Summer of Promise by Amanda Cabot

Summer of Promise by Amanda Cabot ISBN-13: 9781441235947 ebook: 416 pages Publisher: Revell Released: January 1, 2012

Source: ebook bought on Christianbook.com.

Book Description from Goodreads:
Though she had planned to spend the summer in Vermont, Abigail Harding cannot dismiss her concerns over her older sister. Charlotte's letters have been uncharacteristically melancholy, and her claims that nothing is wrong ring false, so Abigail heads west to Fort Laramie, Wyoming. When her stagecoach is attacked, Wyoming promises to be anything but boring. Luckily, the heroics of another passenger, Lieutenant Ethan Bowles, save the day.

Abigail plans to marry when she returns to Vermont, just as soon as she attends to her sister. As the summer passes, she finds herself drawn to this rugged land and to a certain soldier determined to persuade her to stay. When summer ends, will she go back East, or will she find her heart's true home?


My Review:
Summer of Promise is a Christian historical romance set in 1885 in Wyoming. It's the first in a series but can be read as a stand alone novel. The author vividly described the area and what fort life was like at this time without slowing the pacing. There's a mystery throughout about who is involved in the stage coach robberies. We're told enough to guess at the unknowns, but it's realistic that Ethan doesn't immediately suspect certain characters. We have more information than he does.

The characters were complex, likable, and acted realistically. Ethan and Abigail fell in love slowly as they spent time together and got to know each other. They want to help each other, and their friendship develops into something deeper. Charlotte's part of the story deals with a husband and wife who love each other yet still have hurt feelings as certain choices create tensions.

The Christian aspect is mostly in how the main characters treat those around them but also in where they look to understand what love truly is and to find forgiveness. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this enjoyable novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


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