The Lady’s Mine provides Francine Rivers fans with another historical romance filled with realistic characters and gritty conflict.
Book Blurb
1875. When Kathryn Walsh arrives in tiny Calvada, a mining town nestled in the Sierra Nevadas, falling in love is the farthest thing from her mind. Banished from Boston by her wealthy stepfather, she has come to claim an inheritance from the uncle she never knew: a defunct newspaper office on a main street overflowing with brothels and saloons, and a seemingly worthless mine. Moved by the oppression of the local miners and their families, Kathryn decides to relaunch her uncle’s newspaper–and then finds herself in the middle of a maelstrom, pitted against Calvada’s most powerful men. But Kathryn intends to continue to say–and publish–whatever she pleases, especially when she knows she’s right.
Matthias Beck, owner of a local saloon and hotel, has a special interest in the new lady in town. He instantly recognizes C. T. Walsh’s same tenacity in the beautiful and outspoken redhead–and knows all too well how dangerous that family trait can be. While Kathryn may be right about Calvada’s problems, her righteousness could also get her killed. But when the handsome hotelier keeps finding himself on the same side of the issues as the opinionated Miss Walsh, Matthias’s restless search for purpose becomes all about answering the call of his heart.
Everyone may be looking to strike it rich in this lawless boomtown, but it’s a love more precious than gold that will ultimately save them all.
My Thoughts
I’ve read some Francine Rivers books and thoroughly enjoyed them. The Lady’s Mine wasn’t as good, but I still found it enjoyable.
Kathryn is a heroine that’s easy to root for. Though she can come off as snobbish at times, she has a heart of gold and truly cares about people. Matthias Beck is a roguish hero reminiscent of Rhett Butler. It’s easy to see the good in him, but it’s also easy to see the bad.
Their romance is a slow burn, with Kathryn standing her ground when Matthias becomes stronghanded. Though I didn’t like this aspect of his personality, it provided the start of a satisfying character arc as he slowly changes throughout the book. And I liked seeing Kathryn stick to her principles even though she’s attracted to him. She’s definitely a heroine worth rooting for.
The secondary characters almost stole the show, especially Henry and Ronya. Their voices provide wisdom for the strong-headed main characters.
There’s plenty of conflict to keep you engaged. Rivers explores a lot of the issues prevalent in mining towns, never skirting around the tough topics. She thus provides a lot of food for thought, especially about sticking to your principles and faith in a world that compromises daily.
Overall, The Lady’s Mine is a gritty historical romance with realistic characters and an engaging plot.
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This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Jennifer Purcell
Featured Image by Sofia Iivarinen from Pixabay
