Beauty for Ashes by Dorothy Love
She’s a beautiful young widow. He’s a Southern gentleman with a thirst for adventure. Both need a place to call home.
After losing her husband in the Civil War, Carrie Daly is scared she will never have the family she longs for. Eligible bachelors are scarce in Hickory Ridge, Tennessee, but Carrie has found love. Not the weak-in-the-knees kind, but something practical. Still, she isn't quite ready to set a wedding date with Nate Chastain.
Griff Rutledge is a former member of Charleston society, but has been estranged from his family for years. He’s determined to remain unattached, never settling in one place for too long. But when asked to train a Thoroughbred for an upcoming race in Hickory Ridge, he decides to stay awhile.
Despite objections from the townsfolk, and her fear that true happiness has eluded her, Carrie is drawn to Griff's kindness and charm. It will take a leap of faith for them to open their hearts and claim God's promise to give beauty for ashes.
My thoughts:
After receiving a copy of this Historical book and finding out it was a Romance I call tell you I was less than enthused to be reading it. I have never been one to read romance books, historical or otherwise. It was a rainy Wednesday and I was looking for something to curl up and read and that is when I picked up Beauty for Ashes only to be pleasantly surprised and how much I enjoyed this book.
Beauty to Ashes is the second book in the series and having not read the first book I feel that this book is also a stand alone novel. It brings you back to the Civil War and a time period that I always love reading about. Hickory Ridge, TN is a small where many businesses are closing in the 1870s. People are leaving the area to find work else where to support their families.
I was really drawn to Carrie for her strength and determination not to mention a certain amount of spunk. She reminded me a lot of myself. The relationship between Mary and Carrie made the story interesting. Mary was so mean and I know her life was difficult but many people go through difficult things in their life and they are not mean. Carrie handled Mary much better than I would have.
Griff comes and saves Carrie from being trampled and so their relationship begins with Griff always saving her. Carrie's friends were not in favour of her having a relationship with Griff who was a known gambler. But Griff and Carrie are drawn to each other throughout the story.
This story shows how difficult it is for a man to provide for his family during this time and even more difficult for a woman to be left to tend to a farm and provide for the family.
It really was a great read and I am so happy that I took the plunge to read this book. I look forward to more books by Dorothy Love.
To purchase the book visit: ThomasNelson.com
About Dorothy:
Before returning to her writing roots in historical fiction, Dorothy Love published twelve novels for young adults. Her work has garnered numerous honors from the American Library Association, the Friends of American Writers, the International Reading Association, the New York Public Library, and many others. The Hickory Ridge Novels mark her Christian fiction debut.
For more about Dorothy visit her website, www.dorothylovebooks.com or friend her on Facebook.com/DorothyLoveBooks.
Reminder:
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Disclosure:
I received a copy of this book from Litfuse/Thomas Nelson for review. In no way was I compensated for this review. The opinions are 100% my own.
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