Title: A Promise to
Love
Author: Serena B. Miller
Pages: 329
Year: 2012
Publisher: Revell
A
Promise to Love is a story in the fictional historical romance genre set in
Michigan in the year 1871. The author
uses vivid details to bring the characters and scenery to life. The emotions felt by the characters make them
come alive in the reader’s mind. Several
of the characters’ histories and events that take place in the story are
factual events or based on factual accounts.
Joshua
Hunter is a farmer, trying to make ends meet by farming the thin top soil with
wheat and other crops while waiting for his cherry trees to mature. Then, he will concentrate on the cherry trees
as his main source of income and eventually hopes to expand to other fruits in
his orchard. Then, suddenly his wife of
13 years dies. She leaves him with five
children ranging in age from 12 years old to 3 months old. His in-laws take the baby to help him out and
he depends on his 12-year-old daughter to shoulder the workload of a grown
woman while he works the fields. Rumors
begin to spread that Joshua has killed his wife and an inquest is called. His in-laws are fanning the flames and want
custody of his children. The inquest
finds Joshua not guilty and that if he can provide a stable home environment
via a wife, he can keep custody of his children. He is not looking to be remarried so soon
after his wife has died, but he can’t lose his children as they are all he has
left. He makes a decision that will
change his life and the lives of his children.
He continues to fight with his in-laws to regain custody of his son as
they refuse to talk to him or let him in the house to even visit his son. Will he ever get his son back? He discovers that his former wife was not the
woman he thought she was. She was very
troubled. Can he ever love another
woman?
Ingrid
Larsen has traveled to Michigan all the way from Holland to meet her twin
brother, Lars. They have plans to buy
land next to each other and begin their new lives side-by-side. However, her brother never shows up to meet
her. What has happened to him? In order to survive, she answers an ad in the
newspaper for a servant. At the hands of
her new employer, she is dressed in rags, fed very little, and punished for the
smallest infraction. Her employer throws
her out and she finds shelter with an old woman who has befriended her in the
past. The big news in town is the
inquest so Ingrid and Hazel attend.
Ingrid sees the four little girls that attend the trial and knows her
heart is big enough to love them as her own.
What can she do about it? Ingrid
soon finds herself cooking and cleaning nonstop in the caring of five children
and Joshua’s aging mother. She has
gotten more than she bargained for and doesn’t think she can manage. She falls to her knees in prayer. God gives her the answer to do every task as
if she were doing it for Him. As Ingrid
follows this path, she gains the love of the children and Joshua’s mother. What about Joshua? Will he ever love her the way she loves him?
This
story was very easy to get involved in and to read. The storytelling flowed so well. The reader sees the blessings and joy that
come from submitting to God’s will. No
matter how difficult it may be, He will give the strength to accomplish all
things. Love endures all things.
My
rating is 3.5 stars.
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/
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