MY REVIEW:
“The Measure of Katie Calloway” was my first exposure to Serena Miller’s books. The fresh plot, engaging characters, and vivid setting captured my imagination. I found it hard to put down and hated to reach the end. My experience was so positive that I plan to find a copy of her “Love Finds You in Sugarcreek, Ohio” soon and will eagerly await “The Endurance of Ingrid Larsen”, the sequel to this book.
The time frame for “The Measure of Katie Calloway” is immediately following the Civil War when sentiments between the north and south are still pretty hostile. When Katie’s husband arrives back home from war to find his precious plantation has not survived, he blames her because of her northern roots. Following months of physical abuse, Katie’s narrow escape from an “accidental” death sends her and her young brother on a desperate journey for survival where she ends up as a cook in a Michigan logging camp. The hard work and harsh environment stretch her endurance but her determination earns her the respect of even the most difficult logger.
Miller’s descriptions are so eloquent that I could almost hear the wind in the trees and feel the touch of snowflakes on my face. Her depiction of the loggers took me past their course exteriors to the genuine men within. By the end of the book, each of them felt like old friends. The romance between Katie and Robert was subtle but sweet. I wondered how it would all work out since she was still married to Harlan. Of course everything ended well and the author managed to make it all quite believable.
This story has a little bit of everything – drama and danger, mystery and suspense, a good dose of humor, and of course a bit of romance. Robert and Katie both have pasts that have left them wounded and other characters have some personal issues that are also examined. For a book that can be read so quickly, “The Measure of Katie Calloway” is jam packed with interesting characters, plenty of action, and enough personal stories to carry over into new books.
I enjoyed this book immensely and highly recommend it to all lovers of historical novels.
This book was provided for review by
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Fleeing to the North Woods to Escape Her Abusive Husband
Will Katie have the courage to allow another man into her heart?
The Measure of Katie Calloway (ISBN: 978-0-8007-1998-2, $14.99, October), the newest book from author Serena Miller, transports readers to an era of log jams and shanty boys in the northern woods of Michigan.
The Civil War in America is over and former northerner, Katie Calloway, must flee for her life from Georgia, where her husband, an abusive Confederate officer, is waging war in their own home. Not only does he taunt her about her father and brother dying for the Union army, but she discovers that he is planning to kill her in order to be free to marry a local widow whose still-intact plantation he covets. Katie and her little brother find refuge in a lumber camp where she allows the camp owner to believe she is a widow.
The camp owner, Robert Foster, wonders if the lovely woman he’s hired has the grit to survive the never-ending work and harsh conditions of a remote pine forest in winter. Katie, worried that Robert will fire her if he discovers she is not the grieving widow she pretends to be, fights to keep her past a secret from this good man she is growing to love.
As Katie and Robert slowly realize their deep love for one another, Katie wonders, can she truly outrun her tumultuous past and learn to trust someone new?
Miller tells the story of an unforgettable journey of love, sacrifice, and self-discovery set against the backdrop of a world that was unforgiving at best.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Serena Miller is the author of Love Finds You in Sugarcreek, Ohio, as well as numerous articles for periodicals such as Woman’s World, Guideposts, Reader’s Digest, Focus on the Family, Christian Woman, and more. She lives on a farm in southern Ohio.