Steadfast Heart

PETERSON, TRACIE
STEADFAST HEART

Despite her spoiled upbringing, twenty-year-old Lenore Fulcher isn't pretentious. She simply believes a marriage should be built on true love. Her father, however, thinks she's wasted enough time searching for the perfect husband. He wants to marry her off to one of his business partners--who is seventeen years her senior--an idea that is out of the question for Lenore.

Kolbein Booth, a young lawyer from Chicago, arrives in Seattle looking for his headstrong sister, who he believes may have answered an advertisement for mail-order brides. Sick with worry, he storms into the Madison Bridal School, demanding to see his sister, only to learn she isn't there. But Lenore Fulcher is, and something about her captures his attention.

Is this the man Lenore has been searching for? She may not have long to find out...

My Review:

This is a difficult book to review because the description really doesn't match the book. Yes, Lenore and Kolbein are part of the story, but I would consider them more secondary characters than actual hero and heroine. It is Lenore's friend, Abrianna, and her would-be love interest, Wade, who I connected with. In fact, I'd say the majority of the book is from their POV. And the action, hints of suspense and a large part of the dialogue involve these two 'secondary' characters. In a way, it feels like Steadfast Heart sets the groundwork for their story (kind of like a very long prologue), which I'm hoping is the next one in the Brides of Seattle series.

Lenore and Kolbein are separated geographically for half the book so their romance doesn't really get started until very late in the read. While Lenore is away, Kolbein becomes friends with Abrianna and it's through their interactions that the reader becomes acquainted with this unlikely hero. In fact we are privy to his inner thoughts about Abrianna who he finds amusing, frustrating and endearing. His admiration is so clear that I almost thought this would be their love story. In fact, I almost wanted it to be.

The actual romance between Lenore and Kolbein felt rushed. Definitely a case of love at first sight without the whirlwind romance part. And certain darker bits of the plot never developed to a point where a resolution could be achieved. Again, I suspect this is just set up for the next book, but still, it was an important part of the plot in this one and the main characters are still clueless about there being anything untoward going on, yet the reader knows all the sordid details. That makes for a bit of a cliff hanger ending. I'm left wondering about what happens to Abrianna and Wade, knowing that they are going to get mired in intrigue and danger as their story progresses. So, while I'm looking forward to the next book, I won't be lingering in the afterglow of this one.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.