Longings of the Heart

Bonnie Leon is one of my favorite authors. Each series holds a charm of its own, but Longings of the Heart is some of Bonnie's best work. She knows how to record history with a heart. She draws the reader into the character's world and establishes a relationship that the reader wants to keep forever. Good stuff, Bonnie.

Issues in this book, while presented in a historical setting, are things that people deal with today and apply to contemporary families. Things such as infertility, guilt, misplaced anger, jealousy, fear, and issues related to trust. The author applies just enough pressure and angst into the lives of her characters to keep you reading until you close the book. Her emotional scenes are moving and her conflict is realistic. I loved the marital tension, especially the romantic parts in the beginning. John is a dreamy husband, yet he is all man. I did get mad at him a few times, but c'est la vie. The setting was also well done. I sweated right along with the characters and itched when they were bit by those stinking bugs, too. Overall I adored this story, and in particular I enjoyed how the story ended. I almost felt like giving a standing ovation to those brave souls. That scene was soooo well done. Then I got a sneak peek at the content in the third book and the conflict presented and I was like....WHAT!!! Now I have to read it and find out how John deals with the mess he finds himself in. Just when you think all is well down under...sigh. If only these characters didn't seem so real to me, then maybe it wouldn't BUG me so much that they find themselves in another seemingly impossible situation that only God can help them out of!

Hannah and John have settled down and gotten married in their new home in Australia. Now down with their prison sentences, they are ready to move on and start a new life and family together. However starting a family just isn't happening for the two of them. Hannah is worried that it's her fault, and that what happened in the past is coming back to haunt her. She knows she has to tell John but is scared as to what will happen. Then her secret gets out and is being used to blackmail the couple. Will they be able to survive this or is life as convicts starting to look easier than life as newlyweds? Australian history has always been fascinating to me. It just is amazing that the country was colonized to be a place for prisoners. It's an amazing history and in my opinion, more interesting that the US! This book however focuses more on John and Hannah's relationship than on the Australian history. It was fun reading about how they were adapting to being newlywed's and having to adapt to each other. Being in the environment they were in, made life stressful so having to add a new marriage on top of that would have added more fuel to fire! I found Hannah's reaction to being an adoptive mother very surprising for a Christian novel. Normally everyone is all about hugs and being 100% loving from the beginning. However, I found her response to Thomas to be more realistic especially with what she had been going through. I enjoyed the story very much. As in the first book in the series, it's an engaging tale with memorable characters in a unique setting. The only thing that bugged me about the story was John getting angry with Hannah about what had happened to her. I can understand his being mad about her keeping it a secret from him. She should have told this to him after they got married so he could understand her feelings. What I didn't like was that he acted like she had committed a terrible sin for what happened to her in the past. It wasn't her fault and I wanted to smack him for even thinking about blaming her! I got so frustrated with him to the point that I was actually glad to read how guilty and distressed he was for not being there to protect Hannah in her time of need. Luckily he soon regained my approval later on in the book. The ending of the book was quite satisfying. People got what they deserved and the book did not have a cliched "everyone forgives" ending. I quite prefer what happened because it rings more true than the aforementioned ending. I was thinking, what would be totally awesome is if somehow this series and the Queensland Chronicles series was connected. I would have to go back and check on the dates between the two series but it'd be fun to have a cameo of someone from the Queensland series pop up in this set. I've always enjoyed Bonnie's books and this one was no different. I'll be eagerly looking forward to the next book in the series!

Longings of the Heart is a book about the consequences that follow when Hannah Bradshaw decides to withhold a truth about her past from her husband, John. Her decision to lie to him by omission creates ripples that affect many lives. A friendship is sundered, a marriage threatened, and a man violates his principles--all as a result of Hannah's decision. Bonnie Leon has written a compelling story that draws the reader deeper and deeper as the consequences continue to unfold. Using the fascinating backdrop of early-day Australia, Leon brings her all-too-human characters to vibrant life on the page. I thoroughly enjoyed this story.

Bonnie Leon transports us to a time to when prisoners were being deported from Britain to Australia. Longings of the Heart, the second in Leon's Sydney Cove series, picks up the story of John Bradshaw and his new wife, Hannah. Having survived the harsh conditions aboard a prisoner ship, they embark on their new marriage with full hearts and high hopes--but not without shadows of the past clouding their future. Hannah's kept a secret from her new husband, one that rears its ugly head in this book. Plagued by guilt over her past sin, she's convinced she'll never bear John a child. Their failed attempts to start a family threaten to drive a wedge between them emotionally while the challenges of building a sheep ranch in dangerous territory test them physically. The book begins slowly and is a sweet gentle story punctuated with four major turning points that increase the suspense and draw the reader in deeper. I felt for Hannah as she struggled to forgive herself and a friend and for John as he endeavored to stand by his wife despite the risks to his ranch and his reputation. Both are likable characters, as are the numerous secondary characters. The faith element is handled well and plays a significant role in the outcome of the story. I enjoyed reading a historical set in a location I rarely encounter and thought Leon did a nice job of bringing Australia and the era of prisoner deportation to life. I'd not read the first book in the series, and I found myself wanting to read that story to find out about life aboard the prisoner ship and how this fine couple got together. I anticipate the third book in the series because I'm eager to see how John and Hannah make peace with the past and find out what the future holds for their family.