Brianna and Colleen O’Leary know their father expects them to marry well. Yet despite his wishes, Brianna, the quieter sister, dreams of attending college. Vivacious Colleen, meanwhile, is happy to marry–as long as her father’s choice meets her exacting standards. When stable hand Gilbert Whelan returns from college and distant family member Rylan Montgomery stops in on his way to the seminary in Boston, the two men quickly complicate everyone’s plans. It will take every ounce of courage for both sisters to follow their hearts. And even if they do, will they inevitably find their dreams too distant to reach?
My Thoughts:
This is
one of those books that really grated on my nerves at times, but when it was
over I realized it was actually a very good story.
I can’t
imagine living in a time when fathers had so much say in who their daughters
married. Love and friendship, and all that goes with a good marriage, was
usually way at the bottom of the list of traits that a man must possess to
marry one’s daughter.
Colleen
and Brianne both lived under their father’s control, and he turned out to be a
bully who was only out for his own gain. He wheeled and dealed with his own
interest in mind, and never once considered if his daughters would be happy
with the men he chose for them to marry.
I spent
most of this book wishing I could just read through the pages and shake some
sense into these two girls, and to tell them to follow their hearts and not to
worry about their dad. But again. I didn’t live in that time period when this
way of thinking was perfectly acceptable.
Gil and
Rylan are very similar in their character traits. Both have high morals and
ethics, and simply do what their mind has convinced them is the “right” thing.
Neither of them is willing to give into their hearts’ demands for fear it will
upset their parents. Throughout most of this book it was apparent that someone
was going to fall in love, but both of these male characters spent so much time
messing up that I wasn’t sure it was ever going to happen.
This story
took a huge turn when near-tragedy struck. And as it is with tragedy, people
tend to change their way of thinking and their ways of doing things.
Once
everyone finally admitted their true desires and feelings about their own
lives, this book was so entertaining. When it was over, I found myself missing
these characters and wanting to know the rest of their stories.
I’m
looking forward to the next book in this series – coming in early 2016.
Susan Anne Mason always
loved to write. As a teen, she wrote my first novel, only to be politely
rejected by her publisher of choice.
Life got in the way -
university, marriage and children became the priority. Then once she had time
to start reading again, the writing bug bit once more.
She enjoys writing both
contemporary and historical Inspirational romances. "Romance sprinkled
with faith" describes her writing style. She loves themes of forgiveness
and redemption!
She is a member of the
American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and the Romance Writers of America. Her
association with such amazing groups of people has been the biggest asset
toward learning her craft.
Home for Susan Anne is
Brampton, Ontario, Canada (near Toronto), where she lives with her husband, their
two children and two cats. Her day job is a part-time secretary at a local
church. In her spare time, she likes to read and research her family history
on-line.
Amazon | Nook | iBooks | Play | Family Christian