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    Joyful: Return to Sugarcreek, Book Three
    Joyful: Return to Sugarcreek, Book Three
    Joyful: Return to Sugarcreek, Book Three
    Audiobook6 hours

    Joyful: Return to Sugarcreek, Book Three

    Written by Shelley Shepard Gray

    Narrated by Bernadette Dunne

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    A young Amish couple gets a second chance at love in New York Times bestselling author Shelley Shepard Gray’s final book in her Return to Sugarcreek series.

    Randall Beiler is doing his best to put his family and the farm’s needs first, even forsaking love. But though he tries, Randall knows he needs help caring for his younger siblings and keeping the house together.

    When his brother offers pretty Elizabeth Nolt a job taking care of the house and cooking for the family, Randall is furious—and guilty about the way he once broke Elizabeth’s heart. But when he learns that Elizabeth and her grandmother are struggling to make ends meet, he knows the offer, no matter how painful, is the right thing for everyone.

    Elizabeth wants to refuse—to stay far away from the man who hurt her—but she needs the money. Though she vows to protect her heart, spending time in the Beiler household makes Elizabeth realize that, while she’s older and wiser, her love for Randall still burns strong.

    Randal, too, seems to want something more. But does he want Elizabeth because he truly loves her—or because he needs a housekeeper? If Randall sincerely wants something more, he must find a way to show Elizabeth—or risk losing his chance at love forever.

    Joyful includes a P.S. section with a letter from the author, discussion questions, and a teaser from her next book.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateSep 2, 2014
    ISBN9780062350572
    Joyful: Return to Sugarcreek, Book Three
    Author

    Shelley Shepard Gray

    Shelley Shepard Gray is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers prestigious Carol Award, and a two-time HOLT Medallion winner. She lives in southern Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town’s bike trail.

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    Reviews for Joyful

    4.5/5

    28 ratings6 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Great book about love , hope and new friendships. I loved the story of the adoption , I think that would be a great series how James would be growing up !

      Another great book
    • 4/5
      This is a typical Amish tale about unspoken love, courtship, and faith in God to provide a path to happiness. Randall and Lizzy were expected to married, but circumstances broke them apart. The author uses their new forced working relationship to explore the complexity between family responsibilities and the needs of the individual.
    • 4/5
      Another wonderful Sugarcreek story from Shelley Shepard Gray.
    • 5/5
      When I realized this was the third book in this series, I was surprised that I did not know about the first two in the series. Shelley Shepard Gray is an exceptional writer. Her stories are easy to follow and she eloquently expresses the feelings of the characters whether negative or positive. It was easy to understand Elizabeth’s confusion as to Randall’s feelings toward her. She had far more maturity than Randall. Randall seemed to be short sighted, which is comprehensible in the way he felt so much responsibility for his siblings. He believed he did not have time for romance and dropped Elizabeth without being able to explain with honesty his purpose in doing so. In my estimation, he made thoughtless decisions in many areas as well as being insensitive toward Elizabeth as well as his siblings. Elizabeth put her whole heart into caring for her grandmother. Since her mother had remarried after her father’s death, she seemed to leave Elizabeth to her own devices to earn money enough to care for herself and her grandmother. Randall’s brothers devised a plan to bring Randall and Elizabeth together, hopefully reuniting them and help Elizabeth earn money. Elizabeth’s patience with Randall and willingness to do her finest job is to be marveled. Frankly, I lost patience several times with Randall and wondered what Elizabeth saw in him in the first place.The two sub-plots were interesting, but I felt a bit frustrated whenever we were drawn away from Elizabeth’s story. Although I could identify with Judith and Ben wanting to adopt James as their own child – I have three adopted children and could never give either of them up – I had empathy for James’s mother as well. Pippa’s story was sweet and not long, but there was more I would have liked to learn about her and Bud’s story. Perhaps Ms. Gray has in mind another story for her in the future.Overall, I liked this story very much. There are a lot of surprises and definitely much soul searching. Ms. Gray’s imagination proved lively as she added fun and on again, off again chances for romance between Elizabeth and Randall. You will need to read this story for yourself to find out all the answers you want to know. You will fall in love with Elizabeth’s grandmother and her expressions of wisdom. Particularly interesting are the discussion questions at the end of the book. Even though I had not read the first two books in this series – Joyful is a stand-alone story. Is there real joy in the end? That’s for you to find out. I am so thankful that God gives writers such splendid inspirations to write about. You will never be bored with a book written by Shelley Shepard Gray!I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.
    • 4/5
      Joyful: Return to Sugarcreek, Book Three Randall Beiler needs help caring for his younger siblings and keeping the house together. He really has started to struggle and even gave up love to help his family. He asks his brother for help and he suggests a girl from his past, Elizabeth. Elizabeth has had her heartbroken but her grandmother and her really need money to make it. She is struggling and when an offer to cook and housekeeper for her old love she is caught off guard and worried.She guards her heart whilst she works but they both feel the old feelings. Great series to start and read. Love these Amish novels! My Rating is **** .
    • 5/5
      I just finished the third book in Joyful: Return to Sugarcreek, Book Three, I loved the book, but didn’t want the series to end.This is the story of Elizabeth Nolt and Randall Beiler, and how he breaks her heart. I felt he was really tactless in how he handled the breakup. He sure didn’t seem to have his head screwed on right, as he wasn’t at all thinking, especially seeing what his other members had done previously.We also have Judith and Ben, who are still caring for little James, and growing in their love for him. Will their hearts be broken, will Kendra change her mind and let her sister’s raise her baby.Then there is Pippa who is enjoying managing the restaurant, but after her divorce, skeptical about having a relationship with Bud. Can she overcome her disappointments and begin to accept Bud’s attention?Through all of these relationships you see people struggling with using their own will and not listening to God. When they begin to yield to God, things don’t always happen the way they want, but it is the way it should be.How I enjoyed this great read, and will miss these people that I have come to love, and be involved in their lives. Made me want to move to Sugarcreek, and in particular live among the Amish. I can’t wait for the new series to start! Thank you Shelly Shephard Gray!I received this book through Edelwiss and the Publisher Harper Collins, and was not required to give a positive review.