The Hesitant Heiress by Dawn Crandall

“A love story to savor, THE HESITANT HEIRESS is a gentle Gilded Age courtship that delightfully teases, taunts, and takes the heroine—and the reader—by surprise with a tale of mystery and true love revealed.”

—JULIE LESSMAN, Author of The Daughters of Boston, Winds of Change, and Heart of San Francisco series

Dawn Crandall is a graduate of Taylor University with a degree in Christian Education, and a former bookseller at Barnes & Noble. Apart from writing books, Dawn is also a first-time mom to a precious little boy (born March 2014) and also serves with her husband in a pre-marriage mentor program at their local church in Northeast Indiana.

Dawn is represented by Joyce Hart of Hartline Literary. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, American Christian Fiction Writers, secretary for the Indiana ACFW Chapter (Hoosier Ink), and associate member of the Great Lakes ACFW Chapter.

MY REVIEW

The Hesitant Heiress, Book 1 of the EVERSTONE CHRONICLES

I had been admiring the covers of these books for some time, and hearing all sorts of amazing things about the series that I just could not wait any longer and had to get my itchy little hands on them. The Hesitant Heiress is the first in the series and we are introduced to the Everstone family. These books lived up to my expectations and more. (Note: I have read the whole series now, and they just got better and better.)

Setting:

Set in Boston, Massachusetts in 1890, the opening scene is in the Conservatory’s Music Auditorium where Miss Bringham has finished playing Chopin’s Raindrop. I love how the book ends with the same piece of music, but in a different room, with a piano. What happens between when the two pieces are played is an adventure of dreams and nightmares, events and scenarios that will keep you turning the page. It all comes full circle, back to Amaryllis’ favourite piece of music.

As the story unfolds we get to know a cast of characters that, by the end of the series, you understand them better, their secrets are uncovered, and yes…you fall in love with, one by one. Right from the first few pages, I was hooked and could not put this book down. The intrigue surrounding Miss Bringham, her story and the fate of her wounded heart, had me turning the pages as fast as I could. Who needs sleep anyway? (Yes, I read the book in one day and pulled an all nighter.)

Amaryllis must marry before the year is out of forfeit her inheritance from a grandmother she has only just learned about.

“ I was certain my inheritance would only attract the most desperate opportunist.”

—Amaryllis Bringham

Boy! And by the end of the book we really find out everything about that! Without providing any spoilers, let me just say that watching Amaryllis grow and mature, change her perspective and give Nathan Everstone a chance, reminds me so much of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. And yes, the handsome Nathan Everstone won me over with ease, he had a harder time convincing Amaryllis though.

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Watch out for a Q & A in my “The Person Behind The Pen” segment coming soon