This book was so good that I had a hard time putting it down. The way the author wrote the romance and the love between Celia and Danny made me ache and root for this couple. This couple clearly loved each other very much.
I liked how Collins used the past/present sections of the book. Some authors lump the past in with the present in a chapter, and it becomes confusing to read. But the way this author wrote about the past was excellent, giving us a good foundation of the problems between Celia and her mother, and what went wrong between Danny and Celia.
I loved how Collins brought in the characters from Book 1 of the Bradleyville series. Jessie and Lee had gotten married, Mrs. B was portrayed as a nosy busybody, and she continued the "feud" between Jake and Thomas. That feud added humor into a book with so many serious overtones.
The character development was wonderful. The characters weren't goody-goody characters like in some Christian books, but are real people with flaws, hurts, etc. From this book, I had a good idea of why Estelle was so coldhearted at times and why Celia led such a lonely existence.
And the Christian theme came out really good, about turning your eyes towards Jesus and not letting the past destroy you. There was also the theme of forgiveness and reconciliation.
I can't wait until I read the next book in the Bradleyville series. I know that the focus of the book will be on another group of characters, but I am hoping to find that Celia and Danny have worked things out and gotten married.
