Lovelier Than Daylight

Lovelier Than Daylight by Rosslyn Elliott
4.5/5 stars
Thomas Nelson, 2012
350 pages
Adult Historical Christian Romance

Book 1: Fairer than Morning
Book 2: Sweeter Than Birdsong

Source: Received a copy through Booksneeze in exchange for an honest review.

Book 3 in this trilogy picks up in 1875 with the niece of book 1's couple. Susanna arrives to attend college at Otterbein only to discover her sister's kids have been dropped off at orphanages and her sister has disappeared. Additionally a man is attempting to open a tavern in the dry town much to the ire of the temperance movement there.

I loved that alcohol and temperance played such a big role here. I did think that it leaned a little heavily on the extreme pro-temperance side (since that is Susanna's belief and she is the main character); keep in mind, that aligns with my own beliefs and even I thought it was a little extreme. But we also have a strong voice arguing for the allowance of alcohol in the person of Johann Giere, son of a brewer who is an aspiring journalist and whose feelings for Susanna put them in constant contact. There are other voices on both sides but those are the most prominent. Another historical plot aspect was the power of journalism to effect social change. Although this isn't a major thread, newspaper stories provide important documentation about the battle over alcohol and other abuses. We're in a golden period of journalism here!

Johann is a good man and their romance was so sweet. I've read the previous books and this was definitely my favorite romance. I loved the short courtship and the way that sharing their first names was such an intimate act. Although I'm a modern woman, I have idealized some of the old-fashioned mores and this romance was a great example of that.  They both placed such value and caution on pursuing this relationship in contrast to some more casual treatments of relationships in some YA novels.

However what really got me and lifted up this book was near the end when Susanna is challenged in her faith. She realizes she was acting out of righteousness rather than with the love and mercy of Jesus. The example of her aunt Ann and uncle Will was pivotal in her recognition of this fact as were interactions with her sister and Johann. It moved me to tears and caused me to reflect-a great combination.

Overall: If you like these categories (Christian historical), I would highly recommend this. I hope if you've read the other books, you also enjoy this one. This can be read as a standalone but I think the rich historical background of the others would add to your reading experience.

Cover: I really like this cover-I think the pop of yellow makes this my favorite cover of the trilogy.

Sweeter Than Birdsong

Sweeter Than Birdsong by Rosslyn Elliott
4/5 stars
Thomas Nelson, 2012
378 pages
Christian Historical Romance

Source: Received a copy from Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.

Last year I read Fairer Than Morning and liked it so I was excited to give the second book a try. This time we jump ahead to 1855 in Ohio with the protagonists of that book still playing an important role in anti-slavery efforts including aiding fugitive slaves in defiance of the Fugitive Slave Act and writing an anti-slavery song that ends up being compared to Uncle Tom's Cabin in terms of impact. So it's pretty exciting for a history nerd to read about these events on the brink of the Civil War (including several characters predicting that the country can't hold).

My big disappointment with Fairer Than Morning was expecting more of a romance than I got. I only remembered that when I reread my review so I didn't really have expectations when reading this book. Happily I thought there was a bit more romance although it was definitely of a slow-burning quiet kind as both participants need to conduct themselves by the codes of society.  What we got was very sweet and made me very happy :)

The male is Ben Hanby, son of Fairer Than Morning's love story, musical genius, and committed to a future in the clergy.  The only thing dissuading him from that potential future is the lovely Kate Winter, one of the first female students at Otterbein College, whose society mama has higher expectations than a future pastor. Kate's shyness and awful family life, meanwhile, have her plotting escape until an encounter with a runaway slave jolts her from her plans.

I did think there could have been more about Kate's family life. Her father's a drunk, her mother regrets her decision to leave Philadelphia society, and her younger sister has been emotionally scarred by their toxic home but while the mother's thoughts and feelings are partially explained, the other two are not really talked about. Since Kate's home is so formative to her character, I think it would have been good to have more insight into it.

I thought the historical elements were very well done. I'm not too familiar with the time period but the way that slavery was woven into the story was fantastic. Some of the most exciting and tense passages revolved around fugitives and the simmering conflict among Americans is well-emphasized. I thought the Christian aspect was also well-done. I would definitely not describe it as preachy but instead it was very well-incorporated and sprang organically from the characters themselves.

Overall: An intense historical read about a time period that doesn't always get much attention.

Cover: Hmm, I don't know. I like the hoop skirt (crinolines get a good shout-out in the book) but it doesn't entirely click for me. It's not bad but it's not great to me.

Fairer Than Morning

Fairer Than Morning by Rosslyn Elliott
Thomas Nelson, 2011
389 pages
Christian Historical Romance
3.5/5 stars

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was very excited to dive into this as it's the first of several Christian historical romances I have on tap for October/November and this one had gotten a lot of positive reviews. Sadly I wasn't as impressed as others although this was mostly due to my expectations.

I thought romance would be the main focus of this book but instead there are a lot of historical details. Ann and Will didn't even spend that much time together; it seemed like they both spent more time with other potential matches and being shaped by their experiences.  However if I hadn't been expecting more romance, I think I could have appreciated this more. Let me back up and start from the beginning though.

At the beginning Ann Miller has lost her mother and must now step in to her shoes to care for her younger sisters while they father alternates between being an itinerant preacher and saddler in Ohio. She receives a proposal from her dream man but her father won't let them marry because she's too young.  Meanwhile Will is orphaned and becomes apprenticed to a saddler in Pittsburgh; although the saddler masquerades as a good man, he soon reveals his true colors, abusing and beating Will through the five years he essentially owns him. Their connection begins when Ann's family receives a barrel with letters from Will's family. The saddler had destroyed them in his display of power but it gets Ann thinking about Will. Eventually the pair meet in Pittsburgh and a lot more happens but I don't want to spoil too much.

As you might be able to tell, there is a lot in this book besides the romance, which I had thought would be the main element. There is anti-slavery rhetoric, insight into the awful conditions of the poor in an industrializing city like Pittsburgh, the twisting of Bible verses to support ill treatment of others (done by slave owners and Will's sadistic master), and a lot of difficulties for Ann and Will to work through both individually and together. And for large portions of the book, Ann and Will seem destined to end up with other people as marriage proposals are tendered and accepted. When they were together, I enjoyed the story much more...but I didn't think they were together enough.

Overall: I wish this had been more of a romance but it was an interesting Christian historical fiction novel so if you don't like a lot of romance, then this could be a good book for you.