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THE PREACHER'S DAUGHTER
ISBN 978-0-373-29451-0
Harlequin
Historical
Cheryl St. John
From
the moment I started reading The Preacher's Daughter, I knew I was
in the hands of an excellent story teller. Cheryl St. John opens the
book with an event that shatters the soul of young Benjamin Chaney
and then introduces us to the woman whose combination of wisdom,
faith and naiveté can help the grown man put the pieces back
together-if he lets her.
Lorabeth
Holdridge has led a sheltered life. As a daughter of a preacher,
self-discipline, hard work and prayer have formed the boundaries of
her world-and just about entombed her. Escape comes in the form of a
housekeeping job for a happy and lively family.
Handsome
Benjamin Chaney, a relative and veterinarian, is a frequent visitor
to the household and soon sparks begin to fly between Lorabeth and
Benjamin. To Lorabeth, Benjamin is not only strikingly attractive,
he is kind and considerate, fun and loving and, most of all,
experienced in the ways of the world she's been sheltered
from.
But
Lorabeth has no idea of the horrors Benjamin endured as a child and
just how bad some of those experiences were-enough to jade him,
enough to wall off part of him, enough for him to prize self-control
over emotion. And it is precisely because Lorabeth has no idea of
the type of life Benjamin led, that he is attracted to her-to her
sweet and giving nature, her childlike wonder at simple pleasures
and her strength in her beliefs about people.
Finding
it difficult to trust himself and unwilling to give in to the
passion he feels for Lorabeth, Benjamin needs to face the personal
horrors from his past before he'll be able to build a future with
her. In this character driven story, only Benjamin's internal
struggles are keeping the couple from finding complete
happiness.
With
wonderfully drawn characters and period details that masterfully
create the time, Cheryl St. John has given the reader of western
romance a heart-warming story filled with faith, hope and love.
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