Lynette Sowell

When I realized A Season of Change took place in Pinecraft, I was even more excited than usual. You see, I live in a suburb of Tampa, Florida, which is just north of Sarasota- where Pinecraft is located!

In fact, I've been to Yoder's Amish Village several times and can't wait to go back! The food at the restaurant is FABULOUS! Really--it's like the food your grandma used to make. Meatloaf, macaroni and cheese, apple butter for the fresh sliced bread, and lots of pie! Everything is homemade show more and not from some box--like I normally use. (Now I'm hungry...)

I love to shop at their market and deli area. My favorite thing to buy, aside from everything, is their sweet mint tea! Around Christmas, I went there with my aunt and I forgot to order several gallons ahead of time, but they went ahead and made them for me as a special order. Talk about generous!

I've eyed the pizza shop and Big Olaf's Ice Cream place, but haven't ventured in yet. Maybe in the fall when things cool down a bit and I can enjoy the outdoors without melting. Now that I've read more about the village area, I may even be a "tourist" and venture around a bit more to see if I can find some of the locations in the story.

And now back to the story...I thought it was really neat that Natalie worked as a former circus performer and now teaches children how to do the acrobatics in the silks. Having her dress up as a clown to entertain the children in the hospital at Christmas was a welcome treat--especially since they were so far from home and in desperate need of some cheer. (The Circus Clown School is actually right down the road from Yoder's.)

Jacob seemed like a lost little puppy with his children. With no wife to help with their care, I'm glad that his grandmother was able to help while they had their extended stay. Zeke seemed like a bright young boy and Rebecca seemed very mature for her age--although they'd been through a lot of heartache for being so young.

I enjoyed reading about the developing friendship between Natalie and Jacob's family--especially when she learned that her own mother had been Amish and found part of a quilt she had started.

I was a bit frustrated by the "rules" that Jacob had to follow--they remind me a bit of my grandmother's denomination--but I understand their reasoning and can see how it may not be a problem for him since he was raised with those beliefs.

Of course, I was really excited to read about the developing feelings Jacob and Natalie had for one another, but I couldn't figure out a middle ground as Mammi had suggested because their worlds are so very different. I'm so glad that everything worked out in the end and I can't wait to read more about the other villagers!

If you like to read romance with a twist, then you need to read A Season of Change! Who knows, maybe I'll see you around Pinecraft sometime. ((I'll be the one buying all of the Sweet Mint Tea.)

I received this book for free from the LitFuse Publicity blogger program in exchange for my honest review. show less

Quilts often have a story to tell — from the hands that made them to those who used them. I had a simple patchwork quilt made by my grandmother that I took to college. It was a comforting reminder of home as well as a great coverup in my dorm room. It became so tattered that I could not use it, yet I could not bear to toss it out. My husband had it made into a teddy bear that now sits on the armoire in our bedroom – a reminder of my grandmother’s skill and the times I snuggled beneath show more it. In the Quilt of Love series, various authors tell the stories behind the quilts featured in each book. Tempest’s Course by Lynette Sowell tells a tale of loneliness and betrayal and the promise of fresh starts and new love.

Kelly Frost is a textile conservator who is desperate for a job after mistakes she made keep her from working. Bidding on the restoration of a mariner’s compass quilt is a chance to get her life and career back on track. She begins her task at the Gray house, home to a whaling captain and his wife in the 1850s. It is Mary Gray’s quilt she is charged to restore. Yet the secrets of the house pull at Kelly’s heart, along with the groundskeeper who she is definitely attracted to.

Tempest’s Course tells two tales – the tragic tale of the quilt’s maker, Mary Gray, and the very modern love story of Kelly and Tom. There are a lot of mysterious goings on as well that will appeal to those who like a good mystery along with their romance. I really liked this book. It had just the right combination of genres — romance, suspense and historical drama. It is also a very quick read, yet I never felt that the plot or the characters were underdeveloped at all. All in all I highly recommend Tempest’s Course.

Highly Recommended.

(Thanks to LitFuse for a review copy. The opinions expressed are mine alone.) show less

Her heart broken after the man she loves Jacob Miller marries someone else, Betsy Yoder puts her heart into starting and running her own bakery. It is taking everything she has to make the bakery of success - not only financially but in the eyes of the other Amish who aren’t sure the bakery is a good idea. She is not looking for any distractions, especially in terms of romance, but she can't help but notice Thaddeus Zook who is ex-Amish with no intention of rejoining the Amish community. show more Thaddeus only intends to stay in Pinecraft for a short time while he hides out from some trouble but he soon realizes that his heart is also in danger.

“A Path Made Plain” is the second book in Lynette Sowell’s Seasons in Pinecraft series and while I liked “A Season of Change”, the first book in the series, I like this book even better - I like the mixture of mystery and romance. While I wasn't all that fond of Betsy in “A Season of Change”, I really liked her in this book. Yes, she still hasn't gotten over Jacob at the beginning of the book, but she is a strong heroine, determined to open her own bakery and fighting not only her family's opinion but the preconceived notion of the English as to how smart an Amish woman is. Thaddeus is an equally strong hero, perceived as being a bit of a bad boy even though he really isn’t, and haunted by both the distant past when he left the Amish but the more recent past involving a murder. The romance between the two is sweet and nicely written. I continue to like the Pinecraft Florida setting where the Amish live just a bit differently there than they do in other Amish communities. The mystery aspects are nicely done and, while there is no guessing as to who the bad guy in the book is, there is just the right amount of tension that makes the book suspenseful but not scary.

I loved the “A Path Made Plain” and am already looking forward to “A Promise of Grace”, the next book in the series. show less

Gwynn Michaud is a widow with a family waiting for her back in New Hampshire. She's only in New York to see the lighting of her honored Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center. And her widowered host, Professor Theophilus Stellakis, has no intention of growing attached to this house guest his daughter invited over. But Gwynn and Theo may be in for some surprises in Comfort and Joy by author Lynette Sowell.

I found this novella to be warm, down to earth, and engaging, the story moving at a nice show more clip without rushing. The romance is well-developed, balancing attraction with the ease of Gwynn and Theo's dialogue. It also raises realistic points about finding new love later in life. The reading was like sitting down to watch a cozy Hallmark Christmas movie without commercials.

This was my first time ever reading this author, and this romantic and, well, comforting holiday tale has certainly put her writing on my radar. show less