The Civil War left its mark on Dr. John Turner. He turns his back on medicine and sees his unexpected inheritance in England as an opportunity to start over. But he never imagines how God intends to use his new role as lord of Ashford Hall — or the beautiful woman he finds there — to ease his troubled soul. A tragic loss led Penelope Howard to bury her heart and dreams in her work for the Hall … the Hall and the village of Woodley. But the arrival of the new heir stirs not only her discarded longings but her compassion as well. What burden does he carry that he can’t accept that grace covers the darkest of sins?
A deadly epidemic sweeps through Woodley revealing secrets which threaten everything. The doctor faces a choice: leave or dare to believe what the Lord whispers through the woman John has come to love.
No one is beyond redemption.
Written for the General Market (G) (I): Contains little or no; sexual dialogue or situations, violence, or strong language. May also contain some content of an inspirational/religious nature. Similar romance novels in this genre may be categorized as: christian romance, inspirational romance, christian fiction, and clean, wholesome romance.
more
A wonderful message is found in this book, we may not feel worthy of many things but God does not give up on us.
A fascinating story about the time period right after the Civil War but yet takes place in England.
Dr. John Turner carries a heavy burden, he won’t let himself forget or forgive himself. He jumps at an opportunity to start over in England with an unexpected inheritance and is now the lord of Ashford Hall. Once there he meets another troubled soul.
Penelope Howard helps others as much as possible to keep busy so she won’t remember her loss.
So many times we are held by our memories in the past while others have moved on. These memories can be very damaging to our souls.
I was captivated by this story with it’s strong sense of rediscovering self worth and forgiveness of self.
Published July 25th 2018
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.
“Grace is powerful medicine. Dispense it generously.”
4.5 stars for this historical romance from Jennifer A Davids! This is the first book I’ve read from the author and I enjoyed it tremendously. The story takes place in 1868 England with an American physician named John inheriting an estate in England. He’s barely survived working as a Union surgeon during the Civil War and his past mistakes and perceived sins haunt him enough for him to move across the ocean in attempt to forget and start over. His tender, compassionate, loyal, and faithful heart is easy to see but he tries to bury it under anger and indifference. On this English estate, he meets Penelope who has hurts and secrets of her own. She’s generous, kind, loving, and gracious though she doesn’t always extend grace to herself. As they draw closer to each other, both must learn that grace is indeed a powerful medicine that should be taken and dispensed generously and often. There are quite a few subplots that are fun to follow involving several secondary characters (and some medical conditions) and even a plot twist that will have you gasp in surprise.
If you enjoy historical romance, you will enjoy this book. I received a copy of the book via JustRead Publicity Tour and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.
A Perfect Weakness is quite a fun book! I loved reading it. Allow me to tell you a bit about it.
About the Book A Perfect Weakness
John Turner is a Dr or at least he was. He doesn’t want to identify as one anymore though. After surviving the Civil War and receiving his own wound he turns to alcohol and working with the poor to ease his mind and aches. But in the end he loses everything he holds dear due to the alcohol and determines to never practice medicine again.
But then he inherits a title and property in England and it’s his new start. Except everyone knows he’s a doctor and no one understands why he refuses to acknowledge it and won’t practice or consult.
Penelope is a sweet girl. She’s young and pretty so why hasn’t she married? She lives with her brother and it was her uncle who has left everything to John. Her brother is to retain their home and his job but the vast fortune and title go to this American. While it’s a shock to them they’re determined to make the best of it. Or at least Penelope is. She has secrets of her own of course.
When the schoolmarm turns up pregnant and bringing up painful memories for Penelope she’s not sure what to do. She also finds herself drawn to John and wants to help him heal. But how can she a woman of her standing and reputation help him or even associate with him in that manner?
Why has cholera hit their town? And what can a stable boy know of the cause?
My Thoughts on A Perfect Weakness:
Great read! I loved getting to know the characters. Also, medicine is a love of mine and so hearing all the fun bits of old theories and beliefs was so interesting for me. Loved reading.
The characters have so many layers and secrets! I was kept guessing to some of their secrets until the very end and let me just say it was so worth it! The style of writing is fast and enchanting. I had to keep reading, I just had to keep going and couldn’t put it down. What would happen next? Would they all recover? Who was really the bad guy? What did they really do?
My favorite character was probably not either of the main characters though. There are several romances going on and secrets abound. Also, many relationships exist that aren’t really relationships at all. I’m not sure what to call them. Plus each character has their own set of sins and secrets that must be found out!
And ugh, well, let’s just say that one character is quite the nasty one but though I wondered about him through the book it wasn’t until the end that his true nature was revealed. I did not expect it to be quite what it was so that was a shock to me too.
You’re going to love this book. I truly could not stop reading and didn’t want to even. I’d love to see more books to expound on certain characters within the book too. Clara should have her own story and then there should be at least a sequel to finish following some of the other characters as well. The one who ends up in jail could even have a story if you wanted him to be redeemed. One of the main themes is redemption along with forgiveness but personally, I don’t want to see him redeemed.
I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from Celebrate Lit. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.
Davids capture my attention right away and I sank into this story with ease. The further I read, the more invested I became and before I knew it, I was cheering for Penelope and Dr. Turner. What I admired about Penelope was the way she embraced God’s forgiveness for her past indiscretions and how she served others with joy and contentment. I also admired the compassion she showed towards one person in particular even when it could have cost her her reputation. With Dr. Turner I vacillated between compassion and frustration. As a former military medic, I hated to think of how the things he’d witnessed and the duties he’d performed during the war had driven him to drink. My frustration came as a result of his stubborn refusal to help others because of his past mistakes. It was really sweet how the author used one grace-clinger to point a wounded soul to freedom. u2063
u2063
As soon as I finished reading A Perfect Weakness, I went to the author’s website to see what she was currently working on. To my delight, she has a new story releasing on November 24th. I plan to snatch it up right away.u2063
u2063
Readers who like this book may also enjoy stories by Kristi Ann Hunter and Jocelyn Green. u2063
u2063
Favorite Quote: “Grace is powerful medicine. Dispense it generously.”u2063
3.5 stars
“Handsome faces seldom are.”
A fact that Penelope Howard had learned the hard way, the very hard way. When the English estate that she and her brother have been managing sees the return of its rightful owner, Penelope has to wonder what has happened to the kind and handsome Doctor John Turner to make him act as if his medical training is a curse, rather than a blessing to be shared. Surely he won’t turn his back on those who could benefit from his experience, but it seems that is exactly what he plans to do. Penelope fights the nearly instant attraction that she feels toward the American, knowing first hand what it is like to carry the burden of mistakes around one’s neck like a mill stone. If only John could accept the fact that God’s strength is made perfect in weakness.
This sweet relational story is riddled with life lessons for its primary and secondary characters from beginning to end; as John and Penelope navigate their own journey, they collide with the mistakes of others along the way, some turning out to be quite serious. In spite of numerous loose ends needing resolve in just a few chapters, making the ending feel a bit rushed, the author managed an altogether satisfactory conclusion.