Book Review: New Beginnings (Cutter's Creek, Book 3) - Annie Boone
Synopsis:
Audrey Norris is worried but determined. Her life has taken a drastic turn. A short year ago, she was a happily married woman with a young daughter and a warm, cozy home. Now she’s a widow responsible for her daughter, her mother, and a big fat mortgage she didn’t even know about. She can’t pay the house note and she doesn’t have a job. Her options are few and mostly undesirable. Widower Caleb Jefferson is the successful blacksmith in the town of Cutter’s Creek, Montana. His sister has been fussing after him to get married again, but he’s managed to dodge her arguments. Until now. He finally sees that his daughter needs a mother. However, he’d been in love before and that ended in disaster and heartbreak. He has no desire to fall in love again, so he’s hoping he can find a woman who will agree to his terms. When Audrey and Caleb end up together, everyone around them is delighted that their families are joining. Caleb tries to make it work, but he can’t seem to let go and move on with his life. Audrey worries about their strained relationship. She prays every day for help and guidance. She hopes that soon a breakthrough will come. God is taking His time. In the meantime, the family grows closer while Caleb drifts further away. One simple misunderstanding will sever the fragile balance they’ve created. Will this be the end of their relationship or the beginning of a lifetime of love? Read about life, love, and hope in the late 19th century in Cutter's Creek, Montana, as two families try to blend together and help each other heal after tragedy and loss.
My Thoughts:
Audrey is a widow with a young child that is on the verge of losing her home. Her mother who lives with her has decided that she should look at becoming a mail order bride and has circled some ads in the paper for her daughter to look at. Audrey decided that if she was going to choose one it was going to be one of her own choice. She decided on Caleb as it didn’t seem he wanted a marriage of love. Which suited Audrey just perfectly however Audrey couldn’t predicate matters of the heart.
Caleb had a young daughter that needed a mother figure. Grieving years later for his deceased wife, Caleb finally listens to his sister and looks at a mail order bride to give his daughter what she needs. However, he was not going into the marriage for love; it would be a marriage of convenience for both. Little did Caleb know that you can’t determine the feelings of the heart.
This was such a clean and sweet romance. It shows you that even through heartache and fighting against the heart that love can overcome the battles and give you a life that you deserve. The struggles and fights made the relationship between Caleb and Audrey stronger and shows that not everything is snowy white perfectness. It takes work and dedication to make a relationship work and to reap the benefits of doing so is rewarding.
There were times reading the book that I wanted to cry for the heartaches and yet yell for the silliness of the situations. I thought the premise was unique and the writing was solid. It kept my attention from the beginning to the end.