A #review of When I Fall in Love by Wendy Lindstrom

Today, I review When I Fall in Love, by Wendy Lindstrom, Book Seven in the Grayson Brothers series.

Pages -  286

Publisher -  Rustic Studio Publishing

Published -  January 3, 2016

Sold by -  Amazon Digital Services LLC

Genre -  Historical Romance, Victorian Western

Series -  Grayson Brothers, Book Seven

Language -  1/5

Sexual Content -  1/5

Narrative -  3rd P

The problem is that Nancy Mitchell can’t marry the man her father chose for her. Her only escape from the arrangement is to find another husband quick, so she concocts a desperate plan and agrees to become a mail order bride. When a drastic change in circumstances dumps her into the arms of Hal Grayson, a handsome grieving man who hates her family, she is forced to rethink her hastily made plan. Hal Grayson has just buried his brother. He doesn’t need any more surprises — especially a mail order bride that he didn’t order. But the beautiful and strong-willed Miss Mitchell has other ideas, and the woman turns his life upside down. Will he send her back, or will the captivating and spirited woman reawaken his grieving heart? 

Clever, heartwarming, and interesting.

Oddly, Wendy's work is hit or miss with me, but this one is another hit.

Despite the issues I'm having with her grammar and punctuation, I chose to read this one clean through and stick to the historical aspects of the Grayson dynasty in order to enjoy this read.

It was a delight to learn how Nancy and Hal came to be, but I am a bit confused about why the author chooses to write this family out of order in the series.

First we meet a brother and a strange girl, then we meet the children of another brother, then we read about the way the parents met...

It's odd.

Anyway, I always liked Hal from the few others stories in this series I've already read, but learning about how he and Nancy first met was a delight (and funny, too).

Very realistic portrayals of the human psyche and the quirky, minute details of our personalities.

Nancy is trying to save her sister by running away from an arranged marriage, and she ends up in Hal's neck of the woods as his younger brother's mail-order bride.

Sadly, her intended has recently died in a freak carriage accident and Hal is anxious to send the pretty lady back where she came from, even using his last dime to pay for the ticket back to Syracuse.

Which, by the way, is another oddity about this series, and perhaps it is just me, but the family seems to be spread out in an odd kind of way.

Syracuse is west-State New York, then there is a lumber mill somewhere along the Maine coast, but Ohio is mentioned as well.

I honestly don't know where these people hail from or live, but I suppose it is neither here nor there.

Hal's still mourning the unexpected and tragic loss of his younger brother and partner in his fledgling Lumber Mill, he's worked his fingers to the bone making intricate furniture for his old boss's store in town, and he has no time or patience to take care of a female.

Nancy has no intention of going back home and risking having to marry a man her father chose but whom her sister adores.

Nancy forces her way into Hal's life, but in a civil and somewhat respectable way while Hal acquiesces without much in the way of argument, which is funny because he's smitten yet refuses to notice.

Nancy's pretty, buxom, and wealthy, with zero homespun skills, and her first night inside the unkempt cabin has her nearly burning the place down.

Slowly but determinate-ly, she learns everything she can about housework, gardening, and cooking from her friendly neighbors.

I was shocked when their living arrangements included her sleeping in the late younger brother's bed while Hal slept on a sofa in another room, but at the start of the awkward relationship, Hal spent nearly every waking hour in the barn or at the mill.

I think he slept in the barn at the start before eventually choosing the livingroom sofa.

Which is how they eventually agree to wed, because the helpful neighbor folk come over and chastise Hal for living that way and trying to ruin Nancy's good name.

Nancy feels horrible about the seemingly forced nature of the marriage, and she still hasn't told him the truth about her reason for leaving home as a mail-order bride, or why she refuses to contact her family.

There is a HEA, there is true and natural romance, and the two leads are properly fleshed out to make them seem real or believable.

Yes, the dialogue may be a bit corny or too complete-sentence for some, but for the most part, this was an interesting read with dynamic characters who took their time getting to the point of true love, marriage, and family life.

It is why I read Romance novels and appreciate that Wendy Lindstrom seems to agree.

Honestly, the only real issue I have with Wendy's work is her writing style in the technical aspect, not the 'way' she writes, but 'how' she does it.

ISSUES

• in a recent discussion they’d recently had over supper.
• “As you can see my brother is not here."
• but in his absence I must place myself on your mercy
• and yet she stood alone and shivering wondering if she’d just won a battle
• When he’d first seen her he’d experienced a sense of familiarity
• “The oak floor will clean up nicely and the fireplace will make the parlor quite lovely I should think."
• As she surveyed the parlor her eyes lit up as she surveyed the parlor.
• Was she was referring to him and a woman Hal deeply regretted bringing her home.
• the first taste of the cool, refreshing liquid had her gulping the cold liquid...
• we hope these small gifts help in some small way.”
• As the dress was being made mother had fussed over every detail,
• Under normal circumstances Nancy couldn’t think of anything more beautiful
• He was a shorter and stockier than Hal,
• when he left the house last night she knew he was not at all pleased
• she lifted her chin unwilling to be a burden
• And after John died he simply hadn’t cared.
• in the middle of her small a small

The doubled words are pretty bad, but, either she, or her Editor, or perhaps both, do not like or understand comma usage, and it drives me nuts having to read run-on sentences for more than 300 pages.

It's such a simple rule!

IF the sentence includes a fragment, it requires punctuation.

IN reverse order, it does not.

"As you can see (comma) my brother is not here." vs. "My brother is not here as you can see."

"But in his absence (comma) I must place myself on your mercy" vs. "I must place myself on your mercy in his absence."

"Under the circumstances (comma) Nancy couldn't think of anything more beautiful." vs. "Nancy couldn't think of anything more beautiful under the circumstances."

"As the dress was being made (comma) Mother had fussed over every detail." vs. "Mother had fussed over every detail as the dress was being made."

It's not that difficult to understand, figure out, or master, but is oh, so tiring when trying to read run-on sentences when you DO get it and it isn't employed in a novel.

So, aside from the difficulty trying to read her work, I still enjoy her novels and look forward to another Grayson Brothers installment.

Here they are in complete order if you are interested.

Grayson Brothers series

Book 1: WHEN I FALL IN LOVE

Book 2: SHADES OF HONOR - RITA Winner! 

Book 3: THE LONGING - Romantic Times 4-1/2 star Top Pick! 

Book 4: LIPS THAT TOUCH MINE

Book 5: KISSING IN THE DARK

Book 6: SLEIGH OF HOPE

Book 7: LEAVE IT FOR THE RAIN

Book 8: THE PROMISE IN YOUR EYES