SPRING FOR SUSANNAH by Catherine Richmond

Susannah Underhill finds herself a mail-order bride when her parents die suddenly. She agrees to marry her pastor's brother, Jesse Martin, who lives in the Dakota Territory. She thinks that Jesse will be a quiet, proper type like his brother. Imagine her surprise when her new husband is everything but quiet. He's as wild as the place he lives. But he's also loving and caring toward her in a way she's never known before. He encourages her to be strong, to speak up and teaches her about faith in God. When tragedy strikes will Susannah's love for Jesse and her new found faith carry her through a very difficult winter to find the promise of Spring?

This was a wonderful story. I found myself glued to the pages from beginning to end. There were many times throughout the story I would put my self in Susannah's shoes and think, WOW, could I have done that? The lead couple in this story were so well written. Jesse was awesome. How he handled Susannah and their whole situation was excellent. I LOVED the dialog!!!! I appreciated how the author wrote him as a realist 'man'. There was an honesty in this story that I just really liked. Susannah was a wonderful leading lady. She was timid and trying to behave proper and lady-like as she was raised but Jesse quickly pointed out that in Dakota that really doesn't do you any good! I loved watching these two work to find their balance. Life in the Territory was extremely harsh and I thought the author did a wonderful job of painting a vivid picture of the area. I felt like I was there. The spiritual thread of 'depending upon God' ran realistically through the story. I didn't feel like it was forced at all. If you enjoy historicals, this is one you won't want to miss. I am looking forward to other works by Catherine Richmond. I might make mention that I really liked the cover of the book. The woman matched what I pictured Susannah to look like. A thank you goes to Booksneeze/Thomas Nelson for providing this complimentary copy for review.