Lynette Bonner writes wonderful descriptions that transport the reader into the setting. The reader feels like they are part of the Wyldhaven community. The internal thoughts of Zoe and Wash had me rooting for their plight.
Why the low star rating then? Full confession here: I received an early prelease version to read. Unfortunately, I can only review what I’ve read. Hopefully, what I’m about to share is fixed before the release date.
By the time the reader gets to the end of Chapter 2, they’ve crossed through five points of view (POV). I found this to be annoying, but continued to read anyway because I loved the premise behind the crossroads of Zoe and Wash’s relationship. At 55% complete in the book, the POV count goes up to ten. POVs included are: Zoe (main character), Wash (main character), Harlan (villain), Belle, Taulby, Anja, Charlotte, Reagan, Jerry, and Merle. None of the minor character POVs added anything to the main story line. A few of them felt like set ups for a sequel but didn’t add to Zoe and Wash’s storyline. As the reader, I just wanted to read about Zoe and Wash and if they would find their happily ever after. It was too many POVs to weed through to get to the meat of the story and caused me to eventually lose interest in Zoe and Wash.
Overall, if the excessive number of POVs and non-relevant POVs are removed before release and the story focused on Zoe and Wash (and maybe a villain), then this story could be 4-star worthy.
I really wanted to love this story, because the entire premise behind Zoe and Wash’s marriage is a fantastic idea. I just don’t feel the story is refined enough for release at the point I received a copy.
Genre: Christian Historical Romance
Location: Wyldhaven
Time Period: 1899
Romance: Very clean. Light kissing.
Faith: Both main characters seek to apply their faith.
Disclaimer: I requested and received an advanced copy of this book courtesy of the publisher through Celebrate Lit Book Tours. I was not required to give a favorable review. All opinions are my own.