Ripples Along the Shore

Ripples Along the Shore - Book Review

I had the pleasure of reading this third book in "The Quilted Heart" series by Mona Hodgson. Generally, I don't care for reading books in a series without first reading the books before (what can I say, I like things in order!), but this book captivated me right from the start! I definitely want to catch up and read the first two, but I was hooked right from the first few paragraphs!

"Ripples Along the Shore" was a finely knit fictional novel about not only the sorrow and recovery of just one Civil War widow, Caroline Milburn, but of a whole community of Americans, set on rebuilding their lives following the divide of a country in war. Destined to return to Saint Charles, Missouri after her spinster aunt passes away, to stay with her sister and bitter brother-in-law and family, Caroline struggles with the grief she feels with the loss of her husband to the war.

Will she find peace and purpose in what she should do now that she doesn't have a husband? After hearing of a wagon train to the West, she feels sure that God is calling her there, to begin anew. She finds the wagon master, Garrett Cowlishaw to be the one thing that stands in her way of a new beginning for herself. Her faith in God's ability to care for all matters is challenged, when her fellow quilting circle friends find comfort in the quote: "Life's changing seasons are as persistent as the ripples along the shore."

This book has me on the edge of my seat for the next in the series, and I'm sure that Mona Hodgson will deliver as Caroline's new unfolds as she travels west in the next series: Hearts Seeking Home. I'm adding this to my list of must reads, for sure!

Disclosure: I received this book from WaterBrook Multnomah in exchange for this review. I make a very small amount of compensation from Amazon when items are purchased from my links. Thank you for supporting my little reading habit!

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