5-Star Review of "The Christmas Cradle"

Review of The Christmas Cradle

(Seasons of the Heart #6)

by Charlotte Hubbard

The Christmas Cradle

For the peaceful town of Willow Ridge, November presents an early holiday surprise. Stranded in the snow, 18-year-old Lena Esh and her boyfriend Josiah Witmer need more than a place to stay for the night. Lena defied her strict family and their judgmental beliefs to run away with Josiah and have his baby. But she's starting to wonder if he can prove as responsible as he is passionate. And she isn't sure how—or if—they can ever find a place to truly call home.

Expecting their own miracle baby, Miriam and Ben Hooley rally the town to help the young couple, and Lena draws strength from their unexpected support. Though trouble may come calling, in this season of joyous rebirth, a little child will lead them. And two couples will see their dreams of forever family come true . . . 

MY REVIEW:  It feels like life is crashing in around me lately and Charlotte Hubbard managed to whisk me away from all of that in The Christmas Cradle.  Life was crashing in around Lena and Josiah in the story but God blessed them when He landed them at the home of Miriam and Ben Hooley in the snowstorm as they traveled to take a job from the former Bishop who had caused devastation for the entire Amish community.   God has a way of turning things to good for those who are called according to His purposes though.  He has a lot of work to do with Josiah to bring him around, but the Amish community takes he and Lena in and makes them feel like family, never judging them for being unmarried and expecting a baby.   

        I envy the way the Amish look out for each other.  There are so many times when I feel alone and it seems that there is no one to help.   The Amish rebuild barns, homes, and businesses for their communities and they work together to clean homes before the worship service in homes.   With my disabilities, it is almost impossible for me to perform simple cleaning tasks and how I long for friends who would come in and take care of it like the Amish do for each other.   I may not agree with everything the Amish do, but I love these things about them.   

        Thank you, Charlotte Hubbard, for a precious story of forgiveness and second chances.   We could all learn a lesson on forgiveness and caring for others from the Amish and from your books.   I love how this book included portions of a sermon and many scripture references.  The sermon given by Ben Hooley really spoke to my aching heart as we currently deal with having to change churches due to disappointment in the church family (but never God....for I don't blame Him for the actions and sins of people).   

       I rate this book 5 stars and recommend it to all readers of Christian fiction.  

       I received an ebook of this novel 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.