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| Another entertaining historical romance from Susan Page Davis |
Barbour Books October 1, 2012
Paperback 320 pages
Review copy via NetGalley, thank you!
Burton Book Review Rating: 4 stars
Millie Evans has changed, choosing to leave rather than join an outlaw gang with her brother. Hoping for a new future, she boards a stagecoach but runs into her past and David Stone—a man she and her brother once tried to swindle. As she tries to convince David she’s changed, her brother’s gang holds up the stagecoach. Fighting beside David goes a long way to softening his heart, but he’s still not convinced. Millie must trust God to show David the truth, but will he see before it’s too late?
This is the second novel I've read from this author, and I love her quick pace and realistic storytelling. This is book #3 in the Prairie Dreams series and follows along with the characters that were previously introduced to us in the prior book, Lady Anne's Quest, which I reviewed here on Burton Book Review. This is a series that I would recommend reading in sequential order, even though I had not read book one I felt I missed out on something while reading book 2.
Lady Anne's Quest followed the storyline of Anne in pursuit of her Uncle David in America, and now A Lady in the Making features David making his way back to England to claim his estate as Earl of Stoneford. Millie Evans is back, but better than ever as a reformed woman making her way back to Pennsylvania to make a new start for herself. Coincidence puts both David and Millie on the same stagecoach, and when an accident occurs it falls to Millie to take care of David.
Millie is still in love with David, but David wants nothing to do with her as she was the woman who almost brought him to his death in book two. The story follows the two as they are forced to deal with each other during their travels though they hold each other at arm's length. Behind the scenes, a greedy cousin wants David to not make it to his destination in England, and it is only a matter of time before a showdown occurs. Millie and David are brought together as a tentative alliance, and only time will tell if they can overcome their past and look towards the future. A romance between a common woman and a potential earl would certainly raise a few eyebrows back in England, and David may have to choose between love and the status quo if he can open his eyes to Millie's redeeming qualities.
I loved the atmospheric western tone of traveling through America in the 1850's with fear of outlaws, and this was another entertaining and quick read from Susan Page Davis. Those who fear a preachy tone from a Christian or inspirational genre should not be wary of this novel, as it is something that is lightly laced throughout the novel but not a major plot point. The series is a fun western historical romance with a touch of British class that I would highly recommend.
.JPG)