Love's Reckoning by Laura Frantz

This was a hard book to read.  Silas comes to the Lee household as an apprentice blacksmith.  He is unaware that he is expected to marry one of Liege Lee's daughters.  The despicable Elspeth has been 'given' Silas and she begins her campaign to woo Silas, but Silas is drawn to the gentleness in Eden.

The characters in this book are awful!  Eden is weak and lets everyone walk all over her.  Elspeth is so vile that I would not read a book if it was about her.  The father, Liege is a bitter and verbally abusive man and his wife is a spineless, voiceless coward.  The only redeeming character in the book is Silas; he has strength, compassion and ambition.

Not only are the characters horrible, but the plot is depressing.  It was painful watching the disfunction of this abusive family as darkness and evil are unfurled.  Just when you think light might enter the story, Eden's nephew is murdered and she is raped.  Only the last few chapters have any redeeming quality to them.

Boring and painful!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.  Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".