Book Review: Love Blooms in Morning Star by Charlotte Hubbard

 

Welcome back to Morning Star where community, romance, and faith abound.  

In Love Blooms in Morning Star by Charlotte Hubbard, Jo Fussner has fallen in love with Michael Wengerd. Plans seem to be humming along until the elders forbid any maidel from working after she marries. Will Jo need to choose between her store and the man she loves?

The story of Jo Fussner is the focus of the fourth installment of The Maidels of Morning Star series. Having found love with Michael Wengerd, Jo is looking forward to the future, but she knows it won't be easy to get her mother Drusilla's blessing. Her mamm has been warning her of how trapped she will feel once her husband is the head of the house. Jo can't understand why her mother is so against marriage or why Drusilla is brushing off the advances of Nelson Wengerd. 

Just when she thinks all will work out, the elders decide maidels can't work after they marry. Jo has poured her heart into the Marketplace. She can't imagine not having a hand in its future. Words spoken in haste put everything she holds dear into jeopardy. 

Love Blooms in Morning Star is another fabulous story in The Maidels of Morning Star series. Just like other books in the series, the main story focuses on one or two characters, but that feeling of community is front and center.

Fans of Hubbard's work will enjoy their return to Morning Star. Jo is the primary focus of this novel, but unfolding in the background is Drusilla's story. Many familiar characters appear in this novel. Though this continues the series, you could easily read Love Blooms in Morning Star as a stand alone. I just feel there is so much value in reading from beginning and getting to know all these characters from the start.

Booklist has said that Hubbard writes of "brave new beginnings from a refreshingly feminist perspective." I agree with that assessment, and her thorough research and realistic portrayal of Amish life continues to gain her new fans. If ever there was a faith-based series ready for the small screen, it is this one.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Zebra (July 26, 2022)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1420151843
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1420151848

I received a NetGalley ARC from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way. You can pre-order this novel from Amazon and other online retailers. 

First Chapter Review: Love Blooms in Morning Star by Charlotte Hubbard

 

Charlotte Hubbard's upcoming Morning Star novel is in my TBR Pile. Love Blooms in Morning Star can be pre-ordered here. 

BLURB: As Jo Fussner keeps the Marketplace humming, her heart dances with a joyous secret. Jo and Michael Wengerd, a shy nursery owner from a nearby town, have fallen hopelessly in love. When Michael buys a courting buggy, Jo is sure a proposal will follow. But she’ll have to work hard to gain her mother’s approval—because the widowed Drusilla Fussner is convinced that marriage will bring her daughter nothing but heartache.

To win Jo’s hand, Michael enlists his father’s help in convincing Drusilla to give the marriage her blessing—and perhaps even open her heart to new happiness of her own. . . . But just as Jo and Michael’s hope for their future grows, an even bigger obstacle looms. The Amish elders vote to forbid any maidel from working once she marries. Now Jo must choose between the beloved store she’s put her heart into, and the man she can’t live without. Conflicted, Jo will have to trust that anything is possible when true faith guides the way . . .

COVER: All the books in this series have beautiful covers. Three of the four feature the female lead with flowers. The covers often reflect the seasons in which the stories are set. 

FIRST CHAPTER: Sitting to watch her friends, twins Molly and Marietta Helfing, get married, Jo Fussner has her own future on her mind. It certainly doesn't help that Michael Wengerd has told her about a surprise he intends to share once the ceremony is over.

KEEP READING: Anyone who follows this blog knows the answer is a resounding yes. I have loved the Morning Star series since the beginning and don't miss a book. I appreciate how Hubbard creates a community of friends for her readers while providing a fresh storyline with each new installment. Though every book stands alone, I find great value in following this community from the start. I look forward to seeing how Jo and Michael handle the obstacles that come there way in Love Blooms in Morning Star.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Zebra (July 26, 2022)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1420151843
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1420151848

I received a NetGalley ARC from the author. This First Chapter Review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.