3.99 AVERAGE


This story is filled with so many emotions! Grace's life has been filled with so much heartache. When she finally finds her nephew, she is determined to keep him in her life, at any cost. The need to protect him and reunite her family drives Grace to a place she never thought she would go. But is she really just running from forgiving herself for the past?

Andrew Easton has spent his life serving to please others. But what about his own dreams and desires? Will he sacrifice everything he longs for just to please his family? Or will he stand up for himself and take the path for the future HE wants?

There are so many interesting characters in this story. The layers of personality are lovely. Virginia is one of my favorite people and I am so glad we get to follow her story too!

Set in the beautiful city of Toronto, it is wonderful to get a new perspective of history in the early 1900s.

I received a complimentary copy of The Best of Intentions from the publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

Grace is traveling to Toronto to help her sister raise her son now that her husband has been killed in the war, but she arrives to find her sister has died of illness and her nephew was given to the only people Rose never wanted to raise him, her in-laws.  Andrew is trying to find a nanny for his nephew and doesn't realize that the woman he hires is his aunt, Grace has gone "undercover" to discover how her nephew is being treated and is she must find a way to steal him home to England.  Boss and nanny fall for each other...
I liked these characters and I've been avoiding this since I found out it was a Christian romance but the story itself wasn't overly religious making it a pleasant read.  
cinniaaine's profile picture

cinniaaine's review


DNF within the first chapter. Definitely not a book for me personally but would likely be more appealing to readers of historical Christian romances in particular.
hopeful medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Christian romance

This book was very well written. The path that Grace takes throughout the novel are genuine and well-paced. I especially loved the way she repented after bad decisions and faced her consequences. However, I did not enjoy the love triangle aspects of the novel, especially on Andrew's end. Despite having no plans to end his relationship with Cecilia, he purposely put himself in questionable situations with Grace again and again. On Grace's end, we see her praying to God for strength against temptation, but Andrew doesn't seem to regret his actions most of the time. I did not appreciate that aspect.

The book seemed to follow the pattern that I expected, but there were some unexpected twists throughout. I did enjoy the story and it kept me up, losing a bit of sleep, which is something that has not happened in awhile.

This story is sweet and completely innocent... Christian romance with buzzwords to prove it.
emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Sweet little story set just after WW1 in Canada. Its a nice clean romance providing an interesting exploration of the impact of trauma, war and loss on families. A perfectly nice, light, uplifting read that's not too taxing. The characters are good and well-drawn, even if the hero and heroine are a little on the side of Saccharine.

There's just one or two things that irked me. First of, why is it that in almost all marriage of convenience stories, or stories which look like there is going to be a marriage of convenience the prospective marriage partner (i.e the one which the hero or heroine is not in love with), is always superlatively bad or horrible? I mean is it because the marriage is not 'for love' and because the parties are not meant to be together?

I'm sorry, but to me, that just doesn't seem very realistic. Just because x does not absolutely love that person why do they have to be absolutely horrible, cruel, callous and selfish with no redeeming features at all. Oh and of course, they almost invariably turn out to be impious or not good Christians. So a character's personality is determined by their relationship to the protagonist: basically. I suppose this can apply to a lot of novels of this genre, not just this one in particular.

The other thing was really a technicality. I was seriously wondering whether a telegram addressed simply to one 'Helen Abernathy' in 'Sussex' would actually reach its destination. Didn't telegrams have to have more specifics details or destinations? I mean Abernathy is a fairly common surname, and so I'm pretty sure there would have been several people with that surname living in Sussex in 1920.

Altogether, The Best of Intentions is a perfectly good story with which to while away an afternoon or a long journey. Or just if you want a feelgood Romance story. I did like it, and its my second book by this author, so I would certainly read more by her. Its just some of the tropes of this genre which I'm perhaps getting a bit tired of.

I requested this title from the Publisher via Netgalley and purchased the audio-book of my own volition. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.

A little Downton Abbey-esque. Not bad...just a little predictable