From Booklist Maggie Rose is the answer to Todd Valmer’s prayers; she just doesn’t know it yet. When Todd’s mother falls ill while they are traveling to his farm in Texas, mother and son are let off the train in Carver’s Hollow, Arkansas, to seek medical help, which comes in the form of Maggie Rose. While she might not be a doctor, Maggie is a skilled healer and she does her best with Todd’s cantankerous mother. It only takes Todd a few days to realize that not only will his mother need someone like Maggie to help her in Texas, but also that Maggie would make the perfect wife for a farmer. Now all Todd has to do is convince Maggie to leave her comfortable life in Carver’s Hollow and accept his proposal of marriage. With Serendipity, inspirational author Hake delivers her best book yet: a sweetly charming and richly emotional tale of love, hope, faith, and charity that will delight not only Christian-fiction fans, but also anyone who enjoys a well-written historical romance. --John Charles Read more From the Back Cover The only remaining woman in Carver's Hollow, Maggie Rose has cared for a ragtag of old men for years, bartering for a living and making soaps, lotions, and perfumes from a special rose recipe passed down for generations. She hasn't wanted to marry...at least that's what she thought. But when a strapping young man arrives on Maggie's doorstep, searching for a doctor for his ailing mother, life suddenly changes for the dark-haired beauty. Todd Valmer is in a desperate situation. His mother needs a caretaker, and he's barely hanging on to his Texas farm. Maggie seems to be the obvious solution. She can cook, care for Ma, tend his house while he works the fields...and she's comely, as well. But instant attraction does not a marriage make. As a clash of cultures and a battle of wills ensues, is there any hope that true love will blossom between a free-spirited woman and her uncompromising husband?Cathy Marie Hake is the author of over twenty-five novels, though past endeavors have included making Bible covers and cutting out convertible car tops! She is also a registered nurse. Cathy and her husband live in Anaheim, California. Read more About the Author Cathy Marie Hake is a licensed nurse who worked for many years in an oncology unit before shifting her focus to perinatal care. The author of over twenty novels, she lives with her husband in Anaheim, California. Read more
A**E
Hard to put down.
I loved this story of Maggie, an Irish girl who lived in a small town. She was the only woman, and she cooked and cared for the men who lived there. Maggie is happy with her life, but her uncle wants to see her married. Todd, a handsome German bachelor, arrives in the town with his ill mother in his arms. Maggie knows how to care for the sick and so she helps his mother. When it becomes clear that Todd's mother would need extended care while he had a farm to run, he proposes marriage to Maggie. Maggie agrees because she fell in love with him after only a brief time, but Todd was not in love with her, so she hides her feelings from him. After they marry, they have their differences to overcome. Misunderstandings and prejudice try to tear them apart. This story moves along nicely, is fascinating, and hard to put down. I loved the character development. It's a beautiful love story.My one complaint would be the German word the author uses for thunderstorm. She said Donnerwetter, which is actually a German curse word. The word for thunderstorm is Gewitter.
M**Y
Book 5 of the Only in Gooding series
The books that make up Only in Gooding are: Fancy Pants, Forevermore, Whirlwind, That Certain Spark, and Serendipity.In this book, we start out in Carver Hollow, where Maggie lives with her uncle and a group of ragtag men who carve wood and come to her house for meals. Her life consists of bartering her treasures with people and preserving her traditions.On his way back to Texas, Todd's mother becomes ill and he is forced to get off the train and seek help. He ends up on Maggie's doorstep. She's the only healer in the area and Todd is wary of her skills at first. He soon comes to see her as a capable cook and caregiver. Since he is barely able to keep his farm running, his mother's condition is going to require some extra help and he now looks on Maggie as a solution to his problems.While both Todd and his mother are accepting of Maggie at first, that quickly changes. Once it's made known that Todd plans to wed her and bring her back with them, Todd's mother begins her verbal assault of everything that makes Maggie who she is. Once they get to Texas and Todd sees the extent of what Maggie has brought with her, he begins to try and change her. As she tries to help out with her superior bartering skills, she has to deal with Todd's disapproval and his mother's bitter tongue.While I liked the book overall, I'm not sure I was happy about it. Let's just say that you'd be hard pressed to find anyone less likable in the book than Todd's mother. I wasn't a real fan of Todd for most of the book either. The mother acted like a donkey while her son had the brains of one! Being the last of the series, it was a nice standalone as well as giving you a peek at some of the other characters in the previous books.
P**.
i can recommend this
As the inspirational romance genre goes, this was a good example of what an author should aim for in a book. Now, with those nice words said, I need to rant for one second. What good German mother names her son Death? Tod means death in German and the main character was a German named Todd. Can't imagine that really happening.I did not realize this was in a series, something like book 5. I have not read any of the previous books in the series that I know of and I did not feel lost in the story.The inspirational" side of things was not overdone (whew).After all the discord, I would have liked a few more chapters of a good vibe before the end but I always feel that way in books like this where there was so much conflict.
A**R
Good but frustrating, emotional historical Christian romance novel
I read all the books in this series. This book was good, but it was different than the other books. This book was about Todd and Maggie. This book had a mother/mother-in-law who lived with the couple. Her character and behavior had a negative effect on my enjoyment of the book. All ended happily, but my goodness, it was a difficult and emotional read.
E**Y
I loved reading this book because of the love that unfolded ...
The book is clean and there are no damage marks on the pages. The package arrived on time. I loved reading this book because of the love that unfolded between the characters. I read this one a few years ago at a library and the sobbing followed. Don't be discouraged to read it. The book is a good read. This book is a favorite. I have not read the other books by this author but this one is a special one. The package arrived on time. I was happy with the product and the service.
B**L
Totally enjoyed
This was another book in the Gooding series by this author. I did enjoy it as much as the last ones. Plenty of bachelors still left in Gooding, so hoping for a few more inspirational stories to come.
A**R
... the other books in the series and wanted to love this.
I own all the other books in the series and wanted to love this... but it's so slow moving and I don't connect with ANY of the characters.
L**E
From and by Barbara
Oh, this book was very, very good! I read so long I thought my eyes were going to go out! I wish there could be half dozen more sequels to this series! And there could be, the characters in all the books are certainly interesting enough. Thank you Cathy Marie Jake, for another wonderful book! I highly recommend this entire series!!
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