As someone who loves the Anne of Green Gables books and 85/87 TV series, I had reservations going into this book. But I felt like I was back in LM Montgomery's Avonlea reading the story I always wanted to know about Marilla. I know that this book is not officially Marilla's story, but I believe in my heart that it is. I knew how it would end, and still I got caught up in the romance. I knew who Marilla turns out to be, and yet I so enjoyed the journey of watching her mature from young sensible reserved girl to mature sensible (always so sensible) strong woman. I loved most of all seeing Marilla's relationships with Matthew and Rachel develop the strong ties that we see so plainly in the Anne novels. I loved this book and am so glad to add it next to my collection of Anne novels on my shelf.