Mary Flynn works as a telegrapher and switchboard operator at Thousand Island Park, and in the modern day of 1912, it’s the telephone that keeps her busiest. She lives with her two aunts on the island as the story begins. Though Mary wishes to marry, at twenty-eight, she is resigned to live as an old maid. She’s independent and loves her job.
Mary captures the interest of George Flannigan, a widowed fireman. Soon friendship begins to grown between the couple. Yet he can’t forgive himself for past failures. George worries if Mary will want to help his raise his six-year-old son, should their relationship progress.
A terrible fire sweeps across the island, bringing destruction and tragedy in its wake—and alters their relationship in a way neither could foresee.
I enjoyed this story! It easily snagged my attention with endearing, believable characters—and some readers won’t like. The fires seem to start in mysterious ways. There were some unpredictable twists and turns that I didn’t see coming, which made this a page-turner for me.
I couldn’t put it down. It’s a sweet and gentle romance. The little boy tugged at my heart.
I loved learning a bit of history about the islands as a natural part of the story. I now want to visit Thousand Island Park!
This is a new-to-me author. I will look for more of her books!
Recommended for readers of inspirational historical romances!
I was given a copy of the book by the author. A positive review was not required. The opinions expressed are my own.
“I couldn’t put the book down and read it in one day!”
“This historical work of Christian fiction drew me in and caused me to want this family to come together. With strands of forgiveness, mercy, and generosity, the author weaved together a memorable and moving book.”
“WOW, this book is amazing and has really touched my life!”
A spinster teacher…a grieving widower…a marriage of convenience and a second chance with the man she’s always loved.
When Samuel Walker proposes a marriage of convenience to Rose Hatfieldso soon after the death of his wife, she knows he doesn’t love her. She’s loved him since their school days. Those long-suppressed feelings spring to life as she marries him. She must sell her childhood home, quit her teaching job, and move to a new city.
Marrying Rose is harder than Samuel expected, especially with the shadow of his deceased wife everywhere in his life. And he has two young children to consider. Peter and Emma need a mother’s love, but they also need to hold close the memories of their real mother as they grieve her loss.
Life as Samuel’s wife is nothing like Rose hoped, and even the townspeople, who loved his first wife, make Rose feel like an outsider. The work of the farm draws the two of them closer, giving hope that they might one day become a happy family. Until the dream shatters, and the life Rose craves tumbles down around them. Only God can put these pieces back together, but the outcome may not look anything like she planned.
I have wanted to write a story set in Cincinnati, Ohio, in the 1880s for several years. It seems that it was on my heart to write even when writing was but a dream for me.
In A Not So Persistent Suitor, Book 2 in my Second Chances Novel Series, twins Cora and John had been living on their family’s farm before moving to Cincinnati to attend college. John went rogue on me (he does that in Book 3 too 😊) and got a job at a newspaper working with Ben, and decided not to go to college. Meanwhile, Ben begins to court Cora.
When our story begins, Cora is in her second and final year at the Cincinnati Kindergarten Training School. Kindergarten is still in its infancy in 1883, when our story begins. In fact, the demand for kindergartens grew in the 1870s. There were about four hundred kindergartens by 1880, and the need to train teachers for them was a natural part of that growth.
A training school in Cincinnati was organized in March of 1880. At first, kindergarten students (aged four – six) learned the 3 R’s –reading, writing, and arithmetic. Before long, principals in higher grades complained that kindergartners also needed a basic knowledge of music, drawing, and manual training.
This led to greater training for kindergartener teachers, who learned teaching tools that included games, songs, and handwork.
I imagine that incorporating games, songs, and activities engaged the children’s interest in a new and fun way for them.
Part of my research included The Songs and Music of Friedrich Froebel’s Mother Play by Fro. Bel. Friedrich. Early training schools used Friedrich Froebel’s writing extensively in their training so I mentioned his Mother Play book within the story.
Though demand for kindergartens was growing, most schools didn’t address the needs of these four to six-year-old children by providing a kindergarten class. Cora has to fight for a local school to start a new class to open the fall after she graduates.
Another fun thing about this novel is the places I’ve included that the modern reader familiar with Cincinnati will recognize: Fountain Square, the Suspension Bridge, St. Peter’s Cathedral, and the Zoological Gardens to name a few.
Follow characters you’ve grown to love in A Not So Convenient Marriage, Book 1 in the “Second Chances” series into A Not So Persistent Suitor, Book 2!
More about A Not So Persistent Suitor
He’s fighting for his career…She’s bent on achieving her own goals…Will their love survive a second chance at happily ever after?
Cora Welch dreams of a future teaching kindergarten, which is in its infancy, and marriage to Ben Findlay, her beau and her twin brother’s best friend. But she returns to college from summer break to learn of Ben’s unwise choices in pursuit of his career—choices that destroy her trust in the man she thought she knew and loved.
Ben is working hard toward his dream to become the best reporter in the city. He’s no stranger to fighting for a goal against all odds, ever since he was orphaned at age thirteen. Even though Cora has captured his heart, he makes the mistake of escorting the boss’s daughter to a fancy banquet to further his career—with far-reaching repercussions. Now he’s hurt Cora and botched his career goals.
Winning Cora’s trust again proves harder than Ben expects, especially as they both face struggles of their own. When events spiral out of their control, catapulting them into hardship and even danger, only God can restore their dreams—though the outcome may look far different than either of them planned.
Ellie Hastings has been tasked by her aunt to discern the character of the wealthy bachelor, Lewis Thornton. Aunt Florence has the young man in mind for Ada, her youngest daughter.
Lewis has seen all the tricks that young women determined to meet him have used over the years, but Ellie seems different. Her cousin and her parents fit in perfectly at the White Queen. There’s some mystery about Ellie.
He hatches a plan to aid a friend that will allow him to spend more time with Ellie.
I was drawn into the setting of the Gilded Ages Resorts from the beginning. My interest was quickly snagged by this unlikely couple—a wealthy bachelor accustomed to pursuit by single women and the poor relation woman at the beck and call of her high-society aunt.
The lonely little girl, Cora, tugged at my heart. Our heroine has long been taught not to value herself and many misunderstandings arise from this mindset. Twists in the action moved the story in a direction I didn’t expect. I became invested in the plight of the characters, making this book a page turner for me.
I’m looking forward to the next book in the collection!
This first book in the series was a page turner for me!
Rose Carrigan can scarcely believe it when Union soldiers burn the mill in her small town in Roswell, Georgia. That mill had supplied jobs for both her and sister, not to mention many of her neighbors. What are they to do now?
Union Captain Noah Griffin hates this part of his job. It seems to him that the army didn’t have to destroy the livelihood of an entire town. Two sisters capture his attention, especially Rose, the older one. She’s got spirit but her beauty snags the attention of some of his men. He saves her. Before long, she occupies much of his thoughts.
Rose learns that the workers of the Roswell mills are prisoners. She and her sister must travel north, whether they want to go or not. Noah can’t stop the orders from being carried out. What will become of them? Will she see Noah again?
This book tugged at my emotions from the beginning. The historical events are shared as a natural part of the story. I love learning history as a natural part of a fictional novel.
This is the first book I’ve read by this author, but it won’t be the last.
Recommended for readers of inspirational historical romances.
I wanted to share some exciting news with you! A Not So Persistent Suitor, Book 2 of my “Second Chances” series, will release February 14, 2023!
This series begins a dozen years after the end of the Civil War. The first book, A Not So Convenient Marriage, is set in 1877 in three Ohio locations: Hamilton, Harrison, and the train town of Bradford Junction.
The second book, A Not So Persistent Suitor, is set in Cincinnati in 1883—84. It was fun to share a few recognizable locations in this novel. 😊
Book 3, A Not So Peaceful Journey, takes place on a train journey from Ohio to San Francisco in 1884.
Here’s a bit about A Not So Persistent Suitor:
He’s fighting for his career…She’s bent on achieving her own goals…Will their love survive a second chance at happily ever after?
Cora Welch dreams of a future teaching kindergarten, which is in its infancy, and marriage to Ben Findlay, her beau and her twin brother’s best friend. But she returns to college from summer break to learn of Ben’s unwise choices in pursuit of his career—choices that destroy her trust in the man she thought she knew and loved.
Ben is working hard toward his dream to become the best reporter in the city. He’s no stranger to fighting for a goal against all odds, ever since he was orphaned at age thirteen. Even though Cora has captured his heart, he makes the mistake of escorting the boss’s daughter to a fancy banquet to further his career—with far-reaching repercussions. Now he’s hurt Cora and botched his career goals.
Winning Cora’s trust again proves harder than Ben expects, especially as they both face struggles of their own. When events spiral out of their control, catapulting them into hardship and even danger, only God can restore their dreams—though the outcome may look far different than either of them planned.
Sandra Merville Hart, award-winning and Amazon bestselling author of inspirational historical romances, loves to discover little-known facts from American history to include in her novels. In fact, many of her stories are inspired by visits to historical sites such as battlefields. Sandra treats all her vacations with her husband as an adventure for she never knows where inspiration for a story willarise. Her desire is to transport her readers back in time. Sandra is also a blogger, speaker, and conference teacher.
In 1870, the Ohio railroad town of Bradford Junction (now known as Bradford) had a population around 400.
Trains stopped at specific depots for meal stops. These were called eating stations. General S.E. Ogden took over Hoover House and renamed it Ogden Hotel and Restaurant and was one of the eating stations in Bradford Junction. Louie’s Place was another spot where train passengers obtained hot meals.
Farmers or widows often sold fruit or cakes on the platform to passengers not desiring a big, hot meal as a cheaper alternative.
A child or teenager sometimes boarded the train to sell candy, cold drinks, or newspapers. Bradford’s first newspaper, the Railroad Gazette, was no doubt sold to people passing through.
Meal stops were generally twenty minutes only. The conductor entered the eating stations and announced how long diners had before the train departed. If they weren’t on the train, they were left.
In the 1880s, the Miami Hotel charged $1 a day for first-class accommodations.
Private boarding houses offered housing to railroad men. Widows of railroad workers also rented rooms as a way to make income. Men who rented from these families were expected to maintain a respectful manner. He enjoyed clean bed linens and meals with the family. In return, he should maintain cleanliness.
Some men lived in the same boarding house for years, helping to raise the widow’s children. Sometimes boarders attended functions with the landlady and her family. He might purchase a chair for the parlor for his own use.
Bradford Junction is a setting in A Not So Convenient Marriage, Book 1 in my “Second Chances” series, where the heroine works with orphaned twins at the fictitious meal stop, Mrs. Saunders’ Eatery. I invite you to pick up a copy and read it!
It’s 1887, and Flora Brimm must get a fiancé to live long enough to marry her and produce an heir to her grandfather’s Natchez home, where her crippled sister resides. If not, her cousin stands to inherit it and he will sell the estate.
Unfortunately, four men have died before their intended wedding day, earning her the nickname “Fatal Flora.” The fifth man she agrees to marry must make it to the altar. She doesn’t love Will Tucker, but time is running out. They must marry.
Lucas McMinn, a Pinkerton agent with personal reasons for arresting Will Tucker, has his hands full when taking on the task of protecting Flora from her fiancé.
There’s a lot of action and adventure in this story. The characters are believable and likeable. There was plenty of suspense and danger as well. Romantic scenes often happened in the midst of danger and had the effect of lessening the suspense for me.
Recommended for readers of inspirational historical romance.
I wanted to share some exciting news with you—my next series will soon begin releasing! A Not So Convenient Marriage, Book 1 of my new “Second Chances” series, will release November 8, 2022!
This series begins a dozen years after the end of the Civil War. The first book is set in 1877 in three Ohio locations: Hamilton, Harrison, and the train town of Bradford Junction.
The second book is set in Cincinnati in 1883—84. (It was fun to share a few recognizable locations in this novel.)
I will soon begin writing the third book, so stay turned for details!
Here’s a bit about A Not So Convenient Marriage:
A spinster teacher…a grieving widower…a marriage of convenience and a second chance with the man she’s always loved…
When Samuel Walker proposes a marriage of convenience to Rose Hatfieldso soon after the death of his wife, she knows he doesn’t love her. She’s loved him since their school days. Those long-suppressed feelings spring to life as she marries him. She must sell her childhood home, quit her teaching job, and move to a new city.
Marrying Rose is harder than Samuel expected, especially with the shadow of his deceased wife everywhere in his life. And he has two young children to consider. Peter and Emma need a mother’s love, but they also need to hold close the memories of their real mother as they grieve her loss.
Life as Samuel’s wife is nothing like Rose hoped, and even the townspeople, who loved his first wife, make Rose feel like an outsider. The work of the farm draws the two of them closer, giving hope that they might one day become a happy family. Until the dream shatters, and the life Rose craves tumbles down around them. Only God can put these pieces back together, but the outcome may not look anything like she planned.
Sandra Merville Hart, award-winning and Amazon bestselling author of inspirational historical romances, loves to discover little-known facts from American history to include in her novels. In fact, many of her stories are inspired by visits to historical sites such as battlefields. Sandra treats all her vacations with her husband as an adventure for she never knows where inspiration for a story willarise. Her desire is to transport her readers back in time. Sandra is also a blogger, speaker, and conference teacher.
The story opens with Eliza Gentry at 12 and Wyatt Creed at 14 on a cattle drive on the Chisholm Trail. She loves watching the stars and he watches them with her—when he can avoid a beating from his drunken father. Eliza’s own father is the trail boss and he owns the cattle being driven north to Kansas.
Something terrible happens on the cattle drive. Wyatt is there when Ben Barnhart kills Wyatt’s father. It’s Wyatt’s word against Ben’s. The trail boss’s word is law on the Chisholm Trail. It’s swift justice when a single gunshot rings out into the night.
The story picks up again nine years later and the feisty Eliza still misses Wyatt, her friend who watched stars with her on the cattle drive.
The characters in the book drew me into the story right away. I loved the western setting and the story had plenty of twists to keep me guessing the outcome.
I loved seeing Texas cities, Galveston and Austin, and New Orleans, Louisiana, through the novel’s action. A page-turner for me.
Recommended for readers of inspirational historical romances.
Sandra Merville Hart 