The Lady’s Mine is an inviting story about a headstrong, stubborn young young woman who finds herself completely out of her element. Kathryn Walsh has inherited a claim in California from an uncle she has never met. When she steps off the stagecoach to claim her inheritance she is greeted with the stench and unsavory sights and sounds of Calvada, the tiny boomtown that was nothing like Boston. Every man in Calvata is looking for a good wife and all their eyes are on Kathryn. She is not interested and has sworn off marriage altogether refusing to give up her rights for a man to lord it over her. Matthias Beck and Morgan Sanders are determined to win her affection and her hand in marriage. Unbeknownst to them that will be a uphill battle as Kathryn is a lot like her uncle in her unyielding attitude, unflinching ability to speak the truth and stand up for what is right regardless of the judgment of those around her. This story reminds me a lot of Taming of the Shrew, Kathryn finds true lasting unspoiled love and also maintains her character and independence. Thank you NetGalley.

Love love love! Francine Rivers has long been my favourite author and nothing by her has ever disappointed. I loved the love story in this book, but also the realities of the harshness of life on the frontier. She tackles the issues of women’s rights wonderfully and highlights the brave, independent women who helped pave the way for the rest of it. Do yourself a favour and read this book!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book early!

Francine Rivers does it again. A wonderful story full of hurt, surprise, friendship, and love. I fell in love with the characters in this story. Even though it takes place in the 1800's you can almost see this happening today. For a lovely read THE LADY'S MINE is beautiful.

Great historical fiction novel which takes place in a mining boomtown in the Sierra Nevadas. Strong-willed, headstrong Kathryn is sent west by her step-father with specific instructions not to return to her Boston home. Her stake comes in the form of an inheritance from her uncle: a newspaper, house, and mine. Armed it he these and a strong desire to prove a woman’s worth, she soon starts banging heads. Not discouraged, she soon proves that one person can make a difference. Add in two town leaders eagerly pursuing her, and you get a great, inspirational story.

Francine Rivers' new books have gotten less enchanting to me. She seems to be trying too hard to channel Nicholas Sparks. This one had a sweet story but I've read other historical fiction books about the gold rush that were better written. I would not really call this one a romance, that part of the story was kinda awkward.

It’s been four years since Francine Rivers last released a novel and longer than that since she’s delivered a historical romance similar to her enduring classic, Redeeming Love. To say that The Lady’s Mine is highly-anticipated is to downplay just how much her fans have been clamoring for this novel. As someone who got to read an advance copy, let me tell you—it’ll live up to the hype. Rivers checks all the boxes you’d expect while delivering some surprises and twists along the way. I’m not exactly Rivers’ target demographic (a Millennial male), but she kept me entertained even during the cheesy bits and had me rooting for her no-nonsense heroine.

The Lady’s Mine is the perfect title for this book. It plays off the rather stereotypical (and male-oriented) quest to win over a lady’s hand, but Rivers twists it, making her heroine a somewhat well-to-do young lady who has just inherited her uncle’s mine. Kathryn Walsh is encouraged to sell the mine, but is determined to put down stakes, take over her uncle’s business, and make it in what is clearly a man’s world.

She’s quite a disruptive force in Calvada, a quickly-built boomtown with only a bare semblance of law and order and whose only other single women aren’t exactly the marrying kind. Shocked by the treatment of local miners, haunted by the knowledge her uncle was murdered, and with nowhere else to go, Kathryn determines to make the town a better place by taking on Calvada’s most powerful and wealthy mine owner. And she doesn’t need any man’s help.

Despite that, Matthias Beck—hotel/saloon owner—is right there at the ready. Matthias is a good guy, but his intentions are not quite clear. He’s drawn to protect Kathryn, sometimes over her objections, and the two fall into a fairly stereotypical and predictable banter-and-disdain-until-we-fall-in-love storyline. If it was me, the one thing in this book I’d change would be the inevitable. Their romance always feels a bit forced even as Rivers telegraphs what’s going to happen with them from almost page one. It’d be a great inversion of trope for them to remain platonic friends but…yeah…that wasn’t going to happen. It’s not quite as overbearing or central to the story as the romance in Redeeming Love, making it a bit more palatable, but still more than a bit paint-by-numbers.

The Lady’s Mine combines vintage Rivers’ style with a strong female character who shows remarkable grit and resilience. There’s action, mystery, romance, some surprising twists, and more than a bit of interesting history. This era and this type of story is Francine’s forte and it shines with brilliance from start to finish. Given the soon-upcoming Redeeming Love movie, one has to wonder if The Lady’s Mine will be the next in line to get the Hollywood treatment. It’s certainly deserving.

This was a hard book to put down! I finished it in a little over 24 hours and I even woke up once in the middle of the night to read a chapter.

This felt different than Francine Rivers' usual books, but I still loved it. There was more banter and humor between the main couple than in some of her other books and it felt more like a typical romance novel. Of course the content is still clean, but there are plenty of moments with lots of pining, tension, and kisses. It was packed with plenty of interesting characters and tidbits of what life was like in early California mining history were put into the book too.

I think Kathryn is one of my favorite of Mrs. Rivers' characters. She's spunky and smart and independent. She feels like a modern woman stuck in the wrong era. I loved that Matthias matched her step for step too, even at the very beginning of their relationship. He was a gruff-but-lovable hero who had a protective streak that took over when Kathryn got herself in trouble with her business adventures, which was quite a few times. I think what I loved the most about them was their ability to laugh/argue with each other, their eventual respect for each other, and how much they grew as individuals before they sealed the deal as a couple. Their relationship reminded me of a John Wayne/Maureen O'Hara western--their chemistry was off the charts.

I've been a fan of Francine Rivers for a long time--and I'm still a fan after reading this one! Even though I was provided an e-ARC of the novel, I'll still probably buy my own physical copy in February 2022 when the book officially releases. I was provided an e-ARC by the publisher/Netgalley and all thoughts and opinions about the book are my own.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

I have always enjoyed Francine Rivers' writing, and still do. I consistently stay up late at night finishing her novels. This one, however, did not grip me as much as past novels. I didn't feel as emotionally invested in the characters, especially Matthias. Although the story consistently depicted Kathryn as independent, I was left feeling that she truly was just passed along from man to man according to their whims. (Spoiler) I also felt uncomfortable by the marriage scene. I just never really felt that she was that happy. The female friendships could have been more fleshed out. Katherine's family life felt glossed over (was she angry with her mother? would she ever meet her brother? did she tell them she was getting married and therefore they had no stake in the mine? ) The big reveal regarding City felt rushed. The French prostitute bit felt one dimensional. The epilogue felt thrown together with just numbers of children without any meat behind it. Overall, I enjoyed reading it, but I wasn't wowed. I will remain a loyal fan and hope that her next novel is not too far down the read.

Calling all the Francine Rivers' fans for book club now. They are going to love this book. Again, she weaves a story together and you don't even notice you are halfway through the book. Definitely put on a multiple copy purchase list.

This was a really good California gold rush story with some unique twists.
The main characters were strong and likeable. The tale gives thought to how much of a difference one person can make in others lives, in a town or in a moment. There are a lot of smaller side stories inside this one that I really enjoyed. And I rather liked that the ending was not when I thought it would be but was satisfying.
It is not my favorite Francine Rivers book but I definitely recommend it.
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. The opinions are entirely my own.

Felt good..

Both the MCs were very strong at the other characters were written good too. Towards the end too many events seemed to be stuffed inside less pages but I was surprisingly fine with it.

A different read and I did enjoy it.

I LOVE Francine Rivers but this one was just ok to me. The setting was interesting but I couldn’t get into the story. The main characters were good but the peripheral characters fell a bit flat. When I compare it to her past works, it just wasn’t my favorite. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. 3.5 stars

The Lady’s Mine is a very well written historical romance set in the late 1800s. I enjoyed the plot and the characters dynamics. Fans of historical fiction will enjoy this book. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

Classic Francine Rivers. An engaging faith filled story w/ real characters, a captivating story line and sound biblical teaching. Savor this novel. You will love every single page of it. Five stars.

I really enjoyed this book by Francine Rivers. I’ve always enjoyed a good historical fiction novel with faith based themes and this did not disappoint. The story of Kathryn basically being sent to the mine town of Calvada and her struggles to adapt and see change happen were riveting. I enjoyed every aspect of the book and while I did predict what would happen, the route it took was unpredictable. I cannot recommend The Lady’s Mine highly enough.
I was gven an ARC copy of the book by NetGalley from Tyndale House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

The Lady’s Mine – Francine Rivers

Francine Rivers is one of my favorite authors. I have read all her books, some more than once. One made me cry. One (Redeeming Love) made me laugh and cry, and God used it to speak straight to my core. I could not be more excited when I saw Rivers had written a new story. The Lady’s Mine is a beautiful work of historical romance, with an overwhelming message of hope in all circumstances. It is also about accepting differences, looking for people’s positive qualities…and not accepting limits. Smashing figurative glass ceilings.

Kathryn had a life of privilege before her stepfather sent her across the country to claim her uncle’s inheritance. She must learn how to make a life for herself in a mining town, where men far outnumber women. Where most of society also believes women should stay in the kitchen and the household. Matthias Beck instantly recognizes her as his close friend’s kin and protective instincts take over. Though he hates that Kathryn’s challenging the status quo, and he also can’t stand that she keeps putting herself in danger. He believes her to be incredibly naïve, with no idea how life really works.

The Lady’s Mine by Francine Rivers did not have the same impact on me as her previous novels. It speaks of faith and perseverance, of love and malleability. But for me, it lacked the same conviction, the “umph” factor. Though I will admit, I might have missed it, considering I read The Lady’s Mine in a day. I put it down for church; that’s it. Rivers is a masterful storyteller, no one can doubt that. She authors a touching tale with authentic characters in a believable historical context. While some of the book is lighthearted and comedic, it also features hard—but time-appropriate—concepts like widowhood, prostitution, employee mistreatment, and deceit.

I loved everything about this book, from beginning to end. Kathryn’s spunk and dedication. Many books feature a strong female lead who does not want to marry, but the authors fail to give good reasons for it. The Lady’s Mine does not suffer from that. I understood and agreed with Kathryn’s motivations. I enjoyed her “You can’t tell me what to do” personality perhaps a little too much…does that speak to my own stubborn traits? Matthias Beck was a unique character—a Southerner who fought for the Union during the Civil War. He had roguish qualities that made him undeniably likeable. Matthias, however, wasn’t a perfect character—and neither was Kathryn. They have disagreements and hurt each other. But love and forgiveness override difficulties.

While romance defines The Lady’s Mine by Francine Rivers, the novel has a very strong plot that would probably stand fine without the romance. Kathryn and Matthias could end up as friends, supporting each other through the novel’s conflicts and challenges, and the story would have been strong…but the romance made it stronger. The Lady’s Mine exemplifies the type of romance I admire most. It is a fulfilling, heartwarming slow-burn novel with a riveting story that will leave any Francine Rivers fan wanting more.

There are some books that as soon as the first pages are read, you just know you will want to savor every bit of the book so you can make it last as long as possible! The Lady’s Mine is one of the special books. First off, I love the double meaning of the title before I even began reading the book. Kathryn is full of perseverance and determination to make the best of her new home in a dingy mining town and improve the lives of everyone she meets in Calvada. As soon as she steps off of the stage and sees Matthias, I fell in love with the romance between them. The Lady’s Mine is a story that will pull you so strongly into another time and place that you won’t want to leave! So, so good!!

It’s been a while since I have read anything by Francine rivers but this was like a warm cup of tea. While the plot wasn’t the most complex it was layered well and enjoyed the character development.

As a historical fiction nerd love the ability to put myself into the story and finished the book in a sitting.

Francine Rivers books are always a must-read and a must-buy for me, I have also bought a few for the church library. Ms Rivers is a fabulous storyteller and her latest was hard to put down and had me reading till the wee hours. I found myself chuckling and even laughing out loud on many an occasion. The main characters are adorable and the romance very sweet (loved how he was so protective towards her.) I also loved reading how she managed to change the lives of those living in the poverty stricken mining town.

Ms Rivers remains my all-time favourite author!

Once again Francine Rivers doesn't disappoint! The Lady's Mine was rivoting and caused some sleepless nights. The relationship between Kathryn and Mattias develops in spite of all of the conflict between them. Excellent book with a strong female lead. Highly recommend.