Review of "Harvest of Blessings"

Review of Harvest of Blessings

by Charlotte Hubbard

The tranquil little town of Willow Ridge is facing a startling challenge. Wealthy Nora Glick Landwehr is determined to make it her home again--and put her past to rest. Cast out by her own family, Nora can't reconcile with Old Amish ways or her strict father. But she'll do anything to help her community embrace the future . . . and make amends to the daughter she had to give up. So, she certainly has no time for her reckless new neighbor Luke Hooley. They disagree about almost everything. And how can she trust him if he always seems to believe the worst about her? Somehow, though, his unexpected support and passionate heart are helping her find her own way in faith. And Nora will discover that even in the face of insidious lies and unyielding judgment, God creates unexpected chances for forgiveness--and love.

MY REVIEW:   "Maybe you won't have to worry about sitting through church.    You haven't been allowed back into the fellowship yet.  Haven't been forgiven."   Forgiveness is demanded in the Bible but that doesn't mean it is so easy to extend it.   This book is a beautiful example of why we need to forgive and how we can finally find it.  Can Nora find reconciliation with her family and a romance of her own?   

        It is so hurtful when close family members refuse to forgive and resolve conflicts.  I have certainly experienced my share of this and it is extremely painful.   I always question whether it is my fault and I try desperately to make amends and repair the broken cords, but others aren't always willing to reconcile.   Nora certainly knows this in this book.  I have been on both sides as well....I have struggled to offer forgiveness to others and I have begged others to forgive me.   I pray after doing my best to resolve hurt feelings.   

       This is a wonderful 5 star work of Amish fiction.  Readers will enjoy seeing Amish and how they live as well as feeling they are a part of the lives of Nora, Luke, Millie, Miriam and Ben, and the other members of the Amish community in Charlotte Hubbard's book.

       I received a print copy of this book from Kensington Publishing Corp. and a pdf version from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.  

About the Author:

Drawing upon her experiences in Jamesport, the largest Old Order Amish community west of the Mississippi, longtime Missourian Charlotte Hubbard (a.k.a. Naomi King) writes of simpler times and a faith-based lifestyle in her new Seasons of the Heart series. Like her heroine, Miriam Lantz, Charlotte considers it her personal mission to feed people—to share hearth and home. Faith and family, farming and food preservation are hallmarks of her lifestyle, and the foundation of her earlier Angels of Mercy series. She’s a deacon, a dedicated church musician and choir member, and when she’s not writing, she loves to try new recipes, crochet, and sew. Charlotte now lives in Minnesota with her husband and their border collie.