Sarah's Garden by Kelly Long

From Goodreads:

When Sarah realizes that she has fallen in love with an Englisch doctor, she must choose between loving a man and losing her family.

Deep in the heart of Pennsylvania's Allegheny Mountains, shy Sarah King is happiest when working in her vibrant Amish kitchen garden, but new family responsibilities lead her into the confusing world of the Englisch.

Sarah finds her life turned around when she encounters the community's new Englisch veterinarian, Grant Williams. His blue-gold eyes and his obvious concern for her people attract her immediately. Sarah seeks solace and direction from the Lord as she creates a quilt pattern which details her struggle between two worlds.

The Lord is guiding Sarah to follow His will, but will she listen?

My Thoughts:
When I picked up this book I expected another predictable Amish fiction love story – don’t get me wrong I love Amish fiction, but sometimes the love stories can be a little unsurprising if you know what I mean. I was really happy to find that Sarah’s Garden did not follow the typical formula. The love story in this book was more of a struggle, and also about the development of Sarah’s love for the Lord and for herself.

I was happy to find that as the novel progressed Sarah developed into a strong, capable and rather independent woman. She was strong enough to understand herself and her needs and was able to turn down a life that would have been comfortable, and what was expected of her in order to wait for the life that she truly desired. She had enough faith in the Lord and in herself to know that she did not have to settle for second best.

There were actually a few shining examples of female strength and independence in Sarah’s Garden that are not always seen in this genre and I really appreciated these themes and the ways that Long developed the stories around these women. I am immediately starting in on the sequel Lilly’s Wedding Quilt by the same author.

I give it 4*s / 5!