Welcome to my stop on this awesome Tour! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE The Proper Romance Books so, so much. They are really my favorite.
pic and description taken from Shadowmountain.com
DESCRIPTION:
When Harriet Beecher marries Calvin Stowe on January 6, 1836, she is sure her future will be filled romance, eventually a family, and continued opportunities to develop as a writer. Her husband Calvin is completely supportive and said she must be a literary woman. Harriet’s sister, Catharine, worries she will lose her identity in marriage, but she is determined to preserve her independent spirit. Deeply religious, she strongly believes God has called her to fulfill the roles of wife and writer and will help her accomplish everything she was born to do.
Two months after her wedding Harriet discovers she is pregnant just as Calvin prepares to leave for a European business trip. Alone, Harriet is overwhelmed-being a wife has been harder than she thought and being an expectant mother feels like living another woman’s life. Knowing that part of Calvin still cherishes the memory of his first wife, Harriet begins to question her place in her husband’s heart and yearns for his return; his letters are no substitute for having him home. When Calvin returns, however, nothing seems to have turned out as planned.
Struggling to balance the demands of motherhood with her passion for writing and her desire to be a part of the social change in Ohio, Harriet works to build a life with her beloved Calvin despite differing temperaments and expectations.
Can their love endure, especially after “I do”? Can she recapture the first blush of new love and find the true beauty in her marriage?
MY REVIEW / THOUGHTS:
I have so much love for the Proper Romance books, and this one is no exception. Kilpack's writing makes me want to weep....in a good way. She just grabs you right from the beginning, and brings you into the world of the books she writes. The writing is beautiful. The historical setting is awesome. I just don't think I can say enough good things about this book.
I like that Kilpack has taken on writing about Historical Figures in a few of her novels, it just brings them to life for me. This book especially. I am embarrassed to admit this, but I didn't know anything about Harriet Beecher Stowe. I have heard of her books, but I guess I just never connected the author to the person. Does that make sense?
This book brought this amazing character right to my front room, while she lived her life in my head. Harriet, is a talented and intellectual woman. When she starts dating Calvin, he admits that her intellect is what endeared her to him. Harriet found herself moving on to the world of being a wife. She thought this would just make everything in her life just "that much" better.
Harriet's sister Catherine did not see it that way. She thought Harriet was wasting her life getting married just to be "ruled" by a man. Catherine believed teaching and writing were what Harriet's true calling in life.
I could never have lived in these times when women seem to just be door mats. I appreciated the fact that when Harriet first got married she didn't fall under the "typical" wife during that time. Although she found herself struggling to meet the "requirements" of being a wife, and now, after only being married a few short months, a new mom.
As I journeyed with Harriet and her struggles, and triumphs I felt as though I was living her life. That is how good Kilpack's writing is for me. I felt her pain as she struggled to fulfill her duties to be a wife, writer, artist, and mother. I felt her triumphs. I felt her sadness.
Harriet and Calvin's marriage is not an easy one, but it is one that is worth reading about. I have to admit at the beginning I really disliked Calvin, but as the book goes on, I came to realize what a really wonderful man he was. It just took him some time to figure it out as well.
If you like historical romances with historical figures :)....you will love this book. Kilpack is an amazing writer. Her stories play out as movies while I read them. I yell, cry, and walk away with frustration at times, because that is how "real" her characters become to me. Such a great book.
Source: I was given this book as part of a blog tour. I was not compensated in any way for this review. These are my own PERSONAL thoughts on the book.
A HUGE THANK YOU TO:
for allowing me to be part of this amazing tour.
MY RATING:
WHERE TO BUY:
ABOUT THE AMAZING AUTHOR:
pic and bio taken from shadowmountain.com
Josi S. Kilpack began her first novel in 1998. Her seventh novel, Sheep’s Clothing, won the 2007 Whitney Award for Mystery/Suspense. Rocky Road is Josi’s nineteenth novel and the tenth book in the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery Series. Josi currently lives in Willard, Utah, with her husband and children.
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