I appreciated the attempt to show a character struggling to obey scripture. But there were too many glaring problems. The romance itself was the biggest one. Cassie and Jacob were so hot and cold, it was like every other paragraph one of them was storming out, then thinking about marrying them, then crying, then thinking they didn't deserve the other, et cetera. The constant back and forth was giving me whiplash. Then you add in all the secrets, lies, omissions, jealousy, insecurities... ugh.

Then there were the issues with scripture. When Patrick first announces his intentions, he owns that the verse referred to a man's widow. By the end of the book both he and Cassie seem to have forgotten this? Not to mention the fact that she initially rebuffs him by stating the passage refers to Old Testament. Why did she not stand firm on this? Not to mention the fact that the verse states the man's obligation to the woman. She is not required to accept. All of this is irrelevant. Cassie states that she's been told her soul hangs in the balance if she doesn't comply... She should know that there is only one Way to God, to Heaven, for salvation. And if she didn't, then the author should have taught her.

Her struggle to follow the commandment to honor her parents was not flushed out either. Honoring your parents is not simply obeying their every single command. And her duty to obey Christ and His directions come first.

I had other issues with the plot and subplots and the characters and their histories, but these were the most important ones. ( )

I had a hard time putting this book down long enough to eat, and I read late into the night to finish it! Part of a series, it is also a stand alone book. You meet the characters from the other novels, and there are snatches of those stories, but only enough to entice you to read theirs as well. I loved how Ann depicted a life of shallow living where money and position are most important, and then wrote a story of growth...where those things do not matter as much as integrity, and a life of serving others! This is a where I hope to emulate the characters without having to learn the lessons personally. The characters are ones I would like to have as friends, with just enough failings to make them seem human, and enough good to make them loveable.
Delightful, as I have found all of Anne's novels to be, and one I think you would enjoy reading!
I received this book free from Fred at The Book Club Network and Revell publishing for the purpose of writing an honest review. A positive critique was not required. The opinions are my own ( )

Love's Sweet Beginning by Ann Shore
I wanted to read this book because it is 1860's and about how a woman who is strong will survive, given the war and after where she knows she can do the job, and well. Now to convince others of that.
Cassie Huddon and her mother had arrived in Noble Springs and they are not able to locate Uncle Rand. They do find themselves at Cassie's friends house as her husband is the local doctor. They are able to stay there while Cassie gets a job setting tables and washing dishes at the local restaurant. After she is let go after the first day she knows she must return to plead for her job as her mother is not thankful of where they are.
Jacob West and his partner in Boston own the restaurant. She fights for her job and then she moves her mother to a house of their own. Her mother finally hears from her brother and they take the railroad to his town. What a shock it is to learn of him, his job.
Cassie has plans to head back to Noble Springs except she sees for herself that her dead fiance's brother. The story also follows Jacob and his secret past life and you wonder if it will ever come to light. Mystery of the scriptural duty will surprise us all....
The struggles are many for each of them and others as the US expands to frontiers yet explored. They each must deal with their past before they can go forward.
Love the scenes and the career choices and descriptions of the places visited. Handful of characters that are easy to keep straight as they each follow their hearts.
I received this book from The Book Club Network (www.bookfun.org) in exchange for my honest review. ( )

This is the third book in the Sisters at Heart series but could be read as a stand alone as there are few references back to the previous books. The main character is Cassie Haddon. She had been a very spoiled young lady until after the Civil War when her father died and she and her mother had to find a way to support themselves. Much to her mother's dismay, she got a job as a waitress. The book is the story of Cassie working very hard to grow up and take care of herself despite a few problems along way. Its a good read and I highly recommend it along with the other two books in the series. ( )

I read "Love’s Sweet Beginning" by Ann Shorey, for the Revell Reads program. I was sent a free print copy of this book for my review. The thoughts about this novel are my own.

I enjoyed this book very much. It was interesting because of the fact in prominently wealthy households women were treated as pretty things to be coddled and waited upon by servants. The mothers were treated as such and consequently the daughters of the house were raised to party and look pretty in order to snare a husband. In turn, that family would continue the tradition. Some women never washed a dish, or did laundry, or cleaned, or looked after a garden, or “put up” produce. When the time came that this practice could no longer be sustained as happened after the Civil War in the south, women could not provide for themselves. This is the story of a mother and daughter caught in this predicament. How the daughter managed to provide for herself and her mother is the gist of this story. It was very enlightening, even though it is a work of fiction, I’m sure this was the lot of many women in the south.

You can find this review on my blog at http://wp.me/s2pjIt-605. ( )