The Harvest of Grace by Cindy Woodsmall
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Harvest of Grace is the third book in the Ada’s House series by Cindy Woodsmall. If you’ve already been reading the other books by this author, you should be getting to know the community – this is something I truly enjoy about Cindy Woodsmall. I love getting a glimpse of her characters in a book, even from outside of a series. I relished even the brief visit I got from Hannah from the “Sisters of the Quilt” trilogy, for example.
In this installment we meet Sylvia Fisher, a strong headed Amish girl with a love for farming. When her boyfriend proposes, she hesitates. Rather than giving her some much needed time, he up and marries her sister leaving Sylvia heartbroken. Due to awkward circumstances, she leaves her daed’s farm and finds herself working for Michael Blank, which if you’ve read “A Bridge of Peace” you will recall is the father of Elsie and Aaron.
While working to help the Blank’s save their farm, she meets Aaron, a recovering alcoholic who is back from rehab and working hard to get his life straight and earn the respect of his father. However, he feels as if his father sees only his faults and not how hard he is trying to earn his love.
Sylvia and Aaron are like oil and water. They don’t seem to go together, and yet they are drawn to one another. Sylvia has already had her heart broken once though, and she is determined to not let a man blindside her again. She looks for trouble where there is none. Likewise, Aaron doesn’t share her love for farming and wishes to sell the family farm. Their story is about love and acceptance — and most importantly, trusting in God’s forgiveness so that we can forgive ourselves.
Being that this is the last book in the series, we see the conclusion to many of our beloved characters, from Grey and Lena to ‘From and Cara. The conclusion to Cara’s story was beautiful. I was so touched by the powerful message of love and forgiveness that I had to brush away the tears. Cindy Woodsmall is one of the best writers in the Amish genre, her characters feel real and tug at the heartstrings and leaves you wishing for more. I can’t wait to see who she introduces me to next!
Check out an excerpt of the book:
The Harvest of Grace by Cindy Woodsmall (ch. 1 excerpt)
I received Harvest of Grace as a complimentary gift in exchange for review from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers. My comments and opinions are my own.
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