What Comes My Way

A solid story to conclude the ending of the Brookstone Brides series. It's strongly connected to each of the previous books and would not stand alone at all. We have as much content of Lizzie and Mary as we do of Ella, and it's essential to have read the previous books to understand what happened in Ella's past.

It's a gentle story despite the strong thread of a villain in the piece. He's a very unscrupulous villain but I couldn't really think of him as a real threat because I was so sure there would be a happy ending. It's historical fiction, not suspense, after all.

I didn't quite feel the romance very well, though. Ella and Phillip are apart for 90% of the novel and few scenes take place with them together. Because of this lightness to the romance, I can safely recommend it to younger teens.

I did have a bone to pick with the portrayal of the alcoholism. While showing it as a pernicious thing, it isn't mentioned that the addiction is on a strong cellular level and instead it's said that “he drinks because he wants to [cover his conscience with it].” It isn't that alone. Drinking is a habit that often transcends emotions. Another thing I disliked was that Wes never apologized to his wife for leaving her in the dust when he felt his brother needed him. A man is supposed to cleave to his wife FIRST and he was very wrong to chase off after his brother's well-being with no provision for his wife's comfort nor his promise to her and to her uncle.

Overall, it's a solid and satisfying story.

Thanks to the publisher for a free reading copy. A favorable review was not required.