Helpful Score: 3
Really enjoyed this book! The main female character is a regular woman with a less than perfect body (finally!). The main male character is wheelchair bound and a little crusty on the outside towards people. A very good book with believable characters. If you're tired of reading books with people with the perfect lives and bodies, then this will be refreshing for you! Set after the Civil War in a small Kansas town.
Helpful Score: 1
I really enjoyed this book because the hero/heroine were different then the average H/H in romance books.Jake was confined to a wheelchair after a war injury and bitter at the world because he also lost his wife when she died unexpectedly.Alicia was an "old maid" school teacher who was content at her lot in life, which she felt was that she would never marry or have children of her own, the author hints that Alicia is a full-figured woman, larger than the average woman of that era. I love Carolyn Davidson's books!!!
Helpful Score: 1
The Civil War took his legs and pneumonia took his wife; Jake McPherson is a tragic figure. Hes become a recluse; his nine year-old son Jason has become a problem at school and around the town. Miss Alicia Merriweather, a thirty year-old schoolteacher, has come to the McPherson home to talk with the father.
Shes shocked by the angry man she meets; Merriweather is a heavy, not particularly pretty woman who takes no nonsense from anyone. She goes toe-to-toe with McPherson, telling him about Jasons bad behavior and telling Mr. McPherson what he needs to do about it!
Before long, Miss Alicia is a regular visitor to the McPherson house and Jake realizes he needs a mother for Jason and a companion for himself. He asks Alicia to marry him and she agrees. However, marriage doesnt quiet the arguments between the spouses and Jason doesn't become a well-behaved son.
This is a deep, emotional tale of a hermit who takes a chance and is rewarded beyond his dreams. Alicia, the stout woman who thought shed never marry, is given the chance to be a wife and mother.
The subject of a man in a wheelchair having emotional and physical needs is rather unique in this genre. Carolyn Davidson did a remarkable job of showing Jakes pain and loneliness. Alicia is a perfect match for Jake because she takes no bull but understands him because she has dealt with pain and ridicule (shes tall, stout and plain) all her life.
My only complaint was that Jake changed too quickly; I would have expected him to go down fighting harder. However, this is a wonderful story about 3 people (Jake, Alicia and Jason) and how they become a family.
Shes shocked by the angry man she meets; Merriweather is a heavy, not particularly pretty woman who takes no nonsense from anyone. She goes toe-to-toe with McPherson, telling him about Jasons bad behavior and telling Mr. McPherson what he needs to do about it!
Before long, Miss Alicia is a regular visitor to the McPherson house and Jake realizes he needs a mother for Jason and a companion for himself. He asks Alicia to marry him and she agrees. However, marriage doesnt quiet the arguments between the spouses and Jason doesn't become a well-behaved son.
This is a deep, emotional tale of a hermit who takes a chance and is rewarded beyond his dreams. Alicia, the stout woman who thought shed never marry, is given the chance to be a wife and mother.
The subject of a man in a wheelchair having emotional and physical needs is rather unique in this genre. Carolyn Davidson did a remarkable job of showing Jakes pain and loneliness. Alicia is a perfect match for Jake because she takes no bull but understands him because she has dealt with pain and ridicule (shes tall, stout and plain) all her life.
My only complaint was that Jake changed too quickly; I would have expected him to go down fighting harder. However, this is a wonderful story about 3 people (Jake, Alicia and Jason) and how they become a family.
I enjoyed reading this book very much.
Nice historical. I was bit put off by the main male character at first, but warmed up a bit towards the end.
average read
As always another good historical romance by Carolyn Davidson; new this year of 2006. From the back: Jake McPherson a civil war veteran wounded in body and soul; Alicia Merriweather, teacher who has came to warn Jake his son was running wild. "Davidson wonderfully captures gentleness in the midst of heartwrenching challenges."
Wonderfully satisfying read.
I loved this story. Great Carolyn Davidson. Enjoy.
very good book.
If you've read THE WEDDING PROMISE you will want to read this book. This is Jake's story. You will remember Jake was wounded in the Civil War. I love all of Carolyn Davidson's books. This was one of the best!
This was my first Carolyn Davidson book and I really enjoyed it.
Jake McPherson needed a bride - He was a Civil War vetern, wounded in body and sol. And when his wife died unexpectedly, he trtreated from life, craving only solitude and his happy memories. But his young son needed a mother's love and guidance, even if Jake wanted no woman himself. So who better to choose than the town's spinster schoolmarm? Alicia Merriweather wanted so much to love. She had come to warn Jake his son was running wild. But she stayed because beneath his gruff exterior she saw Jake's pain and loneliness. Having borne the brunt of ridicule all his life, tall, plain Alicia understood both all too well. But could Jake ever learn to share his home and his heart.
Jake McPherson needed a bride...He was a civil War vetern, wounded in body and soul. And when his wife died unexpectedly, he retreated from life, craving only solitude and his happy memories. But his young son needed a mother's love and guidance-even if Jake wanted no woman himself. So who better to choose than the town's spinster schoolmarm? Alicia Merriweather wanted so much to love....She had come to warn Jake his son was running wild. But she stayed because beneath his gruff exterior she saw Jake's pain and loneliness. Having borne the brunt of ridicule all her life, tall, plain Alicia understood both too well. But could Jake ever learn to share his home and his heart?
