Title: Courting Miss Darling
Author: Chautona Havig
Series: Ballads from the Hearth
Major Themes: Cowboys, Teachers
Synopsis: Miss Darling got a letter one day from some man she’d never met, asking if she would be interested in corresponding with him—but should she respond?
Several years ago, I joined Chautona Havig’s launch team for Jack, the story of a cowboy falling in love. She wrote a bonus short story for early orders, Courting Miss Darling, and it was a very sweet story. Now, she has expanded that story into a novella, and I got to read it last week. What a delightful story!
Publisher’s description:
When an unexpected (and somewhat unwelcome) letter from the man she’d fallen in love with offers to introduce her to someone he thinks would be a good match for her, should schoolmarm, Muriel Darling, be pleased or insulted?
A few hundred miles away, Pete Donaldson manages his ranch and watches as his men fall in love and marry. Selfish or not, he’d like to be next, thank-you-very-much. So when one of them suggests a courtship by mail to a woman in Wyoming, he’s all in. And he doesn’t even play poker!
What begins as a bridge between two lonely hearts may change those hearts forever—if only they’ll learn to trust themselves, each other, and the Lord.
This epistolary romance is a stand-alone companion novella to Jack: a lot of hullabaloo on the prairie.
My thoughts:
I loved getting to know Miss Darling and Pete as they wrote letters to each other. I also enjoyed seeing Tilly and her daughter and their interactions with Pete. Then, at the end of the book, came the scene I remember best from the original short story. I won’t give it away, but just to offer a hint—it includes a door that was supposed to be open but wasn’t!
If you enjoy prairie romances, this is the book for you. I don’t particularly enjoy prairie romances, but I love Courting Miss Darling anyway. As a companion to Jack, it is wonderful, but also good as a stand-alone book. You won’t have any confusion if you read this and haven’t read the other.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it.
No warnings!
Age levels:
Reading Independently—Ages 15 and Above, Adults
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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