A Love to Behold (Volume 3) (Forever Freedom Series) Paperback – January 8, 2019

Sharlene MacLaren is my favorite author! I have all of her books and am never disappointed. I say each time that the current book is my favorite and A Love To Behold is at the top of my list. Adventure, romance, Christian values ... this book has it all. Sharlene researches her books and it is obvious. She is true to the history of the time and writes in a style that takes the reader right along with her. This is an outstanding read!

This is a heartwarming tale that will have you rooting for the heroine every step of the way.

Excellent story with some mystery to keep you guessing.

Welcome to a time period where opportunities abound and danger lurks just beneath the surface. Lydia has traveled to South Carolina to take on a job not all townspeople are happy about. She will be a schoolteacher for children of former slaves. I'm sure she was a bit nervous but God called her to do this and her obedience is obvious.Her arrival is met with a shootout right in the middle of town. The author makes the story realistic with details that put you right n the center of the story. I love this time period and am amazed at how hard people worked to survive. I think Lydia is in for a big adventure and she has no idea what she has gotten herself into.Reese is a good character who is wealthy, but uses his money to help others. His father is a bit unconventional and doesn't mind speaking his mind. Reese's brother has a huge problem with slaves being freed and supports the Klu Klux society along with his father. It is hard to imagine how prejudice people were even back in the frontier days. Reese has experienced a great loss in his life that has left him lonely. I loved that he still trusts God and knows how important his relationship with God is to keep him grounded in the Word.Reese's children are delightful and full of energy. They are excited to meet Lydia and already trying to get their dad to marry her. I love their enthusiasm and how full of life they are. Their addition to the story is fun and I laughed every time they got a bit carried away with things. Reese has done a great job raising them and teaching them about God.It is very evident that some people in town and even in other states disagree with the Freedmen's Bureau. I loved when Lydia said, " Isn't it our duty as Christians to show forth an attitude of love so that others may see Christ at work?" Lydia is determined that the school will be a success, but others may have a different opinion. The author writes a story about a subject that even today we still are divided about. God made us in His image. Lydia is the perfect character in this story to fight for what is right. She is feisty and has a strong sense of treating everyone equal. She will be tested over and over again as danger lurks near her. The author writes a scene that was an example of how far people will go when they decide to see only the color of someone's skin. It made me shiver with fright as tears ran down my cheeks while reading what happens at school one day.I love the way the author puts a bit of humor in the story with sayings like, " As excited as a piglet in a puddle of mud." It is such an expressive way of saying someone is happy. The story flows easily and I loved learning more about how slaves were treated and the struggles they had to overcome. There is a romance blossoming that is definitely something to catch readers attention. Overall the story is a wonderful example of the struggles during this time period. I am reminded that God loves us not matter what the color of our skin is. We just need to learn to see people the way Jesus does.I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion." Hatred can carry from one generation to the next. But if the current generation wishes to stop the hatred, they can do it, one step at a time, one person at a time."

Perhaps it's from my early love of Janette Oke books, but I have to say I tend to really enjoy reading stories that involve a new schoolteacher in town. A Love to Behold is a bit more unique because the young woman travelling to be the schoolteacher has been sent by the Freedman's Bureau to teach the newly-freed slave children. Her heart and the heart of many in town were refreshing to read. There were the "bad guys" but for once it didn't appear like they were the majority. I'm not sure how accurate some of it would be, but I would be hopeful that more people would be like that.The story-line itself was well paced and easily held my attention. I loved Reese and his children, particularly Owen, and really enjoyed reading about how their relationship with Lydia developed. I wasn't a fan of John Forrester for a few reasons but mostly because I couldn't figure out if he was supposed to be painted as a "good guy" or "bad guy." I really resonated with Lydia's spunk and tenacity, and felt myself cheering her on for the good cause.It's highly possible that I'm wrong, but I kept having to remind myself of the times while reading because some of the details didn't feel like they fit historically. It was enough that I stopped reading a few times to do some googling about it. One thing I will say is that the children went to different schools. I'm not talking about the obvious racial segregation, but each of Reese's young children. It just didn't ring historically accurate to me. I wouldn't think schools would be big enough back then to separate the lower grades especially at a time of horse and buggy. As I said though, it's highly possible that I'm the one that's wrong here. It was just that some of the details felt a little more modern than the time period.So while there were a few quirks to the story that had me thinking, overall I enjoyed the story and found it highly engaging. I'd love if the author were to share more from their story in the future. One thing of note that I noticed is that currently on Goodreads this story is listed as a standalone but the author lists it as book 3 in the Forever Freedom series. Upon reading the blurbs it's quite clear they belong together in the series. I haven't read the others yet, but I'd be interested in checking them out. This was an engaging read and one I'm glad I took the time to read.I received a copy of this book through CelebrateLit. Thoughts and opinions expressed are mine alone.