In the aftermath of WWI, Grace Abernathy is determined to reunite with her family, crossing an ocean to convince her widowed sister to return home to England. Yet Toronto holds more tragedy and her nephew Christian is now in the custody of his paternal relatives, the formidable Easton family, who rejected Grace’s sister because of her low social status. Unconvinced the Eastons can be fitting … fitting caretakers, Grace jumps at the chance to be Christian’s nanny and observe the family up close under an assumed name. In the course of her new position, she is shocked to discover herself falling for Andrew Easton, the boy’s guardian. Unfortunately, Andrew is promised to a spoiled socialite who will make a terrible stepmother for Christian. Will Grace be able to protect her nephew . . . and her heart?
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This book had my attention from the first sentence!! I’ve read some good books lately, but THIS!!! THIS does NOT EVEN COMPARE to those!!!!!
The Best of Intentions was my first Susan Anne Mason, but you can be sure I’ll be reading more!! I fell in love with the characters, the setting, everything!!
Grace left England to come to see her sister in Canada after not seeing her in years, to only be in a predicament once she gets there. This story is all about love, forgiveness, being unselfish, kindness, and finding the good in others and situations that you sometimes have no control over.
Andrew is one of those guys that just doesn’t feel like he’s good enough, good enough for his father. I loved seeing him overcome that, realizing he IS good enough, a worthy man that his father can be proud of.
I love it when a book (like this one) has two women, one who is exceptionally beautiful, and another who is more plain. But the guy sees the plain woman MORE beautiful, not just because of the way she looks in his eyes, but because her inward beauty just shines through. That was Grace. Grace was an amazing woman, who definitely had her faults, but she worked through her faults, baggage, and always turned to God for guidance. THAT’S the kind of woman I want to see in every book!
Virginia, too, was the sweetest, most kind woman ever! My heart just tore in two so many times for her. I thought her story by the end was just as sweet and wonderful as Grace’s.
So overall, this is an AMAZING, uplifting, clean book that I would highly recommend for anyone!!
Wonderfully unique story!
Susan Mason’s The Best of Intentions was a very enjoyable historical romance set in London and Toronto. Grace’s journey to find and care for her nephew captured my heart, and though she made some mistakes, I was cheering for her. Andrew was an admirable hero. I enjoyed seeing how they both grew and changed through the story. Well done and highly recommended!
I enjoyed this book. It was somewhat predictable but sometimes that’s fine with me.
The Best Of Intentions by Susan Anne Mason is a perfectly charming historical novel and the first book in the Canadian Crossings series.
The setting is 1919 as the world recovers from World War I and the Spanish flu epidemic which followed. So many families suffered losses.
The novel is about fulfilling a sister’s wishes and caring for her baby son. Babies have the capacity to soften hearts and help to heal losses.
There are the themes of guilt and earning love from a parent. One young man has been forever in his brother’s shadow, trying to earn the affections of his father. Now he feels guilty because he is the one left living when he knows he is his father’s second choice. The reader is reminded that God loves us all equally. There are no favourites in God’s Kingdom, neither do we need to earn His love. God loves each and every one of us unconditionally.
1919 saw a new world emerging but some still cling to the old order of things – marriages were alliances of wealth and status rather than for love. It takes courage to break away from this.
The characters are delightful. They are warm and welcoming, their interactions are charming. There are friendships that cross class divides as hearts are drawn to another.
I really loved The Best Of Intentions. I could not put it down and devoured it in just two sittings – only pausing to sleep! I am looking forward to the subsequent books.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.
I enjoyed this story and being introduced to the author.
So enjoyed this riveting tale of love and forgiveness in Book #1 of the Canadian Crossings series. It kept me so engaged from the very beginning that I had a very difficult time putting this book down! I just wanted to keep turning pages to find out what would happen next in this tale of familial devotion, forbidden romance, and learning to forgive oneself and others. The oh-so-satisfying ending left me with a heartwarming feeling and wishing there could be a sequel to this novel. One of my favorite reads this year!
This is the first book by this author that I’ve read, and I’m glad I took a chance to try her. It is interesting that Grace is considered “rash,” but in her time period (WWI), women who spoke their mind and didn’t always do as society expected were labeled as such. I appreciated her sense of duty to her family, and felt bad for her that the duty stemmed from feelings of perceived guilt. Andrew struggled with the same issues, yet neither character could see past their own problems to recognize or understand the other. Both made assumptions about people that weren’t always correct (like we all do!), and often didn’t ask enough questions to get the information they needed to make decisions. I loved Andrew’s devotion to his nephew, which made him even more swoonworthy. His sister Ginny is a wonderful character, spunky and adoring of her brother despite his flaws. The book handles difficult topics sensitively, yet gave me much food for thought. Highly recommended.
I read anything Susan Anne Mason writes!!
Everything I want in a clean romance. If I have trouble putting it down, then it’s a winner. Some people like a lot of prose, rich in details, but I don’t need or want all that, it weighs the story down for me. I want the meat with just enough detail to transport me into the story with the characters. TBOI was perfect for me. I loved it!
Twists in the plot, so you don’t know how it will end.
Couldn’t put this book down. Just when you think you know what will happens next, it changes. Really enjoyed this book and plan to read more from this author.
A great start of a new series! A beautifully written historical Christian romance!
An excellent story, when 3/4 through I couldn’t put it down! Just after WWII was over, Grace had travelled from England to Toronto Canada. Once there she found that she had lost her sister, so she posed as a nanny to her nephew in order to be close to him. As a servant she was disdained by some of the family, yet her personality, faith and kindness drew her to others – though they didn’t know her secret or real social standing. You’re brought into the depth of the hearts of this family and it doesn’t disappoint. Grab the tissues towards the end though!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the Barbour Publishing – Netgalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
In the aftermath of WWI, Grace Abernathy is determined to reunite with her family, crossing an ocean to convince her widowed sister to return home to England. Yet Toronto holds more tragedy and her nephew Christian is now in the custody of his paternal relatives, the formidable Easton family, who rejected Grace’s sister because of her low social status.
Unconvinced the Eastons can be fitting caretakers, Grace jumps at the chance to be Christian’s nanny and observe the family up close under an assumed name. In the course of her new position, she is shocked to discover herself falling for Andrew Easton, the boy’s guardian. Unfortunately, Andrew is promised to a spoiled socialite who will make a terrible stepmother for Christian. Will Grace be able to protect her nephew . . . and her heart?
This is the first book I’ve read by Ms Mason. If her other books are like this one, I will be reading more of them.
Grace is full of guilt for how she has disappointed everyone in her life. Andrew wants to please everybody especially his father. He believes he has been second best and now that Frank is gone he can now have his father’s love. Grace and Andrew have one thing in common. Their love for Christian. When Grace takes the nanny position she doesn’t mention the fact that she is his aunt. That in itself creates problems when she is found out. As the story progresses, we of course see Andrew and Grace fall in love. How they end up together is a good read. I recommend this book to those who enjoy a good romance.
I was given this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way.
When Grace travels to Canada from England, the last thing that she expects to find is her nephew orphaned and now being cared for by her sister’s dreaded in-laws. As a last resort, she decides to secretly become his nanny. As she slowly builds a relationship with the Easton family, Grace starts to see them for who they truly are. Not without their weaknesses and prejudices, she also finds common ground in the way that both her and the Eastons have suffered through World War I. This story is such a beautiful example of learning to love others as God does, to see them as He does.
The relationship between Andrew and Grace builds slowly and in a very believable way, although I must admit that I was frustrated at times with Andrew’s slowness to stand up to society’s expectations for him! That’s the whole point of the story, though, to learn to trust God’s plan for our lives and not to worry about what others expect of us.
As I have with all of Susan Anne Mason’s books, I highly enjoyed this story and can’t wait to read the next book in the Canadian Crossings series! I received a copy of this book from Bethany Books through NetGalley and am under no obligation to post a positive review. All opinions are my own.
“There’s no easy way to say this, Grace . . . . . Rose . . passed away three weeks ago.”
Having traveled from England to Canada in order to spend time with her widowed sister and infant nephew, Grace Abernathy is shocked beyond belief upon learning of her sister’s death. Desperate to discover where her nephew has been relocated, Grace is appalled when a local pastor relays the message that the very in-laws who painfully shunned her sister Rose, now have custody of little Christian. The Eastons; wealthy, powerful, and not about to welcome Rose’s sister onto their estate. There must be a way to confirm that her young nephew is being treated with lovingkindness.
Andrew Easton cannot move forward with his future until he is certain that his young ward has proper supervision. Ironically, following a chance meeting with a lovely young woman hobbling on an injured ankle, the same woman appears once again; this time in his home, as a prospective employee. Grace Foley has managed to capture the attention of Andrew’s sister, making her a strong candidate for Christian’s nanny. In spite of their differences in social status, Grace’s gentle beauty simply adds to her mystique; she’s certainly nothing like the pampered socialite that Andrew feels compelled to marry in order to gain his father’s approval.
As Grace and Andrew navigate the troubled waters of truth vs. deception, can the best of intentions truly be enough?
What an inspiring beginning to Susan Anne Mason’s new series of books!
The Best of Intentions by Susan Anne Mason was a delight to read. This is the first book I have read by this author and I enjoyed it very much. I was captured into this Edwardian tale from the first page. The story line was original and I loved the characters. I will most definitely be reading more from this talented author.
Susan Ann Mason took me on an adventure. From traveling across the ocean to falling in love, I enjoyed every moment. I could tell by reading the description this was going to be a unique story. Best of Intentions caused me to feel a variety of emotions, ranging from joy to complete sadness. The characters were fun, and all special in their own way. I enjoyed watching Grace as she got to know her nephew and those in charge of raising him. Doing what she thought was best can come with serious consequences, but she will stop at nothing to keep her promise to her sister. The tension between some of the characters kept me on the edge of my seat and I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Historical Romance. I received a copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley. I was in no way forced to post a review. All opinions expressed are my own.
I was drawn to the beautiful cover of The Best of Intentions by Susan Anne Mason. The blurb further pulled me in and made me excited to read this novel, which begins a new series called Canadian Crossings. I loved traveling to Toronto, Canada a hundred years ago and seeing what life was like back then. The author excels at writing historical fiction that comes alive on the page. The main characters are vividly drawn, emotionally layered, and engaging. I could easily picture them in my mind and feel their emotions and why they responded the way they did. With a blend of history, suspense, romance, and a thread of forgiveness and faith woven in, this novel is one for my keeper shelf.
When I pick up a book by Susan Anne Mason, I can count on it being very well written. The story flows beautifully, the editing is great, and it’s so easy to read and get lost in my imagination. I enjoyed this book immensely and look forward to the next story in the series.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.