My review of Kaydie by Penny Zeller!

 

About the book:

For the first time in years, Kaydie Worthington Kraemer can breathe easily. Although she is still haunted by memories of her abusive husband, Darius, she takes comfort in knowing the man is dead. Staying with her sister McKenzie and brother–in–law, Zach Sawyer, at their ranch, Kaydie is still wary of men, especially now that she has another life inside of her to protect. As she looks forward to her baby's birth, she builds a protective wall around herself that won't be easy to tear down.

Ranch hand Jonah Dickenson views his boss, Zach, like a brother. He does not, however, envy Zach's new role as a husband. Deserted by his mother at a young age and forever despised and rejected by his own father, Jonah has few close relationships. But there's something about Kaydie that draws him to her and makes him question his decision to remain a bachelor.

When Cedric Van Aulst, an old friend of Kaydie's, comes to town, an unforeseen prospect of marriage arises. Cedric is someone Kaydie trusts. Will she settle for a safe union with him, or can she trust God to guard her heart and her life in the arms of Jonah?

My review:

Kaydie is a heartwarming romance set on the Montana prairie in the late 1800s. The main character, Kaydie, had escaped a painful marriage to an abusive man when she became a widow. However, the resulting trauma from his abuse caused her to fear men long after her husband ceased to be a threat. One man in particular, Jonah, manages to break through the protective barrier surrounding her heart when he befriends Kaydie. I loved that he had no ulterior motives and was just a nice guy. As a result of their newly developing friendship she starts to believe she may be able to trust a man again, but is that enough for her to take the plunge and get married?

This story is one that pulls you along because of the tender romance between characters. As their bond strengthened my heart tugged in response to Jonah's gentleness. I loved the theme about learning to trust and how to identify who is truly trustworthy. Bethany Ethel was the result of Kaydie's horrific marriage, but she was such a sweet child and really added a lot to the storyline. The author showed how God took a miserable situation and still made something good come from it... an innocent little girl who stole her mother's heart before she was even born. I loved how Jonah got to know Bethany and how tender he was with her. That made him seem all the more heroic.

Jonah was hard not to fall in love with as a reader, but at the same time given his history, it made sense why he'd be reluctant to tie the knot and why Kaydie would be reluctant to take a chance on a man she was still getting to know. Kaydie was a sweet read with a lot of tender moments. The author did a great job of using a horrible situation, past abuse, and showing the healing process without getting too graphic. The romantic tension kept building and the conflict between them made sense. Even the other guy wasn't so bad in the end. I liked the scenario that was set up between the characters and really enjoyed getting to know them.

Kaydie was published by Whitaker House and releases in April 2011. If you love prairie romances that are tender and heart-warming, you'll want to pre-order this book!