Hearts Awakening by Delia Parr is a heartwarming and sometimes frustrating Christian Historical Fiction Romance Novel. I will tell you that I don’t read much Historical Fiction. So when the time came for me to read this book I had no idea what to expect. A few such books that I have read in the past have left me a bit iffy with their seemingly weak female leads, and sometimes domineering not so nice men who act beastly, but are really good men “deep down.” So I treaded very lightly.
Hearts Awakening is the story of Elvira “Ellie” Kilmer, a spinster who is trying to find her way in life. After the death of her sick Mother that she had taken care of for most of her life, Ellie is left homeless and forced to live with her unloving and uncaring cousins, her only surviving relations.
Being a 30 something spinster with “plain” looks in the 1840’s has left Ellie with very limited options when it comes to what to do with her life. So her cousin makes an arrangement for her to work as a housekeeper for Jackson Smith, a recently widowed Father of two boys Daniel and Ethan, one of which, Ethan, has not spoken since his Mothers death. Ellie hopes that if she does a good enough job that Jackson will give her a job reference so that she can get a permanent job taking care of another family.
It is while working for Jackson that Ellie receives an unusual and I would say insulting, business arrangement. Jackson proposes to Ellie not out of love, but so that his sons can have a Mother and Ellie can have the respect that comes from being a married woman in the eyes of society and not as a spinster. After some ground rules are set in Jackson’s favor Ellie agrees to marry him. Jack feels that Ellie will be a “safe” woman to marry as she is too plain for any other to want, and he can avoid further scandal.
I had a hard time liking Jack. I have to tell you that there were times that I did not like Jack very much at all. He could mean, selfish, (he wanted to have the right to divorce Ellie if he found someone better and more attractive to marry!) did not give a second thought to Ellie’s feelings and could sometimes be downright disgusting in his behavior to Ellie. His constant commenting about Ellie’s “plain” looks was also a source of frustration. Jack’s oldest son Daniel does not hesitate to compare Ellie to his deceased Mother and critiques everything that Ellie does every chance he gets. Jack rarely teaches his sons that they need to respect Ellie, not just as their new Stepmother but as an adult, period. He has serious trust issues due to a scandal in regard to his late wife, and constantly expects the worst of Ellie. By novels end he has changed quite a bit and learned some hard lessons about himself and his behavior. Jackson is stereotypical of what I have come to expect of the male lead in some Historical Fiction works.
Ellie on the other hand was likable. I admired her for her faith, her strength and her fairness. She may have been “plain” as so many others were so quick to point out. But her inner beauty was incredible. She had a kind heart, a lot of love and always sought to stay in the Lord’s will. She was a true woman of God. I found Ellie to be delightful. In my opinion she could have done much better than Jack. Still, it is her hope that Jack will come to see past her looks and into her heart and come to love her the way that she comes to love him in spite of his sometimes ugly ways.
Does Ellie’s wish to be loved come true? Does Ellie finally get accepted by Jack’s young boys? You’ll just have to read the book to find out!
This book is full of an interesting cast of characters. I really like Reverend Shore and his wife as well as Gram ( you will find out who she is midway through the story and you will love her).
This book is about love, forgiveness, redemption, healing and the need to keep God first in all things.
There are good things that I like about this book and many things that I dislike about this book. However I feel that there is more to like than to dislike. Honestly. As you get more involved in the story you will understand Ellie and Jack better and come to a better understanding of their motivations.
If you take the time to read this book you will not be disappointed. It really is a heartwarming story that will teach you a few things, and make you smile. In spite of it’s problems I had a hard time putting this book down, and I would read it again. It is for these reasons that I recommend this book.
I am a member of Bethany House Book Reviewer Blogger Program I received a copy of this book free of charge in order to review it. I was not paid for this review. I also was not required to give a positive review, but to give my honest opinion of what I felt about the book. Whether positive or negative, this is my honest opinion of this book.
