A Forgiving Heart by Kasey Stockton could easily be read as a stand alone book and is one I would recommend even if you do not wish to commit to the entire series. The main character is quite believable. She does, indeed, possess a forgiving heart, but not in a way that seems beyond reason. While she has forgiven childhood mistreatment by other children, it is clear she still struggles with the memories of the selfish adult who was filled with anger and took it out on her.
This is a book that has stayed with me for days. I realize it is fiction, but the injustices are all too real. Children can be cruel, and people who should be looking out for you, often take advantage of their power. Even if our own lives have been easy, comparatively speaking, I think we all need the opportunity to consider how others may well have very painful pasts. Just telling someone they need to forgive someone seems trite and unsympathetic. Giving them time and room to work through something step by step is a more thoughtfully considered response. That is the reminder this book offered me, while also entertaining me with a romantic story.
I will warn you in advance. This is not a light reading
romance. There is a pervasive evil throughout the story, starting with
the uncle and continuing with someone viewed as a friend. Perhaps,
that is another life lesson we should all be reminded of. People are
not always who or what they seem.
A Forgiving Heart Synopsis
A Forgiving Heart
(Seasons of Change Series)Check PriceKate Kingston is now an adult, content with her life as a teacher.
When an attorney arrives one day at the school to inform her of her uncle's
death and her inheritance, she is thrown back into her past. A past
she would prefer to leave behind.
When she was 4, her parents were killed. Her uncle moved into the ancestral home in Larkfield and sent her to live with strangers. When she returned to Split Tree Manor at the age of 9, he treated her as a house servant and would not let her go outside. When she was not working in the house, she had to remain in a room with a hired woman. The one day she did manage to slip out, she was assaulted by two male neighbors while trying to defend a smaller boy. When she returned home, she was switched by her uncle for disobedience. Finally, at 12, she was sent off to school, which turned out to be a much needed reprieve.
Kate returns to Split Tree Manor, where her only real memories are
dominated by her cruel uncle. She was simply too young when her
parents died to remember Split Tree Manor as anything other than an unhappy
place. But, this was her father's home. As the older brother,
her father had inherited Split Tree Manor. Unbeknownst to her, Uncle
Bartholomew was only managing her inheritance until she reached the age of
20. She had been 20 for six months, yet her uncle did not contact her or inform
her of her inheritance. Had he not died, she would not have known that
she was the rightful heir of Split Tree Manor in Larkfield.
Kate doesn't return alone. She takes an ally with her. Alice James, the cook from the school, is thrilled with the opportunity to become Larkfield's cook. She is also joined by another married friend, Emily Nielsen, whose husband is away at war. Her hope is that these two friends can help her establish a home and re-enter society, a place where she belonged by birth, but was previously denied.
Shortly after her arrival, she meets Martin Evans who reveals that he is the younger boy from that day long ago and how he has always remembered her as his valiant defender. He wishes to repay her kindness, but he also expresses his interest in courting her.
One afternoon, when Emily doesn't return home from horseback riding, Kate
and the house staff set out to find her. Kate is not the only person
who finds Emily unconscious. Sir Peter
Evans is there and he is carrying Emily to his own horse. Kate does not recognize Peter as one of the boys from
years ago, nor does she realize he is the owner of Evanslea, but she had seen him several times recently. She acquiesces to his plans and allows him to carry Emily away while she tends to Emily's horse.
As the days pass, Kate finds unexpected friendship with one of the brothers and isn't quite sure why she is hesitant to get too close to the other one. There is something there that she doesn't quite understand or trust.
Once I started reading this book, I could not put it down. I stayed up late into the night reading. After a few hours sleep, I awoke ready to start reading again, forgetting any work I was supposed to do that day. It is an excellent book that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a combination of romance and mystery.
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