Come Gentle Spring

Where Morning Dawns #2

by Irene Brand

"There's nothing to do but send you out of the country as quickly as possible."

She was born to be a queen, reared in luxury and manipulated by male relatives for their own welfare. But when her nobility, her wealth, her family, and her future were taken away by a cruel twist of fate, Hayley Douglas was left to her own devices -- and her faith in God. Sent from her native England to spare her life, she found herself in colonial Virginia, a strange land where she was without friends, family, or fortune. Almost before she had time to ponder what would become of her, once more a man took over her life.

But Philip Lawrence was not like the men she had known in England. A true son of the new land, he asked nothing of her she was unwilling to give. He gave her those things she was unable to ask for but desperately needed -- protection, a home, a sense of belonging, a future. And most of all, he gave her his love.

Genres: Romance

201 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

In a writing career spanning three decades, Irene has won numerous awards and published 45 books that have sold more than two million copies. Irene primarily writes inspirational romances, but she has also published nonfiction books, devotional materials, and magazine articles. Before she became a full-time writer, Irene taught for 23 years in public schools. Her other passions include traveling (she has visited all 50 states and 35 foreign countries) and history (she holds a Master’s Degree in the subject). Her published titles include Where Morning Dawns, Listen to Your Heart, and the Kentucky Brides collection. Irene is an active member of her church and is affiliated with several writing organizations. She is a lifelong resident of West Virginia, where she lives with her husband, Rod.

Reviews

[Julianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed for THC Reviews
I'm fairly certain that Come Gentle Spring is another re-read from my teen years. Although I didn't remember the story before beginning, there were several moments where I felt a sense of deja vu. It takes place in Colonial America near the settlement of Jamestown close to thirty years after the events of Where Morning Dawns, and is a next generation story following the sons of Maggie and Towaye the hero and heroine of that book. In my opinion, there aren't nearly enough Colonial set romances, so I really appreciated that aspect of the book. It also explores some of the tensions between the white settlers and the Indians during that time period. It appears that the author did her homework when writing the book, as I felt like I had been transported back in time and could see the little cabin and tobacco fields near the banks of the James River. Much like its predecessor, Come Gentle Spring, it is another speculative story, this time concerning a legend which had Mary, Queen of Scots secretly giving birth to a daughter who grew up in a convent in France.

Hayley is the granddaughter of Mary, Queen of Scots through that legendary child, so she has lived the life of royalty, being pampered and well-educated. Her family had in mind to someday usurp the throne of England and make her queen, but when their plotting places her life in danger, she is sent to the New World for her own safety. Upon her arrival in the Virgina Colony, Hayley is so ill as to be virtually incoherent, and ends up in an accidental marriage of convenience with the hero, Philip. She had been rather tired of all the men in her life always calling the shots and her simply having to obey. When she finally wakes up, she is afraid that it is going to be just the same with Philip, but is pleasantly surprised to find that he treats her as an equal partner in their marriage. Much to her embarrassment, Hayley doesn't have any idea how to cook, clean, or do any of the chores associated with frontier life, but she was a quick study. I liked that in spite of her coddled background, she never acted spoiled and was a determined woman who wanted to be “useful” to Philip. I liked Hayley a little better than Maggie from Where Morning Dawns, but much like her mother-in-law had done with Towaye in that story, Hayley also avoids sharing Philip's bed for a long time, even though in this case, they were legally married, and Philip was making his interest pretty clear. This was slightly frustrating, but not quite as bad as in the first book, partly because I didn't feel like it was as big a part of the story and partly because it did make some sense since they were complete strangers to each other at first.

Just like Towaye, Philip was a wonderful hero who embodied a lot of his father's personality while embracing his mother's culture. He's very determined to build his own tobacco plantation that he hopes to grow into a legacy to leave to his children. Right from the start, he was kind to Hayley, taking care of her when others probably would have left her to die. He even gave up his only means of hiring a servant to help build his plantation and married Hayley when he had no intention of taking a wife right then, just so the Jamestown officials would allow him to take her to his mother to nurse her back to health. Philip was a very understanding man in more ways than one. He sensed that she wasn't familiar with menial labor and took it all in stride never expecting too much from her and helping her out until she learned everything. He also completely comprehended Hayley's reluctance to sleep with him and was more than willing to wait until a “great love” blossomed between them. It was a little odd and again frustrating, that when Hayley finally came around, Philip was the one who started being reticent. Thankfully, it didn't take long for his reasons to be revealed and when they were, I think I liked him all the more, because he turned out to be much more observant and intuitive than I would have imagined. My favorite thing about Philip though was how he brushed Hayley's hair every night before bed. It was such a gentle, intimate gesture that I thought spoke volumes about the kindhearted man he was.

One thing I really appreciated about this book is that the author didn't rely on the tired, overused cliché of inspirational romances in which one of the two main characters doesn't know God. In this case, both Philip and Hayley already had a well-established faith when the story opens, so it leans more toward the inspirational message of trusting God through difficult circumstances rather than feeling preachy. There is a continuation of the culture war from the first book though, because in spite of being mixed heritage, Philip has chosen to live the English way, while is brother, Saponi, has chosen the Indian way. In some ways, I felt like the author was giving more of a preference to the English way, due to Saponi's hatred of all things English and the fact that he and other Indian characters were primary antagonists. However, I wasn't quite as bothered by it as I might have been, because the reality of the time was that some Indians did disdain the English and their ways and often attacked settlers, even those who were trying to be at peace with them. Also, Philip ran into some prejudices of his own from the Jamestown residents in the beginning and later from others in the area when he decided to run for a seat in the House of Burgesses. I also enjoyed seeing Maggie and Towaye so many years after the end of their own story, and that they were still completely in love. It helped to solidify their HEA which hadn't been quite as perfect as I would have liked to see when their book ended. Overall, Come Gentle Spring was an easy read that I found to be pretty enjoyable, and a good wrap-up to this duet. I'll be looking forward to trying some of Irene Brand's other works now too.

[J.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I still enjoyed this book very much, but it doesn't measure up to the first one in the series. The early-American history is excellent though, and the story brings you right into the Jamestown settlement.