Description: After her beloved grandfather's death, Emmaline Moore is shocked to discover that her "deceased" father is actually living in Canada. Having no other family, Emma decides she must find him, and so embarks on a journey across the ocean, accompanied by her best friend, Jonathan. Unfortunately, Randall Moore and his well-to-do family aren't thrilled by her arrival, fearing her sudden appearance will hinder his chance at becoming mayor of Toronto in 1919. Despite everything, Emma remains determined to earn their affection.
Jonathan Rowe has secretly loved Emma for years and hopes that during their trip he can win her heart. Concerned that Randall might reject her, Jonathan is ready to console Emma and bring her home. When she informs him that she has no intention of returning to England, Jonathan begins to despair. Can he convince Emma to find value within herself rather than seeking it from a virtual stranger? And will she ever come to see that Jonathan is her true home?
My Thoughts: At the beginning, this story was slow for me. I felt that there was a lot of backstory which made up Emma and Jonathan that would have been better shown rather than filled in, particularly the relationship with Danny. And without those events shown, I found it difficult to sympathize with Emma's decisions or Jonathan's devotion to her.
Around the midpoint is when this story started taking off. That was when Emma began helping her father and her sisters, showing that she was able to think things through and that she was capable of having goals other than simply wanting her father's affection. It was also when Corinne began to show more depth of character as well, where previously she had seemed rather flat and needlessly spiteful.
While I was not enthralled with how the first portion of the story played out, I do think that it set up the second half well. The characters and their conflicts took on more definition and their choices became more realistic. By the end, I think that I liked Corinne and Will's relationship more than I did Emma's and Jonathan's, as theirs was more patient. However, I still appreciated the theme woven into that of the main hero and heroine's story.
I'm glad that I was able to find this book, as I somehow missed the first in the series. And with complex relationship such those shown in this story, I will continue to read Susan's books for some time to come.
I have provided an honest review after receiving an ecopy of the book through Netgalley.
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