A Christmas Courtship

Shelley Shepard Gray

Oct 2021 · Berlin Bookmobile Series, The Book 3 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

This charming and gentle Christmas love story in the “swoon-worthy” (Woman’s World) Berlin Bookmobile series follows a librarian determined to help an Amish bachelor woo his neighbor.

A solitary sort, forty-two-year-old Atle Petersheim spends his time hard at work in his wood shop. But as the days get longer, he realizes just how lonely he’s become. When his longtime crush, Sadie Mast, a widow and mother of three, asks him to help her build a room in their barn for her son, Atle can’t say no. Eager to pursue Sadie at last, he turns to bookmobile librarian Sarah Anne Miller for courting advice. More than happy to help, Sarah Anne decides the best way to learn about love is through books—romance novels to be precise.

Between completing holiday orders for her flourishing food business, helping Cale navigate a dramatic new relationship with his boss’s daughter, and coming to terms with the trauma her late husband had inflicted upon her and her children—not to mention Atle showing up at her door with flowers—Sadie is in over her head. Though Atle’s efforts are initially clumsy and his declarations a bit awkward, Sadie can’t help but be charmed by her patient and kind neighbor. But is she ready for love?

Another delightful romance about the “transformative powers of love, hope, and faith” (Publishers Weekly), A Christmas Courtship is the perfect holiday read.

Ratings and reviews

Sarah Anne Miller Canon is a newlywed at sixty-two and enjoying her career as a bookmobile driver. Sarah Anne does more than dispense books in her compact vehicle. Atle Petersheim has admired Sadie Mast for a long time, but as a bachelor at forty-two, he has no idea how to court a woman. He asks Sarah Anne to find him a book that will help him with the task. Sarah Anne come sup with an unusual solution. Cale Mast is sixteen-year-old who works hard to help his widowed mother, Sadie. He would like to court Hope Overholt, his boss’s daughter, but Cale is unsure how to go about it. Cale also is pondering his future and the career that would be for him. A Christmas Courtship by Shelley Shepard Gray is a sweet heartwarming story. I enjoyed reading it very much. I had just finished reading a couple of lackluster books and needed a pick me up, A Christmas Courtship did the trick. A Christmas Courtship is the 3rd tale in The Berlin Bookmobile Series. It can be read as a standalone, but I do recommend the two previous books. I thought the book was well-written with engaging characters. The characters are realistic and developed. The book moved along at a good pace and was over much too quickly. There are some good life lessons about forgiveness and dealing with painful memories. The story does discuss domestic abuse. I like how the author handled this difficult subject. A Christmas Courtship is a story of faith, hope, and love. I love A Berlin Bookmobile Series and I hope there will be more adventures with Sarah Anne. A Christmas Courtship is a heartfelt, entertaining tale that made me smile and laugh.

About the author

A practicing Lutheran, Shelley Shepard Gray is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than one hundred novels, translated into multiple languages. In her years of researching the Amish community, she depends on her Amish friends for gossip, advice, and cinnamon rolls. She lives in Colorado with her family and writes full time.