Title: A Bride at Last
Author: Melissa Jagears
Published: July 2015
Published By: Bethany House Publishers
Format Read: Trade Paperback
Genre: Christian fiction, historical fiction, romance
Date Read: August 23 2015
Rating: 4/5
I received a copy of Melissa Jagear’s A Bride at Last from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
September 1895, a young woman by the name of Kate Dawson
works hard to make enough money to support not only herself but an ailing friend
and her young son as well. When her friend Lucinda dies of consumption in a
dilapidated rooming house, her 8 year old son Anthony is left in Kate’s care.
Little did she know that Lucinda had sent a letter to her son’s father before
she passed on: a brutal man who she had run away from. When two different men
come to town claiming to be Anthony’s father, Kate learns that there was much
more to Lucinda’s story than she had shared with her. Silas Jonesey, a Kansas farmer claims he was
Lucinda’s husband and he didn’t know his wife had been pregnant when she left
him 9 years prior. The second man was named Richard Fitzgerald an abusive,
alcoholic, gambler who kept Lucinda as a mistress. Both men are prepared to
fight in court for legal rights over Anthony, but meanwhile Kate is devastated that
she will lose the boy who she loved like he was her own son. When Anthony takes
it upon himself to run away (not wanting to go with either men), Kate and Silas
become close as they search for the boy. Will they find Anthony? Who will win
the custody battle and what will become of the budding relationship between
Kate and Silas?
Thankfully this third book in the Unexpected Brides series
isn’t a continuation of the previous two novels and can be read as a
stand-alone. A Bride at Last is an exciting adventure that keeps throwing in
plot twists until the very end. If it weren’t for the spoiler of a title, it
would have kept me guessing. Although I do understand that the author was just
being consistent as the other two books have “bride” in the title as well.
Not only was Lucinda, Silas Jonesey’s mail order bride, but
Kate too had been one as well. Fortunately (for the sake of the story) this
arrangement didn’t pan out and at only 25 she was considered a spinster. My, how the times have changed since the late
1800’s. Some people today believe that 25 is too young to marry. Another
example of how the times have changed is the stigma of two unmarried adults
spending time together without a chaperone. This was mentioned several times as
Kate and Silas searched for Anthony. It was considered so inappropriate that
her job as a school teacher was in jeopardy. Appearances were everything.
I went through many different emotions as I read along.
Firstly I felt so sad for the little boy who had not only lost his mother, but
was about to be taken away from the only person who truly loved him. Kate was a
headstrong individual who could be too independent for her own good. And Silas was
a lonely man who had suffered greatly in his life and lacked confidence in
himself.
There was certainly chemistry between Kate and Silas from
the very beginning, but I wouldn’t call it instant-love. Instead the author
took her time developing the feelings the two characters felt for each other. I
admire Jagears for taking that approach, even if there were times when I felt
their “does he/she” or “doesn’t he/she” dragged on too long.
A Bride at Last is a story of acceptance and trust that
shows character growth throughout. I really enjoyed this book and hope that I
get a chance to read the previous two novels and one novella that make up this
series. I would recommend this to historical romance fiction fans.
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