A Worthy Heart (Courage to Dream Book #2)
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4.8 • 10 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Can an Irish Lass with a Dream
for America Find True Love?
Maggie Montgomery's long-held wish to see America is finally coming true. She'll visit her beloved brother Rylan and his wife, Colleen, and at the same time, escape Neill Fitzgerald's unwanted attention. In addition, Maggie has a secret! She plans to remain in America to seek her fortune and to hopefully find love. While visiting Irish Meadows, she meets an intriguing man whom she thinks is a stable hand. Only when Rylan demands she stay away from Adam O'Leary does she realize he's Colleen's brother, recently released from prison. Nonetheless, Maggie can't seem to make her heart conform to her brother's request.
Adam O'Leary has never felt worthy of his place in the family. Spending time in jail only reinforces his belief. Now that he's free, Adam hopes to make amends and earn back his family's trust. Falling in love with Maggie Montgomery, however, was never in his plans.
Despite everyone's effort to keep them apart, the two develop a bond nothing can break--but has Adam truly changed, or will the sins of his past prove too much for Maggie to overcome?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In the second installment of Mason's Courage to Dream series, Maggie and Gabe Montgomery leave Ireland to visit their older brother Ryland and his family in New York. The expectation is that their sojourn will be brief, but Maggie is in no hurry to return to their hometown, Cork, where everyone seems to know her business. Adam O'Leary, Ryland's black sheep brother-in-law, returns from prison hoping to redeem his reputation and make amends with his family. Though Adam fails to meet his father's expectations, he quickly garners Maggie's attention. Gabe is similarly besotted with Aurora Hastings, a young woman who is more interested in becoming a nurse than seeking the fortuitous marriage her father has in mind for her. The romantic couplings become apparent early on, but Mason keeps the story interesting by interjecting a few jilted suitors, some parental disapproval and deceit, and an outbreak of typhoid fever. Adam's struggle with forgiveness, which includes forgiving himself, creates some thought-provoking content within this thoroughly pleasant historical romance.
Customer Reviews
An absolutely fabulous historical romance!
This is the second book in a “true” series. You need to read the first book before this one.
I love the characters that Susan has created for this story. The friends that I made in “Irish Meadows” are back and I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with what is going on in their lives. But the new ones quickly found a place in my heart. Susan does a fantastic job of developing very deep people for her stories. The level of belief that many of them have in God is amazing.
The story that Susan has crafted is incredible. There are a number of twists along the journey of Maggie and Adam’s relationship. They have a lot of heartache and doubts to work through and overcome. They each know what they are feeling and yet society says that they shouldn’t be together.
At the same time there are many others with difficulties and issues to deal with that Maggie and Adam get to help with. Though they are the central characters they are not the only ones with everything revolving around them. I found this to be much more realistic.
I’m already looking forward to Susan’s next book. I hope that it continues the story of these wonderful friends.
I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.
Enjoyable to read!
A Worthy Heart by Susan Anne Mason is the second book in Courage to Dream series. It is June of 1914 and Maggie Montgomery has just arrived in New York City from Ireland. Maggie broke off her engagement to Neill Fitzgerald and came to America for the summer (or so everyone else believes). Maggie does not plan on going back to Ireland. Maggie is looking forward to reuniting with her brother, Rylan and his wife, Colleen. Gabriel "Gabe" Montgomery accompanied his sister to America. Gabe is a fireman and is eager to see the equipment used in the states. Then Gabe runs into Aurora Hastings. Aurora wants to be a nurse, but she is a society lady. Her father, of course, expects her to marry well (like the doctor who is interested in her) and makes sure that Gabe knows his opinion of him. Gabe is attracted to Aurora, but there is little chance of her family approving of the match. However, fate seems to keep throwing them together especially after Gabe rescues Aurora from a fire in her home. Adam O'Leary has just been released from prison and wants to make amends with his family. Adam (he is Colleen's brother) and Maggie meet each other at Irish Meadows. Maggie is warned to stay away from Adam (and Adam is warned to stay away from Maggie). Their paths continue to cross and love starts to bloom. Is there a chance of love and a happily-ever-after for these two couples? The four of them will have many obstacles to overcome. They will need to have faith and believe that God has a plan for them.
A Worthy Heart is a lovely novel. It is well-written and enjoyable to read. The story line is predictable (but it did not bother me), but I still liked it. It has a sweet ending that will have you making a happy little sigh (the kind where you close the book and sigh with pleasure at a good ending). I give A Worthy Heart 4 out of 5 stars. A Worthy Heart has engaging characters and a good setting. I liked the time period (1914). The author did a good job of showing what life was like during this time period. It was interesting to learn about early fire fighting techniques. While A Worthy Heart is the second book in the series, you can easily read it as a stand-alone book. However, the first book is a pleasure to read and will help you understand Rylan, Colleen, and Adam. I see more books by Susan Anne Mason in my reading future.
I received a complimentary copy of A Worthy Heart from the publisher courtesy of The Book Club Network, Inc. In exchange for an honest review of the novel.