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Alabama Brides
Alabama’s rich history comes alive through the eyes of three determined women, willing to take a leap of faith and risk all for love. Savannah learns that there’s more to home than a plot of land, as Dante searches for God’s answer to his dream. Tave’s love softens the heart of a wounded man, leading him to sacrifice everything for her. Victoria witnesses first hand God’s redemptive power in her family as He remakes her husband into the man of her dreams.
- GenresChristian Fiction
352 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2011
118 people want to read
About the author
Sandra Robbins
52 books89 followersLibrary of Congress Authorities:
Personal name heading:
Robbins, Sandra (Sandra S.)
Personal name heading:
Robbins, Sandra (Sandra S.)
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 10, 2015
Alabama Brides
I picked up this book for fifty cents from the HPB clearance section. As a young woman originally from Alabama, I saw the title and could not resist such a bargain. It turned out to be one of the best half dollar purchases I've ever made.
“The Columns of Cottonwood”
Our first story beings in Willow Bend, a small town near Selma on the Alabama River. The year is 1871, six years after the American Civil War, and, as history tells us to this day, tensions are still high. “Old times there are not forgotten.”
Our leading lady, Savannah Carmichael, is young and unfortunate. She has lost her immediate family and her home, save for an elderly aunt with whom she lives. Miss Carmichael could save her childhood plantation home but for her poverty. She cannot pay the taxes on her land and has not been able to do so for some years.
Our leading man, Dante Rinaldi, hails from Mobile. The son of Italian immigrants, upon his arrival in Willow Bend, he is considered an outsider. The townspeople are guarded not only because he is a stranger, but because of his Italian heritage. Chasing the American Dream, Dante purchases Miss Carmichael's childhood home, Cottonwood, for the small price of the back taxes.
Feeling betrayed, Savannah takes an immediate disliking to Dante, whom she faults for purchasing her home out from under her. Dante merely wants to make the land the beautiful and productive site it once was. Savannah and Dante must learn to work together to save the land they both love. Joining them in this struggle are a few tenant farmers, all antagonized by the foil, Savannah's former beau, Jonathan. Along their journey, they encounter joy, struggle, prejudice, hatred, heartbreak, and, finally, success.
Though some are subtle, this book discusses a few social issues: post-war civil rights and equality for former slaves; immigration and the perception of “real” Americans; and PTSD and other post-war psychological effects.
The prose is good and solid. I also applaud the use of time transitions from one chapter to the next. Some authors do not use these well. For example, one could merely say “Three months later.” However, Ms. Robbins uses colorful phrases that include description such as “Two weeks after Savannah heard . . .” [p. 36] and “Savannah could hardly believe that four months had passed since . . .” [p. 63] These tie the time passage to the story, instead of bluntly stating that time has passed, and I thoroughly enjoyed that. As I said, some authors just aren't good at it. Thankfully, Ms. Robbins is.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish it. I could not put it down. Thus, I knew I must give it a thorough review. Looking forward to the next two stories.
“Dinner at the St. James”
The second story of our trio returns us to Willow Bend approximately seven years after “The Columns of Cottonwood” ended.
Miss Tave Spencer, whose name is a spin on the name Octavia, is the local school teacher and friends with the heroin of our last story, Savannah. Tave and her father, Dr. Spencer, moved to Willow Bend some years back from Knoxville, Tennessee, not long after Tave's mother passed away. Needless to say, even thirteen years after the Civil War has ended, people's minds have not changed much. Dr. Spencer and his daughter often have issues with their fellow townspeople because of it.
Daniel Luckett is a young man with many heartaches in his past, and, in classic fashion, he's dragging around the baggage of it to date. When an unfortunate accident lands him in Willow Bend under Dr. Spencer's medical care, aided by Tave's part-time nursing skills, things begin to change for Daniel. To the world, he is an upstanding young man, but the pain in his heart prevents him from knowing God.
Tave and Daniel fall in love, as expected, but Daniel's lack of faith - in God and himself - throw up a roadblock at the outset. The paths of both main characters will shift before their issues are resolved. This story shows that sometimes God answers with “It's not 'no.' It's just not now.”
As I said before, Ms. Robbins uses time transitions very well, and this story has a lot of them. It covers a lot of time, much more than the first story, so the transitions are definitely appreciated.
Honestly, I didn't enjoy this one as much as “Cottonwood,” but I did still enjoy it. I liked how (as you will see), Daniel's life does almost a complete 180 turn, and the blessings and love just keep flowing. Looking forward to the last story. From the cover, it promises to be interesting.
“Blues Along the River”
The third story returns us once again to Willow Bend.
Victoria Turner and her mother arrive in Willow Bend from Mobile, and Victoria is not too happy about it. That is until she steps off the riverboat and runs into Marcus Raines. She is smitten with him from the start.
As he is with her. Marcus Raines is the wealthiest plantation owner in the county. He was raised by a strict father under strict rule and has very set and old-fashioned notions about many things. On top of that, he neither attends church nor has ever considered God.
Victoria and Marcus begin a short courtship which turns into marriage. Their friends are concerned that they shouldn't rush into things, and they soon begin to see why. This leads to the question, “Can a marriage between a complete nonbeliever and a faithful churchgoer whose faith could be stronger last?”
I didn't hate this story, but it wasn't my favorite either. It did provide insight into what can happen when we marry people who do not share the same ideals and religious beliefs.
Synopsis
Overall, these are very well written inspirational stories. The first one was my favorite, but I could see them all turning into a short 3 movie miniseries or some such. If Christian romance is your thing, I recommend this, especially if you're from Alabama.
I picked up this book for fifty cents from the HPB clearance section. As a young woman originally from Alabama, I saw the title and could not resist such a bargain. It turned out to be one of the best half dollar purchases I've ever made.
“The Columns of Cottonwood”
Our first story beings in Willow Bend, a small town near Selma on the Alabama River. The year is 1871, six years after the American Civil War, and, as history tells us to this day, tensions are still high. “Old times there are not forgotten.”
Our leading lady, Savannah Carmichael, is young and unfortunate. She has lost her immediate family and her home, save for an elderly aunt with whom she lives. Miss Carmichael could save her childhood plantation home but for her poverty. She cannot pay the taxes on her land and has not been able to do so for some years.
Our leading man, Dante Rinaldi, hails from Mobile. The son of Italian immigrants, upon his arrival in Willow Bend, he is considered an outsider. The townspeople are guarded not only because he is a stranger, but because of his Italian heritage. Chasing the American Dream, Dante purchases Miss Carmichael's childhood home, Cottonwood, for the small price of the back taxes.
Feeling betrayed, Savannah takes an immediate disliking to Dante, whom she faults for purchasing her home out from under her. Dante merely wants to make the land the beautiful and productive site it once was. Savannah and Dante must learn to work together to save the land they both love. Joining them in this struggle are a few tenant farmers, all antagonized by the foil, Savannah's former beau, Jonathan. Along their journey, they encounter joy, struggle, prejudice, hatred, heartbreak, and, finally, success.
Though some are subtle, this book discusses a few social issues: post-war civil rights and equality for former slaves; immigration and the perception of “real” Americans; and PTSD and other post-war psychological effects.
The prose is good and solid. I also applaud the use of time transitions from one chapter to the next. Some authors do not use these well. For example, one could merely say “Three months later.” However, Ms. Robbins uses colorful phrases that include description such as “Two weeks after Savannah heard . . .” [p. 36] and “Savannah could hardly believe that four months had passed since . . .” [p. 63] These tie the time passage to the story, instead of bluntly stating that time has passed, and I thoroughly enjoyed that. As I said, some authors just aren't good at it. Thankfully, Ms. Robbins is.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish it. I could not put it down. Thus, I knew I must give it a thorough review. Looking forward to the next two stories.
“Dinner at the St. James”
The second story of our trio returns us to Willow Bend approximately seven years after “The Columns of Cottonwood” ended.
Miss Tave Spencer, whose name is a spin on the name Octavia, is the local school teacher and friends with the heroin of our last story, Savannah. Tave and her father, Dr. Spencer, moved to Willow Bend some years back from Knoxville, Tennessee, not long after Tave's mother passed away. Needless to say, even thirteen years after the Civil War has ended, people's minds have not changed much. Dr. Spencer and his daughter often have issues with their fellow townspeople because of it.
Daniel Luckett is a young man with many heartaches in his past, and, in classic fashion, he's dragging around the baggage of it to date. When an unfortunate accident lands him in Willow Bend under Dr. Spencer's medical care, aided by Tave's part-time nursing skills, things begin to change for Daniel. To the world, he is an upstanding young man, but the pain in his heart prevents him from knowing God.
Tave and Daniel fall in love, as expected, but Daniel's lack of faith - in God and himself - throw up a roadblock at the outset. The paths of both main characters will shift before their issues are resolved. This story shows that sometimes God answers with “It's not 'no.' It's just not now.”
As I said before, Ms. Robbins uses time transitions very well, and this story has a lot of them. It covers a lot of time, much more than the first story, so the transitions are definitely appreciated.
Honestly, I didn't enjoy this one as much as “Cottonwood,” but I did still enjoy it. I liked how (as you will see), Daniel's life does almost a complete 180 turn, and the blessings and love just keep flowing. Looking forward to the last story. From the cover, it promises to be interesting.
“Blues Along the River”
The third story returns us once again to Willow Bend.
Victoria Turner and her mother arrive in Willow Bend from Mobile, and Victoria is not too happy about it. That is until she steps off the riverboat and runs into Marcus Raines. She is smitten with him from the start.
As he is with her. Marcus Raines is the wealthiest plantation owner in the county. He was raised by a strict father under strict rule and has very set and old-fashioned notions about many things. On top of that, he neither attends church nor has ever considered God.
Victoria and Marcus begin a short courtship which turns into marriage. Their friends are concerned that they shouldn't rush into things, and they soon begin to see why. This leads to the question, “Can a marriage between a complete nonbeliever and a faithful churchgoer whose faith could be stronger last?”
I didn't hate this story, but it wasn't my favorite either. It did provide insight into what can happen when we marry people who do not share the same ideals and religious beliefs.
Synopsis
Overall, these are very well written inspirational stories. The first one was my favorite, but I could see them all turning into a short 3 movie miniseries or some such. If Christian romance is your thing, I recommend this, especially if you're from Alabama.
April 25, 2025
was going to read it during trip to Alabama but we stayed busy so had to wait Was/Would have been great trip book light reading three historical romances that connect but are not to long all take place in Alabama along the river
October 9, 2013
I loved the first two stories!!!! ;) the last one was just ok at the beginning but the ending was pretty good. I loved Daniel and Dante and their stories!! ;) I pretty much fell in love with them both.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews