One of my recommend reading books for Summer 2015 is Among the Fair Magnolias- Four Southern Love Stories. This is a collection of four historic and romantic novellas by Christian authors Tamera Alexander, Dorothy Love, Shelley Gray, and Elizabeth Musser.
Just as the gorgeous cover and title depict, the novellas all sweep you into the deep South, towards the end of the 19th Century and the Civil War. There’s a little something for every fan of historic fiction in this collection- outlaws, impossible infatuations, rags to riches, and arranged marriages.
This review is a bit long (it is for four stories, after all), but hang in there till the end, you’ll be glad you did…
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Setting- 1870 Nashville, Tennessee
Savannah Darby would do almost anything to revisit her family home. So when new owner, Aidan Bedford, a Boston attorney and former Union soldier, seeks to redecorate the house for his fiancée, Savannah jumps at the opportunity. But the clock is ticking. Can she find the box her father supposedly hid there during the war before her assignment is completed? And before she sees yet another battle lost on the home front. This time, a battle of the heart.
My Thoughts- I enjoyed meeting Savannah Darby in To Win Her Favor (a Belle Meade Plantation novel) and was happy when I learned that we would find out what became of her in this novella. Most people in Savannah’s shoes would not have persevered after losing their parents, brothers, home, and place in society. But she never lost her good reputation and moral character in order to care for her siblings. She stayed a steadfast and hard worker, even when it would’ve been easier to quit. I just knew there was going to be a way for her to get into her family home again, but how it actually happened, well, I never saw that coming. But, I’m glad it did! This was the most fast-paced romance in all the novellas, but it works well for the time in history it took place.
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Setting- 1878 Broken Arrow
Seven years ago, Russell Champion was betrayed by the two most important women in his life. Now Russell returns home, but is it too late to make amends with his mother and find closure with his true love?
My Thoughts- Gosh, I love outlaws-gone-good stories like this one! Russell never intended to be a “bad guy”, and he’s lived in anguish for so many years over a crime he committed when he was a teenager. Novellas really work for me when the characters already know each other and have a history like Russell and Nora did. Their reunion story was sweet, and you realize that Russell is a sweetheart past his rough exterior.
I didn’t connect really well with Russell’s mother, she had an about face a little too quickly to make it seem 100% authentic. However, that didn’t really detract from the story. I also felt like I should’ve already known some of the supporting characters, from another book maybe? I felt like I was missing something regarding his outlaw gang, but from the research I’ve done, I do believe this is a stand-alone novella not connected to any of Shelley Gray’s other works.
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Setting- 1860 Pawleys Island, South Carolina
Abigail Clayton hopes to reconcile with Dr. Wade Bennett and become his wife. But her father insists she marry her distant cousin Charles Kittridge so that the plantations of the two families will be joined. Abby knows things about Charles that her father doesn’t, and with her wedding looming, she must choose between duty to her family and the yearnings of her own heart.
My Thoughts- Stories about marriages arranged by parents, to achieve political or financial gain can really rub me the wrong way. I mean, what on Earth were they thinking back then?
A Heart So True definitely takes the reader to a time and place where that was absolutely acceptable in America, and what the heart wanted mattered little. Abigail was a sweet character, if not a little naive for her age. I understood that she was torn between duty and love. It’s only when the truth of the violent nature the man her father intends for her to marry comes to light, and Abigail’s mother finally puts her foot down, does Abigail also grow a backbone. Abigail’s intent is to honor her father and mother, and I was happy when the truth was brought to light.
This story takes place before Carolina Gold, and we briefly meet Charlotte (from that story) in this one as a 15 year old girl. She doesn’t play an large or important role in A Heart So True, so it’s not necessary to read Carolina Gold first.
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Setting- 1868 Wilkes County, Georgia
Emily Derracott loves her childhood friend Thomas McGinnis, but she cannot marry a man who doesn’t share her strong convictions about the freedmen. Besides, she harbors a secret love for someone else. But the prospect of becoming his wife is not improbable. It is completely impossible.
My Thoughts- While reading this novella, the thoughts that kept coming to mind were “Wow, times sure have changed” and then immediately “Wow, some things haven’t changed much at all”. You’ll understand how profound that is once you read Love Beyond Limits. As I read, I absolutely could not figure out how Emily could work her way out of the predicament she found herself in- thinking herself in love with a man that was 100% off limits and under no circumstances could it be otherwise.
Cleverly, I was so caught up in that scenario and the troubles that still plagued the freedmen, the author was able to swoop in with a plot twist so amazing I didn’t even see it coming. Well done, for sure!
This story, of all of the novellas, was probably my favorite.
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I don’t always love romantic novellas because the characters can fall in love too quickly, or it’s love at first sight. However, each of these authors are masters of their craft, and every story was very well timed, and the relationships developed not only smoothly but also very believably.
The characters are strong, and they possess amazing amounts of God-given courage as they each face hard and sometimes impossible choices.
Whether you’re a fan of historical fiction, Post-Civil War South, stories about strong women and men, romance, or are just looking for a seamless and interesting story, Among the Fair Magnolias is for you.
Grab a cold glass of sweet tea, a porch swing, and settle in for storytelling at it’s best.
