When Hope Blossoms by Kim Vogel Sawyer

When Hope Blossoms by Kim Vogel Sawyer

From Goodreads.com
Sweet Contemporary Story Set in an Old Order Mennonite Community 
Amy Knackstedt moves with her children to Weaverly, Kansas, to escape the speculation surrounding her husband's untimely death.
She hopes the new location will provide a fresh start for them all. But her neighbor, Tim Roper, is not pleased to have a Mennonite
family living next to his apple orchard. When the children try to befriend him, he resists. Tim left the Mennonite faith years ago and doesn't want any reminders of his former life. Yet Amy and Tim find their paths colliding far more than either could have foreseen. Will this tentative relationship blossom into something more?

My Take:  I read a lot of Amish Fiction (if you couldn't tell from most of my reviews).  I am excited to see author starting to focus on other Christian sects like Mennonites.  This book takes a look at what the Mennonites believe and what is different from the rest of the population.  This story has elements that will tug at your heart strings.  It will have you routing both of the main characters on as they each deal with the grief in their lives in their own unique ways.  I liked the relationship that Amy has with her children and how she has to deal with the budding teenage rebellion that her oldest daughter is starting to have about why they can't go to the public swimming pool for example.  I think that Amy handles herself very well considering she is a widow.  I know how difficult it is raising children with a spouse to help, I really admire those parents that do it on their own.  
I received a review copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest review. 
I would recommend this book if you like Amish fiction but what just a slight change of paces.