Spring for Susannah by Catherine Richmond
Genre: Christian Romance
ISBN: 978-1595549242
Published: June 14th 2011 by Thomas Nelson
My husband is an avid reader and loves historical novels. I recently decided to see what the hype was about and opened the cover of Spring for Susannah.
Hundreds of miles from home, Susannah faces an uncertain future as a mail-order bride on the untamed Dakota prairie. When her parents die suddenly, and no suitors call, Susannah resigns herself to the only option available: becoming a mail-order bride. Agreeing to marry her pastor’s brother, Jesse, Susannah leaves the only home she’s ever known for the untamed frontier of the Dakota Territory.
Her new husband is more loving and patient with her than she believes she deserves. Still, there is also a wildness to him that mirrors the wilderness surrounding them. And Susannah finds herself constantly on edge. But Jesse’s confidence in her-and his faith in God’s perfect plan-slowly begin to chip away at the wall she hides behind. Jesse’s love is unwavering. Just when it seems like winter will never end, Susannah finally sees the first tentative evidence of spring. And with it, the realization that more than the landscape has changed.
She looks to the future with a renewed heart. Yet in her wildest dreams, she couldn’t predict all that awaits her.
I found this book to be a relatively good read. I felt the character, Susannah, was very easy to like. Even when alone, she follows the teachings of her mother with the properness of a girl of that time. She meets Jesse Mason, whose been living alone on his Dakota Homestead, trying to make his own way.
The story was enough to get my attention and it moved along at a pace that kept me interested. I’m a sucker for romance and felt the message was one of value.
Author, Catherine Richmond, delighted me in her debut novel, Spring for Susannah. I would have liked to have seen her develop the characters a little more and keep the storyline strong. There was a point mid-way where I was really involved in the storyline and it kind of unraveled. It felt that there was an abruptness that came from nowhere…one sentence we were all content and the next there was an upheaval.
I also felt there was a lot of story with too few pages to really make it work. There was enough plot to branch out into a series with Indians, pregnancy, and a lot more.
Read the First Chapter
Author Bio:
Catherine Richmond has focused on her career as an occupational therapist till a special song planted a story idea in her mind. That idea would ultimately become Spring for Susannah, her first novel. She is also a founder and moderator of the Nebraska Novelist critique group and lives in Nebraska with her husband.
*I received a copy of Spring for Susannah in order to facilitate an honest review. No other compensation was received. The opinions, where expressed are my own and were in no way influenced by the sponsor. Other experiences may vary.