The stories in this ten book series have all been good, but I have to admit, this was my least favorite so far (book 6). In takes place between 1861-1865 and follows Charley and Lacey Rose in the characters you have come to know and appreciate, if you are reading these stories in the order they were written (which I highly recommend). Charley is leaving Texas to join the war. Lacey Rose, who has loved him since she was a little girl, gives him a kiss that will ignite feelings in Charley he never knew he had for Lacey Rose. Unfortunately, through a series of heartaches for Lacey Rose she flees home and heads out on her own. Lacey's life will not be a pretty one and hard times will fall upon her. Charley also experiences heartaches as a dear friend, seriously wounded from the war, will be taken back to Texas by Charley. There Charley makes a promise that he will go and find Lacey Rose and bring her home. So the search begins. Can these two lifelong friends see past all the pain and hardships they both have endured and find lasting love? It is a long journey, but letting go of the past and looking to the future, these two people can find love and happiness.

There was a lot of sadness and heartache in this story, brought about by people making wrong choices in their lives. Not every story is a happily ever after story, as sin does have its consequences. But love truly can cover a multitude of sins. ( )

Lacey Rose has been in love with Charley forever. She is heartbroken when he goes off to war. When she receives a letter from Charley that they are "just kin" it breaks her heart. Can you imagine being sixteen, in love and receive a letter like that.? Lacey decides she can't take the pain and runs away from home. How many of us run away from our problems? We think by running away the problem is left behind, but it follows us everywhere until we deal with it.

Lacey becomes mixed up with more than she bargained for. In the story there is prostitution, gambling, drinking and pre marital sex. For some readers this may be offensive , but the author uses these as tools to show what happens when you turn your back on God. Lacey finds herself doing things she thought she would never be part of, but sometimes we have to find out for ourselves what it is like without God guiding our path.

It seems that Lacey is looking for love, but has forgotten her first love , God. As you read the book, the author has done a great job of giving us characters that are not perfect and find themselves being judged by others. Are we guilty of judging someone when they fall into sin? We have all been in a place in our life where we needed compassion and love, but like Lacey there were people who turned their backs on her because they couldn't look past the imperfections.

Lacey learns some hard lessons and realizes that running from your past is not the answer. One of the many themes in the book is about forgiveness. It is hard to do, especially when you have to forgive yourself first. I loved how the author shows us that sometimes when we are rejected, we feel like the world is caving in, The good news is that God loves us and will never leave us. The story was very well written and I appreciate how the author shows us through a story, that "love covers a multitude of sin. " I appreciate the realism of the story and how the author used God in every situation to show that even though a person may sin, He is always there to forgive and love unconditionally. Do we do the same for others? Can we look past the sin without judgment ? Thanks for a book that reaches into the raw emotions of people and shows us through love and forgiveness, that our past does not define who we are today.,

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit and the author for an honest review., ( )

This was an ok story. I enjoyed the other books in this series a lot more. I had a hard time liking Lacey Rose or Charlie Nightingale. Neither one seemed to really want to grow up and face the bad choices that they were making. The story seemed ok but sometimes was a little choppy. I like Caryl Mcadoos writing but this story wasn't my favorite. I do hope to read the next installment of this series to see if they grow up any. I received this from Celebratlit for a fair and honest opinion. ( )