HARVEST OF BLESSINGS – Charlotte Hubbard
Seasons of the Heart , Book 5
Zebra
ISBN: 978-1-4201-3309-7
March 2015
Amish Inspirational Romance

Willow Ridge, Missouri – Present Day

Nora Glick Landwehr has come home to Willow Ridge after sixteen years of exile. Back then, she was a frightened teenager who left her newborn daughter on her brother's porch with a note, asking Atlee and his wife, Lizzie, to raise the child Nora had named Millie. In her father's eyes, Nora had committed an unspeakable sin. A man she trusted took advantage of her in the worst way, leaving her pregnant and cast out by her father, Preacher Gabe Glick. Too young to know she could challenge the man who threatened her, Nora refused to tell anyone the name of the child's father. Not knowing what else to do, she fled to another community, where she later married Tanner Landwehr, an Englischer .

Now, Nora's divorced and back in Willow Ridge, hoping to start over again. After living Englisch all these years, she doesn't know how she will fit into the Amish community but, praying for success, she bought the ousted Hiram Knepp's old horse ranch where she'll refurbish the huge barn and make it a large consignment shop to sell Plain crafts made by local Amish. It also gives her an outlet for her own thriving business of artistic quilts and wall hangings. But first on Nora's agenda is meeting her father to ask forgiveness, then, hopefully, getting to know her daughter, Millie.

Luke Hooley has made a point of refusing to join the Amish church. Even though he was raised in the faith, he refuses to adhere to the Old Order rules that he feels are too stringent and unforgiving. Luke enjoys playing the field with the women, dating a variety of girls who are young, and in some cases, older than he. But the one thing he is serious about is the gristmill he and his brother, Ira, are opening on a piece of land his sister-in-law, Miriam, sold them. The Hooley brothers are calling their new business The Mill at Willow Ridge where they plan to grow and sell specialty grains and products. One of the first things Luke noticed yesterday was their new red-headed neighbor and her shiny red BMW. Luke thinks the woman who bought Hiram's place is Englisch , and he's in for a surprise when he discovers her real purpose here in Willow Ridge.

Sparks fly when Nora and Luke meet. She thinks he's just an Amish playboy, and likewise, Luke's misconceptions of Nora are numerous. Still, they become fast friends as Luke stands to defend Nora when her father once again verbally casts her out of his sight and out of Willow Ridge. All she wants is the man's forgiveness, but Gabe Glick is far too set in his ways to follow the basic tenant of Amish faith: forgiveness. Even so, Nora begins to discover a HARVEST OF BLESSINGS in this fifth novel of the Seasons of the Heart series. The sixth book in the series, THE CHRISTMAS CRADLE, is coming in October 2015.

HARVEST OF BLESSINGS stands alone and has a  plethora of wonderful characters who live in Willow Ridge and gather at Miriam Hooley's Sweet Seasons Bakery Cafe . I do recommend you read the entire series, but only for the sheer pleasure of meeting and getting to know the warm, wonderful town of Willow Ridge and the multitude of good hearted people who live inside the books. In the meantime, don't miss out on Nora and Luke's adventure into their future and their blossoming romance.

Diana Risso