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In the small town of Colden, Massachusetts, Libby Sawyer leads a quiet,
predictable life. Yet beneath the surface, she is haunted by a secret.
Newly arrived on American shores, Michael Dobrescu is far from predictable, and his arrival in Colden is anything but quiet. Michael's shocking claim to be the rightful owner of Libby's father's house immediately alienates him from the appalled citizens of Colden.
Despite her own outrage, Libby is unwittingly fascinated by this enigmatic man who seems equally intrigued by her. As the court's decision about the house looms and the layers of mystery surrounding Michael's past are unveiled, Libby's loyalties are tested in ways she never imagined.
Newly arrived on American shores, Michael Dobrescu is far from predictable, and his arrival in Colden is anything but quiet. Michael's shocking claim to be the rightful owner of Libby's father's house immediately alienates him from the appalled citizens of Colden.
Despite her own outrage, Libby is unwittingly fascinated by this enigmatic man who seems equally intrigued by her. As the court's decision about the house looms and the layers of mystery surrounding Michael's past are unveiled, Libby's loyalties are tested in ways she never imagined.
Genre: historical romance
Publishing date: January 2012
Mature content: nothing to report.
Review: This is a beautiful book. It seems like a simplistic way to start a review, but it's the truth. I'd never read anything from Elizabeth Camden before but I saw this book recommended on another blog and I got curious, so I decided to give it a try. I was hooked from page one and I was sorry to see the story end. I will definitely be looking for more books by the same author.
Libby is an amazing woman, educated, talented and outgoing, always willing to help others. She holds on to a secret, though, a secret she believes will cause her to be alone, unmarried and childless, for the rest of her life. Because of her problem (no spoilers, you need to read it), she has been bullied and scorned, even by her own father, but still she's intent on making the best of live, limitations aside. Even though Michael and his family have invaded the house where she lived with her father for almost all her life, she's still willing to help them when everyone else is intent on shunning them. Michael, on the other hand, is a warrior, so sometimes he can be a bit rude. Still, the unconditional love he has for his family won me over and made me forgive his lack of social skills sometimes. He certainly has his heart in the right place.
There's a Christian undertone throughout the book, though not in an overwhelming way. Libby and Michael's willingness to respect God's will and thank Him for their blessings comes about as naturally as their love story and everything else in this book. There's also a hint of suspense, which made the plot even more compelling. The story is set in the late19th century and even though I'm no expert, everything seems credible enough and all historical references are accurate. And even though you should not judge a book by its cover, I loved the cover too, I think it perfectly matches the rest of the book.
Libby is an amazing woman, educated, talented and outgoing, always willing to help others. She holds on to a secret, though, a secret she believes will cause her to be alone, unmarried and childless, for the rest of her life. Because of her problem (no spoilers, you need to read it), she has been bullied and scorned, even by her own father, but still she's intent on making the best of live, limitations aside. Even though Michael and his family have invaded the house where she lived with her father for almost all her life, she's still willing to help them when everyone else is intent on shunning them. Michael, on the other hand, is a warrior, so sometimes he can be a bit rude. Still, the unconditional love he has for his family won me over and made me forgive his lack of social skills sometimes. He certainly has his heart in the right place.
There's a Christian undertone throughout the book, though not in an overwhelming way. Libby and Michael's willingness to respect God's will and thank Him for their blessings comes about as naturally as their love story and everything else in this book. There's also a hint of suspense, which made the plot even more compelling. The story is set in the late19th century and even though I'm no expert, everything seems credible enough and all historical references are accurate. And even though you should not judge a book by its cover, I loved the cover too, I think it perfectly matches the rest of the book.
Overall, this
is a wonderful book that will make you happy just by reading it. It's perfect for a lazy fall/winter
weekend and for the upcoming holidays season. Totally recommended.
Happy readings,
I love historical fiction and this sounds like a great book! Thank you for sharing the review at Tuesdays with a Twist! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting and for stopping by. I hope you love the book as much as I did!
DeleteAdding this to my TBR list. Thanks for sharing at #TrafficJamWeekend
ReplyDeleteI hope you love it! Thank you for stopping by and have a wonderful week!
DeleteI loved this book so much! I read it several years ago but I still think about it often and I've read every other book by this author that I can get my hands on. I love all of them! Thanks for sharing this at Booknificent Thursday last week on Mommynificent.com!
ReplyDeleteTina
Thank you Tina. This was my first one be this author, but I've already downloaded a few more because I think they will be worth it!
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