After the Shadows by Amanda Cabot

After the Shadows
by Amanda Cabot

ISBN-13: 9780800740641
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Revell
Released: March 21, 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Emily Leland sheds no tears when her abusive husband is killed in a bar fight, but what awaits her back home in Sweetwater Crossing is far from the welcome and comfort she expected. First she discovers her father has died under mysterious circumstances. Then the house where the new schoolteacher, Craig Ferguson, and his son are supposed to board burns, leaving them homeless. When Emily proposes turning the family home into a boardinghouse, her sister leaves town.

Alone and broke, her family name sullied by controversy, Emily is determined to solve the mystery of her father's death. The widowed schoolmaster proves to be a devoted father, an innovative teacher, and an unexpected ally. Together they must work to unmask a killer and escape the shadows of their own pasts in order to forge a brighter future.


My Review:
After the Shadows is a Christian romance set in 1882 in Texas. While people were dying left and right, this story wasn't a mystery: Emily didn't investigate (or even seem to notice) possible clues as to who killed her father until two-thirds of the story was done. Then she and Craig quickly ran out of leads. Whereas I'd guessed both whodunit and who would reveal the murderer long before then (though I was wrong about motive). Anyway, this was primarily a romance.

Emily was a kind, hardworking woman who didn't quite trust any man not to become an abusive husband and believed she was barren and so no man would be happy married to her, anyway. Craig was clearly gentle--for example, effectively disciplining children in non-violent ways--so she started to trust him. He built her up and tried to show her how he valued her character and saw her worth beyond her ability to have children. They shared similar values, became friends, and came to care about each other as they spent time together.

The Christian element was mostly in how the main characters treated other people as valuable even when others didn't see them that way. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable romance.


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.