On My Nightstand - Bittersweet by Cathy Marie Hake

Laney McCain set her heart on marrying Galen O'Sullivan. Although she's grown-up, Galen still sees her as his best friend's kid sister. She makes a determined effort to show him she's no longer the little girl he remembers.

The Grubb family, Pa and his twins, Ishmael and Ivy, decide to squat on Galen's land. Trying to do the Christian thing, he allows them to stay in return for Ishmael's help on the farm. He doesn't know how much that decision will cost him down the road.

A wondrous future becomes a nightmare of mammoth proportions. How could anything good come from such a desperate situation? Galen, Laney, and a whole town get a lesson in forgiveness they'll never forget.

When I picked up this book, I settled down with familiar characters from Cathy's previous books. They once again drew me into their lives and the mid-1800's. I'd hoped she would tell Laney's story, and found it a pleasant read.

The author does a fine job getting to the heart of the characters' thoughts and emotions. When faced with circumstances that will impact their lives in a negative way, they wrestle with doing the right thing. A strong spiritual message permeates the story, and their actions are weighed by the scripture, as well as the social norms of the day.

Although this is a stand-alone novel, I think the reader would miss a lot by skipping over the previous book. Happy reading!