This book is currently being featured on the Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance. Information about the author and more details about the book can be found here.
Mail Order Surprise is a lovely romantic novel by Lucy Thompson. It is set in America’s Wild West, Denver, Colorado in the spring of 1881 where life is harsh and made more difficult by cattle rustlers. In a way this made it difficult for me to relate as this is a context that I’m totally unfamiliar with and I don’t know a lot about cattle or horses. Nevertheless I enjoyed this story of two people both with serious issues finding love through arbitrary means.
Beau Harding’s issues are mainly practical ones. He is determine to keep the family together following the death of his mother and the desertion of his father. Whereas Lydia Walsh’s issues are emotional. She was abused by her first husband and mother-in-law but managed to look after their children with great care. She is now a widow looking for a new start but her previous dramas often prevent her from fully appreciating this new opportunity.
Both Beau and Lydia have a personal faith which they seem to draw upon in times of crises. Yet this is not a big part of the story although each chapter starts with a Bible verse. I found the story to be engaging and the author was able to create much tension as the story reached its climax.
Overall an enjoyable read.
Thanks to the author for providing a free ebook for review
