April 2011

Award winning author, Laura Hilton, her husband, Steve, and their five children make their home in Arkansas. She is a pastor’s wife, a stay-at-home mom and home-schools. Laura is also a breast cancer survivor.

Her publishing credits include three books in the Amish of Seymour series from Whitaker House: Patchwork Dreams, A Harvest of Hearts (winner of the 2012 Clash of the Titles Award in two categories), and Promised to Another. The Amish of Webster County series, Healing Love (finalist for the 2013 Christian Retail Awards). Surrendered Love and Awakened Love followed by her first Christmas novel, A White Christmas in Webster County, as well as the Amish of Jamesport series, The Snow Globe, The Postcard, and The Birdhouse. Other credits include Swept Away from Abingdon Press’ Quilts of Love series. Laura is contracted for another three book Amish series set in the Jamesport area, with the first book, The Amish Firefighter releasing in May 2016, followed by two more Amish books and a Christmas story releasing in Fall 2016, Spring 2017 and Fall 2017 respectively.

She has self-published a Christmas novella, Christmas Mittens.

Laura is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and a professional book reviewer and blogs for Putting on the New and Seriously Write.

 

Read more about Laura Hilton.

Title: Sarah’s Garden (Patchwork of Heaven, Book 1)
Author: Kelly Long
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Date: July 2010
ISBN: 978-1595548702
Genre: Inspirational/Amish
Reviewed by: Laura Hilton

The book was a light, sweet summer read, with some tender and romantic moments.

Sarah King’s life revolves around her garden. In fact, her father jokes that instead of having a green thumb, she has a green arm. Sarah’s garden is famous among the Amish for its many varieties of heirloom vegetables, and the family’s roadside stand is an important source of family income.

Grant Williams is the new veterinarian for the Amish farmers. He’s bought a former Amish farm and moved in with his housekeeper and butler. While at the roadside stand to buy fresh vegetables for his housekeeper, Grant meets Sarah and is smitten.

The King family reaches out to Dr. Williams, helping him become accepted into the community, volunteering Sarah’s services to help him plan and plant a garden, and inviting him into their home. Yet, they warn Sarah to guard her heart against him. What will it take for an Englisch man and an Amish girl to be together?

Sarah’s Garden is Kelly Long’s debut novel, the first book in the Patchwork of Heaven series. Long’s protagonist, Sarah, is a spunky, sassy, spry heroine, and quite an expert in heirloom gardening, which piqued my interest in reading the book. I may have to take on a new hobby so I can try some of the vegetables. Sarah’s Garden has a wealth of information on heirloom gardening.

While I found some things a bit unrealistic or less than thoughtful, overall, the book was a light, sweet summer read, with some tender and romantic moments. I enjoyed Long’s inclusion of a lot of Amish phrases that most Amish authors don’t use, as well as the discussion questions at the end of the book.