Brianna and Colleen O'Leary know their Irish immigrant father expects them to marry well. Recently he's put even more pressure on them, insinuating that the very future of their Long Island horse farm, Irish Meadows, rests in their ability to land prosperous husbands. Both girls, however, have different visions for their futures.
Brianna, a quiet girl with a quick mind, dreams of attending college. Vivacious Colleen, meanwhile, is happy to marry---as long as her father's choice meets her exacting standards of the ideal groom. When former stable hand Gilbert Whelan returns from business school and distant relative Rylan Montgomery visits Long Island during his seminary training, the two men
quickly complicate everyone's plans.
As the farm slips ever closer to ruin, James O'Leary grows more desperate. It will take every ounce of courage for both sisters to avoid being pawns in their father's machinations and instead follow their hearts. And even if they do, will they inevitably find their dreams too distant to reach?
Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/1Mi7dDS
My Thoughts: I loved the cover of this book, but I was a bit disappointed in the content.
There were things I loved about the book and things I didn't. I loved the setting and how it was portrayed, but wish the storyline revolved more around the horse farm and the family possibly losing it, instead of just the romance. The romance between Gilbert and Brianna never really seems natural, and I enjoyed watching the relationship between Rylan and Colleen develop more than Gil & Bree.
I don't believe every Christian fiction novel needs to contain the salvation message, but when it does come up it needs to be accurate, and this one wasn't. It does talk about turning to God, but doesn't mention Jesus or His sacrifice for our sins, but rather talks about confessing to a priest. Confession is good for the soul, but absolution can only come through Christ, not a priest.
I also didn't like the focus on following your heart vs your duty. As the Bible says, the heart is deceitful, and we are much better off following Scripture than following our feelings.
Overall, I wanted to like this book more than I did, but it fell a little short.
Thank you to Litfuse Publicity for organizing this tour and providing me with my complimentary review copy.
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