Once Upon a Buggy - (The Amish of Apple Creek) by Shelley Shepard Gray (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

New York Times bestselling author Shelley Shepard Gray--one of the most beloved voices in inspirational romance--welcomes readers back to Apple Creek, Ohio, a bright and bustling Amish community where a fairy tale romance is in bloom--but getting to happily ever after may require seeing love through new eyes . . .

Perfect for fans of Beverly Lewis, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Charlotte Hubbard, this second installment in The Amish of Apple Creek is rich with warmth and utterly endearing characters sure to enchant readers looking for a sweet twist on the classic Beauty and the Beast tale.

Now in mass market paperback!

May Schott would do anything to change the tragic moment when she stepped too close to the fire that left her best friend, Carl Hilty, devastatingly burned. After Carl left Apple Creek for extensive surgeries, May patiently prayed for one chance to ask his forgiveness. Now, six years later, Carl Hilty is coming home.

The reunion goes nothing like May anticipated. Overwhelmed with emotion at seeing Carl again, she is speechless, unable to look away. And Carl's own stone-cold silence leaves her certain that whatever attraction they once shared has been replaced by his hatred of her.

After hiding in the shadows of the big city, Carl has returned to connect with his family and to see if May can overlook his scars and accept his tender love--but her reaction makes it clear that she wants nothing to do with him. He grudgingly agrees to stay with his family for a time before retreating to anonymity once again.

But in Apple Creek, it's easy to miss what everyone around you sees plain as day. For two people who belong together, it will take a few helping hands to heal the hurts of the past and make a miraculous new beginning.

Review Quotes

Praise for Shelley Shepard Gray

"Enjoyable and charming." --USA TODAY on A Perfect Amish Romance

"Slowburning, enjoyable romance [with] a poignant message about the importance of community, compassion, and doing what's right rather than what's easy." --Publishers Weekly on The Protective One

"A book lover's dream! In this charming series opener, Shelley Shepard Gray weaves a pair of sweet love stories, a likable inadvertent matchmaker, and a cast of quirky supporting characters into a story about the power of books to bring a community together. Fans of the genre as well as newcomers to Amish fiction are sure to make room for A Perfect Amish Romance on their keeper shelves." --Carla Laureano, RITA Award Winning Author of Five Days in Skye and The Saturday Night Supper Club

"Shelley has another winner with A Perfect Amish Romance. I loved getting to know these well written characters and reading about their romance and faith journeys. Shelley's fans will be pleased with this sweet story, and without a doubt she will win over new readers, too!" --Kathleen Fuller, bestselling author of The Innkeeper's Bride

"Enjoyable... Readers will be delighted by Sarah Anne's gentle matchmaking... Each of the main characters undergoes realistic personal evolutions as they are shaped by transformative powers of love, hope, and faith. Gray's fans will love this quiet, endearing tale." --Publishers Weekly on A Perfect Amish Romance

"Author Shelley Shepard Gray is beloved for her swoonworthy Amish love stories, and her latest exudes charm and joy. Bookmobile librarian and amateur matchmaker Sarah Anne Miller is determined to help Aaron Coblentz pass his GED, so she arranges for Kayla Kaufman to be his tutor. Sparks soon fly between Aaron and Kayla and they discover the true magic of unexpected love." --Woman's World on A Perfect Amish Romance

"The matchmaker being a bookmobile librarian--with some secrets of her own--is a new twist, and I enjoyed all of the characters, who were very realistically drawn, they seemed like real people you want to have a happy ending." --The Parkersburg News and Sentinel on A Perfect Amish Romance

"Gray's biblical themes are nuanced and well integrated into the narrative." --Publishers Weekly on The Trustworthy One

"Hope is found in unexpected places as this sweet Amish love story unfolds." --Woman's World on The Trustworthy One

About the Author

Shelley Shepard Gray is the twotime Holt Medallion Awardwinning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over one hundred novels. Her novels have been translated into multiple languages and highlighted in the Philadelphia Enquirer, The Washington Post, Time Magazine, NPR and USA Today. An active member of her church and the mother of two young adults, Shelley lives with her husband in Ohio and writes full time. Please visit her online at ShelleyShepardGray.com.