Publisher's Weekly Review
Gray (A Perfect Amish Romance) launches the A Season in Pinecraft series with this lighthearted romp. Since childhood, Mary Margaret Miller has always felt different--unpopular and shy, she's been targeted by bullies since grade school, and characterizes herself as a textbook "wallflower": "a girl who... stands on the sidelines and watches while everyone else does things." In an effort to become "someone new," Mary, now 20-something, escapes her hometown of Trail, Ohio, for a getaway in the Amish vacation town of Pinecraft, Fla. On the bus, she meets two fellow young Amish women, Lilly and Betsy, who've felt similarly excluded throughout their lives; the three vow to turn over a new leaf. At the inn in Pinecraft, Mary encounters Jayson Raber, a carpenter with "steel-blue eyes," and an attraction sparks. Soon thereafter, Mary's childhood tormentor Esther Lapp, also looking to take a break from Trail, arrives at the inn, and is eager to make amends; Mary attempts forgiveness, sensing "her heart... opening up at long last." She's convinced her life is looking up, until she discovers that Jayson may be hiding some secrets. Gray skillfully sketches a sympathetic cast of characters who will endear themselves to readers, and though the plot offers no real twists, Mary's quest for self-acceptance proves affecting. This heartwarming series has potential. (Jan.)
Booklist Review
After years of being bullied by peers in her Amish hometown, Mary Margaret Miller knows that a new beginning is exactly what she needs to reclaim her heart and refresh her faith. Her healing begins with a set of new female friends that teach her how to trust again, while the kindness of a handsome stranger convinces her that falling in love may be worth the risk. But Jayson Raber has troubles of his own that he is trying to outrun, and a secret business deal has dire consequences for himself and the woman he has just met but already loves. Her Heart's Desire is the first book in Gray's A Season in Pinecraft series set in modern-day Florida, a sunny beachside Amish novel about a group of twentysomething friends navigating the residual rawness of youthful grievances and the unexpected newness of independence and love. Focused on the values of friendship and forgiveness, it is a lighthearted read that takes on real-world challenges such as loneliness, sacrificing dreams, and knowing one's worth.
