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By Fate's Design
She lived in a peaceful, sheltered world...
For most of her life, JoHannah Sims has lived among the gentle Shakers and wants nothing more than to remain with them. But her dreams are shattered when her guardian takes her from the community with the intention of selling her as a wife to the highest bidder. Sent to a neutral household to await this horrendous sentence, JoHannah finds her faith tested in ways she never imagined by handsome, worldly Michael Lawne.
Until a dangerous stranger awakened the fire in her soul.
From the moment he sees her, Michael knows he must have this untouchable beauty. He knows full well how to tempt JoHannah, how to make her want him and his world. But the tables are turned when she begins to tempt his spirit, his soul, and especially his heart, as no woman has ever done before. Chance brought two people from different worlds together. But will the hand of fate allow this forbidden love to survive?
For most of her life, JoHannah Sims has lived among the gentle Shakers and wants nothing more than to remain with them. But her dreams are shattered when her guardian takes her from the community with the intention of selling her as a wife to the highest bidder. Sent to a neutral household to await this horrendous sentence, JoHannah finds her faith tested in ways she never imagined by handsome, worldly Michael Lawne.
Until a dangerous stranger awakened the fire in her soul.
From the moment he sees her, Michael knows he must have this untouchable beauty. He knows full well how to tempt JoHannah, how to make her want him and his world. But the tables are turned when she begins to tempt his spirit, his soul, and especially his heart, as no woman has ever done before. Chance brought two people from different worlds together. But will the hand of fate allow this forbidden love to survive?
358 pages, Paperback
First published September 15, 1996
32 people want to read
About the author
Delia Parr
28 books129 followersDelia is the author of fifteen historical novels who now devotes herself to writing inspirational historical romance. The mother of three grown children, she is a full-time high school teacher in southern New Jersey who spends her summers writing on Anna Maria Island in Florida.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 18, 2017
There were a number of things with the potential to go very wrong with this book, and a number which could go right. I think it scraped rather through the middle. I suspect I mooched this as a travelling companion for another book, to lighten the postage load. I am not keen on "inspirational" writers when that means a heavy religious bent. (I have no complaint with being inspired by what I read, quite the contrary, but I've discovered that in this context this means heavily Christian). The saving grace (if I can be so bold with language) was that here the heroine was dedicated to a Shaker life. Having lived near some Shaker villages and having greatly admired their ingenuity and industriousness, as well as the heartstoppingly clever and beautiful sleekness of their designs, I was happy to read more about the Shaker life.
A community based on celibacy has something of a tragic flaw in its premise, and centering a romance novel on this is daring indeed. Of course the hero, of the World, had to be a true believer in Christian values to be worthy of the Believer willing to forsake her community and beliefs for the true beauty and goodness of human love. If that comment seems a wee bit overdone, like something that has accidentally gotten twice the sugar indicated in the recipe, well, we're on the right track. There too, there is the Evil Guardian, larger than life, and the Wicked Stepmother and Stepsister... Quite a bit of hand wringing. I was gnashing my teeth pretty much from the scene where the heroine, so distraught and unwilling to taint herself with matters of the World, blithely signs all papers pushed in front of her by the Evil Guardian -who she has always considered evil. Despite these aspects, the book lets itself be read. I probably would have gotten through it far quicker but as I was commuting I didn't want to take an "almost finished" book along.
A community based on celibacy has something of a tragic flaw in its premise, and centering a romance novel on this is daring indeed. Of course the hero, of the World, had to be a true believer in Christian values to be worthy of the Believer willing to forsake her community and beliefs for the true beauty and goodness of human love. If that comment seems a wee bit overdone, like something that has accidentally gotten twice the sugar indicated in the recipe, well, we're on the right track. There too, there is the Evil Guardian, larger than life, and the Wicked Stepmother and Stepsister... Quite a bit of hand wringing. I was gnashing my teeth pretty much from the scene where the heroine, so distraught and unwilling to taint herself with matters of the World, blithely signs all papers pushed in front of her by the Evil Guardian -who she has always considered evil. Despite these aspects, the book lets itself be read. I probably would have gotten through it far quicker but as I was commuting I didn't want to take an "almost finished" book along.
September 3, 2016
By Fate’s Design by Delia Parr
This book was a bit different for me because of the Shaker angle, however I enjoyed it.
The description of the book I am listing below is from the back jacket of the book. I'm adding it because I believe the one on the Goodreads page does not depict this story.
She lived in a peaceful, sheltered world...
For most of her life, JoHannah Sims has lived among the gentle Shakers and wants nothing more than to remain with them. But her dreams are shattered when her guardian takes her from the community with the intention of selling her as a wife to the highest bidder. Sent to a neutral household to await this horrendous sentence, JoHannah finds her faith tested in ways she never imagined by handsome, worldly Michael Lawne.
Until a dangerous stranger awakened the fire in her soul.
From the moment he sees her, Michael knows he must have this untouchable beauty. He knows full well how to tempt JoHannah, how to make her want him and his world. But the tables are turned when she begins to tempt his spirit, his soul, and especially his heart, as no woman has ever done before. Chance brought two people from different worlds together. But will the hand of fate allow this forbidden love to survive?
This book was a bit different for me because of the Shaker angle, however I enjoyed it.
The description of the book I am listing below is from the back jacket of the book. I'm adding it because I believe the one on the Goodreads page does not depict this story.
She lived in a peaceful, sheltered world...
For most of her life, JoHannah Sims has lived among the gentle Shakers and wants nothing more than to remain with them. But her dreams are shattered when her guardian takes her from the community with the intention of selling her as a wife to the highest bidder. Sent to a neutral household to await this horrendous sentence, JoHannah finds her faith tested in ways she never imagined by handsome, worldly Michael Lawne.
Until a dangerous stranger awakened the fire in her soul.
From the moment he sees her, Michael knows he must have this untouchable beauty. He knows full well how to tempt JoHannah, how to make her want him and his world. But the tables are turned when she begins to tempt his spirit, his soul, and especially his heart, as no woman has ever done before. Chance brought two people from different worlds together. But will the hand of fate allow this forbidden love to survive?
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews