Year of Jubilee

This book will grab you at the first page. I didn't want it to end. I love reading a good clean christian book and this one was perfect. I will read this book again, yes it was that good. Thank you NetGalley and Prism Book Group for the free copy of this book. This is my honest review.

A while back I decided to make a more concerted effort to read historical romances. There’s such an inherently romantic feel to the way people behave towards each other, and it can be refreshing to read something so different from the vast offering in contemporary romance of alpha male and insta-love that is so prevalent. I had a little trepidation about this book also being in the Christian romance category (my usual beef being that the “inspirational” ones tend to be long on proselytizing and short on plot), but the synopsis sounded good, so I decided to give it a try.

Jubilee has not had the best life. Orphaned as an infant, she was raised in a home for girls. During her teen years, she was essentially loaned out to rich people for services (cooking, cleaning, sewing, etc) to cover the cost of her boarding at the orphanage. However, one night on the way back to the orphanage she’s kidnapped and taken to another state where her captor forced her to marry him. He’s not a good man (as if that wasn’t apparent when he kidnapped her) and treats her terribly. But then one night after a drunken beating, he disappears and leaves her to fend for herself.

Several months later, another man shows up at Jubilee’s cabin claiming her husband has died and he now owns the land she’s been living on. But instead of sending her away, Rafe feels responsible for her and proposes a “business agreement” between them - she can stay and help with the household chores while he farms the land. Of course, it being 1850, it would be best if they got married so as not to sully either of their reputations.

As would happen when two people are living in close proximity and working towards a common goal, Jubilee and Rafe find their feelings for each other growing. But it’s a rough road for these two. Jubilee is extremely skittish around Rafe despite him being very kind and patient towards her, which leaves Rafe frustrated and confused.

But here is where this story fell short for me. This couple NEVER talked. Rafe would start to broach a touchy subject and Jubilee would run and avoid him for weeks. It was extremely irritating. You can’t build a relationship if you aren’t interacting with each other, and a book isn’t interesting to me if the whole relationship develops in the character’s heads. And while I appreciated how patient Rafe was, he needed to be a man and not be such a pansy around her. Maybe for the first several months, but after that - man up and say what you need to say! Also, near as I could tell, Jubilee’s whole attraction to Rafe was because of his looks. One glimpse of his bare chest and she’s in love. Never mind that he kept his promise to never hurt her, or that he brought her flowers and built her a porch swing and made sure she had everything she needed to be well fed, warm and safe. None of those things were mentioned as reasons why she loved him.

I wanted to like this book. I really did. But I was hoping for a slow burn, a gradual realization that they could have a good life - which included love - with each other. And they never seemed to settle into being comfortable with each other. There was no playfulness between them (I mean come on...they are 18 and 20 years old...where was the flirting?!?). Even the religious part of it seemed out of place and unnatural, like it was added in because the author felt it needed to be in there. But at least it wasn’t preachy!

So this one was a miss for me. It started out good, but fell short of what I would have liked to read. I’m not sorry I read it though because it was a nice break from the usual!

*thank you to NetGalley and Prism Book Group for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review

Year of Jubilee is a well written inspirational romance. Great story and characters. I recommend to fans of historical romance.

I enjoyed reading this book. The characters were good without being perfect. I do wish she would have been able to tie things together a little better. It felt like three separate stories instead of a single flowing storyline. Would definitely try another of her books.

Grab some tissues because you're gonna need it.

This book gripped me from the beginning. A wonderful read that it both sweet and inspiring.

Poverty, lack, and abuse. These are the three things Jubilee knows all too well. After getting kidnapped and marrying her abusive kidnapper, Jubilee can't think of a different kind of life. Until Rafe comes along and makes the biggest announcement of her life. Her husband is dead...and now he owns the farm.

Rafe had no idea that his cousin married such a beautiful woman. He also had no idea just how abusive his cousin really was. Now not only has he inherited a new house and land...but also a widow with no where to go. The only option for them is a marriage of convenience but can Jubilee trust him after what her husband did to her?

This reminded me of a much cleaner version of "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers. A truly inspiring novel.

I recommend this for ages 18+ for some mild violence and adult themes. There is no sexually explicit content or swearing. However, this is definitely not something you'd be wanting to give your kids.

Imagine being 18 years old and starving, isolated, abandoned, and frightened of literally everything. Imagine being in that situation through only the actions of others. Being orphaned as a child, put out to work by the orphanage to learn life skills before you age out of their system and have not even a bed to sleep in. Imagine walking back to the only home you know after a late night at your work assignment and being kidnapped, sexually assaulted at gun point, and then forced to marry your kidnapper. The same person who takes you away from everything you know to a homestead near the forest, leaves you for weeks and months at a time and smacks you around pretty good when he is home. No safety, even in your dreams. No cozy memories to carry you through the long cold winter eating dandelion greens and wild onions. Then out of no where a new man shows up. Tells you your husband is dead and instills more fear as now even the shack shelter you know is becoming a wisp of what was. Until. . .read the synopsis people!

Obviously, this book has some pretty heavy themes which might be inappropriate for some readers. However, don't let the heaviness alone turn you off as this book brings so much more than the darkness. It brings overcoming, for Jubilee and Rafe, it brings healing, and it brings light. But. . . yes it has to be said, it also brought a lot of frustration, at least to me personally. Is it wrong that I feel bad that Jubilee drove me batty? I mean, if anyone deserved to be scared by her own shadow it's this girl. If anyone had reason to doubt the integrity of all the species of all the planets in all the universe it's Jubilee. But. For. The. Love. Of. Grits. AND. Gravy. At some point you need to use your words girl. Talk. Yell. Anything. I've never read a book that was almost exclusively a love story that was only in personal thoughts and minimally of actual real communication between two people. As much as I was put off by her most of the time I also have to give her credit for overcoming. She slowly, painfully slowly, learned to reach out into her world. She learned to make room in her heart for others. She learned to accept that life was a balance and that everything wasn't always bad. She eventually, sorta, found her words.

Rafe was frustrating as well. I mean, I get he was jilted by the woman he loved when he arrived at the homestead and finding a waif of a ball of fear was not on the expectation list. But he too needs to learn how to speak. I think he almost became more meek than Jubilee in fear of upsetting her. I can't reiterate enough that this is the weirdest budding actual love and relationship that I have ever experienced. He didn't share his thoughts at all with Jubilee, even thoughts not about falling for her just thoughts in general, but he had a lot of thoughts and they all stayed right in his head. I swear they were meant for each other with their thought bubble romance! However, Rafe (and Jubilee as an accompaniment) reminds us that sometimes what we have our heart set on wanting isn't what our heart actually needs. And things lost that we long for are usually lost for the better. Perspective and time go a long way toward knowing that not all things lost need to be found.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.