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Perfect, Indiana #0.5
Close to Perfect
The much anticipated prequel to the award winning Love from the Heartland, Perfect, Indiana series.
She gave her promise to one man, and her heart to another, and now that her past has found her, she must choose between her word of honor, and her heart's desire. After losing everything during the war, Mary Stewart is haunted by tragedy and loss. She longs to leave Atlanta behind. Her fiancé--who was bound for Houston, Texas--has left her without a word for more than a year, and she fears the worst. When she learns of Tobias Lovejoy's plans to lead a wagon train to Texas, she's determined to join him. She'll either find her fiancé, or she'll discover what became of him. Until then, she cannot move on with her life, and her growing attraction to Tobias Lovejoy weighs upon her conscience. Tortured by his past, Tobias Lovejoy longs for a fresh start in a place that holds no memories or ghosts from the war he barely survived. When Mary Stewart asks to join his wagon train, he refuses. He doesn't want the distraction or the responsibility of having an attractive single woman in his camp. When he learns of her reasons for heading west, he relents. As he comes to know Mary better, his desire to discover what became of her missing fiancé grows as strong as hers--for entirely different reasons. Tobias wants Mary for himself. He writes to a Texas Ranger he knows, enlisting his aid in finding out what became of Mary's errant fiancé. During their journey, Tobias and Mary learn to lean on each other through one disaster after another. Their feelings for one another grow, and passion ignites. When Mary's fiancé appears, wanting to rekindle what they had, the future happiness of three people hangs in the balance. She gave her word to one man and her heart to another. Now she must choose between her honor, her heart's desire, or walking away.
She gave her promise to one man, and her heart to another, and now that her past has found her, she must choose between her word of honor, and her heart's desire. After losing everything during the war, Mary Stewart is haunted by tragedy and loss. She longs to leave Atlanta behind. Her fiancé--who was bound for Houston, Texas--has left her without a word for more than a year, and she fears the worst. When she learns of Tobias Lovejoy's plans to lead a wagon train to Texas, she's determined to join him. She'll either find her fiancé, or she'll discover what became of him. Until then, she cannot move on with her life, and her growing attraction to Tobias Lovejoy weighs upon her conscience. Tortured by his past, Tobias Lovejoy longs for a fresh start in a place that holds no memories or ghosts from the war he barely survived. When Mary Stewart asks to join his wagon train, he refuses. He doesn't want the distraction or the responsibility of having an attractive single woman in his camp. When he learns of her reasons for heading west, he relents. As he comes to know Mary better, his desire to discover what became of her missing fiancé grows as strong as hers--for entirely different reasons. Tobias wants Mary for himself. He writes to a Texas Ranger he knows, enlisting his aid in finding out what became of Mary's errant fiancé. During their journey, Tobias and Mary learn to lean on each other through one disaster after another. Their feelings for one another grow, and passion ignites. When Mary's fiancé appears, wanting to rekindle what they had, the future happiness of three people hangs in the balance. She gave her word to one man and her heart to another. Now she must choose between her honor, her heart's desire, or walking away.
- GenresHistorical Romance
198 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 17, 2018
177 people are currently reading
71 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Longley
30 books557 followersBarbara Longley graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education/Human Relations, and holds a Master’s in Ed./SLD from the University of Minnesota. When the integration district where she taught dissolved in 2015, she transitioned into writing full time. Ms. Longley is listed on RWA’s Honor Roll of Bestselling Authors, and her books have garnered many awards, including a Maggie, the Holt Medallion, a National Readers’ Choice, two Heart of Excellence awards, a Bookseller’s Best award, and Diamond Award for reaching more than a million readers (2015). Ms. Longley creates memorable heroes and heroines who grow into their strength and go on to save the day.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
April 9, 2018
Close to Perfect is a perfect frontier romance.
I love the wholesomeness of this story and of hearing the tales of the affects the Civil War had on the lives of our characters.
Barbara Longley doesn't only tell a tale. She weaves an alternate universe causing me to travel back in time to live alongside and travel with our characters. I can feel the rain pelting me as the mud sucks at my boots. I can smell the earth, the grass, the sodden wagon and items. I loved going on this journey.
I was strengthened by the tenacity and fortitude of my neighbors.
Mary, having been left without her family on their plantation, longs to put aside her hoops skirts and frilly dresses to start a new life away from all the bad memories.
Tobias' shear willpower to make it back home to his family, is unable to shed his memories of war and imprisonment. He, too, longs for a new life.
Together, along with a few others, will brave the wagon trail in hopes of reaching Texas. Their journey is frought with hardship and peril but by working together they find their way to what they search for.
Thank you NetGalley and Kindle Press for the opportunity to read this story.
I love the wholesomeness of this story and of hearing the tales of the affects the Civil War had on the lives of our characters.
Barbara Longley doesn't only tell a tale. She weaves an alternate universe causing me to travel back in time to live alongside and travel with our characters. I can feel the rain pelting me as the mud sucks at my boots. I can smell the earth, the grass, the sodden wagon and items. I loved going on this journey.
I was strengthened by the tenacity and fortitude of my neighbors.
Mary, having been left without her family on their plantation, longs to put aside her hoops skirts and frilly dresses to start a new life away from all the bad memories.
Tobias' shear willpower to make it back home to his family, is unable to shed his memories of war and imprisonment. He, too, longs for a new life.
Together, along with a few others, will brave the wagon trail in hopes of reaching Texas. Their journey is frought with hardship and peril but by working together they find their way to what they search for.
Thank you NetGalley and Kindle Press for the opportunity to read this story.
April 25, 2018
As this one went on it got better. I loved how Mary stepped up to every challenge, to figure out what needed to be done and did it, surprising everyone but herself. Tobias never really stood a chance when going toe to toe with Mary, from getting her way to going on the trip to Texas to problems they encountered along the way to mooning after Mary.
I loved how this one ended, loved the choice that Mary made and how Tobias found the perfect place for them all!
I loved how this one ended, loved the choice that Mary made and how Tobias found the perfect place for them all!
June 5, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed this gentle romance which gave us the story of the founding of Perfect, Indiana. The American Civil War has just ended, and Tobias Lovejoy, who had been a prisoner at Fort Sumter has walked home to Atlanta, more than three hundred miles. He was already ill and starving, it was only his determination to see whether his mother and sisters were alright that kept him alive. He had survived by eating grubs and berries on the long journey. He arrives home to find his shop burnt out. A neighbour finds him and takes him to his home so that he can be cleaned up, fed and his wounds attended to, then takes him to his family, who had managed to escape the carnage. He repairs the shop and gets it set back up for his family to run, the money he had hidden away before the war had not been discovered; but his heart really isn't in it and he decides he wants to go to Texas and be a rancher. He organises a wagon train, to travel with like-minded people.
Mary Stewart had a hard war. She was the daughter of a plantation owner. Her mother had died when she was young, her brothers had been killed in the war and her father, in despair, had hanged himself in the barn. It was Mary who had found him, and cut him down. She, along with her widowed cousin Bea and her young son Jonathan and two servants had spent the war hiding from troops from both sides, who came to steal whatever they could find. Mary no longer had money, just responsibilities. She was engaged to be married, but her fiancé had gone to Texas to set up in business as a lawyer, promising to send for her once he was established, but she hadn't heard from him for two years. She was determined to join the wagon train to Texas to find him, and if he had died or she couldn't find him she would set up a school.
Tobias is hard to persuade, he thinks a single woman will be a distraction, and unable to look after herself, but Mary is determined to prove him wrong. She, Bea and Jonathan all learn to shoot well. Eventually Tobias gives in and agrees to take them. Mary sells the plantation to provide the money needed to equip them for the journey.
This is a slow-burn romance, Tobias spends a long time resenting Mary's organisation skills, but at the same time she is pulling at his heart strings. They are both living with horrendous memories of the war. The reader is invested in these characters from the first page of the story, they feel very real. The emotions are well written, and the incidents that befall them on the journey are just as you would imagine would happen. Mary's terror at crossing the Ohio river on a rickety-looking ferry jumps out of the page, it would be my terror too!
There is a lovely happy ending, although the wagon train doesn't make it to Texas. It is a truly delightful story, well worth any reader's time. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Mary Stewart had a hard war. She was the daughter of a plantation owner. Her mother had died when she was young, her brothers had been killed in the war and her father, in despair, had hanged himself in the barn. It was Mary who had found him, and cut him down. She, along with her widowed cousin Bea and her young son Jonathan and two servants had spent the war hiding from troops from both sides, who came to steal whatever they could find. Mary no longer had money, just responsibilities. She was engaged to be married, but her fiancé had gone to Texas to set up in business as a lawyer, promising to send for her once he was established, but she hadn't heard from him for two years. She was determined to join the wagon train to Texas to find him, and if he had died or she couldn't find him she would set up a school.
Tobias is hard to persuade, he thinks a single woman will be a distraction, and unable to look after herself, but Mary is determined to prove him wrong. She, Bea and Jonathan all learn to shoot well. Eventually Tobias gives in and agrees to take them. Mary sells the plantation to provide the money needed to equip them for the journey.
This is a slow-burn romance, Tobias spends a long time resenting Mary's organisation skills, but at the same time she is pulling at his heart strings. They are both living with horrendous memories of the war. The reader is invested in these characters from the first page of the story, they feel very real. The emotions are well written, and the incidents that befall them on the journey are just as you would imagine would happen. Mary's terror at crossing the Ohio river on a rickety-looking ferry jumps out of the page, it would be my terror too!
There is a lovely happy ending, although the wagon train doesn't make it to Texas. It is a truly delightful story, well worth any reader's time. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
April 17, 2018
Oh. My. This was such an amazing story. I fell in love with Mary within just a few pages, and Tobias not long after. Who wouldn’t love a capable, take-charge heroine and a war-wounded hero? The fact that Mary, raised a Southern belle, has been left to fend for herself and help keep the few remaining members of her family, makes her an object of pity to some, amusement, and even disdain to others. She is not feminine enough anymore. Tobias, however, discovers that he admires her plain speaking, her determination, and even her managing ways. Mary is a product of her situation but, having discovered the benefits of saying what she means and working for what she needs, Mary does have to consider whether she would ever be willing to go back to acting the grand lady.
In fact, both Mary and Tobias are victims of war, and this realization brings them close in ways that most of their neighbors can’t understand. Their struggle to establish a relationship, maintain a friendship, and not cross the bounds of honor, is well portrayed. I particularly appreciated that while desire is clearly felt by both Tobias and Mary, Ms. Longley respects the mores of the time and writes a clean story.
Confession: I have eagerly devoured every one of Ms. Longley’s Perfect, Indiana books, the moment they were published, and at the end of the last I asked (begged, maybe even pestered) for another. When she announced that she was writing this prequel I thought, huh. Well, it surely won’t be much like the other books, I wonder if I’ll like an historical as much? Oh my goodness, I am so glad I kept that to myself! This is a wonderful addition to the series. Yes, the time is different, it’s taking place just after the Civil War. Even so, the challenges of Tobias, a former soldier and prisoner of war, are not so very different from those of the veterans we have gotten to know in the contemporary books. We also get introduced to several of the other (familiar) founding families, and their relationship to the Lovejoys and the town of Perfect is neat to see established. In that regard, it was a fun book to read at the end of the series, rather than the beginning, but either way would work splendidly. I am so lucky to have received a copy of this wonderful story in return for my honest review; I highly recommend Close to Perfect.
In fact, both Mary and Tobias are victims of war, and this realization brings them close in ways that most of their neighbors can’t understand. Their struggle to establish a relationship, maintain a friendship, and not cross the bounds of honor, is well portrayed. I particularly appreciated that while desire is clearly felt by both Tobias and Mary, Ms. Longley respects the mores of the time and writes a clean story.
Confession: I have eagerly devoured every one of Ms. Longley’s Perfect, Indiana books, the moment they were published, and at the end of the last I asked (begged, maybe even pestered) for another. When she announced that she was writing this prequel I thought, huh. Well, it surely won’t be much like the other books, I wonder if I’ll like an historical as much? Oh my goodness, I am so glad I kept that to myself! This is a wonderful addition to the series. Yes, the time is different, it’s taking place just after the Civil War. Even so, the challenges of Tobias, a former soldier and prisoner of war, are not so very different from those of the veterans we have gotten to know in the contemporary books. We also get introduced to several of the other (familiar) founding families, and their relationship to the Lovejoys and the town of Perfect is neat to see established. In that regard, it was a fun book to read at the end of the series, rather than the beginning, but either way would work splendidly. I am so lucky to have received a copy of this wonderful story in return for my honest review; I highly recommend Close to Perfect.
April 14, 2018
A beautifully written historical romance, Close to Perfect was that and more! Set in the aftermath of the civil war, Georgia is in ruins and people are scrounging for what they can to keep going. After being released as a prisoner of war, Tobias makes his way home to death and destruction, whilst Mary and her cousin have been eking out a living from a once prosperous plantation. Mary was engaged to Eldon Smythe who was supposed to send for her once he reached Texas, but after a year there has been no word from either him or his parents. When Tobias decides to lead a wagon train to Texas, Mary realises that it would be her best opportunity of finding out what had happened to her missing fiancé. It was inevitable that the two strong minded people would find a deep connection, but with the possibility of Eldon still being alive, neither of them make a move to cement what could be a meaningful relationship. When Eldon reappears in Mary's life once again, she has a choice to make but knows that whatever she decides, someone is going to be hurt and her heart could well be broken. I found this story to be well written with a good flow of language and it kept me rivetted the whole way through. It was emotional and dealt with deep matters, without being maudlin or excessively sad. I loved the main characters and the interaction of two stubborn people, but one where mutual respect also abounded. Apart from a being a really good story, the descriptive passages of the terrain and life on a wagon trail were very enlightening. It was a pleasure to read a beautiful clean story, one that touched the emotions and pushed all the right buttons for romance. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.
April 17, 2018
Perfectly Perfect
CLOSE TO PERFECT is a perfectly perfect read! I absolutely loved both Mary and Tobias and found their journey to each other overwhelmingly satisfying!
Barbara Longley gives readers an adventurous story with strong, lovable characters who captured my heart from the start! I never lost interest in CLOSE TO PERFECT since it is exceptionally written and is faithful to the period of time in which it takes place.
CLOSE TO PERFECT is the perfectly perfect prequel for the PERFECT INDIANA series! It makes me want to re-read each book in the series and think about the influences Tobias and Mary had and continue to have on the modern town of Perfect, Indiana its residents and businesses.
Well done Ms Longley!
CLOSE TO PERFECT is a perfectly perfect read! I absolutely loved both Mary and Tobias and found their journey to each other overwhelmingly satisfying!
Barbara Longley gives readers an adventurous story with strong, lovable characters who captured my heart from the start! I never lost interest in CLOSE TO PERFECT since it is exceptionally written and is faithful to the period of time in which it takes place.
CLOSE TO PERFECT is the perfectly perfect prequel for the PERFECT INDIANA series! It makes me want to re-read each book in the series and think about the influences Tobias and Mary had and continue to have on the modern town of Perfect, Indiana its residents and businesses.
Well done Ms Longley!
April 17, 2018
I loved that this story is set just after the Civil War and explores the devastation left after the fighting is done. Tobias was a soldier who ended up a prisoner of war, while Mary had to bury all the family she had left. Her fiancé left years ago to prepare a home for them and never returned, so she’s on a quest to find him or at least find out what happened to him. When Tobias arranges a wagon train for those who want to find a new place to live, Mary asks to go. Tobias is reluctant, but Mary is persistent. She’s sassy and smart, always eager to help Tobias lead the settlers. Tobias is a capable guy and doesn’t appreciate her interference at first, but before long, he comes to appreciate her as an asset. The interaction between these two characters is cute and fun. Very enjoyable read.
April 16, 2018
This book is a “sweet and clean” book – there is mild cussing and no sex so if those things bother you, you have nothing to worry about here.
I must confess that I went into this book not really sure what to expect from a book set in the 1800's but from the moment I started this book, I was absolutely hooked. There is no sex, there is minimal cursing, but what there is is one heck of a great story. Mary Stewart was a self-rescuing damsel who became self-reliant due to the war and her unfortunate circumstances, and from the very start I loved her spunk and the way that she stood up for herself at every stumbling block. Mary was unique and bad to the bone and she was exactly the kind of book heroine I want to read about. Tobias was also fantastic – his back story was one fraught with struggle and pain, but he was still a seriously good guy who I found myself rooting for from the very start. As the book went on I fell more and more for him. He's my kind of hero.
Although this story is a love triangle of sorts, it is so in the very loosest of terms, so if that kind of plot line is a turn off for you, this one shouldn't be terribly offensive. Mary's relationship with her wayward fiance is explained well, and there is no cheating.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a historical story or to someone like me who just enjoys a really great story written by an author who can just flat-out write.
I must confess that I went into this book not really sure what to expect from a book set in the 1800's but from the moment I started this book, I was absolutely hooked. There is no sex, there is minimal cursing, but what there is is one heck of a great story. Mary Stewart was a self-rescuing damsel who became self-reliant due to the war and her unfortunate circumstances, and from the very start I loved her spunk and the way that she stood up for herself at every stumbling block. Mary was unique and bad to the bone and she was exactly the kind of book heroine I want to read about. Tobias was also fantastic – his back story was one fraught with struggle and pain, but he was still a seriously good guy who I found myself rooting for from the very start. As the book went on I fell more and more for him. He's my kind of hero.
Although this story is a love triangle of sorts, it is so in the very loosest of terms, so if that kind of plot line is a turn off for you, this one shouldn't be terribly offensive. Mary's relationship with her wayward fiance is explained well, and there is no cheating.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a historical story or to someone like me who just enjoys a really great story written by an author who can just flat-out write.
April 20, 2018
The perfect prequel to a favorite series.
Barbara Longley is a favorite author of mine because of the care and research that goes into her books. Always historically accurate, yet never boring, her characters are" real "people, Perfect, Indiana is a" real" place. I always enjoy my visits in each of her Perfect books, this one was a glimpse of how Perfect began. I tried to put this book down, several times. Yet, I kept finding myself reading "a few more pages" to see what happened. Finally finished at 2 a.m., and I wish that there was more. Mary, Tobias, Be a, Cyrus and the rest have become acquaintances that I hope to hear more about, in the future.
Barbara Longley is a favorite author of mine because of the care and research that goes into her books. Always historically accurate, yet never boring, her characters are" real "people, Perfect, Indiana is a" real" place. I always enjoy my visits in each of her Perfect books, this one was a glimpse of how Perfect began. I tried to put this book down, several times. Yet, I kept finding myself reading "a few more pages" to see what happened. Finally finished at 2 a.m., and I wish that there was more. Mary, Tobias, Be a, Cyrus and the rest have become acquaintances that I hope to hear more about, in the future.
March 27, 2018
"Received an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for a fair review"
This is a really enjoyable historical novel, smoothly written, with a relatable cast of characters. It was a pleasure to read!
Tobias is such a great hero, haunted by memories of war and captivity and physically frail in the beginning, but still trying hard to recover, heal and lead his group of pioneers to Texas.
I found him and Mary to be lovely characters, both strong and vulnerable in different ways. Their past story of young infatuation and the way it changes into an adult attraction and love was also very appealing.
I’ve only read the first story (“Far from Perfect”) in Barbara Longley’s “Perfect” series, but now I’m curious about the other books.
Besides portraying the ravages of the American Civil War, “Close to Perfect” is also a depiction of the Reconstruction era and how a band of pioneers leave Atlanta towards Texas and change their goals during the journey and decide to homestead in a peaceful, beautiful place in Indiana with the Ohio River flowing by - it will be the start of a small town (Perfect, Indiana).
I'm grateful to the publisher, Kindle Press, and NetGalley for providing a free copy.
This is a really enjoyable historical novel, smoothly written, with a relatable cast of characters. It was a pleasure to read!
Tobias is such a great hero, haunted by memories of war and captivity and physically frail in the beginning, but still trying hard to recover, heal and lead his group of pioneers to Texas.
I found him and Mary to be lovely characters, both strong and vulnerable in different ways. Their past story of young infatuation and the way it changes into an adult attraction and love was also very appealing.
I’ve only read the first story (“Far from Perfect”) in Barbara Longley’s “Perfect” series, but now I’m curious about the other books.
Besides portraying the ravages of the American Civil War, “Close to Perfect” is also a depiction of the Reconstruction era and how a band of pioneers leave Atlanta towards Texas and change their goals during the journey and decide to homestead in a peaceful, beautiful place in Indiana with the Ohio River flowing by - it will be the start of a small town (Perfect, Indiana).
I'm grateful to the publisher, Kindle Press, and NetGalley for providing a free copy.
April 28, 2018
Really fun to read about how it all began! Set at the close of the Civil War , we find Mary who has promised herself to one man who has disappeared and follows another in a covered wagon, always meeting the challenge of an independent woman. Tobias, an emotionally wounded soldier, leads the small band to Indiana, with the plan of going to Texas. So typical of other stories in the Perfect series, Longley pulls us into her gently woven story war's invisible wounds aand let us follownd how love heals.
Now, I wish that Barbara Langley will fill in the time gaps, giving us the journey of the Lovejoy's up through CeeJay's and Noah's story, Far from Perfect, which I am now compelled to read once more.
Now, I wish that Barbara Langley will fill in the time gaps, giving us the journey of the Lovejoy's up through CeeJay's and Noah's story, Far from Perfect, which I am now compelled to read once more.
June 13, 2018
This book was wonderful from beginning to end. I want to thank Netgalley for the advanced readers copy in turn for an honest review. This is a perfect frontier romance book. It began with Mary who has lost her fiancé for all she knows in war torn country. She is faithful though and even though she starts having feelings for Tobias she continues to tell herself that she cannot start a new relationship until she knows what happens to Eldon (her fiancé). She decides that she will go to Texas where her fiancé was heading when she never heard from him again (2 years ago). On the trail, the romance strengthens between her and Tobias. I don’t want to give away the ending but you will be thrilled at how it ends and it leaves you wanting to know more about their story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 25, 2023
I read the "Perfect, Indian" books in 2014/15 and recall enjoying them greatly, so picked up this one which was described as a prequel assuming it would be set not long before the other books. I was not expecting a post American Civil War story (my fault for not reading the publisher's blurb) but having discovered this decided to read it anyway. Historical fiction isn't my genre of choice but having already bought it and knowing the writer, I expected to find something worthwhile.
Although the writing captures the staid formality of social etiquette of the period, it failed to engage my interest and I have given up at page 74. Perhaps it is just not my thing.
Although the writing captures the staid formality of social etiquette of the period, it failed to engage my interest and I have given up at page 74. Perhaps it is just not my thing.
October 5, 2018
Lovely romantic tale
This book is a soothing romance that soothes as it entertains. Set in the time post-civil war it touches on the difficulties experienced by not only former soldiers, but also the ones remaining behind who dealt with all the injustices resulting from having a war fought in your backyard. All of the characters are fully drawn and very believable. The lead characters, Mary and Tobias, are very nice people; the kind you would like to have for neighbors and friends. Buy this book and, Enjoy!!
This book is a soothing romance that soothes as it entertains. Set in the time post-civil war it touches on the difficulties experienced by not only former soldiers, but also the ones remaining behind who dealt with all the injustices resulting from having a war fought in your backyard. All of the characters are fully drawn and very believable. The lead characters, Mary and Tobias, are very nice people; the kind you would like to have for neighbors and friends. Buy this book and, Enjoy!!
September 29, 2019
Even being familiar with the author’s work, this wasn’t at all the story I thought I was getting myself into. I was absolutely paranoid that I was about to land in the middle of an ugly love triangle. That’s not where this story goes. Instead, this was about finding new hope and nurturing new strengths. I loved watching Mary grow into her fierce independent self, and that she was able to make the best choice for her, that honored her wishes and dreams in the end. Now that I know how Perfect came to be, I’m inspired to read the rest of the series.
I read a borrowed copy of this book.
I read a borrowed copy of this book.
April 26, 2018
Great read
I really enjoyed this book for the characters,the portrayal of the time in history after the Civil War and the heart wrenching trials of survival. The aftermath of emotional torment from trauma and the struggle to move forward, let go of the past and build a new life is a very uplifting and helps one put their own struggles into perspective. I would recommend this book to anyone.
I really enjoyed this book for the characters,the portrayal of the time in history after the Civil War and the heart wrenching trials of survival. The aftermath of emotional torment from trauma and the struggle to move forward, let go of the past and build a new life is a very uplifting and helps one put their own struggles into perspective. I would recommend this book to anyone.
May 3, 2018
Close to perfect
A wonderfully written, sweet and tender romance between Tobias and Mary. Escaping war torn Atlanta to start a new life in Texas seemed the ideal thing to do. Tobias wanted to get away from everything pertaining to the war and Mary wanted to find her fiance that had left her with the promise that he would send for her. After two years she decided to go find him. Along the way she found love with the man she deserved.
A wonderfully written, sweet and tender romance between Tobias and Mary. Escaping war torn Atlanta to start a new life in Texas seemed the ideal thing to do. Tobias wanted to get away from everything pertaining to the war and Mary wanted to find her fiance that had left her with the promise that he would send for her. After two years she decided to go find him. Along the way she found love with the man she deserved.
November 19, 2018
Engrossing tale
Barbara Longley did a wonderful job with Close to Perfect the prequel to the Perfect, Indiana series.
I enjoyed this warm romance between Molly. a stron take charge woman and Tobias the war-wounded hero. The effects of way are achingly described and pulled my heart. I look forward to reading more books in this series.
I was fortunate to receive a copy of this book from the author.
Barbara Longley did a wonderful job with Close to Perfect the prequel to the Perfect, Indiana series.
I enjoyed this warm romance between Molly. a stron take charge woman and Tobias the war-wounded hero. The effects of way are achingly described and pulled my heart. I look forward to reading more books in this series.
I was fortunate to receive a copy of this book from the author.
September 17, 2018
Wonderful prequel
Having read the contemporary Perfect, Indiana novels, and hearing about Tobias and Mary as historical figures, it was great to read their story. PTSD also shows up in the prequel, affecting both Tobias and Mary. I generally do not read historical romance novels, but I am glad I read this one.
Having read the contemporary Perfect, Indiana novels, and hearing about Tobias and Mary as historical figures, it was great to read their story. PTSD also shows up in the prequel, affecting both Tobias and Mary. I generally do not read historical romance novels, but I am glad I read this one.
February 11, 2023
Wonderful story!
I loved this book, and not just because it was more the style of book I prefer! It was so fun to get to know them after reading so much about them in the series! The only thing missing was a bit more of Eldon Smythe's story. I couldn't help but feel he was a bit oily and had hidden reasons for coming for her!
I loved this book, and not just because it was more the style of book I prefer! It was so fun to get to know them after reading so much about them in the series! The only thing missing was a bit more of Eldon Smythe's story. I couldn't help but feel he was a bit oily and had hidden reasons for coming for her!
April 30, 2018
Enjoyable ... A love story...and how our early settlers struggled to make their homes and
feed their families. I was born and raised in Indiana and have enjoyed Barbara longley's stories...Will be reading more of her books,,
feed their families. I was born and raised in Indiana and have enjoyed Barbara longley's stories...Will be reading more of her books,,
May 21, 2018
what a wonderful wonderful story. and so well written. I had already read the perfect series so this story t
the perfect fit!! a great story....made me feel like I was there with them! a must read for sure
...fit!!
the perfect fit!! a great story....made me feel like I was there with them! a must read for sure
...fit!!
April 20, 2020
This is a very good story of life after the Civil War, a lot of research went into this book and I really enjoyed the story. Now have started with the first one and will continue with the other 3 books in order of their print dates. Great book, thank you.
March 2, 2021
My Musings
This is a great story with compelling characters and a heartfelt plot. The heroine had to make huge changes in her life.I loved her determination . She is a perfect pioneer. Happy ☺reading 📚!
This is a great story with compelling characters and a heartfelt plot. The heroine had to make huge changes in her life.I loved her determination . She is a perfect pioneer. Happy ☺reading 📚!
June 29, 2021
Step back in time
And join the wagon trail while learning how to survive the Wild West. This book immerses you in the activities, smells and dangers of the western expansion years. I loved the characters and felt like I was along on the journey.
And join the wagon trail while learning how to survive the Wild West. This book immerses you in the activities, smells and dangers of the western expansion years. I loved the characters and felt like I was along on the journey.
May 18, 2018
Close to Perfect is a pretty good book. I liked it and hope to read the others from the Perfect, Indiana series soon. I recommend this short read.
September 2, 2018
Rating 3.5
Didn't find that I enjoyed this book as much as the others in the series, but still a good read.
Didn't find that I enjoyed this book as much as the others in the series, but still a good read.
October 26, 2018
Loved this series!
March 12, 2019
Perfect start to this series!
This was an enjoyable book. I liked learning the beginnings of the Lovejoy family and how the settled the town of Perfect.
This was an enjoyable book. I liked learning the beginnings of the Lovejoy family and how the settled the town of Perfect.
Read
July 16, 2022I like the different characters in the Perfect series. I think there should be more.
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