Even though Kate Dawson, knew this day was coming, it still caught her by surprise. She had known Lucinda Riverton has been sick for quite some time and it was only a matter of time before she succumbed to her illness, and she made arrangements to have Kate take on raising her only son Anthony when that time came. She even wrote to the boy's father advising him of the circumstance, but Kate believed that to be a man named Richard, who she had helped Lucina and Anthony escape from his violent ways. Now it turns out that Lucinda has been married to a man named Silas Jonesey who has arrived to hope to make amends with Lucinda and restore their relationship. But when he gets there, Lucinda has died and she failed to tell him that he has a son. To make matters worse, Richard arrives in time to attempt to collect Anthony who he had used in the past as a pick pocket to make a little money on the side. Yet no one is considering what Anthony wants in this matter, and with Kate being unwed, it is unlikely a judge will rule in her favor to keep Anthony.
Anthony solves the issue when he runs away without anyone's knowledge and now it is a race against time to see who can find the boy first. In order to sway the odds a bit in his favor, Richard goes to see the judge just prior to the ruling on Anthony's fate, and since he is the only one there, the judge rules in his favor. Seems he might have not been as forthcoming to convincing the judge to postpone the trial while they attempt to locate Anthony. Even while Kate struggles to find him, she finds herself at the hands of the school board when they believe she is acting in a way contrary to what the town would like to have in a school teacher. Being seen arriving late to school and other questionable conduct, she is put on notice to straighten up otherwise they will be forced to find another teacher and she will lose her job. But what is more important finding Anthony or keeping her job?
I received A Bride at Last by Melissa Jagears compliments of Bethany House Publishers and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review aside from a free copy of this novel and the opinions contained in this review are strictly my own. Christian Western Romances have long been my favorite genre and it's been quite some time to have such a treat as this one. It showcases once again the struggle women had when faced with certain circumstances and keeping up ones reputation and propriety even though Kate isn't doing anything wrong. It is that perception that women had to struggle against during the late 1800's as some were willing to answer ads as a mail order bride and found themselves with men who were less than respectable. I never realized the outcome of the children who were forced to grow up as orphans, most being given away to those who might be able to raise them or placed in orphanages. The only other option was living on the streets. This is another great look our the historical past and how some had to make a go of things when the odds were stacked against them. I'd rate this one a 4 out of 5 stars. This is the 3rd book in the Unexpected Bride Series!
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Can Silas and Kate overcome their rocky start and experience healing—and possibly love? Discover the answer in Melissa Jagears' new book, A Bride at Last. Neither Kate nor Silas is prepared for the secrets and past hurts that have yet to come to light as they attempt to prove nine-year-old Anthony's paternity to the court. Can their wounded souls bind them together or will all that stands between them leave them lonely forever?
Celebrate the release of A Bride at Last by entering to win a $100 Memory-Making giveaway and RSVPing to Melissa's August 4th author chat party!
One grand prize winner will receive:
- A $100 gift card to Netflix (for a family movie night), Shutterfly (to create a family memory book), or TablePlayGames (for a family game night)
- One copy of A Bride at Last
I really enjoyed Melissa's debut, but haven't read the other two books in this series. Someday I must read them, especially since the first book sort of "changed" the normal rules of mail-order-brides. The story has been done so many times, it's nice when an author can surprise. :)
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