Search This Blog

Unending Devotion by Jodi Hedlund

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Unending Devotion


Michigan, 1883
In Her Darkest Hours, Is He the Man She Needs?
Lily Young longs to find her lost sister or will die trying. Heedless of any danger, she searches logging camps and towns, posing as a photographer's assistant. And then she arrives in Harrison, Michigan--and the sights of Connell McCormick.

Connell is determined to increase the fortune of his lumber-baron father and figures as long as he's living an upright life, that's what matters. But when Lily arrives in town she upends his world, forcing him to confront the truth that dangerous men have gained too much power while good men turn a blind eye.

Vexing but persuasive, Lily soon secures Connell's help, drawing them ever closer to each other. Will standing for what's right cost them both everything?

"Hedlund intricately balances romance and drama, asking where the line between good and evil lies and exploring the dangers that erupt when that line becomes blurred. Hedlund's tale is exciting and unpredictable to the very end." --Publishers Weekly

"Full of period detail and engaging dialogue, Hedlund's (A Noble Groom) historical should appeal to Susan Higginbotham fans." --Library Journal

"Unending Devotion is a lovely and real representation of sisterly love and how even that can't compare to the love God has for us." --CBA Retailers and Resources

Barnes and Noble Summary



Oren and Connell are terrific characters!  Oren’s protectiveness and threats – “Mister, you’re a dead man” – made me smile every time he entered a scene…funny and touching.  I think I love Connell.  His mam taught him to take care of a woman’s needs before his own.  He loves his mom, doesn’t want to disappoint his dad, and stands up to crude loggers to protect a woman from unwanted advances and probable rape.  Picture Hedlund’s description of Connell: eyebrow quirking with humor, unruly lock of blond hair, green eyes, suspenders, muscular, plaid coat, spectacles, and exasperation over the dangerous situations Lily Young gets herself into.
Prepare to be frustrated with Lily.  She’s so determined to find her sister and save young girls who are sex slaves near the logger camps; but, she’ll drive you crazy with her insistence on walking into danger.  Halfway through the story, I was mentally telling Connell to give up on her.
Really though – since Unending Devotion is based on a true story, Lily is a character to admire.  There were logging towns in 1800s America where young girls were kidnapped and forced into prostitution.  I wish that I had read the “Author’s Note” before I read the story.  I would have been rooting for Lily; I wouldn’t have been so annoyed by her determined recklessness or by her sister, after she rescues her.  Knowing the history behind the fiction would have added to my interest and enjoyment of the story…and the main character Lily.

Four Stars

*Reviewed by Colleen*

Find this book:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
The Book Depository




This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews.

0 comments: