After losing her husband and only child to the ravages of the Civil War, twenty-five-year-old Portia McAllister is drowning in grief. When she sees an ad for a live-in tutor in another town, she leaves everything behind in hopes of making a fresh start. But as a Confederate widow in a Union household, she is met with resentment from her new charge and her employer, war veteran Beau Stanford.
… Stanford.
Despite their differences, she and Beau find common ground and the stirrings of a second chance at love—until his late wife’s cousin, Lydia, arrives with her sights set on him. Burdened with a farm on the brink of bankruptcy, Beau is tempted by Lydia’s hefty dowry, though Portia has captured his heart.
In another time and another place, his choice would be easy. But love seems impossible amid the simmering chaos of Reconstruction that could boil over at any moment into an all-out battle for survival. Will Beau and Portia find their way into each other’s arms, or will they be swept away by raging forces beyond their control?
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Ravages post any war are human suffering, loss of physical and financial well-being, and, often loss of self-worth. This is the story of life post Civil War and we all know about that time in history. Thousands of widows and orphans; loss of property; and no money to survive, were found in the new America. Former slaves were free, or, were they. Often, they were still under some sort of contract and suffered. Soldiers on both sides went home to nothing, if they went home at all. This book is a fictional story of what might have been when a woman lost her husband, her child died of typhoid and she had nothing left. This story-line is written so well that I started this morning and couldn’t put this book down as I read all day. I complement the author for a clean and accurate book without errors to detract as is often found in books today. I highly recommend this story as it is filled not only with intensity but with heartfelt meaning.
Sweet Historical Romance
This was incredibly, heartbreaking, inspiring, gutwrenching, funny and depressing! They both suffered love and loss, but the treatment they received from so called family was even worse than what they had received from enemies during the war!
The narration was remarkable!
Brilliant!
Without a doubt, this is one of those stories that can be placed on the same shelf a ‘Gone with the Wind’ and others of the same quality. It is that good!
The characters are well thought out and each one is captured beautifully in the audiobook narration.
There are many endearing moments, some of which had me laughing and others, sobbing my heart out.
Then there were the many scenes that made up the complete story. These kept me wanting to find out what was going to happen next – brilliant plotting by this author.
Oh, and the build-up of romance … sigh! A delight!
I listened to the audiobook version and was kept captivated and enthralled throughout.
Both Meghan Kelly (narrator) and Mysti Parker (author) are extremely good at what they do with this story and their combined efforts help make this something that is well worth listening to.
I really enjoyed both the story and the audio and am very happy to recommend it.
I requested and listened to the audiobook version and my voluntary review above is unbiased
Fantastic Story & Audible ListenHeartfelt!
A Time for Everything
A Post Civil War Romance
By: Mysti Parker
Narrated by: Meghan Kelly
This is a story, a historical romance set in Tennessee post civil war era. The storylines Mysti Parker created are interesting and well written, they grabbed my attention right from the start and held it to end. Portia lost her husband, a confederate soldier, to the war and her daughter to illness. Needing to get away from the reminders of her heart wrenching loss she answers and ad for live in housekeeper and tutor in another part of Tennessee. Beau, owner of a horse ranch also fought during the war, but he fought for the Union. While serving he lost his wife, his son, Jonny, left traumatized after the death of his mother stopped talking. Beau’s father placed the ad that Portia answered, expecting her to be an elderly widow he was surprised how young she was when she arrived. At first Beau thought his family was setting him up with a mail order bride situation. It took Beau a while to warm up and accept her, same with Bessie the lead housekeeper. Jonny started to warm up to her first. So much goes on in this story, there is plenty of drama, including political turmoil of the times, slaves, anti-slaves, hate and angst, emotions run high. There is never a dull moment in this book, there were some great twists including some betrayals. Mysti Parker did not sugar coat the tough time it was for some during that era, she kept it real. I loved how some stuck together to help those who needed it. Also loved the great poetic quotes too from Ecclesiastes you included. Thank you for another great story and the emotional roller coaster ride.
I listened to the Audible edition, Meghan Kelly is a wonderful narrator and voice performer. She brought these characters to life, gave each their own unique voice and personality. The emotions of the characters were incorporated into her performance and she made you feel what they were feeling, anguish, vulnerability, heartbreak, happiness and so forth. Meghan Kelly is such a versatile performer, I loved how well she portrayed each character, I think Jonny was one of my favorites. Thank you for another great listen
Mysti Parker is a gifted story teller. I enjoyed this book tremendously. Yes, it’s a romance, but also so much more. The two main characters have both lost spouses in the Civil War. Reconstruction has provided even more challenges. Each is dealing with grief and moving on with life. Even more interesting than their relationship is the descriptions of the difficulties in living in the post Civil War era. The book seems to draw to a close – but then it doesn’t. Even more challenges come their way. I think it’s telling about how drawn into the story I became. As soon as I finished the book, I started another and found it jarring when it was set in modern time. I had to be shaken out of the post civil war era. A big thumbs up and recommendation.
Sweet Historical Romance
This was incredibly, heartbreaking, inspiring, gutwrenching, funny and depressing! They both suffered love and loss, but the treatment they received from so called family was even worse than what they had received from enemies during the war!
The narration was remarkable!
I have a soft spot for historical romances and a fascination with the Civil War and that period right after the war. So, when this book came across my inbox, I knew I had to give it a chance, and I’m glad I did. Set in post war Tennessee, Ms Parker has created a touching romance.
From the first scene, I was emotionally engaged. Imagine a young lady laying over the graves of her husband and child on Christmas morning, ready to give up on life. I immediately wanted to know more about Portia, how she got to this point and how she was going to move on. She decides to shake up her existence by taking a job as a tutor for a young boy, but this requires her to move away from all that she knows. Enter Beau and Jonny as well as a diverse household guaranteed to change her life.
Then we have Beau. He fought for the Union, against all his neighbors and even his in-laws who all supported the Confederacy. After the war, he came home to a failing farm, is now widowed and unable to connect to his son, Jonny. Whereas Portia grabbed me from the moment we met, Beau was a little harder to like. It’s not that he wasn’t likeable, he just had so much anger and distance to break through first.
While this isn’t an inspirational novel, there are a few moments where it crept in a little. Part of me wishes that it either went full on or not at all and not just hinted at it. I did appreciate that this was a sweet, no sex, romance. It fit very well with the story and I think if sex had been thrown into the mix, it just would have been awkward and out of place.
I think what I liked most about this book was Portia’s relationships with Jonny and the free black servants in the household, Bessie and Isaac. I enjoyed most of the scenes with Portia and Jonny together, forming a friendship despite the fact that she’s his teacher. She’s the mother figure he needs in his life. And then watching Portia with Bessie and Isaac. I don’t believe it was stated outright, but I believe that when Portia first meets these two, it was her first real interaction with people of color. In the end, she forms a very strong friendship with this couple and it was touching to watch from those first very tentative moments.
I truly did enjoy this book. It seemed to be a pretty realistic look at post Civil War south and I couldn’t be happier that I picked up this book.
My review originally posted at Romancing the Book.
This is a lovely historical romance. It is full of well thought out characters and the story grabbed my attention. I was shocked and surprised in here more than once. This story really took me back. It’s been a while since I have read a historical romance. Beau and Portia both have somewhat similar problems. Each has lost their partner whom they loved with all their heart. I did struggle a couple times with Beau when the cousin shows up. I know times were different back then but I wasn’t a fan. They each loved their deceased spouse so much that at times I don’t think they were ready to move on. The Epilogue is great though.
I did listen to this on audio. Meghan Kelly is the narrator. She did excellent as always.
Enthralling, heartwarming, exciting, and distinctive
Audiobook version: 5 stars overall, 5 stars story, 5 stars narration
This is the first book by Mysti Parker that I have read, and she is now in my favorites list. This wonderful historical romance is so good that I was very surprised that she has only written a couple of other historical romances; she mostly writes contemporary and PNR. At times heartwarming and nail-biting, this standalone audiobook is a marvel of high quality writing enhanced by the exquisite narration of Meghan Kelly. I highly recommend it to all fans of historical romance who like a low level of steam and satisfying relationship development.
This book had so many interesting elements: triumph of the human spirit, making friends, inspiring young minds with learning, mending a father/son relationship, life on a horse farm, historical racial tension contrasted with strong interracial friendships, a wounded hero, and a romantic rival. I loved the plot twists, and no plot thread was left hanging. There was some angst (not too much), drama, and hot chemistry, but it is low on steam (no actual love scenes). There is almost no mention of religion, so it is not a Christian romance. I loved the characters, especially Portia, Beau, Johnnie, Bessie, and Ezra.
It is 1865, Tennessee. The heroine, Portia McCallister, lost everything she held dear: her beloved husband died in the war (a Confederate soldier), and her 2-year-old daughter died of typhoid. She is quite depressed in the first chapter, but she takes charge of her life and accepts a position as a tutor for a 10-year-old boy on a horse farm estate. She slowly gets to know her employer, Beau Stanford, who had fought for the Union. Beau is a good man, broken by the war and dealing with many things: a shoulder injury, PTSD, and grief for his wife. He is also stressed by debt, a mute son, and a best friend hooked on morphine. The story unfolds with perfect pacing, and the Tennessee accents by narrator Meghan Kelly are wonderful!
I requested and received a free audiobook copy via #AudiobookObsession, and I voluntarily wrote this honest review.
#AudiobookObsession Reviewer
I listened to the audio version of this book. This is not the usual genre I would expect from Ms. Parker, but I decided to try it based on her writing in other books that I have read. I was certainly not disappointed.
This is a Post Civil War romance that seemed to be pretty honest in the emotions and situations of the time. The tensions between the whites and the people who were very recently enslaved was displayed in an honest, raw and brutal fashion. Kudos to Ms. Parker. As was common in that time, the “N word” was used in the book, so if you have a problem with that beware.
The romance was clean, but there could also be some triggers for some people involving rape as well as near lynching amid other violence.
This book was different. This book was honest. This book was timely even though it is historical. It was extremely well written by Ms. Parker and wonderfully narrated by Meghan Kelly.
I was given a complimentary copy of this audio book. All thoughts are my own.
In this book you will see heartbreak, inner strength, love, hate, lust, forgiveness and so much more! I loved this book and especially loved the narration!
Education!
A southern abolitionist, Beau left to go fight for the Union. Portia’s husband was killed fighting for the south. Then her daughter died of typhoid and, although her brother-in-law wanted her to stay with his family, she knew she was really just another mouth to feed in a nearly starving household. Resurrecting her teaching credentials she became a tutor to Beau’s mute son. Beautifully played out, we are immersed in the shockingly grim post-war south as it struggled to feed itself and cope with racial relations. Narrator Meghan Kelly’s vocalizations bring to life the various characters as they scheme and plot and fall in love.
I loved this book. I really got attached to the characters. It had me shedding happy and sad tears at some points but still had a happy ending.