Review: The Brickmaker's Bride by Judith Miller

Title: The Brickmaker's Bride
Series: Refined by Love #1

Author: Judith Miller

Publication Date: October 7th, 2014

Publisher: Bethany House Publishers

Genre: Christian Historical Fiction

Pages: 352

ISBN: 0764212559

Source: ARC from Publisher

Rating: 

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Bestselling Author Judith Miller Debuts Historical Series Set in West Virginia

Yearning for a fresh start, Ewan McKay travels with his aunt and uncle from northern Scotland to West Virginia, promising to trade his skills in the clay business for financial assistance from his uncle Hugh. Hugh purchases a brickmaking operation from a Civil War widow and her daughter, but it's Ewan who gets the business up and running again. Ewan seeks help from Laura, the former owner's daughter, and he feels a connection with her, but she's being courted by another man---a lawyer with far more social clout and money than Ewan. Besides, Ewan has resolved he'll focus on making the brickmaking operation enough of a success that he can become a partner in the business and be able to afford to bring his sisters over from Scotland.

But when Hugh signs a bad business deal, all Ewan's hard work may come to naught. As his plans begin to crumble, Laura reveals something surprising. She and her mother may have a way to save the brickworks, and in turn Ewan may have another shot at winning Laura's heart.

  

Judith Miller is an award-winning author whose avid research and love for history are reflected in her bestselling novels. 

When time permits, Judy enjoys traveling, visiting historical settings, and scrapbooking the photographs from her travel expeditions. She makes her home in Topeka, Kansas.

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      A seasoned writer, Judith Miller has written a charming novel that incorporates the affects of the Civil War in West Virginia. She is skilled with her character development and is easy to read in text and content. This is one of those books you may pick up to read at a trip to the park, or an afternoon when nothing else is scheduled for the day.

It is very common in these types of books for the romance to seem sudden or simply impulsive. However, Miller does an exceptional job taking the time to allow the characters to naturally and realistically develop so the work is brought to a higher level of quality.

Integrating history seems to be no hitch for Miller. If you are interested in historical romances, this is a good book that has smooth transitions and some things to learn. As the title states, there is a "brick maker" involved and learning about this process and where it came from is actually very interesting.

I liked this book. It was enjoyable to read and I will definitely keep it on my shelf. It's a very interesting plot, I guess I just wouldn't say it's the absolute strongest plot. However, it is about what's expected from this caliber. I would recommend it.