Customer Reviews

Redemption (historical Romance)

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

 

 

This is my first read of Carolyn Davidson's, and I plan to read more. I loved her characters. Alicia and Jake both had their inner conflicts to work out, yet both were willing to work through them. The book didn't get hung up on character neuroses, which was a nice change. Although it felt at times like Jake kept making the same brash mistakes with Alicia, at other times he did seem to really be trying, and I also enjoyed his relationship with his troubled son.
The sexual relationship between Alicia and Jake was nicely done. A very compelling read that was hard to put down.

I have just finished reading this book after buying it this afternoon. I loved it!! I honestly cant express in words how good it was. Funny and romantic. Everything I want in a romance novel. I actually picked this book up by accident and never having read a Carolyn Davidson book, was a little leary. I will most definitely purchase more of her books in the near future!! WONDERFUL!

I really enjoyed this book. Finally an interesting love interest. Having a man in a wheelchair trying to take care of his son is not a topic dealt with every day. I also enjoyed that our heroine is not a breath taking beauty and he learns to see her inner beauty as he falls in love with her. This is romance, to me, at its very best.

With effortless flow and emotional narration, Carolyn Davidson delivers REDEMPTION - a story full of profound tenderness and deep emotion delving deep into the heart of the human spirit.

Jake McPherson, is an embittered and angry man - he has the right to live as a hermit and a recluse in his boarded up house with his nine year old son Jason. He has lost much in his life - the Civil War put him in wheelchair and robbed him of his legs as well as losing his beloved wife to pneumonia.

Alicia Merriweather is the town schoolteacher. At 30, she is a no-nonsense, openly spoken, stout woman who realizes that nine year old Jason is belligerent and badly behaved due to the lack of regard from his father. Allowed to run wild, Jason has no discipline and Alicia is about to put a stop to it - no student of hers is going to disrupt her classroom. Sure as you please, she waltzes into Jake's house and into his life, by standing toe-to-toe with him and lets him know exactly what is going on and what he has to do to fix it!! The nerve of the woman!

But soon, Jake realizes that he needs more than a woman to keep his house clean and cook their meals. He decides that Alicia could be the right woman to be a mother to his son - so he asks her to marry him. The battle of wills continues as Alicia is constantly keeping him on his toes. Little does he realize that Alicia is the breath of fresh air his house and his life has badly needed - he comes to realize how much he cares for her as his life slowly starts to change in ways that he never knew would resurface.

With flawless execution and a simple but emotional narrative, this is the story of how a woman heals a man's wounded heart and makes him whole. REDEMPTION will crawl right into your heart and will find a spot on your keeper shelf. Bravo Ms. Davidson, on a beautifully written novel that truly speaks to the heart!

This is the first Carolyn Davidson book I have read and I am hooked!!! I like the language used and she describes her settings and characters so well a visual is automatically in your head. I will find her other books.

Davidson does a good job depicting a man and child with grave emotional pain and the strong woman who helps them put their lives together. this is not nobel prize stuff but it surely is a story that in the 1860's could very well have been true...and that is heartwrenching.

Jake McPherson, 39 is the brother of Cord from HH 431 The Wedding Promise.
Was so glad that Jake finally got his story told.

Jake was in a wheelchair and has moved out from their ranch when Cord married Rachel Sinclair [more stories].
He married Lorena and they had a son, Jason who is now nine.
Lorena died just about 2 years ago, Jake and Jason are still grieving.
Jake is living like a hermit, having torn up the ramp built for him to get out of the house. Jason is showing an ill temper to get the attention of his father.

All of this attitude gets dumped on Alicia Merriweather, 30 as she is Jason's teacher. She considers herself on the shelf as far as marriage is concerned. She considers herself too tall, too buxom, too well built and just too plain.

Jake was well on his way to becoming a concert pianoist before Lorena died. Now he won't have anything to do with the concert piano. He refuses to leave the house. He has refused so far to open the curtains and let some sunlight in.

Alicia, with all she has heard of Jake, decides to beard the lion in his den for the sake of his son. She soon learns that Jake apparently enjoys the sass that she gives him.

This is the story of a woman who refuses to give into bad manners although she has to bear emotional hurt. A man who lets fly with his temper but eventually makes amends for his hurtful words. And a boy who just wants his father's attention.

Cord and Rachel show up several time to help the couple even though Jake seems to resent it. We get to see a strong love the brothers have for each other.

An exceedingly excellent story - without all that trashy PMS - heart-warming - even the sheriff is nice.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED [LIKE ALL OF HER BOOKS] there must be about 5 or 6 to this family run. start with HH 431 - 543 - 556 - 699 - HQN- Redemption + Haven. All excellent.

He came back from the war wheelchair bound, but Jake McPherson's sweetheart Lorena pulled him out of his depression; they married and had a son Jason. However, in 1877 Lorena died and the spark she gave to Jake was buried with her. Three years later, Jake remains a recluse while his nine year old son gets into trouble.

Schoolteacher Alicia Merriweather takes Jake and Jason to task for the lad's behavior and the dad's neglect. Though she dislikes Jake, Alicia begins to take care of Jason and clean up their house. He soon out of the blue offers a marriage of convenience that she accepts. As they become better acquainted with one another, she sees the decent man hiding insider an acrimonious shell while he sees the caring nurturing woman hidden by her tall rigid spinster armor. Their admiration turns to love, but neither takes the first key step out of fear of ridicule and rejection.

REDEMPTION is a fine late Reconstruction Era romance starring a courageous take no prisoners heroine, a crusty angry war veteran whose deceased wife was a nice nurturing person, and a neglected preadolescent growing up too fast (mindful of a lock key child). The interrelationship between the trio makes the tale worth reading as Jake realizes how fortunate he is to find love for the second time pulling him out of his depression. Though he, in some ways mentally heals too easily, historical readers will appreciate this fine look at the therapeutic power of love.

Harriet Klausner

I've been reading books with main characters who are disabled in some way and came across this (I also recommend 'One Unashamed Night', different author). In doing so, I have found that I like this author's work very much and I've read at least six or seven of her books. Anyhow, this story follows Jake McPhearson (a minor character in 'The Wedding Promise' and a double amputee) and picks up after his wife, Lorenna ('Rena') dies. I encourage you to read 'The Wedding Promise' first (a great book). You'll have a better understanding of Jake, and a deeper sense of loss over his 'Rena' if you do, although this book certainly can stand alone. His son's teacher comes to pay the angry, rude recluse a visit and things go from there. One of Davidson's better works to be sure.

Davidson is definitely not a Jodie Thomas or Maggie Osborne. Pick up one of their novels instead if you'd like to read well-written American historicals. Davidson's dialog needs help. The characters' conversations were strange. They jump from subject to subject, read each other's minds, and never finish thoughts - very frustrating to read. The story drags on an extra 100 pages, not interesting enough to keep you wanting to go on. The idea of a wheel-chair bound hero was provocative, but his transformation wasn't done well. I lost interest in him half way through. Only read Redemption if you are completely out of reading material. In fact, reread an old Thomas or Osborne novel instead.