This was such a sweet and easy read. Barbara just doesn't have the quilting skills like most Amish women do and would rather be outside working. While visiting her grandmother she meets Melvin, who has a land scraping business and needs help. As they work together they learn they have more in common than they thought. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more by the author, Mindy Steele. This is book one of the series, The Heart of the Amish.

Thank you to NetGalley and Barbour Publishing for letting me read an advanced copy of The Flower Quilter by Mindy Steele. This review is my own words and honest opinion.
#TheFlowerQuilter
#NetGalley
#MindySteele

The Flower Quilter is a beautiful story of finding one’s own way in life even when that goes against the norm. Barbara has grown up in a family of quilters. Unfortunately she not good at all with a needle and thread. Her mother sees her wanting to be outside and planting flowers in the yard as a trivial endeavor. She sends her off from Kentucky to
spend the summer with her grandparents in Indiana. It is quite eye opening as there are many differences in the Amish community there. Her grandmother realizes Barbara does not enjoy quilting. She does have a passion for growing things. Her grandfather gets her a job helping a landscaper and Barbara learns she has a passion for designing gardens. Will it lead to a career path once she is back in Kentucky? Will mother accept
that Barbara is on a different path and God has blessed her with unique gifts?
Well written with relatable characters. Barbara learns a lot about herself and others as she explores how to live a God honoring life. I enjoyed it and look forward to the next book. A 5 of 5 stars.
I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

As someone who can’t quilt, I could empathize with Barbara. But as an Amish woman, that puts her in a challenging situation. Now what? Well written characters will pull you into this book by author Mindy Steele. Barbara feels hopeless about ever fitting in. Melvin has been through a lot and is overprotective of his sister and niece.Both think marriage is out of the question. Steele is skillful at helping her characters grow and become who God has called them to be.

I love how She weaves this story around flower quilts. Did you know this is a real thing? I’ve seen many and they are truly beautiful works of art. I appreciate it when an author brings real life into their stories.

If you want to read about people who need God, beautiful flowers, and a sweet romance, then I highly recommend The Flower Quilter.

I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review.

The first quarter of the book was a little slow for me but once it got into the heart of the story, I really enjoyed it. I also really enjoyed learning more about the flower gardens that are in Indiana. I hope to check those out sometime soon. The characters of Sarah and Elli were my favorites!!



Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

Barbara's mother asks her to travel to Indiana to visit and help out her grandparents. Barbara arrives and crosses the street and almost gets run over by a fast driving Amishman!
Barbara tries to help her famous grandmother with her quilting business, but she pokes her fingers so much she has multiple bandaids on her hands as she is a horrible quilter!
Barbara goes to the Amish marketplace and meets Sarah Yutzy, Barbara tells Sarah about the buggy incident when she first came and Sarah told Barbara that was her brother Melvin.
Sarah 's grandfather lets her quit quilting and she starts working for a landscaper, who turns to be Melvin!
You will have to read it yourself to see what happens!

Joy does not come without sacrifices.


Barbara Schwartz comes from a family of quilters. Her mom and sister love to quilt and desire for Barbara to love the art of quilt. Her mother thinks a summer with her parents may help that love of quilting flourish. Barbara's grandmother owns her own quilting shop and teaches all levels of quilting. Barbara has never been away from her family in Kentucky and Illinois seems so much different. Upon her arrival, she is almost run over Melvin Bontrager buggy. She finds the whole incident unsettling and finds Melvin rude. However, Melvin has his own family issues. He takes care of sister and her young daughter who recently lost her husband. They also suffered the loss of his parents. With all these losses, his family becomes financial vulnerable. Melvin to make ends meet, runs a landscaping business on the side. He loves nature, seeing nature come together, and working in the dirt. He is amused with Barbara's arrival and how different she is.

Barbara becomes more acquainted with Melvin's sister and niece and begins to see Melvin in their eyes. When her grandfather acknowledges Barbara's unhappiness working at the quilt shop, he makes arrangements and Barbara finds herself working with Melvin. In working with Melvin, she discovers that her gift is in landscaping. Encouraged by Melvin, she designs a quilt of flowers. They both have set up for themselves expectations of family, shame, finding purpose and affirmation. Their story goes thru the tanglements that have trapped them to freeing them to find love in the most unexpected places.

I really enjoyed their story. It was sweet how they discovered faith in a whole new way. Highly recommend.

A special thank you to Barbour Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

Barbara feels like she doesn’t fit in with her own family because she is the only women who doesn’t quilt. When Barbara visits her grandparents for the summer and ends up working for Melvin’s landscaping business, creating flower quilt gardens, it is there that she discovers that she does have a gift for quilting, however, just not with a needle and thread.

This is a sweet story with lovable characters, Barbara gives Melvin a reason to enjoy life again and Melvin helps Barbara see her gifts.

I recommend this book to lovers of Amish romance and look forward to reading more from this author.

This book feels like being out in the sunshine after a Long gloomy cold winter. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

The Flower Quilter
by Mindy Steele
4 stars

I loved the way Barbara was not the traditional Amish women. It made for a welcome change of pace and for a wonderful read. A sweet romance as well.

I fell in love with this sweet Amish Romance by Mindy Steele. Her writing style has a smooth flow and she has the ability to carry her readers away into the midst of her stories. . Mindy writes about realistic things in every day life. In The Flower Quilter readers get to learn more about landscaping and the gift of being able to arrange different types of plants into beautiful flower quilting. The Author skillfully weaves a beautiful romance story around the flower quilts. I thought this story was well researched and it kept my interest through the entire book. The story was filled with different emotions and the beautiful ending bought this reader to tears of joy for the two main characters. Very well written!

I recommend this book to readers of Amish Romance Fiction and Women’s Fiction. This is the first book in The Heart of the Amish series. It’s scheduled to be released on 9/1/23.

I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

#TheFlowerQuilter #NetGalley

A charming story set in an Indiana Amish community, with characters that will tug at your heart. A young woman sent to help her grandparents for the summer, finds her real gifts when she works alongside a grumpy landscaper.

"Just when she felt her life was hopeless, Gott put someone in her path to deliver a fresh hope."

This was an easy read that had a feel of 'Pride and Prejudice' at the beginning, as two people with opposite personalities are brought together in a work situation. It was delightful to see their friendship develop as they helped each other. Loneliness, grief, forgiving oneself of past mistakes, learning to trust God and others for help, are topics touched on with grace, some humor and a sprinkling of scripture. I liked watching Melvin transform from a grumpy confirmed bachelor into a kind friend to Barbara. I might have developed a bit of a crush on him by the end. A sighworthy ending worth the wait.

Recommend to readers looking for a sweet, clean inspirational romance. Fans of Suzanne Woods Fisher's Amish stories will enjoy this one. 4.5 stars

This is such a sweet story. Barbara hates quilting but all the women in her family are known for it. On a visit to her grandparents her grandfather finds out that she would rather be gardening then quilting. So he gets her a job with the grumpy Melvin. Barbara shows Melvin how to make quilts out of flowers. Slowly they come to care for one another. HEA

This is such a wonderful story about a woman named Barbara who everyone wants to make into something she is not. Growing up she loved playing in the trees, chasing animals, being in the barns and in the dirt. But, her mother has her own ideas of what Barbara should do which is to make beautiful quilts. There is only one problem, Barbara can't sew and no matter how hard she tries it becomes a nightmare. Blood on the fabric from her fingers being torn by the needles, stitches that are way to far apart.
She has trouble sitting long enough to do a quilt because she would rather be outside working in her garden then inside during wonderful summer days.
In order to give her a break she goes to help out her grandparents and so begins her journey of love and a new way of life. She begins to work in landscaping with her friend Martin who takes her some time to get to know and realize he is a good guy. She develops an idea of how to plant flowers and begins to make the flowerbeds into quilts. The flowers come together to make the most beautiful displays and the company is getting more and more requests for them.
But of course life has a habit of turning the tables and both are struck by circumstances that they can't control and that they must handle. Will this tear them apart or can they find a way to achieve the dreams that each of them has.
Great summer reading, descriptions of the flower beds are outstanding and Mindy is just wonderful showing us the beauty that GOD has for us all around.

I received this book as an ARC read from Netgalley. Thank you Mindy and Vickie for thinking about me and letting me review the book. Also a big thank you to Barbour Fiction for making this available.

Since I read her first book, To Catch a Hummingbird, in 2021, I have been a tremendous Mindy Steel fan. She just gets better and better.

Her newest book, The Flower Quilter, will be published September 1, 2023.

This is One of her most unique ideas yet. A quilt made from flowers. Who knew that such quilt gardens actually exist in Indiana. These gardens add beauty to the earth in one of the best ways ever, and make an interesting backdrop for a story.

Barbara and Melvin are Lovable characters that we enjoy learning as the story develops. One might ask how a landscaper and a very poor quilter could ever have their lives intertwined, but because of Mindy Steele’s perfect way of developing characters, you believe they are human and become your personal friends.

The plot is so unique and well developed that I found it hard to put it down. I highly recommend you read this book.

Thank you Barbour Publishing, for allowing me to read an ARC of this 5-star beginning to a new series through Netgalley. All views are my own, and I was not required to give a positive review.

Such a well written, sweet story with lovable characters, Barbara and Melvin. Follow along as the two discover they have more in common than they realize and when they begin to work together, not only are their flower gardens growing, but so is their relationship. Mindy Steele, the author, knows how to write a story and keep you engaged. I have never been disappointed by any of her books.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher for my honest opinion. All words are my own.

What a delightful read. Barbara Schwartz was born into a family of quilters. Barbara hated quilting and her mother kept pushing quilting on Barbara. Barbara's parents sent her to Indiana to help her Grandmother in her quilting shop. When she got there her grandmother tried to help her love quilting but Barbara always had to rip out more than she quilted. Melvin Bontrager was a man that blamed himself for the death of his parents and had no time for women. Melvin helped his sister Sarah out when her husband had died. He loved her daughter Ellie. When Barbara's grandfather got her a job helping Melvin plant gardens they both were not comfortable but they grew to have feelings for each other. Melvin taught Barbara but Barbara taught Melvin designs of quilts made with flowers. This was a beautiful story and I loved the characters in the book.

I could just picture Barbara and her taped fingers, and how she wanted to please her family! She was sent to her Grandmother with the hopes that she would impart her wisdom and help Barbara develop the families gift.

Then we meet Melvin he is a landscaper, and helping his widow sister with her toddler daughter, as we meet him he has decided he will never marry and really is full of guilt. Can a visitor to the area turn his head, or will he continue down his own path?

Wait until you meet the unbrothers or should I say cousins, they seem to have done their jobs over the years!

I enjoyed this story, it hit close to home as I'm a gardener and a quilter. I could picture the plots of flowers done in quilt blocks, and it sure brought many blocks to mind, and I could picture the beauty of them!

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Barbour, and was not required to give a positive review.

Barbara feels like an outcast in her own family because she is the only one of the women who cannot learn to quilt. She would rather be outside gardening than stuck indoors poking her fingers with a needle. Melvin lives in guilt over his parents’ deaths and gives up his own future to care for his sister and niece, closing himself off to others and his own happiness. When Barbara visits her grandparents for the summer and ends up working for Melvin’s landscaping business creating flower quilt gardens, Barbara discovers she does have a gift for quilting, just not with a needle and thread. And Melvin learns to release his guilt and forgive himself. Together they find the way to overcome their pasts and embrace all the blessings God has for them.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Flower Quilter by new to me author Mindy Steele. Barbara and Melvin bring to mind Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blithe as they clash and misunderstand each other until they finally see what everyone else already has – God has put them together for a reason. Melvin helps Barbara see her positive qualities and gifts, and Barbara gives Melvin a reason to move on and enjoy life again. Themes of family, friendship, and love are woven throughout the story and show us a God Who gives hope for the future. I recommend this book and look forward to reading more from this author.
*I received a complimentary copy of this e-book from NetGalley and Barbour Publishing. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This story hit close to home for me, since my husband and I are the ones who took Mindy to see the flower quilts. She did a wonderful job of adding all the places in our area where you can see these beautiful flower quilts.
I also loved the story of Melvin and Barbara, that too was very well done. I would recommend this book for sure.

BLURB:
Barbara Schwartz was born into a family of quilters, but she would rather eat dirt than partake in another quilting frolic or sew on another binding. When her parents send her to Indiana to help her grandmother in her quilting shop, she finds herself amongst a very different community. It's only one summer and then she will be back in Kentucky where she belongs. Melvin Bontrager's world stopped six years ago when his parents died. Now when his only means of providing for his widowed sister and niece is threatened, Melvin finds his landscaping business disappearing too. When spring delivers a newcomer who is immune to his salty moods, Melvin does something he has never done before, accepts help. What blooms is the last thing Barbara ever expected, and everything Melvin could ever want.

MY REVIEW:
Oh, I loved this book! I am a massive fan of Amish romance novels, and Mindy is fast becoming a one-click for me.

The characters were relatable and likeable. The wholesome, sweet friendship and later romance, that bloomed between the two main characters was a delight to see unfold.

There was an underlying theme of perseverance, of never giving up, of remaining positive, which a lot of readers will relate to.

I cannot wait to read the next book in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.