Monday, February 29, 2016

A Worthy Heart- Susan Anne Mason

My Rating: 4 Stars

Description: Maggie Montgomery's long-held wish to see America is finally coming true. She'll visit her beloved brother Rylan and his wife, Colleen, and at the same time, escape Neill Fitzgerald's unwanted attention. In addition, Maggie has a secret! She plans to remain in America to seek her fortune and to hopefully find love. While visiting Irish Meadows, she meets an intriguing man whom she thinks is a stable hand. Only when Rylan demands she stay away from Adam O'Leary does she realize he's Colleen's brother, recently released from prison. Nonetheless, Maggie can't seem to make her heart conform to her brother's request.

Adam O'Leary has never felt worthy of his place in the family. Spending time in jail only reinforces his belief. Now that he's free, Adam hopes to make amends and earn back his family's trust. Falling in love with Maggie Montgomery, however, was never in his plans.

Despite everyone's effort to keep them apart, the two develop a bond nothing can break--but has Adam truly changed, or will the sins of his past prove too much for Maggie to overcome?


My Thoughts: As with the first book, A Worthy Heart is actually two love stories in one, though the description leads you to believe otherwise. In this case, the couples are Adam O'Leary and Maggie Montgomery and then Maggie's brother Gabe Montgomery and Aurora Hastings, who readers may remember from the first book. The book opens with Gabe and Maggie coming to America to visit their brother, while Adam and Aurora attempted to make new lives for themselves after the mistakes and heartaches of the first book.

I love how Mason is able to work the stories together, showing how two siblings can have interesting and complex lives and loves at the same time rather than one at a time as most novel series depict it. The family dynamics are what I love most about this series as they are very real sources of conflict in which a happily-ever-after for the main characters also means growth and redemption for the whole family.

As with the first book, A Worthy Heart is not perfect. I found some of the characters' motivation in doing things to be a little weak and the ending seemed to wrap up a little too quickly. Unfortunately, people are often far more likely to hold grudges and refuse to compromise than the characters in this book. Still, I found it to be a delightfully well paced novel with characters I loved (Adam being my favorite). I am hopeful for another novel from Mason soon.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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