FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary electronic copy of this book, but I ended up listening to the audio version. These are my honest thoughts.

This story started out great! The fight for a child’s custody was entertaining under Mrs. Jagears’ hand. I especially adored how protective of the boy Kate Dawson was. It was fun following along as Silas Jonesy searched for proof of his fatherhood… and the problems that cropped up along the way.

I liked that there was a thread about the teacher’s reputation. I never saw anything that ought to be a problem, but it was neat to see the neighbors and school board members accusing her of silly things, which was proof of the strictness of the era (and the author’s attention to detail in her research). Entertaining and historically accurate; I adored that combination.

The twists and turns of the plot were unexpected and entertaining. I wish a bad word wouldn’t slip into this author’s books, because they’re such fun stories! Every book in this series had one curse word, unfortunately.

This was a lovely conclusion to the Unexpected Brides trilogy. A couple of characters from the previous two books were included, as was the fictional town. It definitely felt like it belonged in the same series.

Content: one expletive, alcohol, tobacco

I really enjoyed the story of Silas and Kate. I love when an author takes a side character from previous books in a series, one that seems to have little chance of redemption, then gives them their own story - especially when it is as realistic and heartfelt as the one Jagears created for Silas. I think what endeared me to him the most (besides his gentlemanly personality) is that he still struggled with his alcohol addiction in a realistic way. No magic button took that temptation away, and the realism of that really made his character feel genuine.

Kate can be rather obstinate, but her independent nature won me over easily. Even as a teacher, she barely feels qualified to take care of her friend's son, Anthony, but is determined to do right by him and raise him herself. The story line revolves mostly around this plot point, and I really liked how the romance was secondary to the issue of Anthony's welfare. Having Anthony's character in the mix gave the story the tension that it needed in order to be more than just an average sweet romance. Of course, the chemistry was definitely there between Silas and Kate, and I really enjoyed the sigh-worthy moments of the two.

Although this could be read as a standalone, I would recommend reading the first two books in the series first. It really was a joy to get to know these characters and made their reappearances later a bit more fun and meaningful.

I can't wait to read what Melissa Jagears pens next!

Good beach read -- will have to get more books by this author!