Okay on to the spotlights:
From Amazon.com
When Susannah goes to Dakota territory as a mail-order bride she finds something she never dreamed she would—true love.
With no prospects for marriage and her parents recently deceased, Susannah Underhill agrees to go west to the Dakota territory to marry her minister's homesteading brother, Jesse. But Susannah is painfully shy, doesn't see herself as worthy of love from either a husband or from God, and lives in constant fear that Jesse is going to ship her back to Detroit.
In spite of her petite size and the fact that Susannah doesn't look like she could survive on the prairie, Jesse quickly discovers that his new wife is a greater blessing than he even hoped for. The years she spent as her father's veterinary assistant allow her to save Jesse's ox and twin calves and to help neighboring farmers with their animals.
But Susannah's feelings of unworthiness are deeply rooted, and she can't believe that Jesse's praise—or the tenderness and love he shows—could possibly last. The thawing of her heart seems almost as distant as Spring in the midst of the winter blanketing the Dakota prairie.
My Take: I did get to read this book. I really enjoyed it. I did get a little frustrated when the author
kept alluding to a past for Susannah but didn't let the reader in on it. If you like stories set in the west after the Civil War you will enjoy this one.
From Goodreads.com:
It is the summer of 1980. A tamed brown bear finds himself tempted by the lure of freedom and the wild open sea. . . Meanwhile a grieving, broken family arrive on a windswept island in the Outer Hebrides, looking for the time and space to understand the strange, bewildering events that led to the loss of their husband and father.
Letty clings to the island, the place of her birth –hoping it, and the tight community around her, will slowly begin to fill the void she feels within. For how can she ever begin to explain to her children that their diplomat father may have betrayed his country? Georgie, the eldest, has a secret. She knows more about her father's affairs than she can bear to reveal . . . Alba, the middle child, despises many things: over-polished furniture, easy listening music and shiny food. But most of all she hates the fact that everyone seems to be keeping things from her. Jamie, the youngest, accepts his mind doesn’t work in quite the same way as everyone else’s, but what he can’t understand is –if his father is lost, why isn’t anyone else trying to find him?
As the community’s search for the escaped bear intensifies, Jamie finds himself inexplicably drawn towards the beast. But when a storm sweeps across the island, the family once again find themselves facing the worst; and as events converge and mysteries are unearthed, the bear finally discovers his true purpose. . .
Shattered by Melody Carlson
From Goodreads.com:
Everybody does it—sneaks out of the house now and then. It’s harmless enough, right? Cleo Neilson is the only one who knows why her mother was in a seedy part of town that one night, but she’s determined to keep the secret that’s breaking her heart. Walk through this teen fiction novel of grief, guilt, faith, and forgiveness. You won’t forget the journey
Happy Reading Everyone!!
Thanks so much for reading Spring for Susannah! I hope things have calmed down in your life - much more fun to read about conflict than deal with it! Blessings!
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