As Norah King surveys her family land in Iowa in 1880, she is acutely aware that it is all she has left, and she will do everything in her power to save it–even if that means marrying a man she hardly knows. Days before her wedding, Norah discovers an injured man on her property. Her sense of duty compels her to take him in and nurse him back to health. Little does she realize just how much this act of kindness will complicate her life and threaten the future she’s planned.

Norah’s care does more than aid Quincy Barnes’s recovery–it awakens his heart to possibilities. Penniless and homeless, he knows the most honorable thing he can do is head on down the road and leave Norah to marry her intended. But walking away from the first person to believe in him proves much harder than he imagined.

I absolutely love Rachel Fordham—she’s one of my all-time favorite historical romance authors. I’m slowly making my way through all of her books, and I’m so happy to have checked this one off my list! While I tend to prefer her newer releases, this story still left me grinning and swooning in all the best ways. It’s not my top favorite of hers, but it’s a sweet and heartfelt read with no language and no spice—just clean, uplifting romance.

The pacing is a bit slow at first, and it took me until about the 30% mark to really feel connected to the characters and immersed in the plot. But once I was in, I couldn’t wait to see how everything unfolded.

I adored getting to know Nora and Quincy. Their connection begins in such a tender, beautiful way—when Quincy is injured, Nora steps in to care for him, and that’s where their bond really starts to grow. Later, Quincy gets the chance to return that kindness when Nora is in need, and it creates such a lovely sense of mutual support. I also really enjoyed the small-town charm and the cast of lovable side characters that added warmth and heart to the story, especially the little boy, Nels.

At its core, this book is about love, courage, and resilience. One of the things I admire most about Rachel’s writing is how she blends romance with meaningful themes, faith elements, and strong storytelling. This particular story reminded me a lot of Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, so if you enjoyed that book, I think you’ll appreciate this one as well.

Overall, it’s a touching, sweet read that I definitely recommend, especially for fans of clean historical romance with emotional depth and heartwarming characters.