"spring for susannah" by catherine richmond

Following the death of her parents, city girl Susannah agrees to become a mail order bride in North Dakota. Though she is worried her husband will be disappointed in her--after all, at age 30, she's considered an old maid in Detroit--Jesse seems to appreciate the qualities that made her unmarriable in polite society. As Jesse's love begins to pull Susannah out of her shell, she starts to understand what it means to trust in another person, and ultimately to trust in God.

Spring for Susannah is Nebraska writer Catherine Richmond's debut novel.  Honestly, I signed up to review this book not because of the subject (I'm not a huge fan of historical fiction, though I do enjoy a good "marriage of convenience" plot line) but because I felt a kinship with the author as we are both Nebraskans. (Go Huskers!)

I find myself struggling to accurately describe my feelings towards this book. It was a quick, engaging read, and I did enjoy it. However, at times it seemed to both drag on and pack in way too many plot twists. (I know that doesn't make a lot of sense!) Spring for Susannah reminded me of Janette Oke's Love Comes Softly series (but with characters that strangely seemed more modern), and I think it would have been better split into a series of books. So many things happened to Susannah in the course of the year or two the novel covers, and I felt that some events were not really developed. It also featured some discussions of marital relations that seemed out of place (I wasn't expecting discussions about birth control, for example); it's not explicit by any means, but it definitely has a more sensual feel to parts of it than many Christian novels do.

In summary, while I enjoyed Spring for Susannah and would be inclined to read any sequels Richmond writes, I have reservations about endorsing it.

See what other reviewers (including my friend Holly) are saying here.

To celebrate her debut novel, Catherine and her publisher, Thomas Nelson, have teamed up to give away a Spring For Susannah Prize Package worth over $150!

One grand prize winner will receive:

* A brand new Latest Generation KINDLE with Wi-Fi and Pearl Screen

* Spring for Susannah by Catherine Richmond (for KINDLE)

To enter just click one of the icons below and then tell your friends! But hurry, giveaway ends on June 27th. Winner will be announced on Tuesday, June 28th at 5 PM (6PM MST, 7PM CST, 8PM EST) during Catherine's Spring for Susannah Book Club Party on Facebook! Catherine is rustling up some fun for the party - she'll be chatting about the story behind her novel, hosting a book club chat, testing your mail-order bride trivia skills, and giving away some GREAT prizes! Don't miss the fun and tell your friends!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."