Interesting story about two siblings who travel to England to find rich spouses after their father loses his fortune in Philadelphia.
I liked the hero Andrew who was a landscape architect and the fact that Kate loved gardens. She had a noble obligation to do what was best for her family but her heart had other ideas. Likewise, her brother Christopher, found love in an unexpected circumstance. They both sought God to resolve their problems and learned that they had to listen to God and not go off on their own way.
I l8ke to learn about historical events and this was a good peek into the exhibition instigated by Prince Albert in 1851.
* I purchased a copy of this book from a library sale. All opinions are my own.* ( )

99 cents on Kindle! Spoilers for sure. I thought it started out well but the story didn't go anywhere. The atmosphere was interesting & all the technology was cool; I liked reading about that. But the romance was pretty weird. She was really pretty bad to the guy who asked her to marry him, and the sudden reversal so she could marry her true love wasn't convincing. The other couple wasn't much better.

Americans Katharine and Christopher Dearing have a problem. Because their father has lost his fortune, they must, in essence, sell themselves to the highest bidder and marry money to save their family from financial ruin.

During a time when women of wealth were groomed only to marry money, a life of service for Katharine was out of the question. I must admit, living in the day and age in which we do, I find it repulsive that women and daughters were treated as possessions. Things to be bartered with by undisciplined and selfish fathers and brothers. This created a wave of sympathy and empathy for Katharine's plight. Although her brother wasn't totally unfeeling, he could find a way to be self-supportive and marry whom he chose. Yet, even that would leave the burden of their family's financial issues on Katharine.

Parents who make mistakes are normal, as I myself can attest to. But parents that make the mistakes and then expect their children to clean up the mess? Unfathomable and disturbing. I honestly did not see a way out for Katharine in this book. Her heart had found the man it could love. But poor and obscure Andrew wasn't the answer to her family's financial woes.

Ms. Dacus is a seasoned author and it shows. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Follow the Heart and will be reading more from her in the future. Scenic settings, great plot structure, and imperfect heroes and heroines? Yes please! I love how her characters were flawed. Self-sacrificing, yet flawed in such a way that made the reader care for them and wish they had a fighting chance.
Highly recommend.
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I've read all of Kaye Dacus' books and I've enjoyed every single one, own them all. She is just at home writing historical or contemporary novels. A lot of authors do not move as well between genres, but Dacus does this admirably. I always buy her latest book because I know I'm in for a wonderful reading time!

This book gives us two stories, actually, of brother and sister, Christopher and Katharine Dearing. Both are sent to England with the admonition to marry wealth to support their family after their father's disastrous investment back in Philadelphia.

Both Christopher and Kate fall in love with the wrong people, neither of which will be able to help their family back home financially. They must sacrifice their happiness to help family. But is this what God wants for them? Doesn't God want His children to be happy?

Christopher and Kate learn many valuable lessons in this novel, how to follow your heart and also how to trust God to bring happiness to your life and not the decisions you make.

If you miss this book, you miss a wonderful read. ( )