This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Love’s First Bloom
Bethany House; Original edition (September 1, 2010)

by
Delia Parr


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Delia Parr, pen name for Mary Lechleidner, is the author of 10 historical novels and the winner of several awards, including the Laurel Wreath Award for Historical Romance and the Aspen Gold Award for Best Inspirational Book. She is a full-time high school teacher who spends her summer vacations writing and kayaking. The mother of three grown children, she lives in Collingswood, New Jersey.




ABOUT THE BOOK:

Ruth Livingstone’s life changes drastically the day her father puts a young child in her arms and sends her to a small village in New Jersey under an assumed name. There Ruth pretends to be a widow and quietly secludes herself until her father is acquitted of a crime.

But with the emergence of the penny press, the imagination of the reading public is stirred, and her father’s trial stands center stage. Asher Tripp is the brash newspaperman who determines that this case is the event he can use to redeem himself as a journalist.

Ruth finds solace tending a garden along the banks of the Toms River–a place where she can find a measure of peace in the midst of the sorrow that continues to build. It is also here that Asher Tripp finds a temporary residence, all in an attempt to discover if the lovely creature known as Widow Malloy is truly Ruth Livingstone, the woman every newspaper has been looking for.

Love begins to slowly bloom…but is the affection they share strong enough to withstand the secrets that separate them?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Love’s First Bloom, go HERE.

MY REVIEW:

Each of the primary characters in Love’s First Bloom seems to be hiding at least one secret. And two of them are not who they say they are. Secrets and lies abound throughout the book with various reasons for them – self-preservation and the protection of an innocent child, ambition, and fear of loss. With so many tangled webs created by the secrets and deceit, is there any hope for a satisfactory resolution?

A historical novel set primarily in a small village in New Jersey during the year 1838, Love’s First Bloom is beautifully written with lifelike characters and an appealing environment. Details about “penny newspapers”  and aggressive reporters brought modern “scandal sheets” and the paparazzi to mind. Although the story covered some very serious subjects and a wide range of emotions, occasional humorous events lightened the mood and kept the narrative from bogging down. A subtle but meaningful faith message was woven throughout. And it goes without saying that a turbulent yet romantic relationship developed between the two primary characters.

I enjoyed Love’s First Bloom and would not mind seeing another book of its kind in the near future.