Love Finds You in Poetry, Texas by Janice Hanna

This is a guest post by Tina L. Scott (formerly Miller). Tina is a freelance photographer from Merrill, Wisconsin with a passion for writing. She can be reached at PhotographyByTina.com

Book
Love Finds You In Poetry, Texas

Author
Janice Hanna

The Review
I read Love Finds You in Poetry, Texas, in less than 24 hours. It was an easy read and delightful at that, full of whimsy and humor and good people. While I cannot say I found too many surprises in the story, I found it very pleasing. In fact, as I read I couldn’t help but compare it to two of my favorite television shows—though I haven’t had the opportunity to see either in years, so it wasn’t like they would otherwise have been on my mind.

The story line and characters called to mind visions of Laura Ingalls Wilder in “Little House on the Prairie” and the small but growing town, with more men than women— many in search of a wife, reminded me of the town depicted in “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.” I’m sure the cover art helped, because the dress on the heroine on the cover—Belinda, I’m sure—was from a similar era. But I couldn’t help but think that Belinda was much like Laura Ingalls Wilder’s character in the shows—always meaning well, trusting in the Lord, but still having just a bit of a match-making romanticized demeanor.

Though Belinda Bauer—at least in her character at the beginning of the book—would never have described herself as romantic. On the contrary, the 27-year-old young lady who decided to open her own marriage broker business in a small town in Texas in 1904 and proclaimed she would probably never marry described herself as “a strong, independent woman” and “practical.” In fact, after she announced her wild and crazy entrepreneurial idea to her cousin—and shortly thereafter the entire town in one manner or another—she also declared her philosophy for matching up prospective grooms with their ideal bride saying she had a “formula of sorts” that combined “science...coupled with faith.”

Indeed, Belinda Bauer does have a strong faith in the Lord and this is evident throughout this book, which I another characteristic about her that I was pleased to read about. The book has a pleasant storyline that runs throughout with many happy endings along the way—and ultimately a happy ending for its conclusion, as all good romance books do—and though there were no real tragedies along the way, there were enough mishaps to make the story amusing and enjoyable. Like I said, all in all it truly reminded me of watching a delightful episode of “Little House on the Prairie”—that being one of their lighter episodes that did not deal with sorrow or tragedies. And in fact, I noticed a very peculiar reference in the story that constantly called to mind the “Little House” stories for anyone who is familiar with them. The cologne Belinda wore—which was mentioned several times in this volume—was lemon verbena. And anyone who has watched “Little House” knows lemon verbena was a favorite with Laura Ingalls and is a bit of a theme in the show.

Throughout the story, we meet some delightful characters that add whimsy and interest to the story—especially when mismatches come about. And in keeping with the book’s title, the little town is described in quite a poetic nature. In fact, stores in the town have poetic names and poetry is a theme carried throughout this book from start to finish, as is faith. Lines from classic poets and poems are even quoted, with one of my favorite being this line from Henry David Thoreau: “How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live.”

I also enjoyed and appreciated the take-away from this story—which is quite nicely summarized in a quote from the book: “...walk at least one pace behind the Almighty, never in front.” The meaning is clear: We can make plans and set our minds on certain things, but God alone controls and determines the outcome, and we should always remember to keep His will at the forefront of our thoughts, desires, and prayers. In this way, we can always be assured that all will end well.

Order Love Finds You In Poetry, Texas Today!

Disclosure: The reviewer received a complimentary copy of the book to review.

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