Melanie Lageschulte

Two books into this series and I'm solidly in love with it. The pacing is peaceful and slow and these books are just perfect for reading in the morning with my coffee or at nighttime just before bed. This series appealed to me because I saw it labeled "heartwarming rural fiction" and it is just what the doctor ordered.

This is the second in the series, and it picks up a few weeks after the last book ended. Melinda has made it through the summer with a huge appreciation for all it takes to run show more a farm and manage animals, and with a new-found love of the slower pace of rural life. In this installment, she knows that her temporary summer stay at the farm is coming to an end soon. Melinda needs to decide if she wants to stay in small Prosper, Iowa or head back into Minneapolis to her nice city apartment and a more lucrative job.

I'm loving the way these books examine the "woman at a crossroads" theme with Melinda's big career change and living situation. There is really no big action in this book and there is still no romance to speak of. This is a very character-driven look at the day-to-day of small town life and farming and managing animals. For a person that loves gardening and animals in her books, this is really the jackpot!! The story goes thru about the middle of fall and I can almost feel the weather getting colder as I read. I can see the colors change from the greens of summer to the bright oranges and reds of fall.

I love this series. 100% moving onto the next book TODAY. If you want a no-drama, no-stress read, this series is probably exactly what you're looking for. show less

I saw this book advertised as "heartwarming rural fiction" and that's exactly what it is. I recently finished the latest installment in the Lakeside Resort series by Susan Schild and wanted something that made me feel the same way while I was reading. I wanted something drama-free and stress-free.

This is not a romance story. Perhaps a romance may come later in the series but this was 100% the story of a woman at a crossroads. Melinda loses her job in Minneapolis and is left wondering what show more she will do. Her job really defined her and allowed her to live a fun, fast-paced lifestyle in the city. When her uncle has health issues, Melinda is called on to come run his business (a small-town hardware store!) until his health improves. She ends up temporarily moving to the nearby small town of Prosper, which means a TOTAL change in lifestyle.

I loved this book so much. I loved the fact that Melinda is open to to a change of venue and a change of pace while she's looking for another job. Moving is such a big step, and she's nervous and a little afraid of such a drastic change, but she adapts so well. I've wondered at times what it would be like to trade my own life for a slower life on a farm in a small town, and I loved that I was able to live through Melinda with this story. I also love the residents of the small town and the rural area around town. The neighborhood and community are all so nice and helpful.

Best of all: there are animals, there is a garden, and there is some renovation to Melinda's rental house. I love all of these things!!

This is what I'm reading before bed because it leaves me feeling happy and de-stressed. The series looks to have a bunch of books after this one and I'm excited to see where Melinda's small-town life takes her. show less

Loved this! The pacing continues to be easy and peaceful, and these books bring me JOY. They're so perfect for bedtime reading and I also love to start out my day reading them with my coffee. This installment is the third in the series and picks up immediately after the previous book left off.

Melinda has shifted focus from harvesting her vegetable garden to preparing the farm for the winter months ahead. There is less time spent out in the fields and barns, and more time spent at Prosper show more Hardware, where she works, and working on weather-proofing the farmhouse. The segments of the series that are spent with the animals and vegetables are what really give me life, but I also love the time Melinda spends with her coworkers and other people in the community. Proper Hardware is one of the local hangout places and Melinda always learns so much from the townspeople that meet for coffee before the store opens every morning.

This installment also features the local Christmas festival, which sounded like so much fun and had some funny moments.

A new character joins the story, and I was interested in pretty much every sentence involving this person and how he/she ended up in Prosper, Iowa. I'm curious about how this story will play out over the next titles in the series. (I'm also interested in how these books still have no romance plotline.)

I'm steadily continuing with the series, and I've already got the next book on hand and waiting for me. show less

I really want to like this book. And it one sense I did enjoy reading it, but I easily put it down after a chapter or two. It never did enthrall me. Small town Iowa girl moves back home after her divorce. Kate leaves Chicago to make a new start. She was able to transfer to her home town post office. On one of her rural routes, the woman vet asks Kate to assist her in pulling a calf. That incident leads the ladies to notice that the owner (Milton Benniger) of the farm is not there and hasn't show more been there in a few days. The mystery of this book is the missing elderly man. Kate is concerned and begins to investigate. And basically that's it. Will I continue reading the series: probably not. show less