Excellent writing and great message in a storyline that had me guessing until the very end. I was incredibly impressed, and left wanting to read everything else by this author. So good!

DNFd it, did not keep my attention. Could not connect with the characters.

Very enjoyable Victorian novel, featuring a woman who wants to be a doctor as the main protaganist. It was an excellent story of love lost, found and rediscovered, and the conflict between love and duty, which also explored subjects such as gender roles and the differences between social classes.

The faith message was put across well, without feeling preachy or like on was being hit over the proverbial head. These days, Victorian fiction tends to have to stand out from the crowd, and this one does it with the air of mystery, and the ususual subject matter without being inaccurate.

It sort of reminded me of a Julie Klassen novel, although they are set slightly earlier in the Regency period.

Thanks to the publisher, Revell for an e-galley of this title to review. I was not required to write a positive one and all opinions expressed are my own.

I'm so glad I was introduced to Joanna Davidson Politano. She has a talent for crafting stories about real people living real lives. Her Christians make mistakes--sometimes serious ones--but still manage to find strength in their faith in God. Not everything goes the way they (or the reader) want or expect, but that makes it even more satisfying.

The one distraction I had with this book was the math. With the few dates provided, not everything added up. I can forgive that, though, because of the strength of the story.

4.5⭐️

Endings as satisfying and moving as Joanna Davidson Politano’s are a rarity.

A tale of whimsy, mystery, and intrigue full of heart-warming characters, timely themes, and beautiful faith!

I love Politano’s stories for their mysteries, light & sweet romance thread, and strong faith elements, and this one certainly didn’t disappoint!

I loved how each character had a story, a journey to take, and how each life overlapped in some way. It was really touching and beautiful. My favourites being:

Willa craves independence and desires to make her own way in the world. Gabe is a quiet, wise man who says little but what he does say makes you listen. And, Aunt Maisie…how I love this woman who many consider crazy, but she’s really the wisest of them all.

All in all, a truly stunning story!
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“‘Life is too meaningful, too important, to spend it on the wrong thing.’”

I'm going to be straight up with you that my review will probably not do this book justice because I am so overwhelmed at all of the intricacies of the story and the family. I was blown away by the twists that were revealed, the history of the characters, and the multitude of quotes that spoke to my heart. So don't go into this book expecting a sweet romantic story, it is so much more than that as I quickly discovered.

Willa Duvall is a woman after my own heart. She wants to be more than just someone's wife. She has aspirations to help people with her medical skills and knowledge as a nurse and from working with her father in his clinic. I loved that she was pushing for cleanliness and so much more when that was not the practice of doctors or hospitals. I hated that she was put into a position that she had to barter for her future with her father to pursue becoming a doctor when he just wanted her to be married. As part of the barter, she ends up as a nurse to Golda Gresham, mostly in part due to a letter that she finds in her desk. She doesn't know who wrote it or who it was meant to receive it, as it was neither addressed nor signed. Golda is quite the character and she does not take any guff from anyone including her children, much less Willa. The interaction between these two started off shaky but in the end, they had a firm friendship and mutual understanding.

Let's talk about this letter that Willa found. It is one heck of a love letter and I can see why Willa wants to find who wrote it and return it to the proper owner. What she doesn't expect is for this letter to make its way around the various characters who all think the letter was written for them. The story of this letter is pretty amazing too and just when you think you understand the who and why of the situation, a new piece of information is released changing your whole perspective on the situation.

I enjoyed all of the characters for one reason or another, but I think my favorite is Aunt Maisie or "crazy Maisie". This woman had firm beliefs and thoughts and I chuckled at her book of words. Words she wanted to use someday so she kept track of them so she was prepared. With the other characters, you had the gamut of personalities from loving, to controlling, insecure to confident. All of these personalities round out the story nicely with just enough tension to make the story engaging.

I can't forget to mention the romance portion of the story. For Willa, she doesn't feel like she needs a man to make her life whole but there is one man that seems to fill the bill, Gabe Gresham. They have been friends since childhood and there is something that pulls them together. But don't think that their path is easy because it is not and that is one of those twists I mentioned. There are several other love stories occurring, but you will have to read the book to discover those for yourself.

Here are some of my favorite quotes (and I did trim the number back - so many more I could have shared!)

"Every day, every moment, I choose you."

"It was as if God had wrapped his directions up in my friend's voice so I'd be sure to hear them."

"You needn't be afraid of your words, Miss Duvall. Only careful. They're as easy to gather as rocks, and just as easy to throw about, but don't underestimate them."

"Don't waste a moment when you find the one you love."

"That letter had been shaking up the household ever since it had been unleashed here, and now it seemed to have somehow landed with her."

"These words have a life beyond the page. They've taken flight in this house, moving where they will, seeping into the cracks of hearts. It's woken something up in them, opened them to the possibility that love exists and they are worthy recipients. And that is vital."

"Allow yourself to be caught by a man, Miss Duvall. The right one is worth the risk."

"...everyone had a story, some with cracks deeper than anyone could imagine."

"Matched souls always find their way back to one another, for they seek refuge in the same place."

Overall, I highly recommend this book. The author takes us on a journey that will not be forgotten and many wise words are spoken that we could take to heart even today.

We give this book 5 paws up.