Heart-warming finale: "The Brightest of Dreams" by Susan Anne Mason

about the book....

He Crossed an Ocean to Reunite His Family.

But Meeting Her Makes Him Question Everything.

Quinten Aspinall is determined to fulfill a promise he made to his deceased father to keep his family together. To do so, he must travel to Canada to find his younger siblings, who were sent there as indentured workers while Quinn was away at war. But before he leaves, his employer offers him a deal. If Quinn can find the man's wayward niece, who ran off with a Canadian soldier, and bring her back, then he will receive his own tenant farm, enabling him to provide a home for his ailing mother and siblings.

Julia Holloway's decision to come to Toronto has been met with one disaster after another. When her uncle's employee rescues her from a bad situation, she fears she can never repay Quinn's kindness. So when he asks for her help to find his sister, she agrees. The quest draws the two of them together, but soon afterward, Julia receives devastating news that will change her life forever.

Torn between reuniting his family and protecting Julia, will Quinn have to sacrifice his chance at happiness to finally keep his promise?

my review....

Susan Anne Mason has offered up a heart-warming finale with the third installment in the "Canadian Crossing" series, a novel that will inspire you even as it peers into some murky corners of Canadian history. As with each of these books in the series, "The Brightest of Dreams" is a well-written novel, with plenty of dramatic twists to keep you turning the pages. I was thoroughly engrossed in Quinten's search for his siblings, and I found myself wondering how I would feel to walk in his shoes, to return home after War and find that my siblings had not only been given up to an orphanage by my mother, but sent to another country to unknown homes! Quinten's discoveries made for some sobering moments. I love to assume that in the past, people who took orphans into their homes had the best of intentions, but as depicted in this novel, I'm sure that simply was not always the case and that many children had experiences that we probably prefer to best be lost to history. On the other hand, novels like this remind us of the important role we all share in society to keep our children safe!

Mason has done a great job at bringing history to life, and has created characters in Quinten and Julia who you will quickly grow to love and cheer on. As they face obstacles and hardships aplenty, you can't help but cheer them on in their journey and in their victories, especially as they discover a path forward for the two of them at the same time. What I most enjoyed though is the way that Mason has steered these characters in their journey of faith, discovering the power of forgiveness and hope and trusting in God.

Each of the novels in this series have been a wonderful foray into an intriguing time of Canadian history, and I enjoyed each one! As for "The Brightest of Dreams", I give it a rating of 4 out of 5 stars. I'm so proud to be able to review a fellow Canadian's novel - well done, Susan Anne Mason!

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

about the author....

Susan Anne Mason's (www.susanannemason.net) historical novel Irish Meadows won the Fiction from the Heartland contest from the Mid-American Romance Authors Chapter of RWA as well as the Christian Retailer's Choice Award for Debut Novel. A member of ACFW, Susan lives outside of Toronto, Ontario, with her husband and two children.

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