I would have given this 3 to 3.5 stars except for the whole plot point where he leaves her to marry another girl he's not even in love with and then she almost marries someone else and that whole section was just painful.
I like the way Lessman writes and the engrossing nature of her stories. I like that they involve the whole family (at least in this series).
I didn’t so much love the Evelyn sub-plot because it feels like it was contrived out of thin air. On the other hand, I did really like the way she pulls these characters in as threads from different books. By this point it feels like the whole picture is coming together and it’s nicely satisfying.
That being said, I really don’t like how drawn out the story is because of how convoluted it has to become to get there. Oh my gosh these characters go in so many different directions and it’s because of their own will, which I’ll grant is entirely realistic but still frustrating as a reader. And sad too because these characters have to pick up so much baggage on their way to happiness it taints things.
That’s the thing I don’t like about Lessman’s books that I’ve read so far. Yeah, there's a happy ending but it’s always an ugly way to get there. And its conflicts that can’t be shaken or forgotten and they take some of the fun out of reading her books.
But maybe that’s just me. There’s lots of good parts too which is what keeps me reading. Lots of characters and fun dialog and engaging characters and sweet moments, not just with the couples but between friends and among the family and with God. This is a story that’s heartbreaking (but not inna fun way) and also heartwarming.