My Thoughts on The Pursuit of Elena Bradford by Ann H. Gabhart

 

About:

Nothing would please her family more than her securing an admirable match, but true love and loyalty are harder to come by than she imagined.

At twenty-two, Elena Bradford has never met a man who made her consider marriage. But when her father dies and leaves the family deeply in debt, Elena becomes their only hope. Her mother uses their last funds to take Elena and her younger sister to Graham Springs, Kentucky, where people find healing by drinking the mineral spring water and healthy recreation through the many daily activities--including dances almost every evening.

As her mother schemes to find Elena a wealthy husband, Elena finds herself drawn to two men her mother would never consider. Charming artist Kirby Frazier spends his days drawing and painting the guests, but his real mission is to find a wealthy bride to finance his dream to go west. Melancholy Andrew Harper has come to Graham Springs in need of healing after a broken heart.

When a beautiful young lady shows up at the Springs with no chaperone and a story that seems suspicious, nearly everyone is charmed and intrigued. But when an unexpected tragedy occurs, Elena, Kirby, and Andrew will all be faced with decisions of life, love, and loyalty.

My Thoughts:

This story was a quietly riveting one for me. It is a story about a woman whose mother insists that she find a wealthy husband to save them from her late father’s financial debts. Elena loved her father very much. She was also content to become a spinster and read and draw to her heart’s content. She only wanted to marry for love, but her prospects were slim to none. Until her mother decides that they will go to Graham Springs, Kentucky, a healing resort of sorts, where the mineral water was said to help ailments.

This was an interesting story as the springs was a unique place. Even though it was set up for sickly people, many people came to enjoy the springs, the beauty, and the dancing the doctor insisted on every night. I had never read about such a place for matchmaking before. Also, the beginning was quite an adventure. For whatever reason, and I did not know this, but sometimes carriage racing was a thing. It was quite dangerous too.

We get four people’s points of view. Elena, her sister Ivy, and the two men who have caught her attention, the sad Andrew and the broke artist Kirby. Would either of these men be good enough for her mother or is she destined to marry someone much older? This was a unique story, one I quite enjoyed at an unusual place filled with different people and a mysterious bit of danger.

I was provided a copy of this novel from the publisher Revell through Interviews & Reviews. I was not required to post a positive review, and all views and opinions are my own.

About the Author:

Ann H. Gabhart is the bestselling author of many novels, including The Song of Sourwood Mountain, In the Shadow of the River, When the Meadow Blooms, Along a Storied Trail, An Appalachian Summer, River to Redemption, These Healing Hills, and Angel Sister. She and her husband live on a farm a mile from where she was born in rural Kentucky. Ann enjoys discovering the everyday wonders of nature while hiking in her farm's fields and woods with her grandchildren and her dogs, Frankie and Marley. Learn more at AnnHGabhart.com.