Love's First Bloom By Delia Parr

I received Love's First Bloom for free from Bethany House Publishers for my honest review of the book.

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Ruth Livingstone's life changes drastically the day her father puts a young child in her arms and sends her to a small village in New Jersey under an assumed name. There Ruth pretends to be a widow and quietly secludes herself until her father is acquitted of a crime. But with the emergence of the penny press, the imagination of the reading public is stirred, and her father's trial stands center stage. Asher Tripp is the brash newspaperman who determines that this case is the event he can use to redeem himself as a journalist. Ruth finds solace tending a garden along the banks of the Toms River--a place where she can find a measure of peace in the midst of the sorrow that continues to build. It is also here that Asher Tripp finds a temporary residence, all in an attempt to discover if the lovely creature known as Widow Malloy is truly Ruth Livingstone, the woman every newspaper has been looking for. Love begins to slowly bloom...but is the affection they share strong enough to withstand the secrets that separate them

I truly enjoyed Love's First Bloom by Delia Bloom. I haven't read anything from Bloom prior to this. The story is set in 1838 and is a nice story. It starts with Ruth Livingstone's father, a Reverend, being accused of murder. He gives her a baby and tells her she is now Widow Malloy and the baby is hers. They get on a boat and head for a small town. There it is believed she was once a prostitute that was converted as part of Reverend Livingstone's Prodigal Daughter program. No one knows she is really his daughter. Ruth endures much tragedy and must rely on her faith in God to get her through this really hard time in her life. The story is very well written and keeps your interest. It flows and is true to the time period. Delia Bloom weaves a beautiful story of faith in God and how God uses negative experiences to bring us to a better time in life. I enjoyed this story tremendously and look forward to reading more of Delia Bloom's books.