Spring for Susannah by Catherine Richmond - REVIEWED

About the Book: ( from the publisher)

Hundreds of miles from home, Susannah faces an uncertain future as a mail-order bride on the untamed Dakota prairie.

When her parents die suddenly, and no suitors call, Susannah resigns herself to the only option available: becoming a mail-order bride. Agreeing to marry her pastor's brother, Jesse, Susannah leaves the only home she's ever known for the untamed frontier of the Dakota Territory.

Her new husband is more loving and patient with her than she believes she deserves. Still, there is also a wildness to him that mirrors the wilderness surrounding them. And Susannah finds herself constantly on edge. But Jesse's confidence in her—and his faith in God's perfect plan—slowly begin to chip away at the wall she hides behind.

When she miscarries in the brutal Dakota winter, Susannah's fledgling faith in herself and in God begins to crumble. Still, Jesse's love is unwavering. Just when it seems like winter will never end, Susannah finally sees the first tentative evidence of spring. And with it, the realization that more than the landscape has changed.

She looks to the future with a renewed heart. Yet in her wildest dreams, she couldn't predict all that awaits her.

My Thoughts:

“It’s time for you to break out.” (p. 172)

Oh my! Oh my! Oh my!! Now I love a good historical setting with some romance thrown in, but I haven’t enjoyed a novel like this one in a while! I couldn’t read fast enough! I didn’t want to miss a thing!! I fell in love with Jesse a LOT long before someone else did!! And oh, how I enjoyed watching Jesse and Susannah forge their relationship! I loved the passage where Jesse compared Susannah to a hatchling chick. (you’ll have to read it to understand how beautifully appropriate it is!) I loved Ivar and Marta and Jake! I loved the descriptions of the land, the food, the bad dreams, the emotional struggles! Oh! I loved the way Jesse sang into life! I absolutely LOVED that!!

I short, this is the most refreshing, hopeful, truthful, wonderful love story I’ve read in a while! If you can’t figure that out by the insane amount of exclamation marks I’ve used in this post-----READ THE BOOK!!! It’s Wonderful!

About the Author:

Catherine Richmond was focused on her career as an occupational therapist until a special song planted a story idea in her mind. That idea would ultimately become Spring for Susannah, her first novel. She is also a founder and moderator of Nebraska Novelists critique group and lives in Nebraska with her husband.