Sandy M’s review of Before the Larkspur Blooms (Prairie Hearts, Book 2) by Caroline Fyffe
Historical Romance published by Montlake Romance 28 May 13

I always look forward to Caroline Fyffe’s books. She has this seemingly easy but emotional way of pulling readers into her stories, creating characters who are real, with life’s issues just like you and me, even if they live and breathe hundreds of years ago on the American frontier.

We revisit Logan Meadows when Thomas Donovan returns home, longing to see his family. But after eight years in prison, he finds his parents have died and his sister now married, living in another territory. With a good portion of the town looking down on him, the fact he’s innocent of the crimes he’s accused of makes their disdain that much more difficult to swallow. The one person whose support means everything is the woman he refuses to let into his life. She deserves so much more than a convict, who bears dire secrets, for a husband.

But Hannah Hoskins isn’t about to let Thom’s outlook deter her. She’s always loved him, and nothing has changed, which she knows in her soul once she sees him again after so long. But there’s more than just Tom’s attitude she has to overcome to have the happiness she knows is waiting for them. The railroad is slated to come through Logan Meadows and the townsfolk are doing their best to make sure that happens. Which means more restaurants will open in town, and the slowdown in business is already affecting her diner.

What Hannah – and most of the town – doesn’t know is the man who was responsible for Thom’s downfall is now in Logan Meadows. So Thom knows something nefarious is going on, and trying to keep his nose clean when the deputy sheriff is doing his best to trip Thom up and throw him back into jail isn’t easy to do. Fighting his desire for Hannah, as well as her steadfastness in making him see they belong together, is also taking a toll. Keeping his secret doesn’t help, and with more accusatory looks and gossip from people when rustling in the area picks up, suspicion falls on Thom.

But as in life even today, there are those who keep an open mind and do what’s right. Those are friends you’ll keep for life, as Thom finds out when things finally come to a head. When he realizes that he’ll lose the love he’s been needing the last eight years, especially after such a life-and-death situation, Thom finally opens his heart for all to see. Though the emotional impact of this story is not as deep as in Ms. Fyffe’s previous stories, this book still packs a punch, testament to the author’s talent for weaving a heartwarming tale of life in early America.

Grade: B+

Summary:

Thomas Donovan spent eight long years in prison, convicted of a crime he didn’t commit. Finally released, he returns home to Logan Meadows, Wyoming, to discover his parents long buried and his neighbors wanting nothing to do with him. Suddenly the fresh start Thom longed for seems downright impossible—until a spirited beauty from his past becomes his unlikely champion, and the walls around his injured heart begin to crumble…

Hannah Hoskins was brokenhearted when Thom Donovan was sent away. While the rest of the town was quick to brand him a no-count thief, Hannah always knew better. Now the boy she once loved has returned home a man—a man whom Hannah’s suitor, the town’s deputy sheriff, is determined to destroy. When a crime spree starts anew, suspicion immediately falls on Thom, and it’s up to Hannah to prove his innocence, earn him a second chance at life—and win them both a second chance at love.

No excerpt available.

Other books in this series: