Second Chance Bride by Jane Myers Perrine
Reviewed by Ellen Watkins
Annie MacAllister has never had a second chance in her life. Until now. And when she finally escapes the horrible existence she’s been forced into, she grabs it. Because Annie is, above all, a survivor. And once she comes into her own, she discovers a faith in her soul that she never knew existed. Annie becomes a schoolteacher in a small Texas town in 1885. Her second chance takes her into a wonderful world that she has never known, and she works hard to be worthy of it. She learns, she teaches, and her innate goodness earns her the love of the town and the people she serves. One of those people is John Sullivan.
John is a member of the school board, who has hired Annie sight unseen, and entrusts the children of the community to her care. John is a good man, but his respect for his heritage has led him to become a man he thinks is worthy of his history, without looking into his heart, his feelings, his faith. Annie is so afraid of men in general that she fights her feelings for John. He is so caught up in his history that he’s slow to come to recognize his feelings for Annie. But when he finally realizes that he loves Annie, she is able to admit that she’s loved him almost since they first met. Annie’s faith comes to her quickly, as a revelation, a luxury allowed after living so long just to survive. John’s faith comes later, as a surprise to him, allowing him to be himself and not only the man his history expects. But Annie has secrets, and she’s kept them. Until she can’t.
A secret that must be kept, a precious kitten, a terrible prairie fire on the Texas plain, an unwelcome visitor from the past: all these things come together to create the crucible that make Annie and John finally realize that their love is forever. They also make Jane Myers Perrine’s story unforgettable. I can say only this: Jane gets better with every book.
