Her Heart’s Desire by Shelley Shepard Gray follows four Amish girls, Mary Margaret, Lilly, Betsy and Esther on a Florida vacation; one that will change their lives.

    The main character Mary Margaret is a wallflower, who has been bullied all her life. She is delighted when she quickly makes two friends on the trip. But the arrival of a fourth girl will require Mary Margaret to look at her past with eyes of forgiveness, which she must rely on God to help her with. In the midst of all the girl fun, charming Jayson makes his way into her life. She falls quickly in love, but discovers Jayson has a secret that could keep them apart. 

     This was the first Amish romance I have read. It was a sweet story. I loved how the sheltered girls were in awe of everything they weren’t accustomed to. As potential suitors entered the scene, their innocence was delightful. The author did a great job ending each chapter with a little something to make you want to read on.

    However, I felt several aspects of the story were not deep. Mary Margaret’s past experiences had clearly affected her in a huge way, but we only saw a small glimpse of the details of her past. Also, the love story moved at an unrealistic pace. Each problem that arose seemed to be solved too quickly.

While I prefer a book with more adventure and struggles, if you are looking for a sweet, light, quick read, this book is for you. I would highly recommend this book to a young adult audience, rather than an adult audience.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell Publishing through the Revell Read blogger program. The opinions expressed are my own.