In 1902, Sarah McCall is waiting to leave for the mission field when the man she once loved steps back into her life. Abandoned as a child by her mother and gambler father, she strives to overcome a tarnished history she didn?t create and a heartbreak she can?t forget.Peter Caswell returns to his Wisconsin hometown a widower, dedicated to his four-year-old daughter and congregation. But no matter … matter how hard he tries to move on with his life, he can?t forgive himself for his wife?s death.When she learns that Peter is returning to Riverton, the letter giving her departure date for Africa can?t come soon enough for Sarah. They were best friends?she loved him and supported his dreams?but he married another and broke her heart. Although ten years have passed since he left Riverton, Peter hopes Sarah still cares enough to give him a second chance. But a charming newcomer pursues her affections?and Sarah?s childhood nemesis manipulates her way into Peter?s life. Will Sarah and Peter find their way to forgiveness and each other, or will past mistakes make a life together impossible?
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From the synopsis:
In 1902, Sarah McCall is waiting to leave for the mission field when the man she once loved steps back into her life. Abandoned as a child by her mother and gambler father, she strives to overcome a tarnished history she didn’t create and a heartbreak she can’t forget.
My thoughts:
Readers of Christian Romance will greatly enjoy this well-written novel, with so many romantic twists and turns. It kept me guessing what the outcome of the romantic entanglements would be! Kinzer crafted relatable, imperfect characters, striving to seek God’s direction in the midst of their own desires and particular heartaches.
The images of small-town life resonated with me, living in a rural community, and I loved the fact that the story was set in my home state of Wisconsin.
I highly recommend Sarah’s Smile, first in the Daughter’s of Riverton serires, for those who love sweet romance, historic small-town life, and an all-around satisfactory read.
Romance. Heartbreak. Scandal. Secrets. Second Chances. This book has it all. I love Dawn’s writing, and her characters gripped my heart and pulled me straight into 1902. They kept me there until the end of the book. I highly recommend it.
Romance. Heartbreak. Scandal. Secrets. Second Chances.
My rating is 4.5 stars
Sarah had thought that Peter loved her with the marrying kind of love. Her Grandmother thought she was loving Sarah in the choices she made for her. Rebecca thought she loved Peter enough that she should have him. Peter had thought that he loved Lily. And Will…
Sarah’s Smile is such a touching story. As I was reading about the pain Sarah experienced when Peter announced his engagement, my chest constricted and my heart ached. I found myself caring deeply for Sarah and cheering her on as she persevered through her trials. Sure, she made some bad decisions and some good decisions for the wrong reasons but that was part of what made me like her.
Peter was quite interesting. He had a tender heart towards the Lord and desired to serve Him and not let anything get in the way of his ministry. Because of that determination and fear that he would repeat past mistakes, he made new mistakes and caused almost irreparable damage. Fortunately for us (and Peter!), God is able to repair what we cannot.
Rebecca’s jealousy and the actions it prompted were such a great example of why perfect love is not jealous. Not only does it display a lack of trust, envy can drive people to do some terrible things. Like she did. And, nope, I’m not gonna tell you what it was. I happen to know that she is going to get her own book – the third of this series. I’m super excited to read the next two books to see what happens to convert her from the nemesis she is to heroine material.
Read the full review of Sarah’s Smile by Dawn Kinzer with a Preview at AmongTheReads.net
I was given a free copy of this item. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.
Sarah’s Smile (The Daughters of Riverton, #1) by Dawn Kinzer
Riverton, WI 1902
Book starts out with Sarah and she’s working in the store when she meets Peter’s child. They had grown up and knew one another since the age of 8 and he left for college and met Lilly and married her. She had died and he decided to move back to town and stay with his sister with his child. He’s now a pastor and Sarah’s path crosses his often as she also leads groups in the religious learnings.
We learn about Sarah’s past and she feels she’s living her parents past and looked down on over the years as her mother had left her for her grandmother to raise her.
Lvve hearing the passages from the Bible and how they help to justify the decisions and outcome. She needs to overcome the hurt she’s feeling and move on.
Like how she wants to match the music at the service with his sermon.
She has plans to follow other missionaries to Africa very soon… Like the connection Peter’s sister Ellie have with Sarah and how he choose Rebecca the school teacher to tend to daily needs of his daughter.
Like that Will is also interested in her besides the pastor and he doesn’t want her to leave the area.
What I do like are unpredictable scenes.
Asking for forgiveness-what a great way to make friends.
Easy to keep character straight as there are a handful of them. Like hearing of the everyday life and work they each do and their past-helps to understand why they have strong feelings towards different subjects.
Love how he’s able to talk to the blacksmith and hear how he works his problems out. Love also how Sarah helps others with money by sharing her plants at home.
When her whole world falls apart she continues to listen to God for guidance. She has her faith still. What I like about his section is that it’s similar to things that continue to happen today, being bullied and how they overcome it. Never saw this ending coming as it did.
Discussion q&a at the end. Author bio included. Other works by the author are highlighted.
I received this review copy by the author via Book Fun (The Book Club Network) and this is my honest opinion