Who Brings Forth the Wind

Kensington Chronicles #3

by Lori Wick

Tanner Richardson, the volatile duke of Cambridge, sees his wife with another man. Misinterpreting the situation, he erupts in rage and throws her and their unborn baby out. Tanner’s anger smolders—until the night he is shot….

Genres: Christian Fiction, Christian, Romance, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Christian Romance, Historical

Paperback

First published June 1, 1994

About the author

FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Lori Wick is known as one of the most versatile Christian fiction writers on the market today. From pioneer fiction to a series set in Victorian England to a contemporary novel, Lori's books (over 5 million in print) continue to delight readers and top the Christian bestselling fiction list. Lori and her husband, Bob, live in Wisconsin with "the three coolest kids in the world."

Reviews

[Vintage · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very Christian book. Very.

Due to a combination of a shy personality as well as embracing Christ half way through the book, the heroine bows down to virtually every character in the book with the exception of her suspiciously well spoke toddler son. Her inability to stand up for herself to her overbearing, manipulative aunt, her hateful and distrustful husband even extends to the nasty servants and is attributed to her Christian grace. Her concept of grace and humility sets her up as a doormat. Not my idea of grace even in the Victorian era.

The husband is true to the time which makes him very difficult to read in 2020, even this 2020. He sees a situation he misunderstands and sends his wife out pretty much in the cold. She ends up back with her blind grandfather, heartsick and pregnant. She sends a letter once a week to this worthless cad and prays her husband will wake up. He does not.

Three years later she ends back in London with her loving but manipulative aunt. The H finds her and ships her off to the estate where she’s treated like the lowliest governess by the servants. As a Duchess she can’t find the backbone to stand up to the servants for little things like better meals, a bigger fire or the right to take her son in the garden. I found myself yelling at my laptop when the butler gave her his second side eye in the book. You are a Duchess!

Another issue that bothered me was the vast number of nobles in Victorian England that acted like Jesus Christ was a newfangled invention. I think the Church of England discusses Jesus just a little bit, and some of them had to have read some of the Bible or at least listened to one sermon?

I persevered as the writing was good, but ultimately this book defeated me. Prayer is a great thing, but passively hoping things will get better with a man that treats you like dirt is depressing. The hero finally gets a clue, but his behavior for the majority of the book is petty and atrocious and probably exactly what would have happened in real life. I like my fiction fictional. Need I mention a grovel? No, it was more like a Pardon me darling.

My grandmother was a hardcore Baptist (she liked the Vatican but thought it was a little too Catholic) and sent me more than a few Christian books growing up. Some of the better ones were Cassie & Ike, about a young Quaker couple, I Heard the Owl Call My Name, Tisha: The Story of a Young Teacher in the Alaskan Wilderness, and Mrs. Mike, all more enjoyable than this one.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cool book. I stayed up way to late reading this 2 nights in a row telling myself just a little more, but as with all the Lori Wick books I've read there's always something that happens to make you want to read 'just a little more...'. This is a great story.

[Sadi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can not say that Tanner Richardson is to my liking. I ended up liking this story, though. Stacy is a strong, defiant, capable woman. Truly remarkable. I really like that they fall in love, but I do not like the way Tanner treated her, he didnt give her a chance.I do understand though with the way his ex-wife Leslie treated him. That does not give him an excuse to do it. He eventually grew on me. I love the last parts when they truly are in love again.

[Shantelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

While there were some positive aspects, overall "Who Brings Forth the Wind" by Lori Wick just wasn't for me.

It was painful to read at times. Tanner was an insufferable fool for most of the book. He was obsessive, controlling, and irrational, and I'm not sure that a man with that kind of behavior should be considered safe. This book maybe gives the wrong idea of how a situation like that would play out. I don't know. *shrugs*

Stacy was often childlike in her behavior. And Tanner acted like a boorish father in the way he demanded of her.

There are my quick thoughts.

[Maria · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not sure where to start with this train wreck of a book. It was confusing, disjointed, and poorly researched.

The hero, Tanner, and heroine, Stacy, seem to fall in love with just a glance across the ballroom, and after he says a few rude things to her, she starts pining after him. Then after virtually no time spent with each other, he thinks himself in love with her but only wants her for a mistress. After she falls from a horse and he looks upon her tenderly (seriously?), he realizes he must marry her (huh?).

So they get married. For a while things are okay, but then at a house party we are introduced to some random guy who is creepily in love with Stacy despite the fact that he's never met her and grew up in a different country. Of course they end up alone together (totally socially unacceptable for the time) and he throws himself at her and she's too dumb to run away. Then of course Tanner finds them and even though he sees Stacy struggling to get away from this random guy, Tanner thinks the worst has happened (even though everyone is fully dressed) and sends Stacy away from him. All this because he's still haunted by the fact that his first wife cheated on him. There are so many problems with this situation I don't even know where to start. How about Tanner acting like a grown up and giving his wife a chance to explain? How about Stacy growing a backbone and explaining the situation to her husband? How about her showing him the bruises on her wrist to help explain whose fault it was?

Half the book seems written in past tense, and half seems written in present tense. It hops around from situation to situation, changing perspectives from character to character, which made the story disjointed and hard to follow. I'm okay with changing perspectives between characters, I normally love getting inside the head of more than one character, as it adds depth to the story. But in this book the author flipped and flopped around every few paragraphs, between characters, situations, and past and present tense and it was all too much.

The conversations are unrealistic, and nobody seems to know how to communicate! Anytime something important is about to be said, there is an interruption by a servant or a guest or a child. The reader is told important conversations happen, instead of actually getting to read said conversations. Characters are thrown into the story with no explanation of who they are or why they need to be there.

For an author who has written so many historical books, I would expect a better knowledge of the customs and social rules of the time in which the book is set. The biggest of these is that the characters always referred to each other by their Christian names, rather than Miss/Mr./Mrs., which was a big social taboo during this time period. Not to mention the lack of proper use of titles for all the Dukes and Duchesses in the story.

Surprisingly, I took the time to finish this book, as it seemed to be a train wreck I couldn't look away from. I can't believe this book has received so many positive reviews.

[Rachel Iturralde · Rating 1 out of 5]

This story (which I read and enjoyed as a teenager and reread recently) is filled to the brim with a MC who is a Mary Sue and a romantic interest who is almost (if not outright) abusive. It goes about the story with the idea that "she can change him."
Aside from that, she is very submissive and doesn't really have any personality aside from later in the story when she has her son.
In the end, it romanticizes abusive relationships and the idea that the man can be changed if a woman is kind and gentle enough.
Please don't read this book.

[Tiffany Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another of my all-time favorites and one I've read a few times. This book is about a country girl who goes to visit her aunt in London and falls in love. A misunderstanding ensues and she moves back to the country. You root for her husband to realize the truth. Very good book!

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

can't she get a backbone? Plus, someone really needs to start sharing info with everyone else. AND Tanner needs to just be slapped. Spoiled brat!

[Annamaria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I give this book 4.2 out of 5. Rating breakdown as follows:

Characters were quite realistic and believable, very good character development. 4.5 out of 5 because they were a little "choppy" for lack of a better word...they weren't as nuanced as I would have liked them.

Plot--3.5 out of 5--- There were some parts where I rolled my eyes, like when Tanner doesn't make any effort to see Stacy for 3 years and then suddenly realizes he wants her to move back...The way Lucinda manages to "hide" Stacy, the fact that Tanner manages to avoid seeing his son for 3 years...

The book was interesting, emotionally compelling, was hard to put down once I got into the story. 5 out of 5

Language, 3 out of 5, was ok but lacked the style, humor, special words and/or expressions that would have placed the story in its historical setting, it read too "modern".

Moral rating--5 out of 5 --inspiring how Stacy's belief in Christ and gentle, consistent, unselfish love managed to win over Tanner, help him trust and eventually love her.

[Judine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much like "The Pursuit," the book was flawless until the epilogue, for once again she tried to wrap up too much. The novel was concluded 15 to 20 years prior to the events of the epilogue, and the intermarriages of the two key noble families (something she often uses) wore a bit thin. However, Stacy is my favorite heroine (after Meg) in this series because she's the most "real."

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly my favorite Wick book, and that's saying something.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this book... I found myself getting so into the storyline that I accidentally yelled at one of the characters and woke my hubby up! LOL

[Janelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

reminds me the most of secular romance, but not explicit--

[Kelly Heslip · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite of the series.

[Audra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably my second favorite after Hawk and the Jewel! I love that it isn't the typical romance with the perfect guy.

[99Kylies · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are much, much better Lori Wick books out there. The actual culture of Victorian England and its Cultural Christianity seems to be virtually ignored to make it more palatable and relatable for current audiences, and the one attempt at apologetics begins and ends with 'Isn't this true about the bible?' 'No, I've found that it's not in my readings' without any kind of actual backing up. There is so much interesting stuff to be said and talked about in regards to cultural Christianity and how it looks to be a born again Christian in that environment, but once again I find that Lori Wick is far, far better at contemporary stories. Just read Sophie's Heart or Pretense if you want a Lori Wick book. If you want books that tackle being a Christian in Victorian Era, look at Lamplighter's books.

As for characters....Honestly, I get that Tanner was meant to be some capricious, traumatized storm of a man, but he just came off as doing whatever the plot needed with paper thin motives and, if his motives are taken at face value, I just kinda hated him. Stacy had 'I'm Too Good' syndrome, with her greatest flaw being that she was...Too eager to please those around her and didn't stand up for herself. Something that was automatically fixed as soon as she had a child. Side characters were fine.

Also this is the third in a series. Which I completely missed until all the sudden a random side character was like 'this is our family tree btw' and I realized it probably fed into a larger universe. Can absolutely be read as a stand alone book. Don't intend to read any of the other books.

Seriously, go read Sophie's Heart or something, again, Lori Wick can write SO GOOD. And I do love that she isn't afraid to take someone's entire life to spill out a story, which she does kinda do in this book.

[Brooke · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was a tough read, but the story was captivating. 2.5 stars.

Stacey, the main character, is both too familiar and too unbelievable. She's perfectly innocent, docile, and kind. Everything just happens to her, and she resigns herself to this "whatever will be, will be" attitude. She makes almost no defense for herself, none of her many friends speak on her behalf either, and she endures it all with a detached stoicism that keeps her at arm's length even from the reader.

Her love interest, Tanner, treats her abominably. My extreme disgust for Tanner's behavior and continued neglect kept me turning the pages as much as anything else. I was certainly triggered.

Stacey does eventually set a boundary and stand up for herself, but she makes it clear that even the slightest indication of interest from Tanner would set things right. Stacey leaps to forgiveness and trust with great relief and without truly working through the conflict. It felt less like an ending and more like one more rotation in the cycle of their dysfunction. Of course, the epilogue makes it clear that this was not the case, but that's the author's decision to bring the story to a pat conclusion.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a reread for me. I read this series in my teenage years and remember loving the series as a whole. But as I started this one again, I began to remember that I didn’t care as much for this particular book. Most of the book is about a troubled marriage and it’s not really a romance. Our main character’s husband is really terrible and his actions could be viewed as jealous, obsessive and controlling (even abusive at times). I really appreciated the faith aspects and how God can change even the hardest of hearts. If you stick it out, the ending is very satisfying.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Content: I give this a PG-13 rating. Content: someone’s wife committed adultery: a woman’s late husband was unfaithful to her; a man thinks about having a mistress; an allusion to a man who visited his wife in the bedroom and was not tender with her when he did; characters drink alcohol; someone becomes drunk; the main character has a stalker and he tries to sexually assault her; it’s intimated that a married couple sleeps together.

[Jon D · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's worth noting that the description for this book is false. When Tanner throws his wife out, neither of them know she's pregnant. Also, he doesn't get shot until nearly the end of the book. -I- thought that perhaps the dude who tries to steal the heroine away would shoot the husband and then through his recovery he'd like, grow as a person, but that's very much not the case.

Hero is a total douchebag who treats his wife like dung on the bottom of his shoe. Everyone sees it but the only one who seems to give a darn is the heroine's great aunt, who endured spousal abuse herself. But when the aunt tries to protect the heroine from her man-child of a husband, they treat the aunt like she's some sort of crazy manipulator with bad intentions.

All the religious stuff is treated with the subtlety of a brick through a window. I read a good bit of Christian romance and even still, every time someone started preaching I had to roll my eyes and skip a few paragraphs.

Read this if you like Heroes who deserve a good smack in the mouth but never get one, I guess.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This third book of the Kensington Chronicles was a well written and entertaining historical Christian romance novel with a thread of suspense towards the end. The character development was great for both Stacy and Tanner. I liked how Tanner came to understand how he'd wronged Stacy well before becoming a Christian too; it wouldn't have fit his character arc as well if he'd had a conversation too soon. This novel was honestly my favorite one of the series possibly in part because several of the main characters from the first novel play a fairly active role in this story too, which ties the first and third books of the series closely to each other while the other two books are rather disconnected from them. In fact, due to the epilogue at the end of the book, I wondered where the fourth book would be going. Anyhow, in this novel, actually in the whole series, I appreciated how important being a Christian and trusting God was to the plot. Overall, I really enjoyed both this novel as well as the rest of the series.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed Who Brings Forth the Wind by Lori Wick, but I have to say Tanner drove me absolutely crazy. His behavior — leaving his wife and not even listening to her — felt immature and, honestly, really frustrating. I also really dislike the miscommunication trope, and unfortunately, this book leaned on it a bit too much for my taste.

I loved the first half of the book, especially how Lori Wick interprets the gospel and weaves it into the story. I also appreciated Stacey leading her children in the ways of the Lord — those moments were really inspiring.

After the baby was born, though, the story lost some of its spark for me, and I felt a bit “iffy” about it. Overall, it was a good read, but Tanner’s immaturity and the miscommunication issues made it hard to fully enjoy. 3 stars.

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Fantastic writing! It isn’t often in the world of Christian historical fiction that you see the character share their love of God and draw others to Him. I just loved that about this book! High drama - so it had imperfect people learning from their mistakes. One of the things that kept making me laugh out loud, was how hungry our heroin always was. Throughout the book she seemed to be quite famished. There was a time or two where it was understandable, but I kept thinking if she has curves now there’s going to be more than curves soon! Lol seriously though, I loved that she was tall and not tiny and dainty like many authors make women from this time period. Just loved it!

[Christina Sinisi · Rating 4 out of 5]

My local used bookstore is closing (so sad) and I had almost $200 worth of credit in books saved up. So, I stuffed three bags full of books--and got one that I'd already read.

When I started reading this book, I remembered the heroine right away--the rest of the plot not so much. I never really fell for the hero--too dictatorial for me, even if he was a duke--but the heroine was amazing. She sets up the role model for a Christian woman, even before she fully committed to the Lord.

So, yes, I recommend this book--just be prepared to be challenged in your own walk.

Which is always a good thing.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, and it was especially gratifying to see the life changes some of the characters made. I had trouble liking Lucinda the entire time, and admired Stacy more and more as the plot progressed. Tanner's actions were frustrating at times, but the conclusion was satisfying and believable in my opinion. It is not my favorite Lori Wick book, but I doubt that she is capable of writing a bad one. Christian Historical fiction fans will enjoy it immensely. Part of it does deal with abuse, so be aware of that.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
I found it hard to get into this book initially, but once I saw how the characters related to others from the series, I did enjoy it. There were a lot of ups and downs in this, a lot of twists and turns which I enjoyed. It was tense on times but other times quite funny & lighthearted. I did feel though that it jumped quite a bit, 2 months, then a few years and more towards the end, but overall a nice read. I liked the character developments in this for both Stacey and Tanner. I own this on kindle.

[Dianne Sidebottom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stacy and Tanner's plus Roddy and Lucinda's story. the story maybe a little old in age but still relevant to reprint.
Previous characters continue in this story series.
The character servant Price, I'm not sure about him (really). Then there were passages I asked," where's the doctor or herbalist?"
God's timing and salvation (people choose but we hope). Reminding me in scripture verses and story my season's journey that God hasn't forsaken or left me .

[Anne Boyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who Brings Forth the Wind Review

This is a must read for all who believe in prayer. It tells a story of how a poor girl overcame many obstacles in her life married to a man of wealth who had a bad previous marriage. His attitude was that all women were liars.. She lives her life in fear of his anger, but never gave up. In the end, after over twenty years God answered her. Wonderful book.

[Reileigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it was a great book! There were a lot of plot twist and I quite enjoyed it. The book was beautifully written and had a good story line. However as mentioned in other comments, I did not like the way Tanner treated her. I understand he had a ruff past and it impacted his trust moving forward. However I feel he over reacted but it made for a great book. However I was annoyed hadn’t tried very hard to explain what happened, but as I said makes for a great book.

[A.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book frustrates me and yet keeps me invested in the characters. I was they would communicate better, but that was their problem. I also don't agree with the aunts decision to allow Tanner to marry Stacy, as he made it clear he was after her for lustful reasons. However, they were not Christians so they may not have viewed it as such. All in all, it is a good book and I have read it three times.

[~*Arian’Rîn the Dragonelf*~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

As much as it pains me to say it - I couldn’t stand this book. Tanner was a manipulative emotional abuser, and Stacy was a bland doormat. Being a Christian doesn’t mean you just stand there and let everyone in your life walk all over you. Turning the other cheek doesn’t mean you become a martyr to the people that should love and take care of you. What a terrible way to end a wonderful series (I know this is book 3 in the series, but I saved it for last because it sounded the least interesting of the 4). This just makes me sad and angry too. The book hasn’t aged well that’s for sure.