“In 2012, art historian Gwen Monroe travels to England's Lake District to appraise the paintings and antiques of an old family friend, hoping to prove herself to her prestigious grandfather. While at Longdale Manor, she becomes acquainted with David Bradley--the owner's handsome grandson--who is desperate to save the crumbling estate by turning it into a bed-and-breakfast. When Gwen stumbles upon a one-hundred-year-old journal and an intricately carved shepherd's staff similar to one in a photo of her parents, she uncovers a connection to the father she never knew.
In 1912, after her father's death, Charlotte Harper uncovers a painful family secret she can only confess to her journal. She and her family travel to the Lake District to stay on a sheep farm, hoping eventually to find a home with Charlotte's grandfather at Longdale Manor, but old wounds and bitter regrets make it a difficult challenge. As Charlotte grows closer to shepherd Ian Storey and rebuilds her shattered faith, she must decide whether she will ever trust in love again.”
Series: As of now, no. A stand-alone novel.
Spiritual Content- Ezekiel 34:11-12 and 16a at the beginning; Scriptures are referenced, mentioned, & quoted in sermons; Many Prayers & Blessings over food; Church going, church events, & sermons; Many talks about God, Jesus, Him being our Father, forgiveness, trusting God, & sin; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Charlotte struggles with her faith after a tragic event & understanding God’s love because she refuses to release the bitterness and hurt *Spoiler* About a third of the way in, she releases those feelings *End of Spoiler*; Gwen has drifted away from her faith after her mother’s passing, but is encouraged and learns from David and his grandmother; Lilly (David’s grandmother) prays and believes she hears from God on what Gwen should do about something; Many mentions of God, forgiveness, & trusting Him; Many mentions of prayers, praying, answered prayers, & blessings over food; Many mentions of churches (including different denominations), pastors/speakers, services, sermons, events, & hymns; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, books of the Bible, & those in the Bible (including some questioning their existence and others trying to prove that they were real); Mentions of faiths & godly people; Mentions of a Christian convention, missionaries, & Christian books (theological books, devotionals, & missionaries); Mentions of Heaven; Mentions of blessings & being Blessed; Mentions of sins, sinners, temptation, & repenting;
Negative Content- Some eye rolling; Seeing a loved one ill (stroke) & grief over a death (up to semi-detailed); David eavesdrops on a conversation of his grandmother & Gwen; Many mentions of deaths & grief (including for husbands, fathers, a wife, a mother, & a grandfather); Mentions of a car accident & death (Gwen’s mother); Mentions of strokes and cancer (some make it and others pass away); Mentions of injuries & pain; Mentions of divorces/separations & someone leaving their spouse because of their bad choices (Gwen’s parents); Mentions of drinking, alcohol, alcoholic who would “[say] and did hurtful things”, & getting sober; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; A few mentions of wars; A few mentions of gossip; A couple mentions of accidents; A couple mentions of hatred;
*Note: David’s father was critical and harsh towards him which caused David to try to gain his approval before leaving home at age eighteen with plans to reconcile later (which was unable to happen); Towards the end of the book, Gwen goes to talk to her mother’s grave (she knows she isn’t there, but wishes that somehow her words would reach her mother in Heaven); Mentions of authors, artists, & paintings; Mentions of iPads; Mentions of a stillborn lamb & skinning it so the ewe thinks another lamb is her own (barely-above-not-detailed); A couple mentions of Google.
Sexual Content- A bit of staring at another’s lips; Two head/forehead kisses, a cheek kiss, a barely-above-not-detailed kiss, two almost (semi-detailed) kisses, and three semi-detailed kisses; Remembering kisses & almost kisses (up to semi-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Warmth, Nearness, & Smelling (x2, up to semi-detailed); Blushes; Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Gwen has never known her biological father (her mother wouldn’t tell her much and made her promise to not search for him on her own but does so in this book; *Spoiler* He had an alcohol problem and she left him without telling him she was pregnant *End of Spoiler*); Gwen wonders if not having a father in her life impacted her choices of men and dating relationships; After both couples have their first kiss, they wonder if it was too soon and/or if they are committed/promised to the other and going to work towards having a future together; *Spoiler* After they’ve shared a kiss, Charlotte is heartbroken and upset when she thinks that Ian has another sweetheart and thinks he’s been unfaithful and betrayed her; She thinks at one point that “Love didn’t always last. Sometimes it led to betrayal and heartache”; A reverend talks with Ian about viewing things from Charlotte’s perspective and proving himself to be trustworthy and faithful *End of Spoiler*; Many mentions of an affair, a mistress, betrayal/unfaithfulness, & temptations (*Spoiler* Gwen discovers her father had been having an affair for the last couple of years and doesn’t want to tell her mother because of her grief, so she keeps the burden to herself and it greatly affects her view on trusting men and relationships; *Big Spoiler* The mistress comes to ask her mother for forgiveness towards the end of the book and Gwen’s father had already confessed to her mother about it on his deathbed *End of Spoilers*; All that’s said about their relationship is that they were “involved”, did not sound like spent nights together, & is called the “passing pleasures of sin” by one person); Mentions of kisses, kissing, & being serious about the one they kissed; Mentions of reputations & chaperones, & a man acting unbecomingly towards a young woman; Mentions of dates, dating, boyfriends, & break-ups; A few mentions of an elopement & secret affair; A few mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of blushes; Love, falling in love, & the emotions (x2);
*Note: A mention of a married couple unable to have biological children.
-Gwen Monroe
-David Bradford
-Charlotte Harper
-Ian Storey, age 21
P.O.V. switches between them
Dual-Time Period (set in both 1912 and 2012)
351 pages
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Pre Teens-
New Teens-
Early High School Teens-
Older High School Teens-
My personal Rating-
I’ve been a fan of this author since I first read “The Governess of Highland Hall” back when this blog first started ten years ago and have eagerly awaited every book she’s written since then. I may have been a little less excited about this book because of it being a Dual-Time Period novel and not typically enjoying those tremendously, but I knew I still had to read this one. I love how Carrie Turansky writes such wholesome romances with fantastic faith content and that’s definitely showcased in this book as well.
Besides the mentions and hints of an affair, I think this would be a fine read for teen girls. Especially ones branching off into the romance category and wanting to have a good, wholesome, faith-filled, and God-honoring romance story. The characters pray often, they pray for their loved ones, and they also pray for having a relationship with someone that interest them. Their romance is also not physical attraction based either—which is pretty common in the Christian Fiction romance genre to be. What was neat in this book that I really liked was the emphasis on having a commitment or a promise to someone you kissed, not just kissing some boy willy-nilly, but having a commitment to the other in terms of having a future together because it’s such a big emotional turning point.
Being not a big fan of Dual-Time Period novels because I usually prefer one time period over the other (typically historical), I was about 5% hesitant about this book, but I’m glad I read it anyway because it was a really sweet read. Both of the voices of Gwen and Charlotte felt very similar to me, so I did have a bit of a time trying to keep track of who was who and their details and lives, but was able to keep everyone straight by the end.
Both of the couples in this book make mistakes and hurt the other (and I’ll admit I may have wanted to smack most of them at times), but it’s how they respond and realize about the other person’s outlook and that they sincerely pray about their relationships that I really liked seeing, because it was such a good and healthy reaction or response to have in those situations.
The faith content—like any of this author's books—was knocked out of the park, and my favorite part of the book by far. This book was especially neat because in both relationships, we see it being pointed back to having a relationship with the Lord and to look to Him to lead and guide them for a life that will honor Him. I love that message; it’s truly keeping the Lord at the center of their relationship and such a good reminder for teen girls especially.
See y’all on Friday with a new review!
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
*I received this book for free from the Author for this honest review.
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