As I got a little tired of all psychology and self-improvement books, I asked my friend if she had in mind any books that would help me unwind and enjoy a simple yet interesting romantic story. She immediately asked me if I'd ever heard of the Love Finds You series, and after my negative response, she brought me a book from her personal library.
If you're just like me, wondering what this series is, let me introduce it to you. There are about 60 books called Love Finds You and then the name of the city and the state, where love finds the main character. Judging by the one that I read, the series covers smaller towns during older times. The most fascinating thing about this series is that all of the books are written by different authors! Which probably means that it's pretty diverse. I'll still have to prove all this by reading at least one more novel, but here's my review on this one.
About the Book
The story of Love Finds You in Maiden, North Carolina happens in the 1920-s in the small town of Maiden. The main character with a very unusual name Hestia comes there to take care of her sick aunt and practice for her future nursing career. As you would assume, she meets a young and handsome man who by the end of the book becomes her husband.
Advantages
What surprised me was another storyline of Hestia's friend/cousin Selena (who also finds love in Maiden, North Carolina) but in very different circumstances. Moreover, I appreciated the description of their characters and relationships with each other and their aunt, which made the book more amusing than I expected.
Another advantage of the novel was the Christian view of things (did I mention that the series is generally Christian?). The author touches on such subjects as modesty and repentance, as well as Christian marriage and relationships. I like how she puts it all in the context of society trying to show that no matter how good people are, they're still people that live in a community with certain rules and traditions.
A very interesting thing about the book is the fact that it's written about a different time which gives you a nice look at the past and the minds of people. I was surprised to see how people treated a woman who wanted to pursue a career, or how the main character was strictly against "face paint" aka makeup because it wasn't modest and natural.
Disadvantages
The one thing that I did not like about the novel - or even about the main storyline - was the personality of the main male character. Their love story was expected but very dragged out. The author tries to show him as a wonderful young man (almost dreamy, especially in the main character's eyes) but his actions do not support this idea. Just think about it: throughout the whole book he loved Hestia but didn't say anything about it thinking that "she's leaving soon anyway". At the same time, that thought didn't stop him from getting close to her which for me didn't make much sense.
However, I'm pretty sure something like this could definitely happen in real life. So I wouldn't say that this is something that the author did wrong, this is just a little detail that I wasn't thrilled about.
My rating - 8
Maybe this book (or the whole series) isn't the greatest novel written, but it definitely serves its purpose. I've read it in two days and enjoyed my time. If you're looking for something light and easy to read, you should probably check it out.
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