The Dearbornes are weavers; the Stocktons are mill owners. Competing in the textile industry, differing philosophies and strong feelings have left the families enemies. When Henry Stockon returns from war, he finds himself different; he still wants to run his family's business to the best of his capabilities, but he also finds himself at odds with some of his grandfather's sentiments Kate Dearborne has worked her whole life to learn about weaving, trying to please her father, and her loyalty lies with him. But as Henry shows himself to be different than her grandfather, and her father shows himself to be more prideful and stubborn than she realized, Kate starts to question where her loyalty truly lies.
This book started a little slowly for me, likely because I know nothing about the textile business and the competition between weavers and mill owners, but it quickly picked up. Kate's struggle to be loyal to a father who never quite manages to see her value while at the same time being drawn to Henry and his willingness to listen to her views was such a compelling plot line and made her such a great character. Henry, hurting from the war and his actions in it, is in a position to open to learning more about others, a position perhaps he wouldn't have been in without the war, which was a beautifully subtle message about how God can make horrible things work for our good. The historical setting was so interesting--the textile aspect that at first seemed a little dull to me became really fascinating as Henry and Kate shared their views and showed how there weren't any easy answers to figure out what would most benefit their village. There were intriguing supporting characters as well; I really liked Kate's brother Charles especially. Well written and really appealing.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
4.5 stars!
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