The Courtship of the Vicar's Daughter (The Gresham Chronicles, Book 2)

Sweet & religious. Spoilers. I was struck by the attack on boarding schools & the defense of having children at home to be raised right, within the family. It was an effective way to push the Christian agenda.

Elizabeth Phelps thought she would never love again when her first love Jonathan proved unfaithful. Just when she begins to recover from her broken heart and think of being courted by another man, Jonathan returns. He protests that he has changed and is ready to show himself worthy of her affections again. Should Elizabeth trust him? Even if she does, will Elizabeth's father allow Jonathan to even enter his house again?

Mercy Sanders has never thought she would find love at all. The only woman in a house full of rough men, Mercy can see no future for herself besides cooking and cleaning for her father and brothers. Her only solace has been her friendship with an aging neighbor woman -- but before the old woman dies, she tells Mercy that God has told her that he will send Mercy a husband. Mercy is doubtful, but when a mysterious, close-lipped man and a young boy move into the house left vacant at the neighbor's death, Mercy finds her heart softening toward the pair. Her family will never allow for a normal courtship . . . will Mercy find a way into her new neighbor's heart?

In the second book in the Gresham Chronicles, Blackwell has created another sweet, restful historical romance (or two!) in the peaceful village of Gresham. Readers will delight in the continuation of the story that started with The Widow of Larkspur Inn, though it's not strictly necessary to read that volume first. Even readers who do not usually enjoy inspirational romance may enjoy this story, with its touches of humor and pathos. ( )