This book was fun, intense, meaningful and beautiful.

I adored the relationships among Grace, Andrew and Virginia.

Andrew was kind and most of the time a gentleman. Though he did become a jerk later on. (more about that later.)

Grace, a lovely, and humble lady. Though she was not always gracious. She made mistakes like everyone else.

Their love was sweet yet forbidden. But not even Drew's father's social standards could keep them from falling for each other. Hard and fast.

I'm not gonna lie, there were times I hated Andrew. He was a jerk for most the back half of the book. I almost wanted him to suffer the terrible fate he'd created from his own hands. THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON'T TRUST GOD WITH YOUR FUTURE!!!
Andrew needed a good purse whacking and I wished someone would have given it to him.

I did feel the drama dragged on. I wasn't sure where things would end up but I was very content with the ending.

So why did I dislike Andrew most of the time?
Because he could forgive everyone but Grace. He perceived her to be a perfect person. And when he learned she was only human, he was disappointed he was wrong, and took it out on her!

I was a little disappointed by the lack of faith content, and honestly, if the characters had been more faithful, I believe things would have turned out differently.

I did absolutely adore Susan's writing style and her amazing ability to draw a reader in.

Trigger warning: there was a pretty intense kissing scene. Other than that it was clean!

The Best Of Intentions by Susan Anne Mason is a perfectly charming historical novel and the first book in the Canadian Crossings series.
The setting is 1919 as the world recovers from World War I and the Spanish flu epidemic which followed. So many families suffered losses.
The novel is about fulfilling a sister’s wishes and caring for her baby son. Babies have the capacity to soften hearts and help to heal losses.
There are the themes of guilt and earning love from a parent. One young man has been forever in his brother’s shadow, trying to earn the affections of his father. Now he feels guilty because he is the one left living when he knows he is his father’s second choice. The reader is reminded that God loves us all equally. There are no favourites in God’s Kingdom, neither do we need to earn His love. God loves each and every one of us unconditionally.
1919 saw a new world emerging but some still cling to the old order of things – marriages were alliances of wealth and status rather than for love. It takes courage to break away from this.
The characters are delightful. They are warm and welcoming, their interactions are charming. There are friendships that cross class divides as hearts are drawn to another.
I really loved The Best Of Intentions. I could not put it down and devoured it in just two sittings – only pausing to sleep! I am looking forward to the subsequent books.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

This one has pleasant characters and good prose, but very little meat to the plot. While I found it easy to read from the POVs of Grace and Andrew, I grew frustrated at Andrew and his sister for their love triangles (yes, there are two of those in this novel) and their toying with "commitments" to both of their love interests (both siblings have a "should" and a "want" and though the "should" is clearly wrong for them, the "want" is also given promises/kisses/declarations of love...during engagements to the "shoulds"--really annoying for me though I really liked the characters otherwise). And yet Andrew is supposedly a "man of honor" while stringing along two girls at the same time.

There's also a lack of a faith thread. Grace apparently reads her Bible and prays often, but there's no indication of the state of Andrew's soul and that made me feel like something was really missing in what should be a Christian novel.

I loved the setting in Toronto of 1919 and some of the descriptions of the different sights the characters see. Baby Christian is also really sweet.

Overall, a mostly-fun light read that's clean and has very little religious content.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free reading copy. A favorable review was not required.

Grace Abernathy comes to Canada to be with her widowed sister and is shocked to find things are not as she’d thought them to be! She is a resourceful young lady and her journey to finding her way is rocky and keeps us turning the pages.

Andrew has his own rocky way to navigate and at times you want to smack him and other times you are cheering him on. The dance Grace and Andrew have in navigating their way through their place in society and their feelings for one another, keeps you guessing right up until the end. Will they figure things out? Is there hope?

Phwew! One of my favorite characters, besides the main characters, is Andrew’s sister, Virginia. I want to be her friend in real life!

The Best of Intentions is set in Toronto, Canada. I was especially thrilled to have a book set in my city and the history is so interesting. I look forward to book # 2 in the series: The Highest of Hopes.



Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

“The Best of Intentions” by Susan Anne Mason is a post W.W.I novel. We find Grace Abernathy in England trying to keep her family together. Her mother is very ill and wants to see her older daughter who has immigrated to Canada with her husband, and who is now a widow with a young son. Her husband was killed in the war.

When Grace gets to Toronto, she finds that her sister has died and whose son is living with his paternal relatives. The Easton’s never accepted their son’s wife because of her low social station. Grace knows that going to their door and introducing herself would cause them to deny her access to the boy. She finds out that they need a nanny for young Christopher and since no one has ever seen her before, changes her name and is hired to look after her nephew.

The boy’s guardian is his uncle Andrew Easton, who is betrothed to a spoiled girl who has no intention of raising Christopher as her own, but plans to send him away to boarding school. Grace finds herself falling for Andrew and now has to find a way to keep him from making a great mistake in marrying the selfish woman.

I enjoyed this novel and also the storyline. I am a reader of historical novels and historical romance novels and loved this one.

For those of you who like historical romances, I've found a new author whom I'm going to add to my favorites list. This book, the first in a series stole my heart. I loved, loved, loved it five stars.

Grace Abernathy leaves her home in England to travel to Canada in the New World to find her sister and her new born nephew. When she arrives, she finds her sister has passed away and her nephew is in the hands of in-laws that her sister's letters indicated were not the friendliest or kindest of people.

Grace sets out to find out how her nephew fares and ends up through a series of events becoming his nanny under an assumed last name. She quickly becomes friends with Virginia and Andrew Easton the siblings of her sister's deceased husband. Andrew is now her nephew's guardian.

Andrew and Grace are drawn to each other and she soon learns he is a good man and one she can trust to love and care for his nephew; but she doesn't know how to let him know who she really is and ,besides, Andrew is courting another who doesn't care for the child.

There are so many delightful twists and turns in this story of tragedy, love, and forgiveness. Even though we have the "Best of Intentions" our words and actions can harm those we love and care about the most.

It deserves a place on your keeper shelf. Thanks to Bethany House for allowing me to read this novel through Netgalley.

An excellent story, when 3/4 through I couldn't put it down! Just after WWII was over, Grace had travelled from England to Toronto Canada. Once there she found that she had lost her sister, so she posed as a nanny to her nephew in order to be close to him. As a servant she was disdained by some of the family, yet her personality, faith and kindness drew her to others - though they didn't know her secret or real social standing. You're brought into the depth of the hearts of this family and it doesn't disappoint. Grab the tissues towards the end though!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the Barbour Publishing - Netgalley book review bloggers program. 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.”

Let me just say it was a surprisingly good book! I wasn't sure what to think going in, but it ended up packed with heart and awesome! The romance was sweet and clean and not too predictable (which is a huge thing for a book of this genre), and the side plots were cool. Christian was so sweet! I liked Ginny and Collin a lot, too, and the reverend.

The Best of Intentions was written by Susan Anne Mason and is the first book in the Canadian Crossings series.
The story takes place just after World War I has ended. Grace Abernathy is leaving her small village home in England to travel across the ocean to Toronto, Canada. She hopes to convince her widowed sister to return to England to be with her family.
Unfortunately, when she arrives, nothing is as Grace imagined it would be. Her nephew Christian has been given to the rich and powerful Easton family to raise.
Devastated, and knowing her poor resources will do little to retrieve her nephew, Grace poses as a nanny to keep an eye on Christian-AND the Eastons.
Will she be able to keep the secret that she is really Christian’s aunt? And what will she do when she discovers Christian is in danger of being mistreated?
My Thoughts: I truly enjoyed this book. It is well-written, has fascinating characters, a very interesting plot line, and really explores the topic of how to handle others’ expectations. It is a great period piece too-digging into the tragedies and losses of war, and how war affects everyone differently. There is plenty of drama, some romance, and a really struggle between duty and following one’s heart. It is a wonderful read, and I find myself not only looking forward to the next book in this series, but wanting to delve into other books by this author as well.
I am pretty picky with books, but I would say this one is one to buy.
As always, I thank Bethany House for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

This is a beautiful story of love, loss, forgiveness, and family loyalty. Grace is an example of selflessness in the way that she strives to fulfill promises to both her deceased sister and to her mother. Even though Andrew and Grace find themselves growing to love each other, there seems to be too many obstacles between them for their love to continue to flourish. Both make mistakes, but their faith is the anchor that leads them through to doing the right thing for both themselves and their families.

I very much enjoyed reading this sweet Christian historical novel. Susan Anne Mason’s books are interesting and inspiring, and I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Beautiful Book. I love Susan Mason. She did really wonderful job with the characters and plot. can't wait to read more of her books!

A family drama that drew me in from the very beginning. The 'flawed' yet very realistic characters made this book very relatable. As our 'best intentions' don't always work out the way we had hoped they would, this book highlights that fact perfectly in a delightful read. A great start to a new series.

In the aftermath of WWI, Grace Abernathy is determined to reunite with her family, crossing an ocean to convince her widowed sister to return home to England. Yet Toronto holds more tragedy and her nephew Christian is now in the custody of his paternal relatives, the formidable Easton family, who rejected Grace's sister because of her low social status.

Unconvinced the Eastons can be fitting caretakers, Grace jumps at the chance to be Christian's nanny and observe the family up close under an assumed name. In the course of her new position, she is shocked to discover herself falling for Andrew Easton, the boy's guardian. Unfortunately, Andrew is promised to a spoiled socialite who will make a terrible stepmother for Christian. Will Grace be able to protect her nephew . . . and her heart?

This is the first book I've read by Ms Mason. If her other books are like this one, I will be reading more of them.

Grace is full of guilt for how she has disappointed everyone in her life. Andrew wants to please everybody especially his father. He believes he has been second best and now that Frank is gone he can now have his father's love. Grace and Andrew have one thing in common. Their love for Christian. When Grace takes the nanny position she doesn't mention the fact that she is his aunt. That in itself creates problems when she is found out. As the story progresses, we of course see Andrew and Grace fall in love. How they end up together is a good read. I recommend this book to those who enjoy a good romance.

I was given this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way.

I was so excited to learn that Mason had a new series starting! This book did not disappoint!

I absolutely loved Andrew! He was a great hero because while he was quite realistic. He had wonderful qualities like his kindness, but he also had many faults. I appreciate those types of characters because the book is more believable. I liked Grace - but definitely didn't' fall in love with her. But I did adore Andrew's sister, Ginny!

I'll be honest, I figured out most of this book and found it predictable. I'm not saying that in a bad way though because I still loved the story. I really enjoyed some of the scenes a lot in this story and found Mason had written in some remarkable moments between her characters. And I was glad that the characters had to make some hard decisions and work for things. I like it when things don't always come easy for characters.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story - especially the romance. I'm already looking forward to book two.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley. This is my honest review.

This is only the second book I have read by Susan. After reading my first one I knew I had been missing out on a great author. This book proved me correct.

I adored this story and could see the troubles piling up. I knew it would all come crashing down and when it did I wondered how Grace could get out of it. How could Andrew and her survive the deceptions?

This book has a wonderful cast of characters that will keep you engaged in diving into the next chapter. I can’t wait to read more in this series.

A copy of this book was given to me through Netgalley.com. All opinions are my own.

Susan Ann Mason is a new author to me, but after reading The Best of Intentions, I want to find and read all the books she has written! Why am I so enthusiastic about this book? Here are four quick reasons why I enjoyed this book and why you might enjoy it too.

The romances. In this book, you are not only reading about the romance between the two main characters, you are also reading about the romances that are taking place between three other secondary characters! For a romance lover like me, that makes this book great.
The secondary characters. Mason does a fabulous job of not just making the main characters seem real, but the secondary characters as well. They are so much a part of the story and support the main characters so well, that they should be main characters too!
The fashion. I love studying historical fashion, and while a lot of time is not spent on describing the fashions the characters wear, enough detail is given that I could clearly picture the dresses.
The history. I’ve read about World War I from the United States perspective, and I’ve even read about England’s perspective, but I think this might be the first book I’ve read from a Canadian’s perspective.
I could give you more reasons, but instead of reading reasons why you should read the book, why not read it yourself? I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys historical, romantic fiction.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

My Review

Genre: Christian Fiction.

My Rating: 4 Stars.

Recommendation: 15 up.

My favorite character/s: Virginia was my favorite character, I loved how she cared for her family and made the choices she did even if they were hard ones to make.

My Verse for Virginia is Proverbs 11:28
Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.

My thoughts: This was an interesting and enjoyable book, and I'll be on the lookout for more of Susan Anne Mason books.
(I received this book from NetGalley and all of the thoughts are my own.)

Sweet little story set just after WW1 in Canada. Its a nice clean romance providing an interesting exploration of the impact of trauma, war and loss on families. A perfectly nice, light, uplifting read that's not too taxing. The characters are good and well-drawn, even if the hero and heroine are a little on the side of Saccharine.

There's just one or two things that irked me. First of, why is it that in almost all marriage of convenience stories, or stories which look like there is going to be a marriage of convenience the prospective marriage partner (i.e the one which the hero or heroine is not in love with), is always superlatively bad or horrible? I mean is it because the marriage is not 'for love' and because the parties are not meant to be together?

I'm sorry, but to me, that just doesn't seem very realistic. Just because x does not absolutely love that person why do they have to be absolutely horrible, cruel, callous and selfish with no redeeming features at all. Oh and of course, they almost invariably turn out to be impious or not good Christians. So a character's personality is determined by their relationship to the protagonist: basically. I suppose this can apply to a lot of novels of this genre, not just this one in particular.

The other thing was really a technicality. I was seriously wondering whether a telegram addressed simply to one 'Helen Abernathy' in 'Sussex' would actually reach its destination. Didn't telegrams have to have more specifics details or destinations? I mean Abernathy is a fairly common surname, and so I'm pretty sure there would have been several people with that surname living in Sussex in 1920.

Altogether, The Best of Intentions is a perfectly good story with which to while away an afternoon or a long journey. Or just if you want a feelgood Romance story. I did like it, and its my second book by this author, so I would certainly read more by her. Its just some of the tropes of this genre which I'm perhaps getting a bit tired of.

I requested this title from the Publisher via Netgalley and purchased the audio-book of my own volition. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.

When I opened this book I was surprised!! I never thought that I would see my favorite ship's name in this book!! Thank you!! I'm glad someone has finally used this wonderful ship as a backdrop!! I even felt like I was on board this ship. I enjoyed learning about Toronto, Canada. I could see it myself through Grace's eyes for the first time. I loved seeing the sites she saw.

I've been to Ontario, Canada. I don't remember much about it except that we crossed the great falls to get there and the boarder patrol was checking all the cars as we went through. Loving the twists and turns this story had to offer, I spent most of the afternoon reading until I finally finished it. I think I'm going to say that Virginia is my girl. Even though her family was in high society she certainly didn't act like it. You'd swore she was from another family. I would've loved her as my sister. Reading this was a delight because it kept my mind off my hospitalization for a bit. I saved this book to read for last because I knew it would be a good read and I wanted it savor it.

Grace Abernathy has been sent to Toronto by her mother to see her widowed sister and

her sister's baby. When she lands in Toronto, she finds that her sister has passed away and the baby's father's family has taken in the baby. Grace wants to get into the home where her nephew is being kept and see how he is being treated. Quite by accident, she meets the sister of the man who is the official guardian for the baby and the sister tells her they are looking for a nanny.

Susan Anne Mason has written a very nice, but very predictable novel. Grace meets her nephew's guardian--Andrew Easton and feels an immediate attraction. The flow of the story is

girl meets boy
girl gets boy
girl does something really stupid
boy's parents interfere
girl and boy break up
girl gets boy back again.
Three stars.

My thanks to Bethany House for allowing me to read and review this book. The book was provided through NetGalley.com.