Romancing Olive
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4.4 • 150 Ratings
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- $3.99
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- $3.99
Publisher Description
1891 . . . Spinster librarian, Olive Wilkins, is shocked to learn of her brother’s violent death at a saloon gaming table and her sister-in-law’s subsequent murder, traveling far from her staid life to rescue her niece and nephew, now orphans. She arrives to find the circumstances of her brother’s life deplorable and her long held beliefs of family and tradition, shaken.
Accustomed to the sophistication of Philadelphia, Olive arrives in Spencer, Ohio, a rough and tumble world she is not familiar with, facing two traumatized children. Her niece and nephew, Mary and John, have been living with a neighboring farmer, widower Jacob Butler, the father of three young children of his own and a man still in pain from the recent loss of his wife.
Real danger threatens Olive and Mary and John while Jacob and his own brood battle the day-to-day struggles for survival. Will Olive and Jacob find the strength to fight their battles alone or together? Will love conquer the bitterness of loss and broken dreams?
Customer Reviews
Story with great moments, some rough patches and a few loose ends
At first this story is engaging, but there are a few stilted dialog exchanges and awkward scene transitions. Then the story hits its stride, sort of like the character arc of the female protagonist. She’s prim and naive, and then she evolves into a healthy person. She rebounds almost too easily from her traumatic experiences; she ought to be more afraid of going out alone.
The male protagonist is believable and very likable.
The children are also endearing and well developed. Married neighbors add humor, a grandmother adds a bit of a twist, and a best friend provides contrast.
What’s sort of off about the book is that it reads like a clean romance, but there are graphic scenes thrown in: a grisly crime scene and two violent scenes with an antagonist beating a woman. There are references to whoring, gambling, alcoholism, a death in childbirth, and a child with Cerebral Palsy. There is profanity and sexual metaphors. However, when the leading characters have sex, it’s described vaguely and briefly. So much metaphorical foreplay and too little intimate payoff later.
The other issue I have with the book is the constant negativity toward the female character’s age. Once people are older than 25, age is not such a big deal, and a widower who has kids would be less likely to care about age.
The loose ends in the book are: will the child with selective mutism will overcome it after additional trauma, and who killed the orphans’ parents? Also, does the deceased sister-in-law have siblings, nieces and nephews or a vengeful mother? There should also be foreshadowing about who uses guns and how well they can shoot. Where do they all end up living?
Romancing Olive
Love, love this book. Make sure you have a hanky as you read.
Great writing and story line. Will probably read this again.