phyllish
Written on Dec 13, 2019
J.B. and Nora Nash had already overcome their grief over the death of their families. Moving to Pendleton, Oregon allowed them to have a fresh start. With their wonderful neighbors and the community they helped establish, things were looking up.
Until...
When tragedy hit, Nora was inconsolable. Her grief was debilitating and I felt so bad for her. J.B. was such a rock and though he grieved as well, instead of hiding from life as Nora did, he threw himself into the chores and upkeep of their ranch.
I greatly admired J.B. and the way he handled his pain. And how he continued to put up with Nora. I loved the courage he showed and how he finally got her to leave her bed of sorrow!! While I understood Nora's grief and empathized with her, I disliked the way she treated her husband during that time. Yet she did grow past it by learning to look beyond herself to the needs of others.
While the story could have been bogged down by the sadness and lashing out, it didn't. Shanna Hatfield added just enough detail about Nora's pain to make it clear yet infused the story with hope. The secondary characters, such as little Erik and his caring mother, kept the tone light.
There is a lot of backstory here and as it unfolded, some of it felt like an information dump. The story awas not like this in general but there were a few pages worth.
Overall, this was a sweet story of sacrifice in the midst of pain that ended with hope and forgiveness.
If you have read the Pendleton Petticoats series, you will enjoy getting this introduction to the Nash family from before the time that series begins.
Read my full review at Among the Reads
I was given a copy of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.