This was a pretty good book. It was a little choppy at times, going here, there. I will read more books by this author for sure and I love the recipes that are included! ( )

Mattie hopes her vision of Promise Lodge will eventually come to pass, but it will take a lot of work and other followers to succeed. With just a handful of people to clean up and clear the land, they began their task of building a new community. Mattie’s son Noah is heartbroken over his fiancée breaking their engagement, but when she arrives without warning, he is dumbfounded. This novel introduces the main characters in the series with an interesting and compelling story that leads smoothly to the next book. Well written, it is a fine tale of the strength and courage exhibited by these rather unorthodox Amish women who go against their ordnung to form a better community. ( )

I was reading a lot of Amish fiction for a while, but slowed down when they all started sounding the same. I enjoyed this one because it was different and the female characters were strong. I wish I could live at Promise Lodge. ( )

I just finished the first book in Charlotte Hubbard’s new series, and now I can’t wait for the next. I’m also ready to rent a room here, and stay forever, love the word pictures here, and the story was so good!
Can you imagine being attacked, and because you look a mess you father tells you to leave, no explaining from you, just go. When the book opens Deborah has taken a chance and headed to Promise Lodge, a new plain settlement that her former boyfriend’s mother and sisters have purchased and are fixing it up for new families.
Deborah broke up with Noah, he had kept her on the fence to long, and she was tired of waiting for him to marry her. What happens when she shows up and finds him, he is trying to forget her, and wonders what she is doing there.
Will Deborah’s secrets come out, and will the people here understand, when her own father didn’t. Where will she go and what is going to happen to her?
There are some sweet chuckles here, and was ready to sit down and eat the fabulous meals that were described. There is also so violence and you wonder how long it is going to go on, and how will they ever stop it. Yes they stop it once, and that is quite funny, but will Deborah have to leave to end the threat to this community.
We wish for the best, and feel the tension of evil, but will peace come, and more will be revealed in the next book. I really enjoyed this page-turner!
I received this book through the author, and was not required to give a positive review. ( )

Promise Lodge by Charlotte Hubbard is set in Promise, Missouri. Mattie Schwartz, Christine Hershberger, and Rosetta Bender needed to get away from their town (Coldstream) and Bishop Obadiah (who tolerates violence against wives and turns a blind eye to his son’s activities). They bought tan old abandoned church camp and have started the Promise Lodge Colony (a place for a fresh start). They are advertising for other Mennonite and Amish people to come and join them. Everyone is working hard to the buildings and grounds up to date (as well as put in a vegetable garden and plant crops). Noah Schwartz (Mattie’s son) is glad to get away because his fiancé, Deborah Peterscheim broke off their engagement. Then Deborah shows up at Promise. Her father threw her out and she regrets her decision to break off her engagement to Noah. Will Deborah be able to show Noah that she has changed and regrets her actions? Can Noah ever trust Deborah again? Read Promise Lodge to see who wants a fresh start at Promise!

I enjoyed reading Promise Lodge. It is a nice, easy to read novel that is heartwarming. The setting sounded just lovely, and I liked all the characters (especially the elderly sisters that come to lodge at the house). It is a little too preachy (a lot of scripture quotes), but I liked the theme of forgiveness and God’s will. I give Promise Lodge 4 out of 5 stars (which means I liked it). It is the first book of a new series by Charlotte Hubbard and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of Promise Lodge from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )