Rebecca Reviews ~ A Life Once Dreamed by Rachel Fordham

 

Six years ago, a shocking secret sent Agnes Pratt running in search of a new start. She found it in Penance, a rugged town of miners and lumberjacks in the Dakota Territory, where she became Miss Aggie, respected schoolteacher and confirmed old maid. But the past has a way of catching up with people.

When childhood friend and former sweetheart James Harris accepts a position as the town doctor, Aggie's pleasantly predictable days suddenly become anything but. James wants to know why Agnes left behind the life they had dreamed of creating for themselves--but he is the one person who can never know.

In the shadows of the Black Hills, can a healing light be shed on the past? Or will the secret Agnes can't seem to outrun destroy her chance at happiness?

Fan-favorite Rachel Fordham brings to life the dusty streets of an 1880s frontier town in this story that affirms where you come from matters far less than where you're going. 

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Rebecca's Review - 3 STARS

"This was her life. Colorful and simple. Comfortable and predictable."

But did it always have to be that way? For, forever is an awfully long time.

Agnes Pratt left her former life behind, including all of its comforts, following a heartbreaking discovery and a long anticipated proposal. Now Aggie spends her days behind a desk in a one room schoolhouse, tucked away in the Dakota Territory mining town of Penance, where no one from Boston could possibly find her. Until he did.

Dr. James Harris could never figure out why his beloved ran away without a trace. Aggie had never even said good-bye. When he learns that the people in Penance desperately need a trained physician, James knows in his heart that he and Aggie have been given another opportunity. If only she believed the same.

This second-chance-at-love story includes numerous pit falls, for we all know that secrets distort the very truths they seek to hide. In spite of a good number of stops and starts, coupled with some fairly awkward conversations, the plot finally zeroes in on one critical truth; every life has significance, for "the least of these" should not be judged on their beginnings, but rather afforded every opportunity to be loved unconditionally until their end. Readers will appreciate this author's ability to write a sweet, satisfying story.

I received a copy of this book from Baker Publishers through Interviews and Reviews.

Senior Reviewer, Rebecca Maney

Rebecca is a graduate of Bryan College with a degree in Christian Education, and is currently serving at the First Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Gastonia, North Carolina as the Director of Children's Ministry. With over 30 years of experience in her field, she has had many opportunities to use her love of reading and writing in creative ways across the generations. A wife, mother of four "nearly" grown children, and grandmother to four beautiful grandchildren, Rebecca has been able to return to her love of reading and more recently reviewing, with a renewed passion for the "beauty of story".