[sunnysideup]

TITLE: Hearts Awakening (Hearts Along the River Book #1)
AUTHOR: Delia Parr
GENRE: Inspirational Historical Romance
PUBLISHED: Jan 2010
RATING: ★★★★★
PURCHASE LINKS: Amazon, Kobo Books, Barnes&Noble
MOBILISM LINK: Hearts Awakening

Description:
With no means to support herself, Ellie Kilmer agrees to work as a housekeeper for the young widower who lives on Dillon Island, hopeful she can obtain a proper reference. But Jackson Smith quickly realizes that Ellie's presence may solve his own problems--both the rearing of his young boys and the scandal that surrounds his first marriage.

When a marriage of convenience is offered, Ellie is initially humiliated. Though she is past the age most women marry, she has more pride than to agree to his outlandish suggestion. Yet what options does she have? To marry would mean a home and stability. So despite the rumors circling Jackson and his first wife, Ellie accepts this unlikely proposal...

Review:
Readers are introduced to Ellie as she walks down a dirt road one pre-dawn morning. A raccoon startles Ellie and she starts to fall. She quickly grabs a sapling while half falling into a blackberry bush. After righting herself she sees the damage to her clothing and states the following...

Chest heaving, she swiped at her tears and stomped both of her work boots free of dirt before resuming her journey. “I thought you were going to help me, Lord. I’ve trusted in you all my life, yet no matter how hard I’ve prayed or how hard I’ve tried to live by your Word, I always end up with . . . with nothing but disappointment,” she cried, giving voice to the despair that seemed to have found a permanent home in her spirit.

No matter what it seems that Ellie wants the Lord to give her what she wants in her time not His time. For so many people we expect things to happen when we want it not when He decides to provide.

The same with Jackson here where he believes his prayers are not being answered...

Jackson Smith did not like the decision he had finally made during the night but reckoned he could live with it, just as he had learned to live with the fact that God had rarely, if ever, answered any of his prayers over the past twenty-eight years.

This one part actually upset me. All people are different and beauty is in the eye of the beholder but everyone has redeeming features - if other people just take the time to look. Beauty goes way past merely skin deep. Sometimes even outward beauty is uglier than a plain person...

She was, in all truth, the plainest woman Jackson had ever seen, without a single redeeming feature, save for her dark, expressive eyes, but even they were just a tad too small for her face. In sum, there was little to admire about her looks, a fact that reinforced his plans for her future.

I view this as God answering Ellie’s prayer. She states that she has always wanted a husband and family of her own. This is a marriage of convenience in name only and unconventional, but no one ever stated God gave us what we exactly wanted, He gives us what we need...

The notion that Jackson Smith had proposed marriage was shocking, but his offer of a marriage in name only shook the very foundation of her faith. Faith that God loved her and understood how very deeply she had always wanted a husband and a family of her own. Faith that God would end the uncertainties in her life now, and most important, faith that God would never, ever abandon her.

Then a brief while later Ellie really starts thinking about Jackson’s proposal...

When she did, she realized that marrying him would bring great gifts into her life. Gifts she had the free will to accept or deny. Gifts that called her to rely on her faith and her belief that His plan for her life was now unfolding, according to His will, and with blessings, abundant with His grace.

I believe that Ellie realizes what she has wanted and asked for has just been given to her if she accepts the love and gift from God. If we just stop arguing about what we want and allow God’s will into our lives everything is always much easier.

Ellie’s cousin Mark judged her and Jackson. He was more interested in what other people think and his status in the community. He tried to argue with Ellie after she married Jackson. The argument he tried to start rings especially true with some people today. People who judge others, people who forget they have no right to judge anyone. Godly people who judge? This really irks me, and just proves that the person who actually thinks they are Godly are far from it. They are nothing but the judge and jury without any God in their life.

Cousin Mark and his wife stepped aside. “Fine. Stay married to him. Our reputations as godly people are strong enough to weather the storm of gossip your marriage will ignite,” he said and snickered as she passed by them. “Now that I think of it, I couldn’t have fashioned a better punishment for you than to have you discover the bitter truth of why Smith actually married you.”

So many people are quick to think the same sex is always the same in everything. When we have been told a lie, cheated on, or just extremely hurt we as humans see everyone we think we trust as doing the same thing all over again. Jackson is no different with Ellie. He did not ask her why she left the stall or why she had a package. He just quickly jumped to the conclusion that she was the same as his first wife Rebecca...

Barely mindful of the people around them, he snatched each of his boys by the hand and glared at her. Leaning close, he found the wherewithal to keep his voice low, so only she could hear what he had to say. “You broke your promise. You disobeyed me and left. For what?” he gritted. “For that parcel of pretties you no doubt purchased with funds you pilfered from my moneybag? I hope they were worth it, because that’s the last thing you’ll ever do. Hand over my moneybag. I’m marching you straight to the lawyer’s office.”

Over and over Jackson keeps accusing Ellie of things his former wife would do; leaving the kids, spending money, just being a bully and brute. Until the last 50 years or so women did not have much choice in life except to be lorded over by a husband or male family member; for example, Ellie kept taking the abuse from Jackson. I wonder why? Being on the receiving end of abuse is never fun; it mars a person's outlook on the future.

“I believe the note says it all,” he murmured and tossed a few coins, which landed at her feet yet stung her very spirit. “You left the island. You left my son. Now take your things and leave again. But this time, don’t come back. There’s enough money lying in the dirt to get passage on the next stage. Be on it.”

Jackson did not keep up his end of the marriage contract. I really wonder why Ellie would want to stay with someone who repeatedly abused her. No it was not physical abuse, just emotional and mental. Sometimes emotional and mental abuse are worse than physical. The scars left from physical abuse heal and fade away, scars left from mental and emotional abuse never seem to fade. They are always there in the back of the mind just waiting to jump out at the slightest infraction.

I can see where Jackson is coming from. He was burned over and over by his first wife. But he is not even giving Ellie a chance. He just assumes she is just like Rebecca. I believe he deserves and needs a cast iron skillet upside his head. Maybe that would make him see straight instead of just walking around with blinders over his eyes.

Jackson and Ellie realize they truly need and want each other and not afraid to admit it...

But before she could continue, Jackson silenced her litany with a kiss that held all the wonder of the married love they would share together.

It was so nice to see this couple come to terms with their past, accept past mistakes and realize they were perfect for each other. They learned to trust in their individual self, each other, and to fully trust in God. No road in life is without bumps, road blocks, or the occasional change in route, but when we finally get to the end of that chapter in life we realize that what we thought were large mountains were nothing but small ant hills.

Jackson and Ellie each had emotional scars from the past. Ellie kept praying to overcome these scars, while Jackson held on to his anger similar to an anchor on a sinking ship. When each character fully put their trust in God and each other they realize they were able to overcome everything

I highly recommend this book to Christian readers looking for some understanding in their life. For me the book reads more fiction than romance. A very pleasant read for Christian readers looking to explore historical life with characters who do not act much different that people today.