Title: Unending
Devotion
Author: Jody Hedlund
Pages: 374
Year: 2012
Publisher: Bethany
House
Note: I received a
complimentary copy for an honest review of this book. The opinions shared in this review are solely
my responsibility. Other reviews can be
read at http://seekingwithallyurheart.blogspot.com/. Also follow me on Twitter @lcjohnson1988
Unending
Devotion is a historical romance set in 1883 in the area of central
Michigan. The main characters are Lily
Young and Connell McCormick. The
background is that of a lumbering milling operation and the nearby town of
Harrison, Michigan. The time of year is
January and bitterly cold.
Lily is
an 18-year-old, spirited woman. She
fights for what she believes in with passion, gumption, and devotion. She never gives up. No matter what happens she will survive and
continue to fight for what God has called her to do. She and her sister Daisy were passed around
between relatives as youngsters after their parents were killed. They were left at an orphanage in New York
City as their relatives could no longer care for them. At that time, Lily had to grow up quickly to
take care of herself and her younger sister.
She became mom, provider, and protector almost overnight. When they were teenagers, the orphanage had
no more room for them. They had to leave
and survive on their own. Lily found a
family to take in Daisy and a different, older couple where she could
live. Their experiences with these
people are vastly different. Daisy runs
away, telling Lily she wants to live her own life now and that she is going to
look for work at the lumber camps as she has heard women can make a lot of
money there. Daisy says she will come
back for Lily. Lily doesn’t wait as she
just knows Daisy doesn’t know how to take care of herself. She is an assistant to her employer, a
photographer, who travels to different lumber camps, taking pictures. Lily now has the perfect opportunity to
search for her sister.
Connell
is a 26-year-old, protective, young man.
He has been placed in charge of three lumber camps near Harrison,
Michigan. He has been taught Christian
values and to respect women by his mother, but has since become apathetic. His father is a
bully, and nothing Connell can do is ever good enough to please him. The family business must make more money according
to his father even though they are very wealthy. Connell doesn’t want to rock the boat to
upset his father when he meets Lily as she learns of all the brothels in
business and wants them closed. Lily has
to remind him to stand up for what is right.
There is one particularly evil brothel owner who walks around wearing
brass knuckles and uses them freely whenever he likes. He is advertising in newspapers for young
women to come and work in his “hotel”.
The whole town is afraid to stand up to Mr. Carr, except for Lily. She wants to help God be about His business a
whole lot quicker so they’ll both be happy and succeeds, more than once, in
getting into trouble and needing to be rescued.
Who comes to the rescue? Does she
find her sister? Will Connell wake up to
God’s calling for him? Can Lily and
Connell have a relationship when they are from two very different backgrounds
and seem to have very different views on certain matter?
This is
a book with good storytelling, character development, and Christian
values. This is a relaxing read and one
to enjoy; it is definitely worth reading.
My rating is 4 stars.
