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. 

Book Review: First Light in Morning Star by Charlotte Hubbard

 

First Light in Morning Star by Charlotte Hubbard is a touching story of love and forgiveness. 

The school board members are surprised when maidel Lydianne Christner applies for the teaching job at the new Morning Star school, but she seems sincere and no one else has even applied. Thrilled at the chance to teach, Lydianne knows the new life she has created can all come crashing down if anyone discovers her secret. 

Bishop Jeremiah, a widower, admires how Lydianne manages her classroom and students. He is also curious about her past and the burdens she seems to carry with her. When his attempt to court her is rebuffed, he feels lonelier than ever. 

An unexpected crisis finds Lydianne confessing to him, leaving Jeremiah with a choice that will require all his faith and understanding. 

You know how much I love Hubbard's books, but this one has to be one of her finest. I love everything about it from beginning to end. I enjoyed this story so much that I stayed up late into the night reading regardless of the fact that I had an early morning meeting. I felt tired all day, but it was well worth the exhaustion.

The secret that brought Lydianne to Morning Star now presents some of the biggest challenges she has faced. By applying for the job as the new teacher, everyone at the school board is suddenly interested in her past and why she has applied despite having no previous teaching experience. 

Then there is Bishop Jeremiah Shetler, who has been content living with his mother since the passing of his first wife. Though she has nudged him to find love again, he didn't feel much reason to and busied himself with looking after the spiritual needs of the residents of Morning Star. His sudden romantic feelings toward Lydianne perplex him, but when she rebuffs him he is determined to figure out what burdens her.

This second book in Hubbard's The Maidels of Morning Star series is even better than the first. Filling each page is the author's trademark compassion and grace as she weaves stories about residents of her imaginary communities and how they find love. It is a rare gift to be able to touch the heart the way Hubbard does with her novels. I can't tell you how much I admire and respect her talent. I highly anticipate the third book in this series, Christmas Comes to Morning Star, due out in August. 

I don't hold on to many books these days after reading them, but I have kept every one of Hubbard's books. They are special treasures I cherish and hope to read again. 

If you enjoy Amish fiction, First Light in Morning Star is a must read. 

Publisher : Zebra (December 29, 2020)

Mass Market Paperback : 320 pages

ISBN-10 : 1420151827

ISBN-13 : 978-1420151824

I received a paperback copy of this book from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Book Review: Morning Star by Charlotte Hubbard

 

A new series and a new beginning for a community of characters you'll look forward to getting to know is what you'll find in Morning Star by Charlotte Hubbard. 

When five maidels from the Morning Star community find an abandoned barn, they are sure an Amish marketplace in this location will prosper. After meeting with some resistance, the community agrees to pursue this endeavor to support another community need. None of them, however, could have imagined what happened next.

The new Morning Star Marketplace provides Regina Miller a chance to share her secret work with the world. Though Old Order Amish forbid the creation of art without a purpose, without a husband, Regina has been free to explore painting in her attic. When Gabe Fraud’s curiosity leads him to speculate that she is the painter, the full weight of the community’s judgment falls on Regina’s shoulders.

By questioning the Order’s restrictions in Regina’s defense, Gabe reveals his own guilty secret and is shunned along with her. Forced to turn to each other for companionship, they must learn to balance their own needs with their deep faith and, in the process, discover a love that shows them all things are possible.

I am happy to hear when Hubbard releases a new book. The first Maidels of Morning Star novel is a stellar offering in what I’m sure will be a superb series. It brings with it the trademarks of her work: a strong sense of community, female characters supporting their community and remaining true to themselves, and a tale of love and forgiveness. I admire authors who find their voice early on and can share that voice book after book with fresh new ideas that make each story engaging. Hubbard continues to excel in this arena, creating fabulous stories with characters you root for, you relate to, and want to see succeed. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book of the series.

Lovers of Amish fiction, inspirational romance, and stories about new beginnings will enjoy Morning Star.

Mass Market Paperback : 320 pages

ISBN-10 : 1420145126

ISBN-13 : 978-1420145120 

Publisher : Zebra (July 28, 2020)

I received a copy of this book from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.