The Quarryman's Bride by Tracie Peterson - Review of the second book in the Land of Shining Water series

Emmalyne Knox and Tavin MacLachlan had loved each other since childhood and they were to be married in a few weeks when tragedy strikes, a tornado struck and tore their farm to shreds and killed her two younger sisters along with many others in the area. The MacLachlan's took the Knox family in until they could rebuild their home. Unfortunately Emmalyne's dad had other ideas, at the grave site after the funeral he informed the rest of the family that they would be moving that day to Minneapolis, Minnesota and Emmalyne would not be getting married. Since her younger sisters were now dead and her two older sisters were already married it was her responsibility to remain with the family to care for her mother and dad. Emmalyne had a younger brother but the responsibility fell to the youngest girl in the family.

The MacLachlan's convinced the Knox's to wait and leave the next morning, that night Tavin and his sister tried to get Emmalyne to elope but she refused. She was broken hearted and knew Tavin was too but she felt that the Bible made it clear that she had to honor and obey her father. Once they left town, Tavin left too, moving all over, doing different types of jobs, anything to try and forget Emmalyne, he rarely even wrote home. Letters from home rarely reached him but when the one telling about his father being ill and his brother-in-law being killed leaving his sister gravely depressed did he decided to return home, 11 years later.

Eleven years later is when the Knox family returns to St Cloud, Minnesota because of a job offer by Tavin's dad who'd bought a quarry. Robert MacLachlan found a very run down farm for the Knox's to rent and put Gillam to work while Emmalyn works like a slave to make the house livable. When Robert asked Gillam to come and work for him he had no idea Tavin would soon be returning home, so the day Tavin walked into the office at the quarry Gillam was not happy and told Tavin to stay away from his daughter.

Oh Tracie, you did a fantastic job of getting my dander up when it comes to Gillam Knox! I could have just slapped him silly if he was near me, lol, I just wanted to yank him right out of that book and knock some 'feelings' into him. The way Emmalyne did what her dad ordered her to do is to be admired, but at the same time I think she did it for more for her mother's sake. If it wasn't for Emmalyne and her faith I don't know what would have happened to her mother, I'm not sure she would have lived, I think she would have died from a broken heart.

I would highly suggest this book to my reading friends, I think Emmalyne shows more strength and faith than I would have had. She gave up a lot, what would have probably been a happy life in exchange for a life of emotional abuse.