Unending Devotion by Jody Hedlund, Book review & Giveaway

Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
ISBN-13: 978-0764208348

Synopsis:

In 1883 Michigan, Lily Young is on a mission to save her lost sister, or die trying. Heedless of the danger, her searches of logging camps lead her to Harrison and into the sights of Connell McCormick, a man doing his best to add to the hard-earned fortunes of his lumber baron father.

Posing during the day as a photographer's assistant, Lily can't understand why any God-fearing citizen would allow evil to persist and why men like Connell McCormick turn a blind eye to the crime rampant in the town. But Connell is boss-man of three of his father's lumber camps in the area, and like most of the other men, he's interested in clearing the pine and earning a profit. He figures as long as he's living an upright life, that's what matters.

Lily challenges everything he thought he knew, and together they work not only to save her sister but to put an end to the corruption that's dominated Harrison for so long.

My thoughts:

As stories goes, 'Unending Devotion' is pleasant enough, harmless even, a tad sentimental but easily dismissed after a few chapters. I felt there was something missing from the moment I saw the novel's cover. Somehow the plot and its main characters just does not hook the reader. Even the sub characters were much more interesting!

I struggled to feel the various emotions the author hinted at from the beginning and just had to accept this was just not my cup of tea so to speak. 
Lily posing as a photographer's assistant with its implied paraphernalia should have been on the cover posing next to gruff Oren and perhaps a more thorough description of the lumber camps might have caught my attention. There is a striking amount of information on logging available including stunning photos even here in the Pacific North West!

That said, I enjoyed the author's notes regarding the town of Harrison and its unsavoury residents. There is obviously a lot of historical facts recorded in the Michigan's past lumber era with the usual problems found in shanties such as alcoholism, violence, notwithstanding the origin of white slavery trade in the state, this being the most startling! 

All in all, I would recommend anyone going away this weekend to pack an extra book along unless like me, you find the historical portion enticing enough to browse internet and library files to find out more on the subjects of logging and white slavery in 1800's Michigan!
Interesting it was, entertaining it was not.

3 stars!

About the Author:

From Amazon:


Jody Hedlund is an award-winning author of inspirational historical romances, including the best-selling historical, The Preacher's Bride.
As a busy mama-writer, she has the wonderful privilege of teaching her crew of 5 children at home. In between grading math papers and giving spelling tests, she occasionally does a load of laundry and washes dishes. When she's not busy being a mama, you can find her in front of her laptop. Sometimes her family thinks her fingers are super-glued to the keyboard, but in reality she usually finds her writing time in the wee hours of the morning and then for a couple of hours in the afternoon when done with school. She views writing as God's gift to her--a creative outlet that helps bring fresh energy to her parenting.

For more, visit her website (here) 

AND NOW FOR THE...

 Celebrate with Jody by entering to win a Nikon Camera Prize Pack! 

 See what folks are saying about Unending Devotion!
 

One “devoted” winner will receive:

• A Nikon COOLPIX Digital Camera
• $25 Shutterfly gift certficate
• Unending Devotion by Jody Hedlund

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on September 17th. Winner will be announced at the “Unending Deovtion” Author Chat Facebook Party on 9/18. Connect with Jody, get a sneak peek of her next book, try your hand at a trivia contest, and chat with readers just like yourself. There will also be gift certificates, books and a Book Club Prize Pack to be won (10 copies for your book club or small group)!

So grab your copy of Unending Devotion and join Jody on the evening of the September 18th for a chance to connect with Jody and make some new friends. (If you haven’t read the book – don’t let that stop you from coming!)
Don't miss a moment of the RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 18th!

I received this book free from LITFUSE as part of their blogger review program.

I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC 16 CFR, Part 255 'Guides concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising. I was not asked to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.