A Season of Change by Lynette Sowell

I'm an avid reader of Amish fiction books. I have read about many different Amish communities in these books. Some are real, some are fiction.  I liked Pinecraft, which is a community in Sarasota, Florida.  It is a place where many Amish vacation.  Things are not done the same way in Pinecraft as it is in other communities.  In some ways, they have to work harder to keep the "worldliness" out because of all the tourists.  Add a beach and you have lots of temptations.

Jacob and Natalie were meant to be together. I found it neat that Natalie was able to locate her family and be a part of them in a small way. I didn't want Jacob to like any of the other girls.  However, I did feel bad for Betsy.  I'm wondering if her story will be told the next book.

My favorite person would have to be Rachel.  She was such a voice of reason and loving.  She was an encouragement and didn't seem like she believed in the legalism aspect.  I was glad she didn't leave Pinecraft and decided to stay there despite the trials and lack of family that were there.

This scene was different not only because of it being Pinecraft, but also because Natalie has worked with the circus. She enjoys performing using the silks and does it very elegantly.

I enjoyed this story and am looking forward to the next book in the Seasons of Pinecraft series.

Read more reviews at http://litfusegroup.com/author/lsowell.

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A Season of Change

by Lynette Sowell    Abingdon Press Amish Fiction In the first novel in Lynette Sowell's new Seasons in Pinecraft series, readers are introduced to retired circus performer Natalie Bennett as she searches for the dream of her heart: a family of her own.  Amish widower Jacob Miller believes it was a mistake to visit the Amish village of Pinecraft for winter vacation, especially after his daughter is struck by a car. Stranded in Sarasota until his daughter recovers, Jacob grows increasingly wary of events that unfold in his unfamiliar surroundings---including the strange curiosity of Englischer Natalie Bennett. Natalie never thought her circus career as an aerial silks artist would end with a blown-out knee at the age of 25. She also never knew her late mother had a secret---that she was once Amish. When Natalie meets the Millers at the Sarasota hospital, she is attracted to their warm hospitality and simple ways---and soon wonders if they can help her find her mother's family. As Jacob and Natalie fall in love, their worlds collide. Will their differences tear them apart? Or will their love be strong enough to blend their clashing cultures?

Meet the Author

Lynette Sowell was born in western Massachusetts in the shadow of the Berkshire Mountains, raised on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, and now makes her home on the doorstep of the Texas hill country. The award-winning author of more than fifteen titles, Lynette loves reading, cooking, watching movies, and is always up for a Texas road trip. When not writing fiction, she works in medical transcription and is a freelance writer and columnist for her local newspaper. Learn more about Lynette at: http://lynettesowell.blogspot.com

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I received this book free from Abingdon Press and Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

Tempest's Course by Lynette Sowell

I really like how all of the quilts in these series tells a story.  They are all so different and unique, just like the quilts.  Tempest's Course has an air of mystery surrounding the quilt, though.  The quilt doesn't really belong to Kelly, but she has won the bid to restore the quilt.  Not only is she wanting to find the story behind the quilt, she is also writing her own story.

She has known her fair share of disappointments and is, in fact, just coming off from a downhill slide in her own personal life.  Looking to rebuild and make her life have meaning again, she pours herself into this quilt.  She has to move in to the house where the quilt is held because the owner doesn't want it to leave the house. 

Tom is fighting his own fight against his demons.  He's seen a lot in his life and has problems with his father.  He never seems to be enough for his dad or do enough for him. 

As they both find companionship and friendship in each other, they are left exploring a story of a quilt that just might bring the healing that both of them are searching for.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lynette Sowell is an award-winning novelist. Her most recent novel, Tempest’s Course, is part of the Quilts of Love line from Abingdon Press. When Lynette’s not writing, she divides her time between editing medical reports and chasing down news stories for the Copperas Cove Leader-Press. Lynette was born and raised on the Eastern Shore of Maryland but makes her home in Coppress Cove, Texas, with her husband and a herd of cats who have them well-trained.


ABOUT THE BOOK

Kelly Frost, a textiles conservator, is invited to the Massachusetts coastal city of New Bedford to restore a 150-year-old Mariner's Compass quilt. But there is one stipulation: she must live and work in Gray House, a former whaling captain's home, where the quilt is stored. There she meets Army veteran Tom Pereira, the caretaker of Gray House, whose heart seems as hard as the rocky Massachusetts coastline. Over the long-lit months as Kelly works to restore the quilt, she and Tom grow closer. And as she reads stories in a daily journal penned by Mary Gray, she learns the secrets of the quilt and Mary's own sad tale of regret. Then Tom learns secrets of his own family's past, and both Tom and Kelly learn they are tied to Gray House in ways they never imagined.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Tempest's Course, go HERE.

 

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I received this book free from CFBA and Abingdon Press in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.