1872 California. Part of a really good series, this book is mostly about Laura. There are three sisters, with the story opening as they escape from their evil stepfather before he sells them off in marriages to creeps that are advantageous only to him. As they're leaving, their Mother feigns a fall and goes back to buy them time. Their real father had amassed a large logging operation, training his daughters to take over the company one day and build it even further. They were each highly schooled and each has very special skills. When he died, their mother married the wrong man who had fooled all of them and wanted control of the company. So, they all have deep trust issues. As they're running away, they join a missionary group for safety and anonymity. The parson is a young man with a past, now saved and trying to spread the Good News. Very interesting as it develops. I really liked reading it and was fully engrossed. Each character is very real and 3D. Good lessons of Christian faith. Need to have the next one to binge read it!

I received this book free from the author, publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

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This was a very well written book. I liked all of the characters and the setting.
Three well educated sisters are trying to escape arranged marriages to their abusive stepfathers henchmen. Leaving their mother behind they embark on a journey to find men to marry. They meet up with a parson and his missionaries. Then they decide to help the parson. They come upon a group of miners wives that have been basically abandoned in shacks. They help the wives and protect them from some angry husband's and mobs. In the meantime they meet the owner of the land that the shacks are on. He helps out with the missionaries too. One of the daughters gets married to the parson but learns a terrible secret about his past. Can she forgive him? What happens next? Read the book to find out. You won't be disappointed! ( )

Book 1 of 3

Must read in order

Step-father has sold his daughters to rich mean men. They escape in the night. Daughter #3. Joins a mission group ( )

Thrills, Danger, Excitement--Trying to Find a Good Man!

Three sheltered sisters, who have only known affluence, escape in the middle of the night. They follow a dangerous scheme, but they must get away before their step-father's arranged marriages take place. Their only hope is to find honest men, marry them and gain control of their inheritance.

To stay under the radar, they have taken refuge in a struggling mission near the California gold camps. But Caleb, the man in charge, is new. His lack of knowledge, along with terrible circumstances, have almost caused the death of them all.

Have the sisters leapt out of the frying pan and into the fire? If they marry quickly, how do they keep from getting in a controlling, dangerous situation like they had with their step-dad? Will they be able to find suitable husbands among the desperate men ready to kill because of gold fever? Is their mother being beaten or worse because of their step-father's anger over the missing girls?

The adventures these women have will keep you on the edge of your seat, while many of their circumstances, although dangerous, will also bring you a chuckle or two. Mary Connealy is well-known for her amazing stories, and this does not disappoint. This is Christian fiction, a clean story, and I highly recommend it.

This is book one in the series, "Lumber Baron's Daughters," and ends on a cliff-hanger. You will be thrilled to get the next installment for more of this exciting tale--I guarantee it!

Bethany House has provided Tickmenot with a complimentary copy of, The Element of Love, for the purpose of review. ( )

The Element of Love by Mary Connealy is the first book in The Lumber Baron’s Daughters series. This is a Christian historical fiction romance story that takes place in northern California in 1872. This is a story of the three Stiles sisters and what they did to get away from their abusive step father and gain control of their father’s lumber company. When the sisters found out their step father planed to marry them off to gain control of the lumber company they worked out a plan with their mother to escape and marry as soon as possible to gain control of the company.

This story is well written and very easy to imagine what is happening and envision the surroundings. I enjoyed the action and suspense along with the romance. The story grabbed me right from the beginning and surprised me on so many levels. Can you imagine flying down a water shoot in a half barrel and riding a fallen tree in a river? The girls’ parents made sure all three of them had the education to know how to run the lumber company when the time came. This education came in so handy with getting away and then joining a missions group.

One of the things that stand out to me is how fast they felt they need to marry and get control of the company. But when Laura got married, she almost immediately questioned if she did the right thing. I enjoyed the generosity the mission team had towards the women and children in the shanty town and how quick the rancher was to help out. I also enjoyed the loyalty the lumber workers had toward the girls’ mother and how quick they stepped in to help when they knew she was in danger.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from Bethany House Publishers through NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion ( )