Darling Cassidy: A Heart Adrift Finds a Place to Dwell in This Romantic Story

Kansas Home #1

by Tracey Victoria Bateman

Staring at the notice, Cassidy Sinclair can't believe she is even considering the offer. What kind of man would be so desperate as to advertise for a wife? Then again, what other options does she have? With her parents and brother dead, she has no family left besides an orphaned seven-year-old niece. They have no home and no money, and there are no jobs available for a thirty-five-year-old spinster in a frontier Kansas town. When she agrees to meet Wendell St. John III, Cassidy has no idea of the adventure she is about to face. The needs of a guilt-stricken widower and his four motherless children, as well as the dangers of life on a prairie ranch, will challenge her faith as nothing else has. Will the pain of her new family's past haunt Cassidy's future? Or will she ultimately find the love for which she has always yearned?

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

275 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Tracey Bateman is also published as Tracey Cross, is the Christy award-winning author of more than thirty titles and has nearly a million books in print. She lives in Missouri's Ozarks with her husband and four children.

also published under the name Tracey Bateman

Reviews

[Marlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: This is a duplicate review, which I recently posted within my review of the soon-to-be-released Brides of Kansas, which I received through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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I had previously read only one title by Tracey Bateman, to which I gave a rare five star rating. (See my review of A Love So Tender.) I was happy to try this author again and ultimately enjoyed the story!

Side note: Tracey Bateman can also be found on Goodreads under the names Tracey Victoria Bateman, Victoria Bateman, and Tracey Cross.

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4 1/2 stars

Darling Cassidy (2000, Heartsong Presents)
First in the Kansas Home series by Tracey Bateman,
Set in Council Grove & Harper, Kansas in 1868

When 35-year-old Cassidy Sinclair’s brother died a few months ago, she became her seven-year-old niece’s guardian. Cassidy’s brother’s farm was sold to pay off debt, and Cassidy is now desperate to find a way to provide for little Emily. She finds a wanted ad that might be the answer to their needs. “Woman of Marriageable Age and Status: Must Love Children.”

Christian elements:

*“She had to be sure God was behind this. Enough miseries occurred in the world when people jumped into things just because an idea sounded good.”

*“Take your time, and come back when the Lord releases you.”

I think Ms. Bateman does a great job of showing how God can be front and center in our lives.

What I liked:

*The sense of unease that I would expect in a marriage of convenience between two virtual strangers was well portrayed.

*Marital intimacy was an integral part of the plot. I was really surprised to see this in a former Heartsong book. It was done extremely well. There was nothing to “see,” but it was (tastefully) a topic of conversation frequently, so I would not recommend this book for teens. The door does stay firmly shut.

*I was surprised several times with plot twists, and by the fact that some small predictions I made turned out to be untrue. I’m always impressed when an author can throw me for a loop.

What I didn’t like:

(slight spoiler)“A strange sense of disappointment filled Cassidy” when she learns that Dell isn’t very interested in getting married. They had barely met at this point, so it it was a bit too soon for a comment like this, in my opinion.

*I object to the phrase “unable to stop herself.” God gives us all free will, and I don’t think Christians (or Christian authors) should use such phrases, even casually.

*There is an act of deception by one of the main characters that was totally unacceptable, and I believe it would be deemed so by any person in any walk of life. I’m not going to mention what it was because it would be quite a spoiler - one of the aforementioned surprises. However, it was brief and dealt with quickly, and as such, it wasn’t a big problem. The deceiver readily accepted that it was ill-judged and apologized.

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The bottom line: I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to fans of Christian historical fiction. (That goes for books two and three, as well.) I would like to continue to read this author and have my eye on Emily’s Place, fourth in this series.

[Orianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot of this book had the makings of a great story. However, I don't feel that the plot or characters developed convincingly. The story seemed to happen in leaps and bounds with a rush towards the resolution that took away from making the story arcs of the main characters believable. I'm usually not one to call a more innocent character in a novel naïve, but the way Cassidy's character was made to develop made it seem like she was. Still, although it was hard to connect all the dots in the book's overall development, I commend Bateman for tackling such a unique case of survivor's guilt in a romantic context. I've wondered what an interpretation of this kind of plotline could look like- now I have an idea!

[Sydni · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the death of her brother, Cassidy took her niece and joined the wagon train heading west. With little finances, no direction, and no employment opportunities, she agreed to become the wife of a man she did not know. But as Cassidy continued on the journey, she discovered the man who claimed to be the ranch hand was actually the man she agreed to marry.

When Cassidy and Dell arrive at the ranch, Cassidy's life changes dramatically when the trauma of Dell's family's past becomes the standard of life. However, the surprise of Cassidy's pregnancy and kidnap helps the entire family see God's goodness and protection, thus uniting the family in true love.

[Marty Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful story

Life was hard back in the 1800's. Loss was not uncommon. The wagon trains are exhausting, dangerous and slow. But, when you have a loving God watching over you, it's amazing how life turns out.
This is a beautiful story that really tells of life on the trail and in Kansas, with its crazy weather.
You'll love this book.

[Marie Pinkham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sweet story

Cassidy and Dell's story was such a sweet joy to read. I had read one of the books in this set without realizing it was part of a series. Now I can't wait to read the rest ( including rereading the past one). Tracey is one of my favorite historical authors.

[Rosemary Adebayo]

I love this

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[LeAnne Kilman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know of this is a new author or not but if she is then she has great potential.

[Sara Stivers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it!!

I read this book when I was a kid and then lost the book so I decided just recently to buy it on Kindle so I can always have it and never lose it!!

[Rochelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, this story is the first of four. I started reading the book Kansas Home: Hearts Adrift Find a Place to Dwell in Four Romantic Stories which is a collection of all four, but decided to stop at this one.

This story was unrealistic. There were too many contrived scenarios and too many instances where the characters acted in a very non-period fashion...

...And at first the unrealistic situations and such bothered me the most, but then the author added two scoops of secrets and deception and that really bothered me. I *HATE* when book characters keep secrets from each other!

I'm not saying it's a complete loss, but it's not the greatest either.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty good at keeping my interest in spite of my frustration with the too drastic, too sudden change in Dell after standing up to mother-in-law caves in like a coward! Emily disappeared too much from the story after marriage. Maybe I am being over critical because they were more parts I liked a lot than not and will finish the rest of the series.

[Teresa Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sweet story. Short, but sweet. Cassidy was such a special person. She deserved happiness as did Dell. My favorite line in the book, "What does that make her to me? My mother-in-law-in-law?" Looking forward to reading book 2 in the series.

[janet frantum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly a lesson in lesson in life.

A lesson for the young people as well as the older ones about God's love for us. Never try to tell him tell him, always ask him his will be done . A very good story.

[Anne Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book

I loved every word of this book and couldn't put it down.What a great love story.These to had a rough start but with God in their lives things will be wonderful.I can't wait for the next book.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love this book. I've read it three times and it doesn't get old.

[Lynnea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in two sittings. It was very good! Easy reading, historical fiction. I can't wait to get Book #2!

[Ruhi Choudhary · Rating 5 out of 5]

an amazing read