I have not read book one in the series, but I didn't need to as each book is self-contained.
This was a pretty good inspirational (Christian non-denominational) historical romance. The religious aspect of the story was very much woven into the characters' lives. There was not any preaching or long lectures.
Jenny is responsible for her two sisters after the death of their parents years ago and now the sisters are old enough to marry. Jenny sets out to Rocky Creek, Texas to find suitable husbands for her sisters; she only heard of this town because of a newspaper article on towns with eligible bachelors. So Jenny, Mary Lou, and Brenda show up in this less than built up town to find suitable men. Joke's on them to a certain degree; they do end up married to suitable men, but not in the way Jenny had planned.
Jenny has a big secret that makes her feel unworthy to marry, so she wants to set up her sisters' futures so that if anything happens to Jenny, ML and Brenda are taken care of. There was no doubt that Jenny loves her sisters; there was no doubt that ML and Brenda loves Jenny. There was a strong bond among them which added depth to the characters' and the storyline.
Out of the three sisters' romances, my favorite was Kip and Brenda. Brenda grows a lot in this book, from a shy, people-pleaser who uses food to fill a void in her psyche. Kip's love and acceptance of her as she is helps her fight her over-eating. ML and Jeff's story is a little less deep; however, Jeff is definitely hero-material....ML is just not much of character of her own, but I love how she gets Jenny to see that their parents weren't perfect and she can still love them knowing their flaws. Then there is Jenny and Marshal/Sheriff Rhett - man, I am such a sucker for romances with sheriff heroes. Rhett has a deep pain of his own; his acceptance of Jenny's secret and his letting go of his pain made this romance a stronger one than usually found in this subgenre.
Since the book takes place just 11 years after the war, I really liked the way the author made a few side characters and Rhett Civil War veterans, with lingering issues about being in that war. As per usual, there is a town drunk that is saved only after having his neglected kids taken from him (temporarily), a kind pastor and his wife (hero and heroine of the first book), and a grumpy old guy who doesn't like change.
Overall, a good book to read on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Better than a lot of books within the inspirational romance subgenre.
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