A Promise for Spring (Heart of the Prairie #3) - Kim Vogel Sawyer

I've been skipping around this series, and for the most part, enjoying the ride.  I've read book 1 Waiting for Summer, book 6 Courting Miss Amsel, and book 9 Song of My Heart. This is the third book in this series.

Emmaline has traveled from England to get married to her fiance, Geoffrey.  When last she saw him, it was five years ago, and he had vowed to bring her to him in one year. Now that she has endured a long, tedious journey to the Kansas prairie, she feels like she doesn't know her future husband and in the last moment declares that she won't marry Geoffrey.

Geoffrey has been working hard to make his home with Emmaline in mind.  He has known her since she was a child and has been anxiously awaiting her arrival.  He is surprised at the coolness that he is met with and isn't sure what to do about her sudden refusal to marry.  It is decided that she will come and be Geoffrey's housekeeper.  She has agreed to give him until spring and if she wants to leave, Geoffrey agrees to send her back to her father.

Emmaline suddenly has found this independence that she wasn't allowed to display at home.  She didn't feel like her father really loved her that much, he just bossed her around and made her leave her homeland to marry a man she doesn't feel like she doesn't know anymore.  Geoffrey, instead of wooing Emmaline, treats her like staff and bosses her around like her father did.  Her reaction is to try and head back to England alone, breaking her word.

For basically the first half of the book, I was irritated with both characters.  Emmaline was a childish brat who wanted everything her way or she would run off.  I found myself rolling my eyes when she kept trying to run off.  Geoffrey irritated me as well.  He basically would criticize Emmaline's efforts and boss her around.  They both seemed pretty clueless for much of the book.

Much to my surprise, I did enjoy the book.  It shocked me a little, because Geoffrey's quick temper and Emmaline's irrational behavior didn't give me any indication that they would be able to become one, but I thought that the second half of the book saw both of them change enough that the rest of the story was good.  As I have learned with the other books in this series, they can be read individually with no problems.  I have a few more of this series and look forward to reading more.  Good Book!