Until the Harvest is the second book in the Appalachian Blessings series. Perla and Casewell Phillips' son, Henry, has been attending college but returns home to help with the family after tragedy strikes. While he's home, he seems to lose his way and finds himself becoming someone his family wouldn't recognize. As he struggles with how to balance who he was, who he's becoming, and who he wants to be, he finds himself drawn to Margaret and her sister Mayfair, as they take root on his grandmother's farm and in his family's lives.
I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Miracle in a Dry Season, and I was excited to reconnect with the town and its characters. This book focused in more tightly on its main characters, and I didn't feel as if I was connecting with the town as a whole as much. The time jump from Casewell and Perla's wedding to their having a college-aged son also took some adjusting to. However, once I was able to connect to the characters and feel Henry's loss and Margaret's despair, the side characters began to shine more clearly. Once again, using characters that many would consider unreachable, or unworthy to bring change, the author weaves in stories of forgiveness, second chances, and how love can change even the toughest of hearts. It was also a delight to see Angie and Frank happy in their long-awaited marriage! And, as a reader, it was satisfying to see Perla's story come full-circle and serve to help others with the lessons she'd learned. She even says "We're all bad girls. Just some of us are forgiven."
I give this book 3 stars; I still enjoyed following this story, but the characters in the first book were a little more dynamic and kept me more invested in their lives.
The publisher is doing a giveaway right now that sounds amazing! You can enter HERE.
You can find Until the Harvest HERE.
You can find the author's website HERE.
I received a copy of this book from Bethany House, in exchange for my honest review.
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