This book is the second one in the Belle Meade Plantation
series. The first book, To Whisper Her Name, came out in 2012.
Maggie dreams of seeing her racehorse, Bourbon Belle, run in
an upcoming race. Her family’s home is
on the verge of being auctioned off, and if they don’t come up with an answer
soon, they’re going to lose it all. Her
jockey is moving away and it seems like all hope is lost.
Cullen has come to America to escape being imprisoned for
something he didn’t do, but ends up with a broken heart. Now, he’s come to Nashville to try and buy
some land and honor his wife’s wishes.
The problem is, there’s so much prejudice that he people won’t give him
any credit or let him participate in any auctions. Cullen meets Maggie’s father one day. Her father is a sick man and wants to do what
he can to secure a stable future for her.
Maggie’s father offers to let Cullen buy the plantation for
less money, but he has to marry his daughter and promise to take care of
her. Cullen isn’t fond of the idea at
first, but after some thought, agrees.
Maggie knows that her father is ill, so she ends up agreeing to the
marriage as well. She’d thought he was
handsome until he opened his mouth. The
Irish brogue puts her off, because she’s been taught that the Irish are not to
be trusted and are fond of fighting and drinking.
As these two come to know each other better, Maggie is
challenged about the way she views Cullen and also the former slaves that he’s
now employing. At first, she’s
embarrassed by the thought she has to claim this Irishman as her husband, but
her views slowly change until she questions everything she’s known her entire
life. It makes it easier when Cullen has
the patience of a saint!
I liked this book a lot.
Normally, anything to do with horses appeals to me anyway, but this
story was great. The way the author
dealt with the topic of prejudice was eye-opening. There are scenes of violence and lynching in
there, but I think it was handled in a good way. There’s also a few moments of marital bliss,
but it was tame enough that it didn’t make this prude blush.
You can read this book alone. I didn’t see any mentions of the main
characters from the first book in there.
I came to sympathize a great deal with one of the minor characters,
Savannah, and was glad to read there would be a novella about her coming out in
July 2015. To Mend a Dream will tell her
story and I look forward to it.
Recommended. Good Book!
*I received a copy of this book from Zondervan through
NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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