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A Season of Harvest
(Leah's Garden #4)
By Lauraine Snelling
Christian Historical Fiction, Romance
Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook & eBook, 336 Pages
January 30, 2024 by Bethany House Publishers
Summary
Can her dreams for the future–and a budding romance–survive the trouble that comes calling?
Larkspur Nielsen is determined to keep her family homestead running and to fulfill their dream of starting a seed catalog, with or without her siblings’ help. With Isaac McTavish back in town, Lark finds herself at odds with her own heart and her determination to shoulder the burden of carrying her responsibilities alone. But Isaac is set on convincing her that he’s here to stay and she doesn’t have to carry everything by herself.
As a new romance blossoms between Lilac and an old schoolmate and the other Nielsen sisters are busy caring for their families, Lark bears more and more responsibility on the farm. When a long-feared threat returns and Lark approaches the breaking point, the life she has always dreamed of is in danger of disappearing forever.
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My Review
A SEASON OF HARVEST is the next chapter in this large Nielsen family with the main characters being two of the girls: Lark and Lilac. The story focuses on this family, with glimpses from neighbors and friends and a few notable men, with an historical, small-town setting and aspects of faith with romance and some suspense. Fans of the author and series will enjoy revisiting this family and finding out what happens next.
For me, this was a rough read without having read the previous three books. That isn't usually the case with series from this publisher, but with this author's writing style and the family this series focuses on being all introduced and involved in this story, it made it a bit disconnecting. In the first chapter alone I lost count of the number of people introduced, and then in the second chapter there are just about an equal amount introduced. Then you have one POV from Lark in the first chapter and Lilac's in the second. As I wasn't previously familiar with the characters, I pretty much gave up keeping anyone straight. The character's voices also weren't unique enough to really tell one from the other. The reason I start my review with this caveat is so readers who haven't read the other books are warned that you need to go back and start with book one and proceed from there. It's also so that readers who aren't good at remembering characters know to just wait until the series is all out and then read all the books in short succession. If, however, you've read the other books and are good with characters, you should be just fine. I'm normally quite good at keeping characters all straight and keeping track of them all and I would say that this is the first book where I haven't been able to do that, so it is definitely something to be aware of going in. The author does give some recaps, so you don't actually need to remember what happened in previous books and that is helpful.
I liked this family and the two main characters of this story, Lark and Lilac. They each have their own strengths and talents. They also have different life experiences even being raised together. Lark doesn't know if she'll ever have a chance to marry and raise her own family and Lilac broke an engagement because her fiance didn't really see her so she worries about not continuing what she loves and being herself. They each face challenges, especially in trying to help their family and sustain their farm. Some trouble from the past adds some excitement while some possible romance adds some enjoyment. The romantic interests fell into place fairly easily, but were both different with their own unique personalities. I enjoyed seeing how the relationships blossomed while also working through some different challenges. These characters are full of faith, which is weaved throughout. I also liked the old journal and how it added a family history aspect. It's a fairly predictable read, but still an enjoyable one.
There was one other thing that didn't work for me in this book. I was a bit bored. I think because a lot of the book is predominantly describing the day-to-day life, chores, and relationships of these characters. There are books that I've loved that do the same, but I couldn't seem to engage or connect much except in a few places and not until a fourth of the way through the book. Even then, I wasn't consistently engaged. It seemed like a level of depth or immersion was missing. I felt I could have skimmed or skipped a lot and not missed anything much of the time. Having said that, the second half of the book was better in keeping me engaged. I also know there are readers who enjoy stories like this, so it is a style of writing that does connect with readers. Just not necessarily me.
In the end, was it what I wished for? This was an overall sweet book. It's a story of family and faith, with some romance and a bit of suspense. Recommended to fans of the author and series.
Content: Clean
Source: I received a complimentary copy through Celebrate Lit, which did not require a positive review. All opinions are my own.
Other Books in the Series
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About the Author
Tour Schedule
Wishful Endings, February 5
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 5
Locks, Hooks and Books, February 6
Texas Book-aholic, February 7
The Avid Reader, February 7
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 8
Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, February 9 (Author Interview)
Books You Can Feel Good About, February 9
She Lives to Read, February 10
Jeanette’s Thoughts, February 11
Mary Hake, February 11
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, February 12
For Him and My Family, February 13
Splashes of Joy, February 13
Holly’s Book Corner, February 14
Cover Lover Book Review, February 15
Connie’s History Classroom , February 16
Paula’s Pad of Inspiration, February 16
Live. Love. Read., February 17
Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, February 17
lakesidelivingsite, February 18
Pause for Tales, February 18
Tour-Wide Giveaway
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