A Season for Tending by Cindy Woodsmall - Review

Rhoda Byler has enjoyed working in her garden since she received her first blueberry bush from her Daed as a birthday gift when she was a little girl. He continued giving her one plant every year on her birthday and now she has a garden of all kinds of berries and herbs. She owns Rhode Side Stands, selling home canned goods by mail order and in stores. She had other uses for her herbs and that along with her intuitions cause everyone in town, Amish and English, to think she practices witchcraft.

She loves gardening so much that she ignored her sister's plea's to go to town one day so Emma went by herself. Suddenly she had a feeling that Emma was in trouble, went looking for her and tried to get to town because she knew that Emma was about to get shot. This didn't help her reputation with the people in town. Rhoda now blames herself for Emma's death and other than her family, she only has one friend, Landon, and English man who helps her mail her in Rhode Side Stands.

The King family comes to know Rhoda because Leah King went to a party at her neighbors house and passed out in Rhoda's garden. Samuel, Leah's brother, comes to get her and shows an interest in Rhoda's garden and canning business. When they run into trouble with King's Orchard apple trees, Samuel remembers what he saw there. He and his brothers, Jacob and Eli, go to Rhoda and try to talk her into helping them out by canning their salvageable apples.

Rhoda is very reluctant but the King's keep trying to talk her into it. She is forced to dig up her herb garden because of rumors and one night when everyone is gone, someone comes and runs over all of her berry's and ruins the rest of her garden. Will this influence a change of mind for Rhoda and what happens when a tornado hits King's Orchard?

Cindy did her usual good job on this book. I wondered at first what kind of story this would be, but there is a wonderful story here. The bad thing, at the end of the book you think you know what is going to happen in Rhoda's life but there is that hint that things may take a different path in the next book. Come on Cindy, how long do we have to wait? ? ? ?


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) free from the publisher through the BloggingforBooks.org <http://www.waterbrookmultnomah.com/bloggingforbooks/> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”