So much more exciting than I thought, really enjoyed ( )

This is such a wonderful story of a woman (Sophie) who has been dealt a handful of tragedies in life, yet continues to do all she can for a better life.
When she answers the call for a mail-order bride of sorts, it pulls her out of a destitute situation and into a beautiful home where she wants for nothing, other than love from her new husband.
Sophie becomes endeared to his young, quiet daughter, and they form a bond. The author paints realistic characters and settings, dropping the reader into San Francisco in 1906, and the tragic earthquake. It's just one of the many obstacles Sophie must work through to hang on to the family she's come to love, and the family that's created from deceit by her husband.
I loved learning more about the famous earthquake and enjoyed the journey of Sophie's fight and perseverance to create a new life for herself and those she loves.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this great historical read! ( )

Sophie is a young Irish immigrant, eager to get out of New York. She answers an ad for a mail order bride, and moves to San Francisco to become the wife of a widower, Martin, and the mother to his young child. There is no love or even affection between husband and wife, but Sophie soon comes to love the child, Kat. One evening, while Martin is away on a business trip, a woman shows up, seeking information about her husband, who was doing a favor for Martin. A chance look around Sophie’s house is the beginning of a startling chain of events that will tie these two women together, and lead them to a third woman, unknown to either of them. In the midst of this personal turmoil, an even bigger disaster is about to happen: the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. This complex and well executed novel is a gripping account of the disaster superimposed over the heart wrenching deceit that was forced on these women. The characters come to life on the page, living in a real disaster as they cope with their shattered lives. The novel illustrates that true friendships can be born out of adversity, and that love can be the catalyst behind acts of bravery. And not all acts of bravery would stand up in a court of law. This well written novel is highly recommended ( )

Abused woman finds herself in another abusive relationship. What comes up next is an interesting chain of events. This takes place in the past when it is harder to track people and what they do. This book leads you to wonder about a few things which ends up fun to talk about in a book club! ( )

Reason Read: read for LHBC
This is second book by the author that I have read. She writes historical fiction and this is set in San Francisco during the earthquake of 1906 and involves the lives of four females; 3 adult women and one child and portrays "friendship, mother love and power of female solidarity". I rate it a B-. ( )