edition (June 19, 2012) by Shelley Shepard Gray
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Since 2000, Shelley Sabga has sold over thirty novels to numerous publishers, including HarperCollins, Harlequin, Abingdon Press, and Avon Inspire. She has been interviewed by NPR, and her books have been highlighted in numerous publications, including USA Today and The Wall Street Journal.
Under the name Shelley Shepard Gray, Shelley writes Amish romances for HarperCollins’ inspirational line, Avon Inspire. Her recent novel,
The Protector, the final book in her “Families of Honor” series, hit the New York Times List, and her previous novel in the same series,
The Survivor, appeared on the USA Today bestseller list. Shelley has won the prestigious Holt Medallion for her books,
Forgiven and
Grace, and her novels have been chosen as Alternate Selections for the Doubleday/Literary Guild Book Club. Her first novel with Avon Inspire, Hidden, was an Inspirational Reader’s Choice finalist.
Before writing romances, Shelley lived in Texas and Colorado, where she taught school and earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education. She now lives in southern Ohio and writes full time. Shelley is married, the mother of two children in college, and is an active member of her church. She serves on committees, volunteers in the church office, and currently leads a Bible study group, and she looks forward to the opportunity to continue to write novels that showcase her Christian ideals.
When she’s not writing, Shelley often attends conferences and reader retreats in order to give workshops and publicize her work. She’s attended RWA’s national conference six times, the ACFW conference and Romantic Times Magazine’s annual conference as well as traveled to New Jersey, Birmingham, and Tennessee to attend local conferences.
Check out Shelley's
Facebook Fan page
ABOUT THE BOOK
In the second book in her Secrets of Crittenden County series, New York Times bestselling author Shelley Shepard Gray delivers another page-turning romance set in Amish country
The serenity of the quiet Amish community of Crittenden, Kentucky is disrupted when Abby Anderson discovers the body of Perry Borntrager in an abandoned well. Perry had been missing for months. Everyone figured he had left the order during his rumspringa. As friends and family reel from this news, and are faced with the first death by mysterious circumstance to occur in their small town in over 20 years, a homicide detective arrives to help solve the crime
Before Perry disappeared, Frannie Eicher and Perry had been secretly courting. Now that it’s common knowledge that he was murdered, it’s up to Fannie to decide whether or not to tell everyone about the secrets he told her.
After much deliberation, she decides to tell Luke Reynolds, the visiting police officer, what she knows. At first, the two meet only on the context of discussing Perry’s death. Then, Luke begins to feel more and more at home, both with Frannie, and in Marion. The only problem is that he feels a romantic pull toward Frannie. Frannie feels that same attraction toward Luke, but is afraid to give her heart to him. After all, she doesn’t want to leave her faith.
As Luke uncovers more secrets about Perry and the case draws out, his time in Marion runs out. He has to decide whether to go back to his job with the Cincinnati Police Department…or stay in Marion.
If you would like to read the Prologue of
The Search, go
HERE.
