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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
Hands down the best historical Christian romance I've read. So well written, loved the characters, even had a love triangle I didn't hate. Very good light read.
do you ever read a book where the writing is so boring that it makes you mad that the plot premise has now been wasted? that's how I feel about this
Seems like the whole thing could've been cleared up with one conversation
So it made getting thru the book very frustrating. Aggie is somewhat sympathetic but is the most frustrating character I've ever read.
So it made getting thru the book very frustrating. Aggie is somewhat sympathetic but is the most frustrating character I've ever read.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, for sending me this book to review.
South Dakota Territory 1880 is our setting and time period. Agnes Pratt is the single school teacher who in her6 years of teaching in the town of Penance has the respect of her students and is seen as a valuable community member. Many in the town wonder if Aggie will end up a spinster as she’s shown no interest in courting any of the single miners who live in her town. Enter the new doctor- James Harris. He like Aggie came from East coast high society to be the new doctor in town. It is no coincidence that they both came from the same home town, Buffalo New York, in fact they grew up neighbors, childhood friends, and that led to James asking Aggie to marry him 6 years ago.
She disappeared after telling James she couldn’t marry him. No reason is given and for many years James is at a loss for the reason why she left him. The twist/reason why was a good one that I didn’t see coming.
I really enjoyed this book, the characters, and where the story went.
South Dakota Territory 1880 is our setting and time period. Agnes Pratt is the single school teacher who in her6 years of teaching in the town of Penance has the respect of her students and is seen as a valuable community member. Many in the town wonder if Aggie will end up a spinster as she’s shown no interest in courting any of the single miners who live in her town. Enter the new doctor- James Harris. He like Aggie came from East coast high society to be the new doctor in town. It is no coincidence that they both came from the same home town, Buffalo New York, in fact they grew up neighbors, childhood friends, and that led to James asking Aggie to marry him 6 years ago.
She disappeared after telling James she couldn’t marry him. No reason is given and for many years James is at a loss for the reason why she left him. The twist/reason why was a good one that I didn’t see coming.
I really enjoyed this book, the characters, and where the story went.
This is the first book I have read by this author, and I really liked it. Aggie sacrificed a lot, thinking she did the right thing, while James pined for her for 6 years having no idea why she left him. The plot was great, and I enjoyed the setting and characters. I can see why so many people recommend this author
There's a reddit forum where people post about something they've done and ask "Am I the A**hole?" And other redditors vote yes, no, etc. One of the options is "Everyone Sucks Here." I think that applies to this story.
James should be a sympathetic character. No matter what reason Agnes left him, from his point of view his love left him in the middle of the night. But he comes off as self-centered and whiny.
He tracks down a woman who specifically doesn't want to be found by him and is upset she immediately doesn't fall for him - as if her express wish for him to not come is not hint enough. He lies and says his arrival is pure coincidence, but is also upset she doesn't fall for him immediately after his grand gesture of tracking her down? He agrees to start again as friends, then "flirts" with her all the time despite just agreeing to be friends - and again is upset she doesn't immediately fall for him.
He refuses throughout to recognize that she now has a life and career that she enjoys. He expects to see her, say "silly woman, come with me," and they leave the same day. Ugh. Even later, when he's grown a bit as a character and is supposed to be charming, he is saying stuff like "don't you think I've put up with you enough? Do what I say."
Agnes is more likeable. At first, her reaction to her secret seems overblown but by the way James first responds to Freddy she was clearly right. However, the story drags on soooooo long that every character becomes annoying. Her treatment of Sam, way of ending it with James (couldn't you leave a vague note?), and decision about visiting her parents could definitely have been better. They are both pretty indifferent about the deaths of other characters in the story.
The author made some strange choices, to me. James frequently "flirts" with Agnes in the form of little kisses, caresses, or innuendos but neither character really reflects on it later. So this leads to Agnes still apparently thinking James understands they are just friends even though he has kissed her multiple times? It doesn't make sense. His flirting is also supposed to come off as charming or clever I think, but it mostly came off as cringey.
The author keeps Agnes' secret from the reader far too long and when it is revealed, there was no real reason the reader couldn't have known from the beginning.
Sam as a character was fine, but as a POV was weird. He was a minor character and what we learned about him in his chapters could easily have been conveyed logically within the story through a simple conversation with the other characters.
James should be a sympathetic character. No matter what reason Agnes left him, from his point of view his love left him in the middle of the night. But he comes off as self-centered and whiny.
He tracks down a woman who specifically doesn't want to be found by him and is upset she immediately doesn't fall for him - as if her express wish for him to not come is not hint enough. He lies and says his arrival is pure coincidence, but is also upset she doesn't fall for him immediately after his grand gesture of tracking her down? He agrees to start again as friends, then "flirts" with her all the time despite just agreeing to be friends - and again is upset she doesn't immediately fall for him.
He refuses throughout to recognize that she now has a life and career that she enjoys. He expects to see her, say "silly woman, come with me," and they leave the same day. Ugh. Even later, when he's grown a bit as a character and is supposed to be charming, he is saying stuff like "don't you think I've put up with you enough? Do what I say."
Agnes is more likeable. At first, her reaction to her secret seems overblown but by the way James first responds to Freddy she was clearly right. However, the story drags on soooooo long that every character becomes annoying. Her treatment of Sam, way of ending it with James (couldn't you leave a vague note?), and decision about visiting her parents could definitely have been better. They are both pretty indifferent about the deaths of other characters in the story.
The author made some strange choices, to me. James frequently "flirts" with Agnes in the form of little kisses, caresses, or innuendos but neither character really reflects on it later. So this leads to Agnes still apparently thinking James understands they are just friends even though he has kissed her multiple times? It doesn't make sense. His flirting is also supposed to come off as charming or clever I think, but it mostly came off as cringey.
The author keeps Agnes' secret from the reader far too long and when it is revealed, there was no real reason the reader couldn't have known from the beginning.
Sam as a character was fine, but as a POV was weird. He was a minor character and what we learned about him in his chapters could easily have been conveyed logically within the story through a simple conversation with the other characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC to review!
Rating (on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being excellent)
Quality of writing: 5
Pace: 4
Plot development: 5
Characters: 5
Enjoyability: 5
Ease of Reading: 5
Overall rating: 5 out of 5
Rating (on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being excellent)
Quality of writing: 5
Pace: 4
Plot development: 5
Characters: 5
Enjoyability: 5
Ease of Reading: 5
Overall rating: 5 out of 5
This was a really sweet Christian romance. I loved the main character's strength and the other plot lines that looked at deeper issues. I was very invested in the outcome and thoroughly enjoyed myself throughout.