She’s given up on love. He’s marrying for money. But God has other plans… South Wales, 1905. Faith only believes in the certainty of pain and suffering. Born with a club foot and harboring a dark secret, the barmaid can’t escape her sinful past. But after the country’s religious revival puts her out of a job, hope sparks when a handsome aristocrat gallantly offers her a second chance.Lord … chance.
Lord Geoffrey Driscoll fears his estate will run out of money before he can find a suitable bride. However, the devout nobleman can’t keep his mind off the stunning redhead despite her lowly status. As the attraction between them grows, Lord Driscoll is torn between his need for a wife of means and his heart.
As Faith falls for Lord Driscoll’s kindness, she wishes that she could erase the sinful past that stands in the way of their union…
Can the troubled couple trust in God to light the way to true love?
Faith in Abertillery is a touching Christian historical romance. If you like stories of forgiveness, rich backdrops, and charming chemistry, then you’ll adore Tracy Traynor’s moving tale.
Buy Faith in Abertillery to watch young love follow a higher power today!
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I enjoyed this book. Would look for others by the author.
Five stars, and at least five hearts! I loved this book. Faith in Abertillery is one of those rare books that will not only keep you up reading well past your bedtime, glued to the page, heart beating – it is so powerful that the lessons learned from the stoy will stay with you always. Faith and Geoffrey’s unlikley romance, set in the beautiful Welsh countryside during a great revival that changed both lives and the landscape of the nation, is fanciful – a dream come true – yet so realistically written that is is completely believable. Each of the characters, both upstairs and downstairs, adds to the story in unique ways and perspectives, making the story rich and gripping. The same flaws that make Faith loveable have her convinced that she is the opposite – not worthy of God’s love or a man’s. Her past and the secrets she hides in her heart complicate things. Geoffrey is the perfect gentleman and comes from a different world, adding to her feelings of unworthiness. Geoffrey’s need to marry money to save Driscoll Manor, and well-meaning family members and colleagues add to the intrigue. I could relate to Faith on so many levels – I was sorry to have the story come to an end, but truly, I know the lovely impressions I feel on both a romantic and spiritual level will stay with me for a very long time. Highly recommended!
This engaging romance, set during the Welsh religious revival of 1904-1905, is a little gem, with several sparkling facets. I like history and so was taken with the insights the story offers into both the difficulties of working-class life, at a time when there was no welfare state to offer a safety net, and the astonishing nature of an upsurge in religious fervour that had a radical effect on the lives of thousands, throwing up some unexpected consequences, some of which had serious outcomes for those not swept along with it – publicans for example – and sometimes producing downright hilarious results. And all because thousands of miners deserted the pubs and packed the chapels and stopped cursing so much. Backed by a passion for research, Tracy Traynor’s writing portrays a way of life that was perhaps more family oriented than our experiences. She also captures the gulf between rich and poor taking her principle character into service in a big house, another lost world for most of us today. Despite the social differences, the rich and poor were physically closer than today, too, literally living under the same roof. The story grew on me, with its arc increasing in intensity as it goes along. The last third or so of the story I found particularly strong with crisis after crisis and twist after twist. The author uses the elements to both reflect the emotional mood of the story and to shape it, in a way that reminded me of Thomas Hardy. Intertwined with the characters’ day-to-day struggles are the themes of fate, love and belief in a higher good, with the latter providing some moving moments at key points in the story’s evolution. So I started out reading with a history hat on, but ended enjoying an uplifting romance with a timeless feel to it, in which ethereal love conquers the competing power of worldly wealth.
This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: Faith in Abertillery
Author: Tracy Traynor
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Number of Readers: 22
Stats
Editing: 10/10
Writing Style: 9/10
Content: 9/10
Cover: 9/10
Of the 22 readers:
22 would read another book by this author.
20 thought the cover was good or excellent.
22 felt it was easy to follow.
22 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 10 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 12 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
19 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
22 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
‘It was the chemistry between the two characters that made this so very enjoyable.’ Female reader, aged 51
‘Rich historical setting which is superbly described. The dilemma facing Driscoll is also cleverly handled. This is a Christian- ased novel and will appeal to readers with faith.’ Male reader, aged 65
‘Character-led with elements of Christian faith including forgiveness and trust in God. The Welsh historical setting is a strong part of this book; here, the author excels with her descriptive prose. The pacing is slightly uneven but, all in all, it’s a compelling story of love, with the ‘poor/rich’ element reminding me of Pride and Prejudice. I enjoyed this very much.’ Female reader, aged 49
To Sum It Up:
‘A superbly crafted ‘will they, won’t they’ love story’. A FINALIST and highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
There is a Christian revival spreading through Wales, and unfortunately for Faith, it’s causing many businesses to close. When she finds herself without a job, and stealing food, she plans to leave Abertillery, until an unexpected guest comes knocking.
Geoffrey feels the pressures of society mounting, but he can’t keep his mind off the red haired woman. How will he reconcile the two?
This is a beautifully written, Christian, historic romance but at its core it’s about acceptance, forgiveness, and learning to love.
This is the kind of book that will leave you pondering its messages long after you’ve finished reading, and that makes it all the more powerful.
A heart-warming testament to love on many levels.
This is a beautifully written story about a young woman who must learn to love and forgive herself before she can accept the love of a good man. Faith, the heroine, has much to overcome before she’ll have her love story with Geoffrey, but as much as I enjoyed their journey, I also thoroughly enjoyed the heart-warming mother-love theme in this book. It’s a testament to family and what mothers will do to protect their children.
It’s clear that author Tracy Traynor did her research. The language and historical details give this novel authenticity as it transports the reader into twentieth-century Wales. I believe you’ll find a lovely, feel-good escape with Faith in Abertillery!
Excellent historical romance! I can honestly say that between this book and Idi & the Oracle’s Quest, I much preferred this one. Usually, I like fantasy and romance about the same or favor fantasy more, but in this case, I found that the author much improved her writing and her style from the first book she released (Idi & the Oracle’s Quest) to Faith in Abertillery. The read was smooth and enjoyable! I might not have picked it up on my own, but when I approached Tracy about helping me out with a blog tour for one of my own works, she asked if it would be acceptable to swap book highlights. Normally, I wouldn’t highlight anything on my blog that isn’t fantasy, but because I’ve read Tracy’s work before and have talked with her enough to feel comfortable with what she will and won’t write, I agreed. Boy, am I glad I did! I loved the book. The only two things that kept it from earning five stars from me were the use of present tense throughout the whole book and the translations of every Welsh word used inline. The first is just personal preference. The second kind of pulled me out of the book to interpret and read the interpretations of the Welsh. Some of them might have needed a glossary, but others could have done without any entries or explanations because context made them clear. So I didn’t like that so much, but the book was on the whole quite enjoyable to read!
An enjoyable read from a new to me author. Faith knows a lot about pain, trials and hardships. She finds herself in a small town enraptured by a revival movement, which, despite not embracing the same beliefs, is nonetheless drawn to the spirit of the movement. Faith captures the attention and heart of Lord Driscoll. It seems like it would be an easy match, but there is so much more the story than we first realize. Faith is determined to refused Lord Driscoll, just as he is determined to win her heart. A delightful unfolding of a boy meets girl and the friendship that blossoms into more. The only drawback for me was the way Welsh terms were used and defined in the story. One the one hand, the definitions (in parenthesis next to the word) were very helpful and allowed some authenticity to be woven in, it was also distracting and a bit disruptive to the cadence. I am not sure what a better way to approach this would be, just an observation. It was not distracting enough to cause me to not enjoy the story though. If you enjoy clean, inspirational, historical fiction love stories, you will enjoy this book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book and all expressed opinions are solely my own.
Are you looking for an inspiring page turner, then “Faith in Abertillery” is the book for you. From page one I was pulled into Faith’s story, the setting was so realistic, and the characters so true to what I can imagine 1905 would be like, I actually felt like I was there. The conflict Faith faces touched my heart and is one many people face today. This is a lovely book and I can’t wait to read more by Tracy Traynor.
This book by far is one of the most moving ones I have read in a while. I so enjoyed this story of Faith and Geogffrey. There were things to overcome for Faith and I loved the outcome. Geogfrey was extremely charming and carried himself well throughout this book.
Side note: This was my first by this author. I have read other historical books and found the writing flawless and on target with the time period. If you are looking for a great clean read, do yourself a favor and grab this one. It has so much meaning to it and told respectfully.