Ms. Ladd excels in her attention to historical detail and her descriptions of the time period and setting. She gives great depictions of the village and English country side. This is not the normal Regency of high society, drawing rooms and balls. Rather it brings the reader to the everyday lives of the working class. I learned a lot about mills and the weavers of the time period while reading. The pace is a little slower with some lengthier descriptions of the mills that some readers may find to be more tedious. I still highly enjoyed the book and it’s nice to have a change of pace once in a while.
Ms. Ladd also writes her characters in a relatable way. The two main characters are flawed, yet loveable. Kate, our heroine, wants to help her father with his business, but he chooses others to help instead of her. He thinks she should tend to things in the cottage and dye house and be more of a lady. She has spent her life around the business. Her father thinks she needs to marry another weaver and marry for security. It’s all about loyalty and staying in the family business. Yet Kate is strong willed and not afraid to stand up for herself.
Henry, the hero, is a man who has been to war and is trying to reconcile the horrors he experienced in war to everyday life in his village. He also realizes he’s now entered a new war zone; one between the millers and weavers. I like that Henry realizes that the things he thought mattered before the war–a beautiful wife, possessions and power–don’t really matter. Now he wants safety, security, happiness, justice, hope and forgiveness. He is such a kind man. He and Kate are caught in the middle of their families’ battles.
Can these star crossed lovers be together? Will they forgo loyalty to their family for love? You will just have to read to find out!
Content: This is a clean read with a PG rating for some mild content. Some examples of the content are: men drink ale; talk of brandy and smoking a pipe; talk that a woman has disgraced herself by getting pregnant out of wedlock; a man uses snuff; it is said that a man curses, but the words are not actually written; a man seems to have PTSD from war.
Rating: I give this book 4 stars.
Genre: Christian fiction; Historical fiction; Romance; Regency
I want to thank Sarah Ladd, Thomas Nelson and the Fiction Guild for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.
About the Author:
Sarah E. Ladd has always loved the Regency period — the clothes, the music, the literature and the art. A college trip to England and Scotland confirmed her interest in the time period and gave her idea of what life would’ve looked like in era. It wasn’t until 2010 that Ladd began writing seriously. Shortly after, Ladd released the first book in the Whispers on the Moors series. Book one of the series, The Heiress of Winterwood, was the recipient of the 2011 ACFW Genesis Award for historical romance. Ladd also has more than ten years of marketing experience. She holds degrees in public relations and marketing and lives in Indiana with her family and spunky Golden Retriever.
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