Reviewed by phyllish on
A story of hope and redemption
Aunt Henny, who was no one’s aunt yet everyone’s aunt, had broken her leg and had to turn her boarders out because she couldn’t cook or clean easily enough. So when Lily was looking for a place to stay, Edrich knew exactly where to take the sweet widow and her son, Toby, providing them with a place to stay and a job as well.
I loved Aunt Henny. She is one of those godly women who knows exactly when to meddle and when not to. She was observant enough to see part of Lily’s secret and yet knew enough to not ask questions. Yet. She cared so much for the broken woman that she was always finding ways to help her. Her relationship with the Lord was such that she was willing to challenge the women in her quilting circle when they were quick to judge, exhorting them with appropriate Scripture. Yay!
As I read, I have found that despite the more random way I select my books, there still seems to be a common thread that ties the one to the next. It seems like this was the weekend to read about men who are so in love they are willing to pursue the object of that affection and to patiently wait for them to heal from their scars. Edrich was such a tender and loving man. He had two young daughters that he loved to distraction. And I love seeing a daddy with his little girls!
Lily was a lioness when it came to protecting her son, yet she was broken and perhaps a little naive. Some of the choices she made were ones that would make her appear weak by today’s standards, yet she was still an endearing character. Enough so that once Edrich’s father met her, though he could sense that she had secrets, he wholeheartedly approved of her. Even after the nature of the secret came out. The women rallied around her (well, after some prompting from Aunt Henny) and the things they did for her near the climax of the story made me laugh! Yeah, it would be giving a possible spoiler, so you’ll have to read it to see what I mean.
Despite me thinking I knew what was going to happen, I was only partly right. It was a complete surprise the way some of the events played out. There was just a bit of mystery and suspense mixed into this lovely romance to keep it interesting.
This was a tender and sweet story. Though Lily and her son both bore bruises and emotional scars from her violent husband, it was merely a background detail. The one flashback to that time was tastefully written so that I wouldn’t be concerned with my nieces reading the book. If you have reason to be sensitive to this subject, do be aware it is there.
This review was originally posted on Among the Reads
I would like to thank Mountain Brook Ink for giving me a copy of this book. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- Finished reading
- 16 August, 2018: Reviewed