Cassie Haddon was born with the proverbial “silver spoon”. The end of the Civil war changed her and her mother from wealthy aristocrats to homeless average people with no skills to support themselves. After overstaying their welcome at her uncle’s they are forced to move. Her mother refuses to accept her loss of status and lifestyle, but Cassie takes a realistic point of view, especially after she overheard her uncle call her “useless”.
Her mother uses the last of their money for tickets to Noble Springs, Missouri on a hear-say that her brother is living there. An old friend of Cassie’s, Rosemary Stewart, invites them to stay with her and her husband Elijah. Cassie is angry and humiliated to realize her mother plans to put down roots and take advantage of the Stewart’s hospitality permanently. This and her uncle’s declaring her “useless” spurs her do get a job to support her and her mother.
She applies at Jake West’s restaurant as a waitress. Her persistence and spunk persuade him to hire her. Having never worked in her life she has a real learning experience. Her mother is not only horrified at her working, but down right angry when Cassie rents them a little 2 room cabin in town.
Throughout the book Cassie shows courage, perseverance, and character, as she faces her mother’s conniving and manipulation, not to mention the many mistakes she makes as she learns to make a new life for herself. Mutual respect soon draws Jake and Cassie together and they find themselves falling in love. Her lack of confidence and His secret from his past keep them from declaring their feelings at first.
They had much in common in spite of their very different backgrounds. Jake had grown up poor and neglected, whereas Cassie was raised rich and overly pampered, yet both of them were striving to overcome their pasts through hard work and honesty.
I loved the way Cassie was always double checking her choices and actions by God’s Word. I also admired her respect and patience with her mother’s selfishness and scheming. It was wonderful to see a story where the spoilt rich girl becomes a godly woman of substance. Expect lots of surprises and glitches throughout the story! I appreciated the godliness and integrity of the main characters. An enjoyable book. Although have not read the other two books I never felt I was missing part of the story. I look forward to reading them now!
I received this book free from Revell Pulishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

This is one of my first books to read by Katharine Swartz and I was duly impressed. The story is about two women, one living in the present day, Jane Hatton, and one in the 1030’s, Alice James. The Hatton’s are a fast paced, modern New York family. Jane and her husband both have busy careers and 3 children. She loves it and all the perks to living in the Big Apple. Her British born husband, Andrew decides it is time for them to move back to his homeland after their daughter falls in with the wrong crowd. The house they buy is a drafty, crumbling vicarage in the small, isolated town of Goswell on the Cumbrian coast. Jane moves into very house Alice James moved into as a newlywed. Alice was a 19 year old bride who married her true love, David James, the vicar of Goswell.
I enjoyed the way the author alternated chapters between Jane’s life and Alice’s. Jane did not want to leave her exciting lifestyle and found herself very negative and unhappy. She agreed because her husband had spent 16 years in America and she felt it was his turn to be home. Alice on the other hand was very excited about starting her new life and moving, but she struggled with leaving her father and the home she had always known. Each woman had a different attitude about their move, and each handled in in a different way, but the both faced many of the same struggles sand discontentment. The home was huge and dreary. The weather was relentlessly cold and bleak.
One day when Jane was attempting to begin the enormous job of turning the vicarage into a home, she finds a yellowed piece of paper with a shopping list on it. She becomes fascinated with learning about the woman who wrote the list. What was her life like? How did she feel living there?
As their stories unfold both women find their loneliness and despair increasing by their circumstances. Jane woman misses her career and doubts her ability to be happy and be a woman without it. Alice misses her husband who is at war and doubts her ability to be a vicar’s wife. Both women feel the awkwardness and rejection trying to fit in to the tight knit community. Their approach to facing unwelcome changes was a stark contrast between self-pity and loving sacrifice. I felt a part of both their world’s as they grew and learned their true strengths and weaknesses. The author’s writing was vivid in all her descriptions. I could feel how dark, depressing, and cold the home was. At some points I had to pull up some extra blankets because I could feel the chill! Her accounts of each woman’s emotions were so intense I actually felt their hurt, frustrations, and pain! A beautiful book, well written and very entertaining!
I received this book free from the publisher Kregel Publishing. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

We’ve all been there. Times in our lives where what we are facing is so overwhelming that we just don’t think we will survive. The pain is so great it engulfs our hearts and minds to the point we feel it will never end. I know I have been to that point many times in my life. It’s one huge problem after another or a bunches of little ones that wear me down. This is where Satan steps in and gets our focus off of Christ and onto our circumstances. No wonder we feel defeated!
This is a wonderful book to help you get back on track and see through Satan’s lies and clearly see God’s Truths. Ms. Gerth does a beautiful job through insights and scriptures to help us refocus and on who we are in Christ. She shows all that we have at our disposal through His power, not only to survive but to come out a victor not a victim!
One of the most important aspects of the book was how much scripture she uses to guide you to where you need to be. Scripture is our ONLY guide. She helps you climb out of a seemingly dark hole and see the courage and strength that is there waiting for you through the Lord. When difficulties arise, we are attacked on all sides, physically, mentally and emotionally. The author addresses all of these. A wonderful book filled with encouragement and hope! This is one I will keep, read again and again, and use as a reference. I think it would make an incredible Bible study for an individual or a group!
I received this book free from Revell Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

One of my favorite things about historical novels is that although they are fiction they are entertaining ways to view life in the past. The growing territories of the 1800’s were sometimes challenging places to live and only for the strong of heart, especially for women. Elizabeth Harding had already braved her way through medical school to become a doctor; definitely not an acceptable career choice for women of that time.
She shows even more grit and courage by choosing to join her older sisters and their families in Cheyenne, Wyoming in 1887 and set up her first medical practice. Having already weathered the opposition and jeers of her fellow male students, she is undaunted at the task before her and full of hope and expectation. Next to her new clinic is a young lawyer named Jason Nordling, also trying to establish his business. At first they get off on the wrong foot due to his prejudice against female doctors. This doesn’t deter Elizabeth’s goals at all. Time and circumstances soften their feeling toward each other and a friendship is forged that quickly turns into romance, surprising them both. Suspense, murder and many surprises enter into the sweet love story.
Living in the 21st century we forget how restrictive and sometimes hard the lives of women were, little alone one that was choosing to blaze a new path. There were many life lessons to be learned from the characters. Elizabeth’s courage not only to follow her dream but also to do what is right despite the opinions of others was inspiring. She chooses to treat a madam of a bordello and her women without caring what others would say. Although she did not agree with their occupation, she did care about them as people. She was not afraid to stand for what was right or for those who were being wronged.
In her I also saw how easy it is to jump to conclusions about people and their motives before knowing the full truth of the matter. I have to give her credit that she recognized her weakness in this area.
Elizabeth and Jason had what they believed to be concrete plans about their future, who they would marry and if they would marry. Their relationship was a reminder that we should never say “never” and need to leave the door open for God’s plans.
Gwen, her friend and lady she roomed had a problem that still goes on today but in a greater way; body image and self-worth. I appreciated the way the author proved that this is not the key to being loved and admired by another.
I have not read the other two books of this series and I feel this could be a stand-alone read. The story was well written and a real page turner. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Cabot’s books.
I received this book free from Baker Publishing. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.