One word to describe this book- whirlwind.

I had no idea when I started reading how FAST paced it would be. The story jumped around so much and without much warning that it was hard to keep up with. I kid you not, within two pages, the timeline jumped several months, if not an entire year. The children grew sporadically, from toddler to teen. Some events were briefly mentioned when they really could have been delved into a bit more. Overall I felt like I'd been given a tiny glimpse into the Davis family three or four times a year and was expected to remember everything in case a detail was brought up later.

Aside from that, I didn't like Marty's character like I did in the first book. She was too emotional and it seemed like she was crying way too much. But to be fair, the book only highlighted important/emotional/climatic events.

All that said, I'll be plunging into the third book asap. Don't get me wrong, as frustratingly fast as this one was, I still enjoyed it very much.

This lovely "comfort read" follows the growing and maturing Davis family. This book is #2 in the Love Comes Softly series and is reminiscent of the Little House on the Prairie books. It is an uplifting Christian-themed book, however it is more just an account of events in the life of a family and growing frontier community than a compelling plot-driven story. I enjoyed reading it, but not as much as the first book in the series which has more of a story line, and better character development.

Definitely spoilers in this. You have been warned.

I’ve always loved the hallmark movies based on these books, and finally got around to start reading them. Loved the first one. But when I read the reviews for this book, I was hesitant about whether I wanted to continue or not. In the end, I bought it anyway, because in my opinion, any book that someone has attempted to turn into a movie is worth giving a chance to.

All in all, it’s a great book. But there is a lot that happens in this book. We eventually go through about eighteen years or so within the span of two-hundred some pages.

A lot of the reviews I read said the whole thing felt rushed, or half of the story felt rushed and not well-put together. For me though, I didn’t feel that sense of it being rushed until I got to about 80% through.

Examples? How about when Luke is born? No preamble or letting us know Marty is even pregnant again. We’re just told, almost like an afterthought, that now we have baby Luke added to the family. Needless to say, that bit didn’t sit well with me. Other characters lives can be skimmed through, because they’re just supporting characters. But Marty is the main character, and I don’t feel like that should’ve been grazed over so carelessly.

Another would be when Clae meets the new parson. It’s hinted at where that’s going to go, but all we get is their first encounter, and then the pastor wishing she didn’t live alone, and then Boom! They’re seeing each other and getting married. I mean, it was cute in a sense, but I wanted more. So much more!

In my opinion, I feel like the last 20% of the book should’ve been stretched out. Add another fifty or hundred pages! I’d still read it, and it enjoy it all the more for it! Especially concerning Willie and Missie! I wanted to see so much more of them in this book. Their scenes at the school house were my favorite, but I would’ve seriously liked more moments to choose from.

I give this book 4 stars. The missing one is for the rushed final 20% of the book. Hopefully the next one leaves me more satisfied at the end.

I barely remember this one - I think I only read it once or twice as a teen. My favorites I reread constantly.