Winter of the Heart by EG Parsons is a good old-fashioned romance about bad choices and second chances involving a heroine who is afraid to love again, a widower grieving for what he has lost and a violent husband, set in post-Civil War South Carolina.
In 1876,Megan Connors starts a new life as a schoolteacher on a ranch at Willow Creek. Finding the children eager to learn, she hopes her dreams of a good life are coming true. Except for her boss, the rude ranch owner Charles Donavan, glamorous neighbour Alicia who expects to marry Charles, and a ghostly presence. When romance starts to blossom, Megan must admit she is not free to marry. When her former husband William arrives to claim her, Megan must leave with him and return to their home in Clearwater, Virginia.
The second half of the novel is a tale of survival. Megan plans her escape from William’s house but with winter approaching she gets lost and wanders into the mountains. Encounters with a bear, bandits and snow leave her almost dead. Meanwhile Charles realises his behaviour to Megan was harsh. He leaves his ranch and with the help of confidential investigator James Marshall, investigates Megan’s story. Marshall sends a man into the mountains to search for Megan but, growing impatient, Charles follows. Is Megan dead, or is she sheltering in one of the remote homesteads cut off by snow until spring comes.
I read this quickly on a plane and thoroughly enjoyed it.
If you like this, try:-
‘Barkskins’ by Annie Proulx
‘The Knife with the Ivory Handle’ by Cynthia Bruchman
‘Summertime’ by Vanessa Lafaye
And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
WINTER OF THE HEART by @EG_Parsons #bookreview https://wp.me/p5gEM4-3yz via @Sandra Danby
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