This novel is a third installment in the Quaker Brides series, but can be read as a standalone book (as I did), though its quality brings me to wish to read the other parts of this series as well!

This novel is an exceptional read. Its tone is both very civil and deeply frank, a welcome respite from the more dramatic yet more shallow novels about the war. This book reads easily (the authoress truly has the writing skills), yet is offers many thoughtful questions about "the house divided", freedom and forgiveness.

Young Quakeress Faith Cathwell and her coloured friend Honoree serve as war nurses in the Civil War on the North´s side. And this is a very difficult place for women to be! Yet these two are hunted by the kidnapping of Honoree´s sister and Faith´s close friend, Shiloh, a free woman brought to the South to be a slave; as well as prompted by their compassion in serving the wounded on the both sides of the war. Faith´s honest and mature nature catches the eye of Colonel Devlin Knight, a soldier facing his own internal demons of hopelessness. Yet how can the love blossom amidst the gunshots, and even more - between a woman knowing herself and a man with his heart full of unanswered questions?

I love the conflicts here, both on the grander size (the Civil War and all questions for the people living in these times) and on the personal side (like how to truly accept the change of times and the pace of the change itself). Now, in the times of the COVID pandemia, one somehow sees the very small parts of the enormous change the Civil War brought.
Faith´s upright and sterling character is truly catchy - she is painfully honest to herself and to others, yet she is not written as a sweet, sainly character - and this is why she is so interesting to me, because being her is not easy. Partly because she sees the mistakes of others clearly, yet she needs to waits on them (and on God) to bring the clarity to them, too.
I like Dev, too - because I can relate. He tries to be a good man, yet he lives with the heavy heart because of the family past, and he needs to fight the internal enemy - himself - to seek the true freedom and nobleness. Yet, he is still is a very good guy, a good heart which is hard to find on any times.

I have thorougly enjoyed the pages of this novel for both being truly engaging and catchy - while asking very good questions frankly and gently.

Now I only wish to read more about Shiloh´s story, too!