Customer Reviews

The Courtship of the Vicar's Daughter (The Gresham Chronicles, Book 2)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This 2nd book in THE GRESHAM CHRONICLES is full of life and vitality. Though it may seem at first kind of like a soap opera it's anything but! Julia Hollis and Andrew Phelps are busy preparing for their wedding. Julia is also sending her eldest child, Philip to secondary school. Will he be able to handle all the pranks and taunts of his fellow students? Mercy Sanders has been living with her family's reputation for a long time. Will she ever escape to find love? She is stunned at the advice given to her to win the heart of Gresham's newest resident and his adopted son. Elizabeth Phelps, Andrew's eldest daughter is wrestling with her decision to marry Paul Treves. But Jonathan Raleigh appears and turns her world upside down. Will she follow her heart to find her true love? Will the grumpy old Squire Bartley find love? This book is full of humour that creeps upon you. I heartily recommend this book for anyone who likes a good fireside read. Great story by Lawana Blackwell!

As with her first in the Gresham Chronicles, Lawana Balckwell keeps your attention and satisfies your questions! I enjoy how she weaves the characters lives together and how she flows smoothly from one scene to another. She keeps all the characters fresh in your mind...no going back to see "now who was that?", and doesn't dwell so long on one scene or charatcer that you lose intest in another. Great job of creating strong characters who compliment not compete againt each other. Can't wait for number 3!

Reading this book is like reading a letter fromhome. Ms. Blackwell really makes you feel attachedto her characters and you can't wait to see whathappens to them next. She also expertly weavesthe message of God's love and grace to us throughout the story. I am so glad to have found anotherauthor to read and am looking forward to Book 3in the series.

Blackwell has created a town full of charming inhabitants that I'd really like to visit. Since I can't, reading the books is the next best thing! The Gresham Chronicles are well-written. I've read the first three, and I eagerly await an addition to the series. In "The Courtship of the Vicar's Daughter," young Elizabeth Phelps deals with handling her emotions and learns about what makes a solid foundation for a marriage. I highly recommend this book to readers young and old, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

This is not my favorite novel to read, although Lawana Blackwell has done a well job weaving several main characters lives and love stories into one main story. It is interesting how they all know each other and some help the others out. Reading this novel made me feel as if I were in Gresham myself.

This book was one of the best I have read in a long time. It was romantic and had a lot of very funny moments. I would highly recommend it to all Inspirational Romance readers.

I couldn't put down the book. It really keeps you wondering what will happen next. I also enjoyed the everyday aspect of Christianity that she writes about.

Lawana Blackwell has my utter respect. Despite the rather large cast of characters in The Courtship of the Vicar's Daughter, each and every one had such a unique personality. All the characters - even minor ones - were well-rounded, believable individuals.

The book itself almost seemed to have several different ongoing plots, though all, for the most part, involving a romance in the small village of Gresham. I'm really not even sure there was a single main character, but rather many. Now, while that may scream chaos to the reader, I actually found all the characters and plots neatly interwoven into an very good book. On a slight side note, I also love Blackwell's writing style (or at least the style she uses in this book).

The only complaint I had against this book is that it didn't draw me in until I was a good chunk into the book. Actually, I didn't have any real interest in what was going on until the introduction of Seth (p. 69). Once he came onto the scene, I held out through the uninteresting parts for the sections of each chapter that spotlighted Seth. I am glad to say I eventually did become interested and drawn into the other character's lives and stories, but not nearly as soon as I would have liked.

My two favorite characters were definitely Seth and Mercy. The Courtship of the Vicar's Daughter is a great read and I would most certainly recommend it.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for this review. These opinions are my own; I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated for this review.

I just finished this book and found myself wishing it wasn't over!

I have to say, the book didn't engage me at first. This is the second in the series, and not having read the first (The Widow of Larkspur Inn (The Gresham Chronicles, Book 1)), I had trouble keeping track of all the characters. That's actually my one complaint about the book: I really wish there was a list of the characters at the beginning to help the reader know who's related to whom and that sort of thing.

Despite the number of characters, I found it easy to connect with them and all but the most minor characters were well-developed. The plot follows the development of three romances: the courtship of the vicar's daughter Elizabeth, as mentioned in the title, is perhaps the main one. Then there's the efforts of Squire Bartley to win over Mrs. Kingston. But my favorite is the relationship between Mercy Sanders and newcomer Seth Langford! The subplots, such as Philip Hollis's boarding school experiences, are enjoyable, too.

I especially liked how the author sprinkled in biblical references and often used Mrs. Kingston in particular to point out various situations mirrored stories from the Bible, or how such lessons could be applied in daily life. The spiritual themes of the book are clear and inspiring, and woven into the plot quite smoothly.

I would definitely recommend this book to fans of inspirational romances, historical fiction, or just plain delightful books :)

The Gresham Chronicles, a series of 4 books by Lawana Blackwell, is a wonderful series of stories about inhabitants of a small English village named Gresham. I am currently reading the 3rd book in the series, having just completed The Courtship of the Vicar's Daughter. For Christian readers, you'll find your faith is a part of each story. These books are not "preachy", but many characters express their Christian faith and I find it uplifting to read such well-written stories that also share the gospel message. Life in this small village is always interesting! The story begins in 1869 when a young well-to-do mother becomes a widow in London and has to move her family to the little village of Gresham where she opens an inn in order to make a living for them. The people who eventually come to live at the inn have very interesting lives and stories of their own to tell. Lawana Blackwell is a very good writer. I look forward to the last book in the Gresham Chronicles. However, I'll miss the characters I've come to know and like so much!