I wanted to read some good Easter novels this year and, oh my goodness, good doesn’t even begin to describe it. This series keeps getting better. But you know what? I just realized I haven’t read book one yet. I’m aghast! It’s now on my priority list. But if you want to start here because you love Easter reads, too, then you’ll be perfectly fine to do so.

About the Book

An inheritance with strings attached…

Forces him to tie the knot.

Rancher Thatcher Dalton accidentally triggers a marriage requirement to his inheritance and now must find a wife in six months…or lose his farm. When widowed bookkeeper Bliss Anderson suddenly finds herself without a job, she knows that the adoption of her foster daughter, who has epilepsy, will be in jeopardy—unless she accepts Thatcher’s proposal of a marriage of convenience. As the platonic couple settle into married life and parenthood, they soon find that remaining just friends is harder than expected. But when a long-held family secret threatens their growing happiness, it’ll take a little girl’s Easter wish to turn them into a real family…

My Review and Reflections

This book is so full of Jesus, it made me want to weep. Actually, get out my Bible. There was no preaching, just teaching through examples of trial and pain. So real, so close, that it just touches your heart to the very core. Not only do I want to read more books by Susanne Dietze but I want to Bible study with her because you just cannot fake a joy like that.

What I Loved About These Characters

Oh, the characters. I adore them all. Thatcher is strong and sensitive. He cares so deeply but doesn’t believe deep love, especially the kind found in a good marriage, is for him. He believes it is not an emotion he can possess. And, Bliss, sigh. She is just a good woman who had a rough first marriage. Juniper is at a fun age in the book, just shy of ten. An age where children aren’t grown up but you get glimpses of who they are and the adult they will be by the things they say. The things that make you realize that maybe they are mature and knowledgeable. You just don’t want them to be quite yet. Case in point, Juniper caught on to the real relationship in this marriage of convenience way before her guardians did. Some things you just can’t hide.

Bliss is in the process of adopting Juniper but she still cares for Juniper’s biological grandmother as if she were her own family. The fact that she could extend that compassion and care beyond the child she hoped to adopt and into her provides such a lovely message about what a family truly is. That isn’t the only example. Many of the characters, such as Beatie, are treated with the same warmth and affection as one would treat someone bound to them through a family tree. It makes the already growing family, feel stronger because they know that family isn’t just on a tree. Family extends beyond roots and branches.

How this Story Made Me Feel

The plot twist in this one! I want to tell you. But I can’t tell you. Ugh! The tension is real. In and outside of the story.

The number of times the characters prayed or acknowledged that they weren’t relying on God, hit the sweet spot for me. It was very much appropriate for a book with Easter in the title. But there are also moments where I just annotated with the word “cry”. Sometimes happy tears, sometimes sentimental. It was all woven together so beautifully.

“He was a family man now. Something he never thought he’d be.

But he didn’t care about Bliss more than that.

He might not even be capable of love. Not like that. So he mustn’t touch her like that again.” p. 79

Because the specific references to Bible passages were so minimal, it kept the book from feeling like it was preaching at you. Any specific thoughts or discussions of God were written the way one would think them or speak them. Or at least the way I do.

Whenever Dalton would get upset about the way someone treated Bliss (past or present), I just wanted to squeal with delight. It seems odd to be happy over a character’s anger but if you could hear Bliss’s inner thoughts, she needed this. And Juniper, too.

Why You Might Enjoy This Book

If you enjoy marriage of convenience, slow burn romance, and found family books, then you are in for a real treat. Themes of ongoing transformation in Christ, prayer, and generosity and stewardship are woven in throughout. This is the type of book that will make you want a stronger relationship with family, friends, and God.

More Books from this Series

About the Author

Susanne Dietze began writing love stories in high school, casting her friends in the starring roles. Today, she’s an award-winning, RWA RITA® nominated author who’s seen her work on the Publisher’s Weekly and ECPA Lists for Inspirational Fiction. Married to a pastor and the mom of two, Susanne lives in California and enjoys fancy-schmancy tea parties and curling up on the couch with a costume drama.

Connect with Susanne by visiting www.susannedietze.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

This book is one to treasure. Whether you’ve been with the series from the start or are ready to dive right in, this one will put Easter in your heart any time of year.