Covered Bridge Charm ~ Dianne Christner

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Shiloh Run Press (March 1, 2016)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1630588970
• ISBN-13: 978-1630588977
• Purchase a copy here.

Carly Blosser may not match the typical description of a conservative Mennonite woman;unmarried at 27, living alone, and careening around her Oregon neighborhood on a pink bicycle;but she has a soft heart for the elderly Mennonite residents at Sweet Life Assisted Living Facility, where she works as a caregiver. When Carly's plans for a new volunteer program go awry, she shifts her focus to one lonely resident named Martha. Adam Lapp, a wood shop instructor at Sweet Life, joins with Carly to reunite Martha with an old flame before her 85th birthday. Carly and Adam's hunt involves carved initials on covered bridges, digging up the past, and the appearance of a newcomer, who hinders the budding romance between the two. Soon, new clues sweep them all in a harried race to the finish line where love is sure to be the ultimate prize.

My take on this book:

Carly Blosser's life revolves around the residents of Sweet Life Assisted Living Facility where she works a a caregiver. At 27 she has had one serious relationship that ended badly, and now she thinks that God's plan might be for her to stay single, and she is okay with that, after all she has the residents. When she comes up with a plan to enlist volunteers for the facility things don't go as she has planned, but it isn't long until she decides to focus on finding an old lost love for one of her favorite residents. She enlists the help of Adam Lapp, and soon a relationship develops between the two. Thing is his family has warned him to stay away from Carly but sometimes the heart has other ideas. 

I was drawn to this story because of Carly.She was a conservative Mennonite that really marched to her own drum. The author allowed me to envision her zipping around on her pink bike and having more than a few accidents when she got sidetracked. It was interesting to see her character grow and really mature as the story progressed. It was easy to see that she had the heart of a caregiver, always putting others needs before her own. I enjoyed the varied cast of characters that lived at Sweet Life, the author made each one unique and easy to imagine. Their stories kept the plot moving along, and while there were poignant moments there were several humorous moments to balance it out. I enjoyed the secondary story of Martha and the old love that Carly and Adam was able to reconnect her with.The relationship that developed between Carly and Adam was okay although I felt at times it did lag just a bit, but that didn't keep me from enjoying the story. 

A complimentary copy of this book was provided for review.