image When Love Blooms
by Robin Lee Hatcher

Dru had married the man of her dreams. They had two beautiful daughters, but happiness was cut short when he died in an accident. To make matters worse, she found out not that much later that she wasn’t going to be on earth much longer…the diagnosis was cancer. The most that doctors could do in the late 1800′s was keep the patient as pain free as possible. Dru wasn’t thinking about her pain. She was thinking about her two daughters. What would happen to them when she died? Her husband’s best friend Gavin came to the rescue. He married Dru and treated the children as his own. It soon became apparent that Dru was going to need help with the children. Gavin was busy running the ranch. They decided that the children needed a governess.

Emily was at a crossroads in her life. She’d left her sister and headed out on her own to Washington, D.C. While there she received an urgent telegram that her sister and her family were stricken with a serious illness and might not survive. She’d rushed to their aid. They all recovered well but Emily wasn’t sure what she wanted to do now. She saw the advertisement for the governess and decided it was a perfect job for her. She went to be interviewed by Dru. Almost immediately Dru saw something in Emily and felt a bond with the young woman. Gavin didn’t see it. He saw a spoiled young woman who could never survive the hard work that needed to be done on the ranch, especially with it’s bitter winters. He couldn’t believe it when Dru hired her on the spot.

Emily did have quite an adjustment. She could feel Gavin her checking her out at every turn. That made her try all the harder to fit in and do everything she needed to do to help this family. She hadn’t been told how serious Dru’s condition was, but as the days went by it became clear that Dru’s health was failing fast.

Dru knew her time was limited and although it saddened her to leave the children, she was eager to leave this life of pain and be reunited with her husband. Her marriage to Gavin was in name only and she felt bad about that. She appreciated all that Gavin had done for her and wanted him to find true love after she was gone. As she saw the interaction between Gavin and Emily she prayed that Emily would be the answer to this prayer.

As you read this book you get a real taste of what life was like during this time. Not only how poor the medical care was and how deadly certain diseases could be, but just how hard it was to live at that time without all our modern conveniences. They had to work so hard just to keep the house warm, and food on the table.

Along with the struggles just to survive during this time, the author also brings out the struggles that each of the characters have to deal with. You’re let in on what each of the characters is thinking and how each one looks to the Lord for guidance (some of the characters more than others). It was a fascinating book and I loved getting to know each of the characters. I highly recommend this book!

Reviewed Lynn Worley