"sarah's garden" by kelly long

Sarah King is a reserved Amish girl who loves nothing more than spending time tending her garden. When she begins running her family's produce stand, she is apprehensive about dealing with the Englisch. Then she meets the new veterinarian, Grant Williams. As their friendship grows, Sarah emerges from her shell ... and a forbidden love begins to blossom.

Honestly, I'm torn when I reflect on this book. It is incredibly well written. Long has a way with words, and she drew me into the story. So my complaint comes from the plotline itself. I've read a lot of Amish fiction over the years--both the Beverly Lewis variety, where characters struggle with their faith, are shunned on occasion, and sometimes choose to leave the Amish church, and the more recent variety, which seems to idealize the Amish lifestyle. Out of all those books, this is the first that made me think, "Oh, please don't let that happen!" I won't spoil anything; I'll just say I didn't like how the conflict resolved.

Who should read it? Anyone who enjoys Amish romance should give it a shot ... just because I didn't like it doesn't mean you won't enjoy it.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review blogger program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.