A Hopeful Heart
In 1888 New York, Tressa is a well-bred young woman without means. Her aunt and uncle have given her a home since her parents died but they cannot (or will not) provide the dowry required for her to marry. When Tressa’s would-be fiancé decamps, they send her to school to find a husband—out West. As a student at the Wyatt Herdsman School in faraway Kansas, Tressa gives it her best. The days are long, the work is hard (and so are the other girls), but she loves riding, learning to cook, and Abel, a wary young rancher. Jilted by a squeamish Yankee woman once, Abel stays away from Tressa at first. She’s no tenderfoot, however, as Abel soon discovers. When raiders, horse thieves, and false friends threaten Abel’s livelihood, he and Tressa overcome all odds together. A Hopeful Heart has winsome characters, an interesting premise, and a heavenly match made on earth. This will not satisfy readers looking for depth and complexity, but fans of inspirational romance novels will not be disappointed.