Publisher: Sheaf House Publishers.
Release Date: November 1st, 2024
Source: Free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Category: Christian, Historical Fiction.
Synopsis from Goodreads:
May 1945. Germany has surrendered to the triumphant Allied forces, while the war against Japan grinds toward a bloody end.
Just graduated from high school, Ellie Hershberger longs to explore the wider world, unrestricted by her conservative Mennonite church. But when the neighbor’s son returns from the war, and then suddenly all her dreams are shattered, she questions whether home is a place to escape from—or where her heart’s deepest desires really lie.
Refusing to join the Mennonite church he grew up in, Jude Mast enlisted in the Marines and ended up in the South Pacific. Now battle-scarred and crippled, he’s forced to return to the community he thought he’d left behind forever. Yet here, where he believes he’ll never be forgiven or accepted, he discovers a grace he never conceived of, and a love that might change everything.
During that scorching summer, while the war rages toward its climax in the Pacific, the skies remain as hard and unyielding as iron. But in God’s gracious time there will come a season for the heart.
My Thoughts:
4.5 stars.
What an emotional and moving story! I adored it!
A Season for the Heart is the heart-wrenching story of Jude Mast, a marine returned from the war after being injured, and Ellie Hershberger, who has just finished high school and facing her future.
Jude is both physically and emotionally scarred and trying to find his place in the world. He has to face many demons, and finds help and respect in the most unexpected place – his Mennonite neighbours who are opposed to fighting.
Ellie has been sheltered, and longs for more worldly things, but when she does get the opportunity to experience those worldly things they turn out to be less appealing than she thought they would be. After an attack draws Jude and Ellie together, they start to find comfort in a friendship with one another.
I loved both Ellie and Jude. They were so well rounded and real that I had to keep reminding myself that this was historical fiction and not non-fiction!
I loved the strong faith element throughout the story, and the redemption and healing the characters go through. Hochstetler hasn’t shied away from some of the gritty things in life but does it delicately enough for a sensitive reader such as myself to handle.
Overall, this was a beautifully written, slow burn romance with real emotional depth. I am partial to Amish/Mennonite stories, but I think you will still enjoy this if you don’t generally read them. If you enjoy faith based historical romances, this is one not to be missed. I highly recommend it.
This was a clean read. Kissing only. Some violence (see below). No swearing.
Trigger warning – *spoilers.*
*Childhood physical abuse is mentioned, but not in detail.
*Jude describes things he had to do in war.
*Ellie is attacked and almost raped, and her struggle to get free is described rather vividly, which I found hard to read. She is saved before being raped.
Rochelle L. Sharpe 