Such a well written book by Shelley Shepard Gray that draws you in with storylines of faith, guilt, trials and forgiveness. If you are looking for a clean, enjoyable read, you will want to purchase this book. I was given a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher. All words and opinions are my own.

You can pray for God to fix your problems, but he might respond by giving the tools to fix them yourself.

It has been 6 years since May Schott has seen Carl Hilty. A barn fire that severely injured Carl and has haunted May with guilt. Was it her fault? Did Carl blame her? During Carl's recovery in the city, he never wanted May to see him. He had called this his dark place. Carl has come back to Apple Creek as a English man. He works for a English firm, he drives a truck, however, one does the one thing remain- his feelings for May. When they see each other, they are guarded with their feelings. It's only when their siblings have a romance of their own that they are faced with whatever feelings they may have. If they still do have feelings for each other, which one of them will follow the other.

I enjoyed reading this well paced romance. Carl and May where left in a emotional train wreck but after 6 long hard years, they both had time to think about what was important. What their feelings were really based on. They also had to mine the feelings of the others. Their parents who also suffered heartache of a different kind. Their story reminds me of how we are so intertwined with each other. How our relationships affect families, spouses, and community. It was a thoughtful read and one that I appreciated.

A special thank you to Kensington Books and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review

A sweet story of love, regret, and second chances. I enjoyed this quick easy read.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Kensington Books. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I did not have the pleasure of reading the first book in this series but I enjoyed getting to know these characters. I found the characters of May and Carl so interesting as they battle the burns from their past. It was at times difficult to understand the family dynamics of holding a grudge for so long but enjoyed the way the author navigated those issues.


Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

3.5 stars.
A very sweet read with a wounded but not bitter hero, “Once Upon a Buggy”, by Shelley Shepard Gray (Kensington Books), is about achieving maturity, forgiveness and the clash between two different worlds.
Carl and May are two caring, sweet young people, trying to reconnect after a tragedy and a six year separation.
I liked Carl and his matter-of-factness about the scarring, its impact on others and their reactions.
I think I would have liked to know more about the healing/rehabilitation process and how it turned out to be such a radical change in the hero’s way of life. I felt the need to know more about his lonely yet successful life in Cleveland.
Yet the simplicity, the acceptance behind his calm personality is enticing to watch.
I didn’t quite understand the straddling of two worlds and how Carl apparently so easily abdicated from the Amish way (no doubt my ignorance).
As this is in part a story about a feud between families, the melodrama, miscommunication and misunderstandings were more on the elder people side; and the younger people often showed more common sense.
I liked the author’s writing style and the romance between May and Walker.
The alpacas are cute but the story sometimes seemed taken over by their antics.
I also felt the story could have been abbreviated without losing its interest.
It was a quick, easy, enjoyable read, addressing some serious, interesting issues.