Winter of Wishes (Seasons of the Heart #3) by Charlotte Hubbard

Winter of Wishes (Seasons of the Heart #3) Reviews

• 
  Kate

  I've been intrigued by Rhoda as a character since the first book of the series. Her feelings of discontent, and that life had passed her by made me feel sad for her. But, in this book, she chooses to put those feelings aside and concentrate on being a blessing where she's needed.
  I also enjoyed Andy and his family, as well as the way they eventually started to interact with the Amish community at Willow Ridge.
  This book was a sweet reminder that sometimes, and in unexpected ways, God gives us the things we wish for.
• 
  Leah

  This would have been more enjoyable if I had read the other books in this series. There is some humor, some frustration, and a lot of romance. I enjoyed the food. I think that was the best part of this story. I liked the romance between the main characters. I didn't like many of the other relationships, though, but that may be from not reading the previous books.
• 
  Book Him Danno

  I enjoyed this book and I really love this series…I always want to know what new adventure the Lantz family is getting themselves into. On top of the fact that you learn so many interesting things about the Amish people also. That said I have never wanted to be Amish…too many things I think I would miss in the modern day world I live in….but many wonderful things could be said about living a simple life for sure! I do love the fact that they seem happy living without all the thing we thing are absolutely necessary. I do not like the fact that the men rule the roost and the women need to cater to them…no that is not my thing at all, if my husband is wrong I will let him know and I do not do what he says because he said it…I like the Lantz women they are strong and independent and yet the men seem to rule them at times and the bothers me…I could not sit still and be OK with all the problems what Hiram bring s into their lives.
  
  This is a nice continuation of the lives of the Lantz women. Miriam is getting married to Ben, Rachel is married and collecting wedding gifts and Ronda needs a change. She gets her wish and things are definitely changing around her life and the lives of many others she touches.
  
  If you like to read about the Amish then this is a great series…lots of information and romance making this a hard to put down series.
• 
  Jasmyn

  This was a really different Amish romance and nothing like what I expected. Rhoda is discontent with her life. She feels like the odd one out as both her sister and mother are getting married and moving on with a new life with new families. She feels a change in the air and jumps into a new job without looking back. I have to say, I admire her bravery for taking that leap.
  
  That leap leads to more than just a great job that she loves. It leads to a family that deparately needs her - and even if she doesn't realize it just yet - that she desparately needs as well. But there's one really big problem. This family isn't Amish - so they are strictly off limits in the romantic sort of way.
  
  Rhoda tackles this problem by trusting God, her Englischer friend tackles the problem in a way that I thought was postively brilliant. If I hadn't loved him already - I definitely would have fallen right then and there. The romance was amazing, the people in the story were amazing. I loved this part soooo much.
  
  Again, and I've mentioned this before in other books by Charolotte Hubbard, the accent was just a bit too much for me. It was toned down in this one since a good portion of the book takes place outside of the Amish community. I understand the concept of drawing the reader in with accents and realistic language, but it just doesn't do it for me in this case
• 
  Janice

  I read this on the Kindle
  
  This was the 3rd book in the series & it certainly not like a lot of Amish books i have read
  
  You have characters you love then 1 you really dislike & your wanting him (The Bishop) to get what due to him
  While he showing the Amish in a bad light the rest of the people show how loving they are
  
  You have Women who show they are not afraid to stand up for themselves against the Bishop you feel sorry for his family
  
  You have Andy who is a Englischer (Non Amish) & needs help to look after his mother & 2 children Rhonda one of the Triplets goes to help after seeing his advertisement he a male nurse
  
  I won't say too much on the book as i don't wish to spoil it for anyone but you do need to read the series in order this was the 3rd one i wanted so much to finish this book i was up to one in the morning so i could finish it & now i have to wait for the next book which comes out on 1st October 2013 i have already pre-ordered it
• 
  Judy

  Romance Is In The Air!
  
  I have read all the books in this series so far. The author did not disappoint me with this book either. She brings the characters in this book to life and dares you to fall in love with them. I did! I loved how the community comes to the aid of someone who isn't one of them.
  
  To add adventure to this story author Charlotte Hubbard continues with a character from previous books that you'd love to strangle! Such a troublemaker and a Bishop to boot!
  
  The main character in this book Rhoda Lantz is searching for her place in life. She is restless and feels the need to reach out and help a family in need. Little did she know how things would turn out.
  
  Is Rhoda's search over or must she continue searching? Has she found what she has longed for? Guess you will have to read this book to find out!
• 
  Tammy Bernadt

  Takes place in Willow Ridge. If I met the character Rhoda Lantz. She would be awesome to know has a friend. Rhoda thought she be living in a apartment above the blacksmith shop. Well she found something better. She took a job in a English home. The changes in her life starts has soon has she steps inside their home. Love how she changed their life's too.. The bishop in this book got under my skin. How this commuty stuck together is wonderful. I was shock to read the part where the English took her home. Ok wow what was going to happen to her in this book. Great book. Was great to the beginning to the end. Great characters in this book.
• 
  LINDA BOURG

  This is book 3 in the Seasons of the Heart Series. I enjoyed this one too. Rhoda thought love had passed her by, even her mother had found a beau and was getting married soon. Then she gets a job working for a young man while he is going to med school to watch his 2 kids and his mother. And of course love does eventually bloom. And Bishop Knepp well lets just say he is still a miserable old man and he is still causing chaos. I have 2 more in this series to get too and i do plan on reading them all
• 
  Tina at Mommynificent

  While I really am enjoying this series, I didn't like this book as much as the first two. Some of the things that happened were a little too hard for me to believe. I still love the characters and am looking forward to the next book, which it appears is actually An Amish Country Christmas instead of Breath of Spring which is labelled as book 4. I'm glad I noticed that now because I hate reading books out of order!
• 
  Simara

  I know Amish Romances are very popular so I decided to try it but this is not for me. I know it’s a cultural difference and I tried to be understanding but I felt like the treatment of women is awful. A kiss should not be such a big deal ever. Just not for me. Some situation felt too perfect, other too awful. No more Amish romance for me. The narration was pretty good and had believable accents and different voices for the characters so that was a plus.
• 
  Tatyana

  I thought this story flat and without any challenge or intrigue. Story went from them meeting to her deciding he is marrying her in days. There weren't any dialogues about a possible marriage, no proposal, no decision processes described. It was just her assuming then deciding then saying that he will marry her. There also wasn't any consideration for his side of choices, his life. I hated that he had to give up everything he is, everything he worked for, everything his kids know, just for a chance to be with her, while she gave up nothing. Sounded unfair to him and his children that it's them who had to earn a life with her in her world, while there wasn't even a line in the book on her considering what she'd give up for them.
• 
  Teresa

  Another great book by Charlotte Hubbard. This is the 3rd book in the Seasons of the Heart series. It's not to hard to figure out the story line if you haven't read the 1st 2 books, but from the ending you will want book 4 to see where the story goes next.
  
  In this book you learn the beginning of Rhoda and Andy's love story. How they met and how their lives start coming together.
  
  You also get more of Bishop Hirams shunning. You get to go to Mariam and Ben's wedding. There's a terrible slay wreck involving children.
  
  Just a great story to listen to.
• 
  Mayda

  Life is changing for Rhoda’s family. Her sister is a newlywed and her widowed mom is remarrying soon. But for Rhoda, life has become routine. When she happens upon an ad placed by an Englisher looking for someone to watch his kids and elderly mom while he is working, she jumps at the chance. It may be her road to happiness, but it won’t be without its perils. A well written story, it is so much more than just another romance. It has an intriguing plot, as well as thought-provoking secondary plots, and well developed interesting characters.
• 
  Kitty

  I think so far this one's probably my favourite of the series. I really felt for Rhoda, it had to be hard seeing others moving on and getting to that next stage of life and being left behind. I'm so glad she found someone special, and I'm very curious to see how this will play out in the next book too.
  
  Also, I keep saying I'm gonna get struck by lightning for this, but DANG I want to punch that bishop so hard it's not funny. What a sleaze ball.
  
  
• 
  Heather Crumpton

  Wow! The author has done it again! As soon as I started the book, I couldn’t put it down! Charlotte is by far, one of the best writers I have come across. I love her stories of the Amish and how their lives are told within this series. I loved how Rhoda has started her life in this book. I can’t wait to move on to the next book in this series.
• 
  Vikki Vaught

  While I loved the characters and the plot, it too far from what I believe could ever happen, so I don’t buy the story. The narrator is fantastic though. Happy reading/listening!
• 
  Chrissy Hale

  This is a very good series. I enjoyed this book BUT the one thing I didn’t like was how everyone was cut off in mid sentence. Nobody could finish a sentence. Otherwise great story
• 
  Kathy

  A villain to despise and a happy ending.
• 
  Tara Lee

  I don't read books like this often. I'm more of a fantasy/paranormal kind of person as evidenced by many of the reviews I have posted here. But every once in a while I'll review a book like Winter of Wishes by Charlotte Hubbard and it's a total breath of fresh air. There's no fantasy world to try and figure out or complex creatures to try and remember. It's just straightforward good writing.
  
  Rhoda seems to be stuck in a rut. Everyone is moving on with their lives around her but she's at a stand still and doesn't think she's going to go anywhere any time soon. So she calls about a job taking care of a man's two children and his mother who is recovering from a stroke. She thinks it's just the thing she needs to follow everyone else's lead and push her life in the direction she wants it to go. The kids love her, the mom seems to be recuperating well when she's around. And... the man. Andy.
  
  But she's not supposed to fall for him. He's English and she's Plain. She's already joined the church so there's no possible way for her to leave without being excommunicated from the faith and she doesn't want to do that to her family. Her wonderful family. Despite objections from the shunned bishop in Willow Ridge and the preacher she's confessed to, Rhoda finds herself falling quite hard for Andy. And he falls for her as well.
  
  Rhoda's life kind of spirals from there. One simple act of affection snowballs in to this GIANT thing and plans are set in motion that neither of them could have ever dreamed of. But they're definitely met with their share of opposition... and support from unexpected places.
  
  I loved the book. Absolutely loved it. Rhoda was kind and compassionate and just an overall wonderful person to read about and Andy goes from being this worn out, broken down man to a fierce protector and advocate of the Amish faith. Rhoda's mother Miriam may have just been my favorite character. Though she's Amish, she has little qualms with butting heads with the bishop (who is angry because she wouldn't marry him and likes to make trouble for the entire community in general) and finding loopholes in rules so that things turn out for the better rather than leaving everyone brokenhearted. She dearly loves her daughters and that is made 100% clear throughout the entire story, no ifs, ands, or buts about it.
  
  Winter of Wishes was an absolutely uplifting story about the bond between family and friends and the strength of faith and love. I wish I could go run and grab the other books in the Seasons of the Heart series and read them right now.
  
  Books like this always make me interested in learning about the culture and the customs behind them. And, for those of you who love to bake, there are a bunch of delicious sounding recipes in the back of the book for you to try once you've gotten your fill of reading about the happenings in the Sweet Seasons bakery.
  
  Side note: I know the characters in the story are supposed to be speaking with a German accent, but I haven't heard one of those in about 6 months. So as I was reading, the German accent in my head kept switching to Irish for some reason. Haha.
  
  I would definitely recommend this book as a read for anyone. It's heartwarming and will definitely leave you wanting to learn more of the Lantz family. It also teaches a lot of the Amish culture, which I find fascinating, and may even make you wonder what it would be like to be in their shoes. If nothing else, read this book because it will make you smile. And everyone could use a smile every now and then right?
• 
  Kathleen (Kat) Smith

  "You're interested in the position?"
  
  There was a hopeful upturn in Andy Leitner's voice as it came through the phone. "I was wondering if the store owners had taken my note down."
  
  Rhoda's heart raced. "Jah, I'd like to talk to you about it, " she gushed. "But ya should understand right out that I don't have a car, on account of how we Amish don't believe in ownin'-I mean, I'm not preachin' at ya, or-"
  
  She winced. "This is comin' out all wrong. Sorry," she rasped. "My name's Rhoda Lantz, and I'm in Willow Ridge. I sure hope you don't think I'm too ferhoodled to even be considered for the job."
  
  "Ferhoodled?" The word rolled melodiously from the receiver and teased her.
  
  "Crazy mixed-up," she explained. "Confused, and - well, I'm keepin' ya from whatever ya need to be doin', so,-"
  
  "Ah, but you're a solution to my problem. The answer to a prayer..."
  
  Just like that Rhoda Lantz life would be forever changed when she answered the ad she found posted in the Zook's Market in town. With her mother Miriam now just a month from being married to Ben Hooley, she knew she was missing something in her life. Call it a need perhaps, but something to validate her life, and taking care of Andy's children as well as his mother just recovering from a stroke, may be just the calling she feels on her life.
  
  But just how would Andy feel about her Amish ways? Being a busy single father while attending school for nursing, he faced challenging obstacles both at work and at home. It seems like he never can find peace between trying to stay organized, raising his two young children, and helping his mother recover. It seems just when his wife walked away, Andy's life had fallen apart. Is it possible that Rhoda can bring life back to his unhappy family or will this be too much for even a seasoned Amish woman to handle?
  
  Once again, Charlotte Hubbard takes her readers back to Willow Ridge in the third novel in the Seasons of the Heart Series, with Winter of Wishes. Rhoda Lantz has found that working with her family in the Sweet Seasons Bakery Cafè just isn't enough for her now that everyone is moving forward in their lives with the exception of Rhoda. But God has bigger plans for this Amish woman and the English family she is about to assume care of. Will He be able to seamlessly blend two different cultures into one perfect family? You'll definitely want to pick this one up and find out.
  
  I received Winter of Wishes by Charlotte Hubbard compliments of Kensington Books and Pump Up Your Book Tours for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review. I have fallen in love with their characters as well as the recipes that the women working at the Sweet Seasons Bakery whip up. I felt the change of the season in this book as Thanksgiving approached as well as the coming winter for the entire town of Willow Ridge. I love how with the advancement of time even some of the strictest religious beliefs are challenge by Miriam when her daughter is threatened by a bittered Bishop Hiram Knepp who's been under the Amish ban for keeping a car in his barn and driving it. Seems like Hiram is hiding more than his emotions under his harsh exterior while he lashes out to those around him, biding his time til he is returned back to overseeing the town and its residents again. Miriam has what I would call gumption and she isn't afraid to use it! I would easily rate this a 5 out of 5 stars and love all the recipes that are included in this book as well. Makes it twice as sweet to enjoy!