Love Finds You in Bethlehem, New Hampshire
Lauralee Bliss
Summerside, Oct 2009, $12.99
ISBN: 9781935416203
In 1890 artist Thomas Haskins placed an ad for a mail order bride though he has doubts about the wisdom of finding a wife this way. Sara McGee of New York City responds. She arrives by train to his resort town of Bethlehem, New Hampshire. However, he wants her to go back home because his first impression is she is dressed shabbily and uneducated. Sara is also hurt by first impressions when his best friend Lawrence Boshen ridicules her and Tom fails to defend her
However, he is an ethical person who decides to have his sister Claire mentor brash Sara on decorum of a lady. She has doubts about belonging here; Sara considers fleeing back to the streets of the city she came from. As she falls in love with him, socialite pianist Annabelle Loving decides Tom is perfect for her and offers him a trip to Italy to study art that he cannot refuse. Sara knows she cannot compete with the educated upper crust wealthy musician so she leaves for home; not realizing Tom wants his mail order bride to be his wife.
This is a nice Pygmalion like spin to the classic mail order bride historical romance. The Gilded Age story line is fast-paced from the moment a hesitant Sara arrives in town like a fish out of water and never slows down as she wins the hearts of everyone starting with his sister. Fans will enjoy this fine entry as Tom learns a good artist can become a great artist when he learns the meaning of love and passion.
Harriet Klausner
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