Cindy Woodsmall

Dear Readers,

I am not a big fan of Amish fiction.  I am sure you can tell by the number of Amish fiction books I review in proportion to how many exist out there.  I believe there is good Amish fiction and bad Amish fiction just as there is in any genre of fiction.  I have read some really good Amish fiction and some really bad Amish fiction, but I still usually do it by request as opposed to just picking it up on my own.  A Season for Tending by Cindy Woodsmall was by request and yet I am glad I read it.  It is the beginning of Cindy's new series - Amish Vines and Orchards.

Rhonda has a special gift.  One she doesn’t want, but it is just part of who she is.  She has a gift of knowing things before they happen or knowing things about people that they wouldn’t want others to know.   It makes for a lonely and friendless life in her Old Order Amish community.  But she has her plants and her little business and she is content with her life.

When Leah turns up in Rhoda's garden it opens a door that neither one of them expected to be there.  Leah's family farm needs help.  They are having cash problems and some of their apple crop is ruined by a pest.  They are looking for a way to sell and make money from those apples.  Rhoda thinks she can help, but there seems to be so many secrets that she isn't sure she wants to get involved with the King family.

Interesting characters and a bit different storyline and Cindy tells a good Amish story.  Again I wouldn't be reading hundreds of them, but I did enjoy this one. 

 Happy Reading

Chris

Cindy Woodsmall

Dear Readers,

Hope of Refuge is Cindy Woodsmall's newest book. It is coming out just in time for her visit here at our store. ( It's available now)

I am the first to say that Amish books are not my favorite. I can find them all the same. I know they sell well and lots of people love reading them. Cindy seems to be the exception to the rule for me. I really do enjoy her books. I think it is because of the issues she deals with in the story line as opposed to just the Amish lifestyle.

Cara is homeless. She once again had to leave everything behind to get away from her stalker. She and her daughter Lori head to Dry Creek, Pennsylvania. Cara isn't sure why she is drawn there, but she believes that she will find help and hope there. Maybe even some answers to her questions about her mother.

Ephraim finds Cara hiding out on his property. He remembers her from a short visit Cara and her mother made when she was 10. He goes against everything that he is taught and takes them both in. He is drawn to her even while "dating" another woman. He can't figure out what he is suppose to do and yet he feels he is doing the right thing.

I really did like this book. It was an interesting look at how people react to "past history." Some are quick to judge even when they don't have all the facts and others are the first in line to help no matter what. Because of gossip and people assuming they know why Cara is there, things quickly get out of hand for both Ephraim and Cara.

There is another story line going on that could easily been a complete story line on its own, but Cindy writes as a secondary line. I wonder if that is where book #2 is going. :-)

If you get a chance, come and meet Cindy on the 15th and learn of her heart for the story.

Happy Reading