Summary:
It's the height of the Gilded Age, but Elena Bissette's family has lost most of its fortune. The Bissettes still own a home on fashionable Mackinac Island, and they spend summers there in hopes of introducing Elena to a wealthy suitor. Quickly tiring of the extravagant balls at the Grand Hotel, she spends her days walking along the island's rugged coastline. There she meets Chase, a young fisherman who invites her to watch the ships from an abandoned lighthouse. The two begin to meet there in secret, hoping to solve a decades-old mystery. Meanwhile, Elena's mother contrives introductions between Elena and the island's most eligible bachelor, an elusive millionaire named Chester Darrington. When Elena's two worlds unexpectedly collide, she will be in for the surprise of her life.
Summary & Photo taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 320 pages (Paperback)
Source: ARC
Publication Date:July 1st 2012 by Summerside Press
There's nothing like reading a simple, sweet historical romance during the summer and this book for me really hit the spot. This was my first time reading anything by Melanie Dobson and also my first time reading a book in this series.
When I first got the e-mail about this book's blog tour I was really excited to read it. You see I have a friend in one of my Goodreads groups that loves this series of books and after seeing how much she's liked them I knew I had to grab my chance and give this one a try even if it's a wee bit out of my normal reading zone.
It has everything I could ask for in a book like this. There was a historic setting, romance and of course a fair dash of family drama and interference just to make it interesting. Since I love history the fact that this one happened on the historic island of Mackinac I knew I would love it especially since Melanie Dobson was kind enough to include a brief historical note about the island in the few pages before her novel began. I thought that it was a nice touch because I've honestly never heard of the island but now that I have I really would love to visit there.
I thought the writing in the novel was great, Melanie wrote it and paid close attention to details. One thing I really loved about it was the way she went out about depicting the scenes in the book in a way that I actually felt like I was there on the island with Elena.
I also really enjoyed the characters in the novel as well except for the obvious ones who were bad apples (You'll just have to read the book to figure out who they are :D ) but, even they were written into the story well because without them there wouldn't really have been much of a love story. I loved Elena and Chase they were such great main characters I couldn't help but enjoy reading about them because sometimes it's nice to take a break from reading the steamier romances and read something a wee bit more innocent.
Melanie Dobson wrote an excellent novel and I loved how she paid tribute to Mackinac Island. I thought she did a great job and this was a pleasure to read. One that I'll be passing along to other people starting with Mr. Turning The Pages' Mommy :)
I recommend this to anyone, in particular to those who love clean/christian romances. It's perfect for the summertime and perfect to read at the pool or the beach or a weekend away at the cottage.
I thought the writing in the novel was great, Melanie wrote it and paid close attention to details. One thing I really loved about it was the way she went out about depicting the scenes in the book in a way that I actually felt like I was there on the island with Elena.
I also really enjoyed the characters in the novel as well except for the obvious ones who were bad apples (You'll just have to read the book to figure out who they are :D ) but, even they were written into the story well because without them there wouldn't really have been much of a love story. I loved Elena and Chase they were such great main characters I couldn't help but enjoy reading about them because sometimes it's nice to take a break from reading the steamier romances and read something a wee bit more innocent.
Melanie Dobson wrote an excellent novel and I loved how she paid tribute to Mackinac Island. I thought she did a great job and this was a pleasure to read. One that I'll be passing along to other people starting with Mr. Turning The Pages' Mommy :)
I recommend this to anyone, in particular to those who love clean/christian romances. It's perfect for the summertime and perfect to read at the pool or the beach or a weekend away at the cottage.
Author Bio:
Melanie Dobson has written ten contemporary and historical novels including five releases in Summerside's Love Finds You series. In 2011, two of her releases won Carol Awards: Love Finds You in Homestead, Iowa (for historical romance) and The Silent Order (for romantic suspense).
Melanie received her undergraduate degree in journalism from Liberty University and her master's degree in communication from Regent University. Prior to her writing career, Melanie was the corporate publicity manager at Focus on the Family and a publicist for The Family Channel. She later launched her own public relations company and worked in the fields of publicity and journalism for more than fifteen years.
Melanie and her family enjoy their home in the Pacific Northwest. The entire Dobson family loves to travel and hike in both the mountains and along the cliffs above the Pacific.
When Melanie isn't writing or playing with her family, she enjoys exploring ghost towns and dusty back roads, line dancing, and reading inspirational fiction.
*I recieved a FREE copy of this book in exchange for my FREE and HONEST review.
To visit Melanie's Blog CLICK HERE
To purchase the book via Amazon CLICK HERE
To purchase the book via Chapters Indigo CLICK HERE
To purchase the book via The Book Depository CLICK HERE
Really Liked it!
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Oh this sounds positively delightful and exactly what I look for in a historical romance. I am so glad you shared this one with me! ps- i too love HR books in the summer..LOL
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