While reading the fourth book in theΒ Paradise ValleyΒ series, WHEN HATTIE FINDS LOVE by Amy Lillard, I became emotionally invested in all of the characters. They are all flawed, real, and lovable! Once I started reading, I was instantly hooked. I devoured every page and couldnβt wait to see what was going to happen next. This not-so-typical Amish story is filled with jealousy, temptation, lies, rumors, but also love, family, and second chances.Β I quickly flew through WHEN HATTIE FINDS LOVE and when I finished I found myself wanting more. I loved all of the characters and wished I could to travel to Paradise Valley, Missouri. The tender moments in the story really pull at the readerβs heartstrings.
Hattie is a co-owner of a local popcorn shop with her cousin. Β One day they come up with a crazy bet. Β Hattie has sixty days to get the town grump, Christian, to smile and be happy! Β Both of them are in their older years and both have loved and lost before. Β Hattie thinks that there is no way for a romance to develop between them, but what we have learned is if we open our hearts to love, romance has no age limit and no expiration date.
Hattie is determined to make Christian happy once again, but the situations she finds herself in are just hysterical. Plus it seems everyone knows about this secret bet except for Christian! I loved Hattie and Christian, the primary characters, but also fell in love with all of the secondary characters. Every one of them has an important part to play in this heartwarming story and even though I wanted to reach in and shake some sense into one or two of them every now and then, they all weaseled their way into my heart. This story is so funny and I found myself giggling out loud many many times. My emotions were all over the place and I was even reaching for the tissues quite a few times. Christian and Hattie are both hiding painful pasts and are afraid of being exposed at any moment. Will they learn to forgive themselves and begin to live again?
Hattie Schrock’s lively optimism makes her the Widows Club’s most outgoing member. The circle has helped her through widowhood—and in building a thriving popcorn shop with her cousin. So when Elsie bets Hattie that she can’t help Paradise Valley’s most cantankerous man learn to be happier, Hattie tackles the challenge head-on. But what can she do when she finds Christian Beachy is far more complicated—and appealing—than she thought?
Christian lives his faith through hard work, supporting his overbearing sister, and growing the Valley’s best vegetables. After all, a good Amish man should be dedicated to duty. Yet suddenly, Hattie’s warm-hearted attentions and knack for unexpected adventures is showing him life can be so much more—especially if Hattie can share it with him. But when he discovers her wager, can she and the Widows Club ever convince him that her growing love is the real thing—and that risking together forever will be the sweetest, most fulfilling chance of all?
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