Historical
Sydney Cove Series, Book 3 - Enduring Love
By Dottie
Jul 1, 2009 - 2:22:11 PM

John and Hannah Bradshaw have a sheep farm in New South Wales.  John had been married before.  His first wife Margaret slept with Henry and then while John was in prison, she and his cousin Henry stripped John of his business and all his assets… all that he and his father had worked for were taken.  John had been living in London with Margaret, but he went to prison for defending Henry in a fight at a pub.  He was transported by prison ship to New South Wales.  While in prison, he received word that his wife Margaret was dead.  After all that she and Henry had done to him, he spent the next few years hating her.  Hannah was in prison for stealing a loaf of bread and was also transported to New South Wales on the prison ship, where she made many friends, who later made their lives in New South Wales alongside her and John.  Arriving in New South Wales, she went to work for Miss Atherton.  Once married, John and Hannah took in a boy Thomas, whose parents perished on the ship.  They became the parents that he did not have.  Life for the three of them was ideal.

While off with friends, after seeing a play, John sees his dead wife Margaret coming towards him, now very much alive.  John can’t believe his eyes.  It seems he is married to two women, but if Margaret is still alive, his marriage to Hannah is invalid.  He is determined to divorce Margaret, but he can find no grounds.  She denies everything he has heard about her.  So eventually, with no choice, he tries to make a life with Margaret, even though his heart is with Hannah.  Heartbroken, Hannah and Thomas move into Miss Atherton’s place and Hannah goes back to work for her.  Then Hannah begins to hear rumors that Margaret is seeing a man in town and that she is not what she appears to be.  Why was she suddenly back in John’s life?  Is she attempting another con job on John?  Will Hannah and John be able to start over again?

ENDURING LOVE, the conclusion to the SYDNEY COVE series is a Christian historical romance filled with warm romance and hope.  Hannah refused to see the bad side of people without proof.  She tried to give them the benefit of the doubt and look at the situation realistically, even though it seemed her world was coming apart.  She believed that although God’s ways are not always our ways, He would see her through her trials and tribulations.  She was determined to live according to God’s will no matter what.  Her friends try to help her in this uplifting story. The devotion that John and Hannah felt for each other is something that John and Margaret did not have.  I absolutely loved this story.  Though it is part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone story.  I have not read the previous books in this series, but I plan to remedy this situation.  I highly recommend ENDURING LOVE to anyone looking for a terrific story.