Historical Fiction with a Challenge

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A Heart Most Certain by Melissa Jagger's. I've never read a book like this. It was a very creative historical novel set in 1905 in the town of Teaville in Southeast Kansas.

The publisher describes the book this way:  "While Lydia King's reasons for joining the Teaville Moral Society might be suspect to some members, her heart is in the right place. Because of her father's debts and her mother's persistent illness, her best chance at a secure future and curing her mother is to impress the politician courting her. Her first task--to ask the town's wealthiest man to donate--seems simple enough . . . until he refuses.  Despite appearances, Nicholas Lowe wants to help others, but prefers to keep his charity private. When Lydia proves persistent, they agree to a bargain, but Nicholas still intends to do things his own way. Neither predicts what they'll learn about true charity or foresee the complications their actions will bring to the town, forcing Lydia to decide where her beliefs and heart truly align."

I like the questions the author poses about church. Should Christians be biased judges of sin? Or should we be willing to get our hands dirty and go meet the people that are hurting, and help them change their ways under God's love and God's power. She also challenges the notion of doing God's work in our own power/knowledge vs. taking time to be filled with God's word and God's spirit before we go do God's work. She also challenges views on marriage - should you marry for money or marry someone with a similar passions for life?

The characters are very well developed and it's easy to get lost in their story. You can feel their fears and aspire to their dreams.  Best of all, perhaps, readers will learn and be inspired as they read.

I look forward to reading more of her books. I would recommend this book to women age 16 plus. there is no inappropriate content, but I recommend for later reading age because of prostitutes in the story.

I received this book as a gift from the publisher in exchange for my honest review