Steel sharpens steel, but will its sparks ignite unfailing love?Instead of living a pampered life on the civilized east coast with a new husband, rejection compels Christina Adams westward with her widowed brother and his two daughters. Harboring ulterior motives, Ethan Cord, the man her brother hires to accompany the family, is more a match for her. He appears almost perfect, but how could she … could she possibly trust her instincts about him when she’d been so wrong about her previous fiancé? Will her past ruin her future?
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I am looking forward to the next book in this series. I am also looking forward to the book about Remi. This book talks a lot about people that will show up in future books. This was very interesting. I loved Christina and Cord. They were great together. I also love Asher’s children. This book shows a little how some people got to St. Joseph’s to start the Oregon trail. I received a copy of this book from Celebratelit for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
Uniquely Common is #12 in the Lockets and Lace multiauthor series. It is second in the ten novels releasing in 2019 after ten were released in 2018 and the 2nd that beloved Christian historical fiction author Caryl McAdoo has in the series. It is rich with Christian faith, lovable characters, well-researched historical details, the start of a pioneer journey, humor, and romance.
It is New York City in 1851. Christina Adams lives with her brother, Asher, and helps raise his daughters Samantha, “Sam”, 12, and Patricia, 7. She is the only mother Patricia has known as their mother died when she was a babe. She receives a letter from her fiancé, Reggie; he is breaking their engagement as he is now going to marry a countess. Christina, at 26 years old, knows she may never marry, and considers herself to be “common” in comparison to a beautiful countess.
Asher and his daughters are taking a wagon (prairie schooner) west to California to buy and develop a vineyard and become a vintner. With their brownstone sold, Christina needed to find someplace to live and work quickly or go west with her family.
Asher brings home a friend he made quite some time ago when traveling back to the US from Europe. Asher is a handsome young man who seems kind and has a good sense of humor. He is considered a “hireling” of sorts, as he will go to California with Asher and his family in a second prairie schooner. He will stay in their carriage house until they begin their trip. Christina is not happy that Asher didn’t discuss Ethan with her before bringing him home; how could he bring a stranger to stay with her and the girls and go west with them?
Sam and Patricia have a different idea, however. They see how handsome Ethan is, how kind and friendly, and decide he is the man Aunt Chrissy should marry. Marry? She was just dumped and they want her to think of their “hireling” as a beau? Yet, as they take the train to New Orleans, then Missouri for the first leg of their journey, he seems quite interested in her. Asher and the girls are intent on throwing them together at every opportunity. Chrissy does not know if she can trust another man, or if she can spend months – months! On a wagon across the country.
The characters in this story are endearing and fun. I got to know Christina quite well, and appreciate her intelligence and sense of adventure, especially when learning new games. Including poker. Ethan seems a charmer who chooses to make his life an open book when Christina asks questions, even if it means losing her for some of the things in his past. The children are an absolute delight as they try to put their beloved Aunt Chrissy and Ethan together. Their next “project” is to find a new wife for their father, someone unlike their mother who would be a wonderful part of their family.
I enjoyed the plot, even if some things were predictable. There are surprises, however, that add to the story and pave the way for a new novel by this author. I very much appreciate the prayers and faith of those in the story, the games they play together, and how well they get along. I would love to follow up on their journey to California and see how they get through the prairie and mountains! I highly recommend this novel to fans of the author and historical Christian fiction!
From a thankful heart: I received an eARC of this novel from CelebrateLit, and this is my honest review.
Four stars
Nice book theming you on a wagon train, regular train, and being set up to fall in love. Very nicely done. And yes can we recommend this to my advanced reading preteen friends. And it’s a stand alone so don’t have to read any others to u derstand this one.
What an interesting story. This story is all about the beginning stages of moving from the East to join up with a wagon train heading for California. Along the way there is a ton of matchmaking taking place. Will 12 year old Samantha manage to get not just one, but manage to set up yet a second? This is going to be a really interesting series and I can’t wait to real the whole series!
Uniquely Common
I love these kind of stories. Set in the time when they had to travel by wagon. They also did some traveling by boat. This was a fun book to read.
The book starts out where Christina and her fiancé had broken up. So now she thinks she will never marry. For the time being she settles for caring for her nieces. Teaching them their schoolwork.
Christina’s brother hires Ethan to help in their travels. Some match making is in the works.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from Celebrate Lit. I was not required to write an positive review. This is my own opinion.
As I finish this story, I remind myself how gifted this author is. Every story she writes, she puts her heart and soul into it. Her faith is strong and it shows in every story she writes. When I met Christina I was instantly pulled into her story. It does happen on occasion that a young woman is dumped right before the wedding. Poor Christina is devastated but more importantly I think her pride was a little bruised. Come on ladies, who wants to get dumped as you are about to get married. The scoundrel needs to leave as soon as possible before Christina’s brother catches up with him. I liked seeing how the author allowed Christina to slowly heal from her broken heart by taking a journey with her brother and two nieces.
There may have been a little information left out about the trip. Oh well I’m sure Christina won’t mind an extra person tagging along. Christina and her brother Asher are very close and she adores her beautiful, funny nieces. When Ethan appears as the tag along, I could hear Christina gasp a bit. After all he is quite dashing and the perfect match for one certain young woman. I laughed at the banter between the two people who try their best to just be friends.
The story is a wonderful look at how love slowly develops when two people trust God, and allow themselves to heal from their past.Walking the streets in New Orleans was a treat to experience. What I really liked about Ethan was how patient he was and how protective he became with Christina. I feel like I’ve been taken back in time where women wore beautiful dresses that flowed and men were gentlemen while escorting their lady around town. The ending is wonderful and I’m anxious to read the authors next story called “Remi.”
I received a digital copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.
We get to travel along with Christina and her family as they travel westward in wagons on their way to start a vineyard in the Napa Valley. Interesting details and happenings along the trail made for an interesting journey.
I was gifted a copy, no review was required. My review is voluntary.
“Please accept my profuse apologies; I couldn’t pass us this opportunity to please Mother. Forever your servant” – said the letter from Reginald, Christina’s fiance, breaking their engagement! Thus began the adventure for Christina, who had planned to marry and stay on the east coast in New York, while her brother Aster and nieces Patricia and Samantha journeyed westward to California to start a new life. What she did not expect was the addition of one handsome Ethan Cord, a man her brother hires to go with the family and an ulterior motive of matching her and Ethan up!
This was such a wonderful story and I could not put it down once I started! Caryl McAdoo writes with so much feeling and with her detail to the surroundings and in depth develpment of characters, you feel you can see and travel with them!
Can Christina move on from her broken engagement and find love again, even better suited for her in Ethan? I loved the banter between these two and the entire family. Aster’s wife had passed away and the girls looked to Christina, so there was a lot of fun interaction as they tried to play matchmaker.
Be prepared to fall in love with this family and be left wanting Aster’s story, because I know there has to be one!