Orchard of Hope by Ann H. Gabhart

Growing up in the 1960’s was tumultuous time. And that word perfectly describes Jocie Brookes life. Will she be able to navigate these treacherous waters and find the hope in love and forgiveness?

Orchard of Hope by Ann H Gabhart is set in the small southern town of Hollyhill. Jocie literally runs into the Noah, son of a new family that has moved into town and quickly befriends the family, despite their colour difference. A racial divide in the town quickly forms and Jocie finds herself being ripped apart by is. Jocie begins to question why God would allow such things to happen and if there is anything she can do to help save her small town.

I will admit that I am on the fence about this book. While I did certainly enjoy reading it and really could not put it down at the end, I am left feeling a little underwhelmed by the whole thing. Maybe things would be different if I had read the first book in the series. But, even so, I guess I think things turned out a little too perfect in the end. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I know that I am not longing to read the rest of this series or anything like that. The characters were decent, but it seemed like there were almost too many to keep track of or to develop well. All in all a good read, but I don’t think I will be reaching for the rest of the series.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group

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