by Sarah E. Ladd
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (April 10, 2018)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0718011880
ISBN-13: 978-0718011888
Kate’s loyalties bind her to the past. Henry’s loyalties compel him to strive for a better future. In a landscape torn between tradition and vision, can two souls find the strength to overcome their preconceptions?
Loyalty has been at the heart of the Dearborne family for as long as Kate can remember, but a war is brewing in their small village, one that has the power to rip families asunder –including her own. As misguided actions are brought to light, she learns how deep her father’s pride and bitterness run, and she begins to wonder if her loyalty is well-placed.
Henry Stockton, heir to the Stockton fortune, returns home from three years at war seeking refuge from his haunting memories. Determined to bury the past, he embraces his grandfather’s goals to modernize his family’s wool mill, regardless of the grumblings from the local weavers. When tragedy strikes shortly after his arrival, Henry must sort truth from suspicion if he is to protect his family’s livelihood and legacy.
Henry has been warned about the Dearborne family. Kate, too, has been advised to stay far away from the Stocktons, but chance meetings continue to bring her to Henry’s side, blurring the jagged lines between loyalty, justice, and truth. Kate ultimately finds herself with the powerful decision that will forever affect her village’s future. As unlikely adversaries, Henry and Kate must come together to find a way to create peace for their families, and their village, and their souls – even if it means risking their hearts in the process.
I grew up in a mill town and the history of its heyday has always interested me. Sarah E. Ladd brings this time period to life with not only the history, but realistic characters and an interesting plot.
Henry Stockton and Kate Dearborne are caught in a Romeo and Juliet family war while an actual battle between the weavers and the millers is happening all around them.
While respecting their families, they must also decide if they should follow what their parents and grandparents believe, or if they should follow their hearts.
The characters are strong and I felt a connection to them. I could also tell that Ladd put a lot of research into this book which I appreciated.
I really enjoyed this book. However, there was one negative for me. I liked that Henry’s sister wasn’t shunned. After all, a sin is a sin. However, I fell that Henry glossed off his sister’s sin and treated it as only an “indiscretion”. If his sister had only repented, we would have been left with the positive message of forgiveness of all sins.
I would still recommend this book and look forward to more from Ladd.
Timeless Novels 