The Protector: Families of Honor, Book Two [Paperback]

Shelley Shepard Gray (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 28, 2011 | Series: Families of Honor

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 had once dreamed of doing.

What Ella doesn't know is that Loyal secretly hopes she will occupy this house again . . . as his wife. He begins inviting her over, to ask her opinion on changes 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 could 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 faced 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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for the 'Sisters of the Heart' series:

''Shelley Shepard Gray writes with honesty, tenderness, and depth. Her characters are admirable, richly layered, and impossible to forget long after the story is done.'' --Jillian Hart, author ('Love Inspired ' series) --This text refers to the MP3 CD edition.

About the Author

Shelley Shepard Gray is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Families of Honor, Seasons of Sugarcreek, and Sisters of the Heart series. She lives with her family in southern Ohio, where she writes full-time.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Avon Inspire; Original edition (June 28, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062020625
• ISBN-13: 978-0062020628
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #41,090 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Shelley Shepard Gray lives in southern Ohio and writes full time. A busy wife and mother of two, she spends her days writing and keeping track of her two teenagers. Her two dogs keep her company when she writes in her basement.

Shelley enjoys writing about the Amish and visits Amish communities in Adams and Holmes counties several times a year. When not spending time with her family or writing, she serves on several committees in her church.

She also bakes a lot, loves coconut cream pie, and will hardly ever pull weeds, mow the yard, or drive in the snow.

Shelley also spends a lot of time on line! Please visit her website, www.shelleyshepardgray.com to find out her latest news...or become her friend on FaceBook.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great Amish book to add to your MUST READ LIST!, July 9, 2011

By 

Susan K. Edwards "SusieKE" (Vancouver, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Protector: Families of Honor, Book Two (Paperback)

As a fan of Shelley Shepard Gray from her very first book ... I will say that I loved this one as well. I have read every single one of her books and never been disappointed ... I do remember searching for other books by her after reading her first book and being so terribly disappointed after I couldn't find any others ... now she has written so many wonderful books for others to love.

This particular book is about a young woman by the name of Ella, who is very unsure of herself ... she has always had a crush on a young man by the name of Loyal from the time he they were young. She cannot believe it when he starts to pay attention to her after he purchases her farm from her after parents have passed away. This lack of confidence is first also fed by a woman who she has considered a friend for years by the name of Dorothy.

This book has many ups and downs .... excellent as always and another one that I had trouble stopping ... found myself reading it way after I was supposed to be sleeping ...LOL! Obviously liked it ... Great book look forward to Book 3 in this series due out in August!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars engaging Amish community tale, July 1, 2011

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Protector: Families of Honor, Book Two (Paperback)

At school very tall Ella Hostetler dreamed that one day cute Loyal Weaver would court her though he never looked twice at the girl with glasses. When Ella's father died, she took over running the farm as her mom was too ill to do so. None of the neighbors offered to help the mother and daughter and they never asked anyone. When her mom died, Ella decided to rid herself of her other beloved burden though she loved her mom and their farm.

Her friend Dorothy obtains a library position for Ella while Loyal buys her family farm. Loyal invites Ella to visit the farm to see what he has been doing to it. She wonders if he might be interested in her the Amish gangly wallflower who spent her youth helping her parents, which increases her self esteem even as Dorothy offers counter arguments.

The second Family of Honor tale is an engaging Amish community novel that Ella keeps focused as a unique intriguing protagonist who struggles with a lack of confidence when it comes to relationships and social interactions. The support cast is three dimensional especially the leads of The Caregiver return (with the health issue), Loyal supported by his extended family, and fascinating Dorothy; the latter is some ways steals the show (no giveaways). Readers will enjoy Ella finds her groove, maybe.

Harriet Klausner

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 2nd in Families of Honor series has compelling characters, June 29, 2011

By 

Christina Lockstein "Christy's Book Blog" (Oconto Falls, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Protector: Families of Honor, Book Two (Paperback)

The Protector by Shelley Shepard Gray is the second book in the Families of Honor series. Ella earned the nickname of "Plain Ella" in school. She was known for being so quiet as to be almost forgotten, as opposed to popular Loyal Weaver who was friends with everyone and the object of girls' interest for his smile and shiny blond hair. Now life seems to be passing Ella by; she has spent the last several years caring for her ill mother after the death of her father, and now the family farm is being sold at auction: to Loyal! Ella is determined to make the best of this tragic situation, taking her dream job at the library and living in Dorothy Zook's, a single older woman, duplex. Loyal has wanted to get out from elder brother Calvin's shadow for years, and Ella's farm has given him the perfect opportunity to do so, despite Calvin's doubts. Loyal's guilt over buying Ella's home encourages him to seek her out and ask her opinion on his updates to the place, but he soon finds himself drawn to Ella's gentle, loving nature and radiant smile that transforms her from plain into the most beautiful woman he's ever seen. Meanwhile, Mattie is still struggling with breast cancer and all that it has robbed her of: courting, dreams of a family, a normal life; and her best friend Graham is now dating a new girl that has Mattie re-evaluating her feelings for him. There are a plethora of Amish series on the market today, but Gray is one of the few authors I follow. Her characters are always very real and the stories compelling. The Fatal Attraction twist in this one was a bit over the top, but Gray carries it well. I enjoy the interplay between the many subplots in this series, and I look forward to the resolution of Mattie's story in the next book. Gray is one of the best writers doing bonnet fiction today.