Her Secret Hope

September 11, 2023
A young Amish woman escapes her Ohio roots to seek happiness and a husband in Gray’s winning conclusion to her A Season in Pinecraft series (after Her Only Wish). Adopted at age two, Lilly Kurz has long been “carrying around... a chip on my shoulder.” Now 24, she seeks a fresh start in the Amish community of Pinecraft, Fla. She finds work as a maid at the Marigold Inn, where she meets guest November Byler and her charismatic grandson, Eddie, who’s still recovering after his fiancée left him for another man. As Lilly and Eddie, who are both from the same part of Ohio, spend more time together, they start to fall for one another and Eddie begins to heal. Soon, however, his questions about her family make Lilly skittish about disclosing her roots, putting the relationship at risk. Gray sketches a tender portrait of a young woman seeking her place in the world, and though the romantic arc satisfies, it’s Lilly’s insights into self-worth and faith that prove most affecting. This feel-good finale will delight Gray’s fans and net her some new ones.

September 15, 2023
After two long years, Lilly Kurtz is finally back in Pinecraft with her friends, but what should be a happy reunion leaves Lilly unsettled. Her friends are now married and starting families while Lilly struggles to reconcile her painful past with her own family. When her job at the local inn introduces her to Eddie Byler and his spry grandmother, Eddie's care and attention remind Lilly of the dreams she buried beneath her fear of rejection. Eddie soon realizes that it will take more than a kind word to earn Lilly's trust and uncover the secrets behind her ever-present smile. Gray concludes the A Season in Pinecraft series with a final visit to three friends finding love and new beginnings on the beaches of modern-day southern Florida. Her Secret Hope is a light Amish romance about love without expectations featuring her fans' favorite characters and resonant themes of self-perception and worth. It lovingly encapsulates the emotional impact of adoption into adulthood and the complexity of using past circumstances to determine present self-worth.

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