Clara's Promise

by Shirley Hailstock

At 15, Clara married a man 20 years her senior, and settled in to help him run his farm and raise his kids. At 21, she ran away from the unhappy marriage and headed for Montana to start anew. There, she meets Luke Evans, a struggling widower. It will take courage, desire and one unusual matchmaker to help Luke and Clara let go of the past and hold on to each other.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, African American Romance

Paperback

First published June 1, 1995

About the author

Shirley Hailstock loves reading. She'd like nothing better than to find a corner in the library and get lost in a book, explore new worlds and visit places she never expected to see. Now as an author, she can not only visit those places, but she can be the heroine of her own stories.

A past president of Romance Writers of America, Shirley began her writing career on a dare. Taking a year to complete her first manuscript, the writing bug bit her and she discovered telling stories of love and adventure was what she wanted to spend her life doing.

Reviews

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, love how this was written!! The author’s writing style kept me captivated from page 1! I need more historical fiction like this in my life! I’m so glad the publishers curated two lists of recommendations specifically for romances by and about black people and featuring black characters in the back of the book! I plan to try to thrift each of them!

[Dei Cowen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I initially read this story over 20 years ago when I was in high school. I was loaned this book by a classmate and I'd wanted to reread it for quite sometime, so I purchased a used copy from off line. Re-reading it was like the first time. Clara and Luke didn't realize how much they each need one another to not only heal but to survive through life.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll admit -- I bought this book for the cover. Saying that, it was actually a well-done historical romance set in Montana in 1899 with one of my favorite plot devices, the marriage of convenience.

[Karly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a lovely book! I was lucky enough to find a signed copy with the inscription, “Love builds a house and Luke and Clara live there” which I find aptly describes this book. Luke is a builder and a large portion of the book focuses on the house he’s building for himself as a prominent setting. This book kept my attention the entire time even though it was centered around Clara’s days spent in Montana as she settles into a new life. Both Luke and Clara have their struggles, and it’s wonderful to see the ways they come together to support and heal each other from their respective pasts. I also liked the social dynamics and struggles Clara had to face when settling in a small town. Word travels fast and she needs to maintain a good reputation in order to continue to be able to teach.

*Spoilers below!*



Although I really enjoyed this book, I felt that things wrapped up a bit too perfectly which felt unrealistic. Clara’s husband conveniently dying after they agreed to get their marriage annulled didn’t sit right with me. Especially since she took in his kids and became a single mother of 4 which obviously caused a rift between her and Luke since he doesn’t want kids. Coupled with the fact that Luke is building a 7 bedroom home for himself for the duration of the book, giving Clara 4 kids + however many they have together just worked out too well. I wish Clara’s husband would’ve gotten the chance to marry his true love back home before his sudden death.

5 ⭐️