It was the answer to his prayer! Sleep deprived Andy
Leitner could not get over the wonderful changes in his
family in the very short time since the lovely and lively
Amish girl Rhoda Lantz had agreed to help care for his two
children, Brett and Taylor, as well as his mother, Betty,
recovering from a recent stroke while he completes his
examinations to get his Registered Nursing credential and
does his shift work at the hospital.
Having her eyes see the notice on the wall in the Zook's
shop also was the answer to Rhoda's prayers for a change in
her life. Everyone around her had so many changes in their
lives and hers just seemed to have drifted on. Her mother,
Mariam Lantz, is busy with the preparations for her
upcoming wedding in January as well as running the Sweet
Seasons Bakery Café. Rachel, her closest sister, had just
recently married and is off visiting distant relatives with
her new husband as per their Amish custom. Rhoda is happy
with all these changes; yet, after having been so restless
and in the doldrums, she surprizes herself with how much
fun and joy she now finds in caring for this family, making
their meals and enjoying all the small moments as they
blossom under her attention. She especially likes the way
her food and her cookies lit up Andy's face. While not yet
spoken, she just knows that they both felt a growing
attraction to each other.
Suddenly, everything needs to end as the result of a
simple human gesture and especially as Bishop Hiram sticks
his oar in the matter. Their worlds are too far apart! If
Rhoda has to leave Willow Ridge to follow her heart for
Andy, she will lose a lifetime of friends and family
connections as the community would need to shun her. Will
their small budding love be cut off forever? Rhoda always
tells Andy to go with the flow. Will new prayers be
answered, so love can flow?
Not wanting to give away more of the plot, all I can say is
that if you like Amish stories and romance, you will just
love WINTER OF WISHES, the third book in master storyteller
Charlotte Hubbard's Seasons of the Heart series
featuring a
young widowed mother and her three daughters. Needing to
find a way to support herself, Miriam Lantz had established
a bakery and café with her good friend Naomi. When the
series first starts, her twin daughters, Rhoda and Rachel,
discover that they actually are triplets and a third
daughter, Rebecca who had been lost in a flash flood when
she was three and raised by an English family who named her
Tiffany, unexpectedly re-enters their lives, but choses to
continue in her English ways as a web designer.
The heartfelt story in WINTER OF WISHES resonates very well
as a stand-alone book; yet, it is an absolutely true
delight and joy and almost feels as if you are catching up
with old friends if you have already read the first book,
SUMMER OF SECRETS (about Rachel and her romance with
Naomi's son Micah), and/or the second, AUTUMN WINDS (Miriam
with Ben). Hubbard has a wonderful gift of bringing her
characters to life and they are so realistically described
in their actions and motivations. I have read many, many
books on the Amish and yet I still learned more in this
book about how they can let love, compassion and their
religious traditions help them stay true to themselves,
keep their communities vibrant and resilient, while
effectively dealing with the modern world around them.
The story is so compelling, I just could not put it down,
while at the same time, I lingered reading it at the end as
I didn't want it to stop! Fortunately, trying out the
delicious recipes at the end of the book will keep me busy
until I can get my hands on another book by Charlotte
Hubbard! Fans who love other Amish authors, such as
Beverley Lewis, will love the simple and prayerful way the
characters can discern what is and what is not God's will
as they deal with the tribulations in their lives. WINTER
OF WISHES is a wonderfully good seasonal gift for a
friend (or yourself) or as a gift of the spirit to enjoy
anytime of the year!
Snow is falling, cookies are baking, and Christmas is just
around the corner in Willow Ridge, Missouri, where a new
season marks fresh beginnings for the residents of the
tranquil Amish town. . .
Winter Of
Wishes
As another year draws to a close in Willow
Ridge, life seems to be changing for everyone but Rhoda
Lantz. Her widowed mother is about to remarry, her sister is
a busy newlywed, and soon Rhoda will be alone in her cozy
apartment above the blacksmith's shop. An ad posted by an
Englischer looking for someone to help with his mother and
children may offer just the companionship she's looking for,
but if she falls for the caring single father, she may risk
being shunned by her community. Certain she can only wish
for things she cannot have, Rhoda must remember that all
things are possible with God, and nothing is stronger than
the power of love.
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