Review of Seasons of Tomorrow

Review of Seasons of Tomorrow 

Amish Vines and Orchards, Book 4 

by Cindy Woodsmall

As love restores Rhoda, a sudden tragedy is the test of faith she never saw coming... 
More settled in her heart than ever before, Rhoda Byler feels a newfound confidence living in the Old Order Amish settlement she helped establish in Orchard Bend, Maine. Though it has been almost a year since one brother left, Rhoda is happy to be working alongside the other brother as they tend and nurture the settlement's orchard. Time has helped to heal Rhoda's wounds, and she finds that even her unusual gift of profound intuition is less of a burden as she continues to seek God's wisdom and purpose for her life. 
But when an Englischer friend's grandchild is taken deeper into hiding from her grandmother, can Rhoda's gift make a difference or will it simply be a catalyst to another season of doubt and misunderstanding? As she resolves to stay on course, suddenly a shocking tragedy challenges the young settlement like never before, threatening to uproot Rhoda's peace and the future of everything she holds dear.

MY REVIEW:   This has been one of my all-time favorite series and this one was no exception among the four books.   Rhoda is highly misunderstood and mistreated due to her gift of "knowing" or "intuition" in my opinion.   I think the church needs to be more understanding of her.   Jacob also seems to be rather misunderstood, even by his own family.  In this book, he is hurt in a deep and lasting way.   I truly feel for him and was rooting for his happiness as I read.   Landon and Leah's relationship seems destined for heartache as well.  Can any of these characters catch a break?  

Cindy tops off a great book with some amazing apple recipes featured in the book on the Apple Orchard and perfected by Rhoda.  I can hardly wait to try out some of these recipes.  Yummy apples!   

I love the book and highly recommend it to readers.   5 Stars all the way!!!   *****

I received a copy of this book from bloggingforbooks.org in exchange for my honest review.  

About the Author:  

Cindy Woodsmall is a New York Times best-selling author who has written six novels, three novellas, and Plain Wisdom, a work of nonfiction coauthored with her dearest Old Order Amish friend, Miriam Flaud. She’s been featured on ABC Nightline and the front page of the Wall Street Journal, and has worked with National Geographic on a documentary concerning Amish life.

She is also a veteran homeschool mom who no longer holds that position. As her children progressed in age, her desire to write grew stronger. After working through reservations whether this desire was something she should pursue, she began her writing journey. Her husband was her staunchest supporter as she aimed for what seemed impossible.

She’s won Fiction Book of the Year, Reviewer’s Choice Awards, Inspirational Reader’s Choice Contest, as well as one of Crossings’ Best Books of the Year. She’s been a finalist for the prestigious Christy, Rita, and Carol Awards, Christian Book of the Year, and Christian Retailers Choice Awards.

Her real-life connections with Amish Mennonite and Old Order Amish families enrich her novels with authenticity. Though she didn’t realize it at the time, seeds were sown years ago that began preparing Cindy to write these books. At the age of ten, while living in the dairy country of Maryland, she became best friends with Luann, a Plain Mennonite girl. Luann, like all the females in her family, wore the prayer Kapp and cape dresses. Her parents didn’t allow television or radios, and many other modern conveniences were frowned upon. During the numerous times Luann came to Cindy’s house to spend the night, her rules came with her and the two were careful to obey them—afraid that if they didn’t, the adults would end their friendship. Although the rules were much easier to keep when they spent the night at Luann’s because her family didn’t own any of the forbidden items, both sets of parents were uncomfortable with the relationship and a small infraction of any kind would have been enough reason for the parents to end the relationship. While navigating around the adults’ disapproval and the obstacles in each other’s lifestyle, the two girls bonded in true friendship that lasted into their teen years, until Cindy’s family moved to another region of the US.