The Hesitant Heiress (Everstone Chronicles #1) by Dawn Crandall

Summary
The dreams of talented pianist, Amaryllis Brigham, attendee of the Boston Conservatory of Music, are dashed to pieces when one day she is unjustly expelled from the school.  With both her parents dead, Amaryllis goes to stay with her Aunt Claudine as she returns from Europe.  To Amaryllis’s shock, she is left her grandmother’s fortune.  Aunt Claudine informs her, however, that she must marry within the year to obtain the fortune.  For a girl who avoids men whenever possible, Amaryllis halfheartedly takes her place in her aunt’s society with the goal of somehow getting back to the west coast, the place she calls home.

Against her better judgement, Amaryllis finds herself falling for her cousin Lawry’s best friend, Nathan Everstone.  Amaryllis believes Nathan’s father to be the reason she was wrongly expelled from the Boston Conservatory of Music and is determined to dislike him.  But with Nathan showing up in her dreams and appearing during many of her waking moments, how can Amaryllis resist him.  As Amaryllis finally lets herself freely and openly love Nathan, chaos pursues as events from the past haunt her.  Additionally, her grandmother’s lawyer kidnaps her.  Who is the real cause of all the pain Amaryllis has suffered the last eleven years?  Not everything is as it seems.  Will she be able to trust and find the love of a lifetime or lose herself in the past that haunts her?

Review
Dawn Crandall’s first novel in her Everstone Chronicles series is a delight.  Just when the reader thinks the events of the story are headed in one direction, another event unfolds, leaving the reader wondering what will happen next.  This historical fiction romance novel is both entertaining and enriching with its pleasurable cast of characters and events.  I would highly recommend this novel to those who like inspiration, adventure, and a bit a mystery tied in with a love story.

Series: The Everstone Chronicles
Genre: historical fiction; Christian fiction; romance; mystery; inspirational
Literary awards: Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence for Excellence Romance Writers of America Contest, ACFW Genesis Contest Nominee, Clash of the Titles Olympia Contest Semi-Finalist
Publisher: Whitaker House Books
Publication date: August 1, 2014
Number of pages: kindle edition, 315

Other books in the series:
2-The Bound Heart
3-The Captive Imposter

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