Annie Martin loves the Plain ways of her Old Order Mennonite people, like those revered by her beloved grandfather. Retreating from a contentious relationship with her mother, Annie goes to live with her Daadi Moses in Apple Ridge.
But as spring moves into Pennsylvania and Annie spends time amongst the cherry trees with the handsome Aden Zook, she wishes she could forget how deeply the lines between the Old Order Amish and Old Order Mennonite are drawn.
Can Annie and Aden find a place for their love to bloom in the midst of the brewing storm?
My Opinion :
As a sceptical reader of Christian Fiction, I tend to be a bit jaded before I even opening the cover. With The Scent of Cherry Blossoms, I'm glad I did. Not your typical boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl and all is roses and sunshine, The Scent of Cherry Blossoms is a journey through the struggles of mans forbidden form of godly love.
I found the depth of understanding between mans rules and God's forgiveness to be inspiring. Even with subtle differences between the Plain beliefs of the Amish and Mennonite sects, and the struggle to remain loyal to family and church, God's tender mercies shine through bringing even the most stubborn believer to his knees.
Beyond the love that blossoms between Annie and Aden, there is Roman, Aden's twin brother who has a journey of his own to take. Seeing his inner struggles manifest themselves in his thoughts and actions, and overcoming the hurdles that keep him trapped inside himself, gives me hope for a splendid future beyond the limitations of our circumstances.
I do hope there is more to come in the lives of these gentle people.
Here is the first chapter...I just know you'll want to finish the book!
The Scent of Cherry Blossoms by Cindy Woodsmall (Chapter 1 Excerpt)
Please rate my review on the Blogging For Books site.
**I was provided a copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing through Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest opinion, no other compensation was given.
Hi Sister Lori - I am also sceptical of christian fiction...particularly romances, but after reading your review and the first chapter of this book, I think I'll give this one a try.
ReplyDeleteThankyou for your interesting review.