Title: Growing Season (Season #1)

Author: Melanie Lageschulte

Publisher: Fremont Creek Press 2017

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 256

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:  Ebook; Women Authors; Literary Escapes - Iowa

Melinda is already at a crossroads when the “for rent” sign beckons her down a dusty gravel lane. Facing forty and downsized from her successful career at a Twin Cities ad agency, she's struggling to move forward when a phone call brings her home to rural Iowa. 

It’s not long before she’s caring for a barn full of animals and working at her family’s hardware store in the community of Prosper, whose motto is “The Great Little Town That Didn’t.” And just like the vast garden she tends under the summer sun, Melinda soon begins to thrive. But when tragedy strikes, can she hold on to the new life she's worked so hard to create?

Filled with memorable characters, from a big-hearted farm dog to the weather-obsessed owner of the local co-op, “Growing Season” celebrates the challenges and joys of rural life.

I picked this one up from Amazon’s Prime Reads. Wasn’t quite sure what I was expected, but I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this little story of a woman finding her way on a farm in Iowa. I really enjoyed Melinda and her interactions with all the fun side characters. It’s a sweet little story without a definite end clearly setting everything up for the rest of the series. My only negative was when the author really pushed the idea that country living is superior to city living. It was a little heavy-handed in parts. I could have done without all the times she brought it up. At any rate, I think I’ll probably pick up the next book.

Season

• #1 Growing Season

• #2 Harvest Season

• #2.5 A Tin Train Christmas

• #3 The Peaceful Season

• #4 Waiting Season

• #5 Songbird Season

Next up on the TBR pile: