Publisher’s Description:
“Can Olivia survive the crime and Gold Rush fever of 1849…and the countless marriage proposals?
A series for fans of all things related to history, romance, adventure, faith, and family trees.”
“The Daughters of the Mayflower series continues when Olivia Brighton finds herself widowed and working her brother’s restaurant in San Francisco during the height of the rush for gold. Even though she receives at least twenty marriage proposals a day, she will never marry a gold miner. Her brother’s friend Joseph Sawyer has gotten caught up in local politics and the plight of Chinese in forced labor. The more Joseph gets pulled into investigating crime in the city, the less Olivia sees of the compassionate man. And just when she thinks she could love again, a fire threatens to steal all hope.”
“Woodhouse’s love story rises above other historical romances with its engrossing setup of virtue resisting rampant sin.”
-Publishers Weekly
More in the Daughters of the Mayflower series:
The Mayflower Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse – set 1620 Atlantic Ocean (February 2018)
The Pirate Bride by Kathleen Y’Barbo – set 1725 New Orleans (April 2018)
The Captured Bride by Michelle Griep – set 1760 during the French and Indian War (June 2018)
The Patriot Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse – set 1774 Philadelphia (August 2018)
The Cumberland Bride by Shannon McNear – set 1794 on the Wilderness Road (October 2018)
The Liberty Bride by MaryLu Tyndall – set 1814 Baltimore (December 2018)
The Alamo Bride by Kathleen Y’Barbo – set 1836 Battle of the Alamo (February 2019)
My Review:
Kimberly Woodhouse has a gift of writing Christian fiction. She does great research for her stories, and is then able to incorporate those facts in a readable and interesting story. She has done this again in telling the story of Olivia and her life in San Francisco in the year 1849. San Francisco was a corrupt city at that time and the author helps us to see that corruption without overwhelming the good parts of this story.
Olivia has faced heartache in the death of her beloved parents. To be able to travel to her brother in San Francisco, she impulsively makes a decision to marry a man she has known for only one day. But tragedy occurs before they reach the city, and Olivia finds herself facing her future alone with only her brother, Daniel, for support. She gives up all her dreams of marriage and a family, and throws herself into her work in San Francisco.
I liked Olivia and had sympathy for her being in such a difficult situation. Her impulsive decisions and gloomy outlook takes over her personality at the beginning, but it was interesting watching her grow and change as she studied the Bible along with her brother. She becomes a strong woman of character in a city filled with evil. Both Joseph and Daniel are honorable Christian men who desire to help individuals and make a difference in their city and all three make a great team. The romance between Olivia and Joseph is very sweet and makes a nice contrast to the suspenseful part of the storyline.
Even though this is part of a series, this story stands on its own. I’d recommend going back and reading this series as all the stories have been good.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.