A Season for Tending

I am not a big Amish novel fan, but I absolutely loved this novel! It was so good and I had a hard time putting it down!

I thought it was so fascinating to read about how herbs can help the body as well as the canning process! The love that Samuel and Rhoda had for their gardens/orchard was so cool because the love of having a garden/orchard as they did is amazing! I did not realize it took so much work and how much a passion it is of the farmer to work the land!

I enjoyed all the characters except Catherine's in the beginning, but near the end my heart did break for her! However I do hope that she finds love once again as Rhoda is finding love with a certain brother! I so hope that she will continue to love the man she has chosen!

I thought it was interesting to hear about the rumspringa that the Amish teens go through. Cindy did a great job of portraying a young women who wants to leave the Amish and the mistakes she has made during that time.

I can not put into words how excited I am for the second book in this series! It is sure to be just as good as the first novel with love, family, and hardship!

I received this book for free from Waterbrook Press in exchange for an honest review!

This was the first time I have ever read an Amish book. It wasn't that I particularly shied away from them, I just never really found one that I wanted to buy. When the opportunity came to read one I jumped on it. I feel really lame in same, "oh my goodness I loved it so much," but that's sort of what i feel like saying. I really really did. The characters were really endearing, real, and complex. They didn't come off as stuffy or unrelatable. What they experienced and how they handled those experiences was something that I could see in my own life; and anyone else's for that matter. That is important thing for me when I'm reading a book. I generally like books where I am drawn into the story in such a way, that I feel for the characters on a personal level. Like, maybe I could be in their world. Much to my happiness it is the first book in a series, and I can't wait to get my hand on "The Winnowing Season".

This is a book that took me a while to fall into the groove of the story. I am not into gardening or anything along those lines so I wasn't really sure what to think at first. But as I got more and more into the story I grew to care for the characters and the use of gardening and caring for orchards became a great part of the story.

Rhoda Byler has a gift from God. But it is gift that is misunderstood by those around her. Not only does she need to learn to trust God but she needs to learn to trust her gift.

I can very much relate to Rhoda and this difficulty in trusting her gift. As a worship leader I often get complaints about the music choice and there are just going to be people who don't like how I lead worship. I have no choice but to get back up on the stage each and every Sunday and do what I know God has called me to do, even in the face of opposition.

Rhoda must do the same. She must ignore public opinion and so what she knows God wants her to. He doesn't give us gifts just to bury them and never use them. Remember the story about the talents and the man who buried his so he didn't lose it?

There are so many Genesis 5020's in this book too. From Samuel's sister Leah landing in Rhoda's vineyard to Rhoda's vineyard being destroyed. But you'll have to read the book to see what I mean.

On the last page Cindy has me crying, "Nooooo!" She ended the book with a major turn of events, one I didn't see coming and that has me itching to read the next book, which I hope to review for you soon.

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An ebook of this book was given to me by Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.

Cindy Woodsmall has again written a book, A Season for Tending, that not only has me on the edge of my seat, one that I can't put down, but also has me anticipating book #2. I enjoy these books. Cindy has a way of opening up so many characters, bringing in many different plot lines without them becoming confused or hard to follow. They just leave you wanting more.

In A Season for Tending she opens the door by introducing Rhoda, often called Rhodes, who is considered a bit quirky by those who know her. No, quirky is not the right word. Some even consider her to be a witch. How will she work through the issues she has with the Amish community, the English community, her family, etc...

Then enters Landon who works for Rhoda. We get introduced to Leah who is dealing with her own growing up issues, Samuel who runs King's Orchard, his brothers, girlfriend, both families and many others.

The plots twist and turn making it hard to put this book down. I won't give away any of the plot. You have to get this book and read it yourself.

This book was provided to me at no cost by Waterbrook Multnomah for the purpose of providing this review

The author wrote a wonderful story with characters that leave you feeling like you are walking beside them every step of the way. Rhoda Byler has an uncanny way of sensing when something is awry or something bad is about to happen. A lot of people wouldn't consider this a blessing. She is the one that has a touch for growing berries and herbs. Some of the townspeople find her very odd and try to stay away from her. Then there is Samuel King, works hard, has a stubborn streak and rather curt when he speaks. Samuel has an apple orchard that he is struggling to keep going. Leah is so young and innocent, she has a bad habit of making wrong choices.

When you are reading this book you just fall in love with the characters and their situations. You just want all books to be like this. You will not be able to put this book down. You'll just want to turn the pages faster and faster. So grab a copy of this book and take a walk around King's Apple Orchard or help Leah make a decision. This is a book that deserves your undivided attention. I would recommend this book to anyone. It's a wonderfully written book where you can lose your cares and problems for a little while. We all need that occasionally. Cindy Woodsmall has done it again. High Five to you Ms. Woodsmall. I give this book 5 STARS.

This complimentary book was provided by WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this unbiased review.