Dandelions on the Wind by Mona Hodgson

I just finished Dandelions on the Wind by Mona Hodgson.  This was a sweet, romantic novella.  Maren Jensen came to the United States as a mail-order bride, however her groom was no where to be found.  She took a job on a Missouri farm, where she grew to love Mrs. Brantenberg and her granddaughter Gabi.  Gabi lost her mother during childbirth and her father left for the war grief-stricken.  Mrs. Brantenberg has been running the farm, with Maren’s help since.  However, Maren’s eyesight is failing and she has dreams of returning to her homeland to be with her family.

One day, Maren is in the barn and is surprised by a man– little did she know it was Gabi’s father returned from the war.  Mrs. Brantenberg is not overly excited by Rutherford “Wooly” Wainwright returning home.  However, with the help of the quilting circle and Maren, she begins to accept the circumstances around his leaving– and his returning.

Meanwhile, Maren’s eye sight is failing, and she is wanting to go home to be with family, but now that Wooly is back, she finds herself falling in love with him and the promise of a new life with him and little Gabi.

This is the first book in The Quilted Heart series– the other two are about two other women who are also in the quilting circle.  While this was a great book, it was rather short and I felt it left a lot of loose ends– it just seemed to abruptly stop and there was no closure to the events that were being discussed.  I did find out via Mona’s blog that this, and the other three books, are prequels to Prairie Song which is available now.  I am off to Amazon to check it out… I love historical fiction and the wagon-train-west time frame.  So, I am super excited to read the other two prequels and then Prairie Song.

This is a cute, sweetly romantic read.  Perfect for a day at the beach or while the kids are at school.  This momma gives Dandelions on the Wind TWO thumbs up.

Check out Mona Hodgson’s blog and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest!

Disclosure: I received Dandelions on the Wind for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.