1891 . . . Spinster librarian, Olive Wilkins, is shocked to learn of her brother’s violent death at a saloon gaming table and her sister-in-law’s subsequent murder, traveling far from her staid life to rescue her niece and nephew, now orphans. She arrives to find the circumstances of her brother’s life deplorable and her long held beliefs of family and tradition, shaken. Accustomed to the … the sophistication of Philadelphia, Olive arrives in Spencer, Ohio, a rough and tumble world she is not familiar with, facing two traumatized children. Her niece and nephew, Mary and John, have been living with a neighboring farmer, widower Jacob Butler, the father of three young children of his own and a man still in pain from the recent loss of his wife.
Real danger threatens Olive and Mary and John while Jacob and his own brood battle the day-to-day struggles for survival. Will Olive and Jacob find the strength to fight their battles alone or together? Will love conquer the bitterness of loss and broken dreams?
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A very interesting story involving Olive and Jacob. She has come to collect the two orphaned children of her brother. His neighbor, Jacob, has been keeping them with him and his three children. The children, however, are reluctant to go with her, so she stays with Jacob to get to know them. Since Jacob’s wife has died, he is overwhelmed with plowing, planting, caring for 5 children and all that goes with making a living. Olive steps up helping around the house and begins to turn everyone into one big family. While at first Jacob has a rather negative view of Olive, he begins to change his opinion. In fact, he begins to want a more permanent relationship with her.
Good book to read and keep reading
Loved this book! I really enjoyed the characters, the children were so special. Holly is a wonderful writer and I hope to read more of her books.
A man marrying an older woman. What a delightful change of pace. I take pictures of tombstones for people and post them on the internet for genealogy research. I am often surprised by the dates that let you know the wife is the older one–sometimes as much as 12 years. I don’t know where we got the men must be older idea but there seem to have been an awful lot of marriages with the wife born before the husband. A well written book.
An entertaining easy and enjoyable read set around tragic circumstances with a romantic ending
I loved this book
Wonderfully written–great story.
This book will hold your interest from start to finish. When I began, I thought it might be ordinary widow, family and spinster type story but it turned out to be extraordinary to the end. Jacob was left to raise young children and still keep his farm going; Olive was to rescue traumatized children and she had no experience. I laughed until I had tears and felt the grip in my heart when further abuse came into their lives. I loved this story-line and plan to read more from this author. This book can be read by most anyone.
Loved it. Wonderful characters. What people went through in that time period.
Good book. I enjoyed reading it.
Enjoyed the book.
I liked this book about a spinster librarian leaving her save existence behind out of love for her orphaned niece and nephew. It was satisfying when she was rewarded for her work and sacrifice with feeling younger and finding romantic love.
I liked a lot.
Unique story about love between a younger man and an older woman. Olive had resigned herself to being a spinster. She leaves her home in Philadelphia when her brother and sister-in-law are killed to fetch their children back to Philadelphia. When she first meet the children, they are living with neighbors, widower Jacob and his three young children, who took them in when they were orphaned. Olive soon realizes that the children are not emotionally ready to leave immediately with her to go to Philadelphia. Jacob is their rock and shelter, and they have deeply bonded with him. Jacob generously agrees to let Olive stay while the children make the transition from living with him to returning to Philadelphia with her. Olive and Jacob form a tenuous partnership that eventually develops into a strong friendship and love.
The characters in this book are all very real, having their faults, but, except for the villains, they also have positive traits. Neither Olive nor I thought we would like Jacob’s mother when we first met her, but we both came to admire her and find her good points out-weighing the bad.
The struggles of the children are realistically portrayed. The budding love between Jacob and Olive is the main focus of the book, but the children form an important aspect of the adults’ relationship.
I liked this book because it was realistic, it was quite unique, and it was romantic. It gives hope to those who think they cannot be loved for some reason.
Great book! It had a different kind of heroine, a great idea. Made me cry at times, and smile at others, and ended just as it should. Will read more from this author.
I enjoyed this story about two people of different ages. Usually the man is the older but this time we have a spinster around ten years older. She starts out being very up tight having been raised with an attitude of “miss priss”. Then life happens when she goes west to claim her niece and nephew who are orphans. She then has to deal with their having seen their mother murdered. A grandfather also trying to take them against everyone’s will. And she grows emotionally and allows herself to feel.
Good story line. I didn’t want to put it down.
Very well written. Enjoyed reading even though it was predictable.
I enjoyed Olive’s story. The pacing was good and the book flowed well.
This book told a great story of the courage of a woman forced into an alien environment in the old west. Olive, the protagonist, leaves her known world of a pampered and highly structured society to rescue her brothers children after her brother and wife are killed. Throughout the book, she evolves, as her resourcefulness and spirit start to shine through adversity. Fun and entertaining.