SPRING FOR SUSANNAH by Catherine Richmond

"Spring for Susannah" by Catherine Richmond is a tender, realistic story of a young lady's journey to the Dakota territory where, hundreds of miles away from home and facing an uncertain future, Susannah struggles to survive the harsh elements on the untamed Dakota prairie, as her life is gradually transformed from being a shy, timid woman with an innate sense of unworthiness to a strong, fiercely independent pioneer of life in the wilderness. Here is a vivid portrait of the life of an extraordinary woman who is brave enough to take on the ultimate risk as she awakens to life and love.

When her small world crashes with the death of her parents, Susannah resigns herself to becoming a mail-order bride to Jesse, her pastor's brother, who is far more loving and patient than she dreams of but with a strange, bewildering wildness that mirrors the wilderness surrounding Susannah's puzzling new world. She is constantly on edge and hides behind the mask she painstakingly erects around herself. Susannah certainly did not believe in love at first sight, not by a long shot. All she dared to hope for in her faintest dreams was the minutest miracle to feel anything other than the strange, oppressive shyness threatening to overwhelm her.

Jesse had an aura of command surrounding him and he was far too aware of the dark side of people including Susannah herself. She knew deep down in her heart that his far-seeing, critical eyes could penetrate the armour of respectability she had erected to mask her worst self, the self that even she could not confront. The thought terrified her beyond words. For Jesse however, Susannah was a new song in his heart that he must learn to sing. His deep-rooted confidence in her and his unfaltering faith in God's perfect plan chips at the wall she hides behind.

After suffering a miscarriage in the cruel Dakota winter, Susannah's fledgling faith begins to totter and crumble to dust.But Jesse's unwavering love for her never falters. Just when the long and arduous winter never seems to end, Susannah sees the first hopeful signs of spring! And with it comes the stunning realization that so much more than the mere landscape has changed. Hope is born anew in Susannah's aching heart!

© Miriam Jacob

Disclosure of Material Connection:

I received this book free from LITFUSE GROUP through the LITFUSE GROUP book review bloggers program. 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's 16 CFR, Part 255