Faith in Abertillery

'With a cleverly devised plot and a host of unforgettable characters, this is a gem of a love story.' The Wishing Shelf

REVIEW

I must begin by saying that this historical romance by Tracy Traynor is a bit of a gem. Now, I admit, I do enjoy a good romance. But that's the problem. It's very difficult to find a good romance. Most of them seem rushed to me, the characters uninteresting and the ending often drab. But this is different. Firstly, the setting is wonderful, the author working hard to pull the reader in; to make him or her feel they live there. Never a simple task. Secondly, the two central characters, Faith and Lord Driscoll, just seem to fit well. Often, when I read a romance, I think, 'No, she'd never fall for him.' But not in this book. The two fit perfectly; he's so kind so, well, Colonel Brandon. In fact, for me, the Colonel Brandon played by Alan Rickman in the film of Sense and Sensibility is a perfect mirror for Lord Driscoll.

Now, to the plot. Basically Lord Driscoll falls for a woman from a different cultural class to himself. And there's the problem. Should he marry the woman he's in love with or find a woman who can help him keep his costly estate up and running? The plot is simple but it offers plenty of scope for the author to develop the characters' love and also to explore the problems of 'different class' which still exists today.

Written in the present tense, which is odd for an historical novel, the language is perfect for this genre. Descriptive when it needs to be with plenty of speech to keep up the pacing.

All in all, I'd very much recommend this novella. But who to? Well, there is a Christian undertone to the story so, if that's your sort of thing, this might be for you. But, also, if you just enjoy a superbly written romance populated with interesting and compelling characters, you can't go wrong with this. Enjoy!

A Wishing Shelf Review

thewsa.

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T N Traynor's heart-warming romance novel, Faith in Abertillery, is about finding love and growing in self-worth and faith. It is an amazing, must-read story for all Christian romance lovers.

It is the beginning of the 1900s and the Welsh Revival is in full gear. Unlike many in Abertillery, Faith and her mother, Nell, are unstirred by the move. Having encountered loss and unbearable pain, the two are sceptical that things could ever become better again. When Faith loses her job as a barmaid, they begin preparing for yet another move. This time, however, an unexpected visitor's intervention halts their plans. Geoffrey is taken with Faith and wants to take care of her and her family. Faith knows, however, that falling in love is not an option for her especially with the likes of Geoffrey who is a member of the aristocracy. Nell and Faith are also concealing a secret which if revealed, has the power to destroy all their prospects in the town.

Geoffrey and Faith's enduring love drives this beautiful romance story. Faith lives in abject poverty and the thought that a member of the nobility will take a liking to her is more than a dream to her. Geoffrey, on the other hand, is undeterred even though he could lose his family's estate in pursuing Faith. The background events in the novel of the Welsh Revival adds flavor to the work. They facilitate Faith's development in the story as she grows from self-hatred to realizing her value and worth. In, Faith in Abertillery the supporting characters are well-developed, quirky and fit impressively with the themes of the work. The depth of the work is also developed through the use of the Welsh language in some instances which is then translated. The work progresses smoothly, allowing time for the main characters to grow and overcome personal challenges. With love as a prominent theme, all parts of the book are held together. Faith and growth are other concepts that are adeptly explored in the work by author, T N Traynor.

Faith in Abertillery by T N Traynor is more than just a love story. It inspires through its profound messages of faith and adeptly developed themes. Highly recommended by Chick Lit Cafe.

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This is the story of a girl who finds herself. She finds herself in faith, in love, in family. But more importantly, Faith finds herself in faith in herself first and foremost. Faith in Abertillery is a Cinderella story. It reads like a fairy-tale. It is written very smoothly, like a good cup of tea. Faith is a very likeable character even though she is trying her best not to be liked and loved. She is surrounded by a very colourful bunch of people who are united by one purpose - serving God and being loved by God. Faith's family and friends are trying their best to show Faith love and support. But she must come to all realisations herself.

The secrets we keep are either going to kill us or make us stronger. Faith will have to make her choice to trust or to run away. And this choice will be the hardest of all.

Faith in Abertillery has several very interesting characters. Unusually, for the novels of that period, there is a very strong and loving mother, a very accepting and welcoming step-father and a bunch of amazing girls. Plus, 'upstairs' characters in this story are very attractive and likeable. The interaction between characters is more about personalities rather than status. I found this angle very interesting and attractive.

I enjoyed this book till the very last pages.

A very easy smooth read. Very fairy tale like. I really enjoyed this book. The International Review of Books from BooksGoSocial.