Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Carrie Turansky's "The Daughter of Highland Hall"

http://images.randomhouse.com/cover/9781601424983?width=1000&alt=no_cover_b4b.gifIn the second Edwardian Brides novel, Katherine Ramsey, a headstrong debutante, is on the lookout for a titled husband so she can secure herself a future. However, her season in London goes disastrously wrong when a relative involves himself in a scandal that taints the whole family. No longer welcome socially, Kate begins spending most of her time with Jon Foster, a medical student and brother of her cousin-in-law-to-be, volunteering at a free East End clinic, helping the poor. Her heart is stirred by the service, but will she follow her heart or make the marriage expected of her?

Most books that involve a London season are set during the Regency period, so it was fun to read a story that takes place a hundred years later. Some things - the pretentiousness, the worldliness, the decadence - are the same, but there are a lot of differences too. I also like how Jon grew up in missions in India - the nineteenth century was a time of significant revivals throughout Europe, and Jon and his sister Julia would have been products of that movement.

Turansky does a good job emphasizing the need to be equally yoked - no matter how in love a couple may be, if only one has a relationship with Jesus, then their marriage will start out on rocky footing and have difficulty surviving. Kate's faith journey is quiet and sweet - no Paul-on-the-road-to-Damascus event, but rather a quiet and steady growth like many have.

It was fun to revisit William and Julia from the first book in the series. There were a few times I wished there had been more "showing" rather than "telling" of emotion and action, but all in all, it is a sweet story with a firm foundation in biblical truth.

Thank you Blogging for Books for providing a free book for the purpose of review; I was not required to make it positive, and all opinions are my own.

Edwardian Brides
1. The Governess of Highland Hall
2. The Daughter of Highland Hall
3. A Refuge at Highland Hall

More Info
Author Bio

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