Sixty Acres and a Bride by Regina Jennings

Sixty Acres and a Bride by Regina Jennings. Bethany House, 2012. 368p. (9780764209901)

Back in February I shared that this book was available as a free ebook on Amazon (part of the daily specials) but I hadn’t had a chance to read it until yesterday. There were several reasons I was looking forward to reading this book (and was thrilled to get it for free): 1) lovely cover, 2) it’s a Ruth & Boaz story, so of course it’s good, 3) the author is having a Facebook chat party next week (more about that at the end).

Goodreads summary

With nothing to their names, young widow Rosa Garner and her mother-in-law return to Texas and the family ranch. Only now the county is demanding back taxes and the women have only three months to pay. Though facing eviction, Rosa can't keep herself from falling in love with the countryside and the wonderful extended family who want only her best. Learning the American customs is not easy, however, and this beautiful young widow can't help but catch wandering eyes. Where some offer help with dangerous strings attached, only one man seems honorable. But when Weston Garner, still grieving his own lost love, is unprepared to give his heart, to what lengths will Rosa go to save her future?

My review

I really enjoyed this book and did not want to put it down until I knew how the author was going to resolve the story and bring Rosa and Weston happily together. Because you know they’re going to. Even though unlike in the story of Ruth and Boaz, Rosa is not seeking a husband when she asks for help. And we learn quickly that Weston hasn’t gotten over the death of his first wife five years ago.

I didn’t expect Louise Gardner, Rosa’s mother-in-law, to be so cheerful and optimistic. After all Naomi was quite bitter. But it doesn’t detract from the story, Louise is a good lesson on moving on and overcoming grief. The extended Gardner family really loves and cares for each other. They must have all been heartbroken when Louise and her family originally moved away.

The aspect of the story that I enjoyed most was learning about and watching Rosa. She’s new to the culture and tries very hard to behave according to the cultural norms of 1870s Texas. Which isn’t always easy. Regina Jennings does an excellent job illustrating how easy cultural misunderstandings occur. One such misunderstanding occurs during the dance, my favorite scene.

Overall this is a wonderful story. It’s a clean read. A couple of times I was confused about who a character was, but that probably was my fault for reading it so late at night and not due to any negligence on the author’s part. I’d give it at least four stars.

Go read it! Durham County; Cedarville University; Greene County; Find it at a library near you; Buy it from CBD (ebook); Buy it from B&N

I'd appreciate it if you voted for my review on Amazon and gave it a thumbs up at CBD (scroll down, mine should be the first review you see). Thanks!

This month there are several opportunities to win e-readers, books and other fun stuff from several authors. And they are all having Facebook chat parties to go along with the drawings. Last week I participated in my first chat party and won a book! :D So fun. Here’s the link to the Facebook event for this book (3/27 at 8pm EST). And click below to go to the drawing for Sixty Acres and a Bride PLUS a Kindle Fire with Wi-Fi (you can enter by email, facebook or twitter).

Disclosure: I received this ebook for free from Amazon when it was one of the daily specials. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission.