The Scent of Cherry Blossoms by Cindy Woodsmall Review

Hello Friends :)

Happy First Day of October!

I hope you're all doing well, and I want to thank you all for joining me for another book review here on The Preppy Book Princess.

In the last couple of months, I've shared my reviews of three of the titles in Cindy Woodsmall's Apple Ridge series.

The Sound of Sleigh Bells

The Christmas Singing

The Dawn of Christmas

Today I'm excited to share my review of the final book in the series, and I'm so sad to be done with this beautiful book series. I'm definitely going to have read more of Cindy Woodsmall's books in the very near future.

The Scent of Cherry Blossoms by Cindy Woodsmall:

Source: Libby App

Publisher: Waterbrook Press

Publication Date: February 21st, 2012

Genre: Christian Fiction/Amish Fiction

Series: Apple Ridge

Synopsis:

Annie Martin loves the Plain ways of her Old Order Mennonite people, like those revered by her beloved grandfather. Retreating from a contentious relationship with her mother, Annie goes to live with her Daadi Moses in Apple Ridge.

But as spring moves into Pennsylvania and Annie spends time amongst the cherry trees with the handsome Aden Zook, she wishes she could forget how deeply the lines between the Old Order Amish and Old Order Mennonite are drawn.

Can Annie and Aden find a place for their love to bloom in the midst of the brewing storm?

(synopsis from goodreads)

My Review:

I'm not sure that words can truly even express how much I adored this beautiful story from one of the genre's very best. I've read a lot of Amish fiction titles over the years, but very rarely have I read one that focuses around a forbidden relationship between two different religious sects.

Annie is old order Mennonite, and has been good friends with the son of her grandfather's business partner since they were young kids. When a falling out with her own family leads to her leaving to spend some more time with her grandfather, her and Aden quickly come to realize that their childhood friendship has grown into something more. How could a relationship between the two of them ever truly work out when they have so much working against them, and both of them having taken their vows to their own churches?

The Scent of Cherry Blossoms is a breathtakingly beautiful romance story that speaks of sacrifice, the importance of familial bonds, and most importantly, learning to trust and follow our Lord even when He doesn't seem to be leading us in the direction we were hoping for. Annie and Aden's love story story is heartwarming and authentic, and I adored the fact that their romance barely contains any physical components, and yet their bond is so strong and speaks to them wanting to be together for the right reasons, and not just because of physical attraction or lust.

I appreciate the fact that every time I pick up a novel from Cindy Woodsmall, I end up learning something new about Amish culture, and I always love how she's not afraid to tackle tougher subjects in her heartfelt stories. In this particular title on top of the forbidden romance, the reader also encounters the struggles that Aden's brother encounters being in a wheelchair, and the fact that Aden himself has suffered from speech impediments for as long as he can remember.

I truly adored this one from start to finish, and I almost read the entire story in one sitting. I'm so sad to be finished with the Apple Ridge series, and I know I'm going to have to reread these in the very near future.

Final Rating: 5/5.

Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day :)

This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The photo does not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners.

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