Colleen's Confession

by Susan G. Mathis

Summer 1914

Colleen Sullivan has secrets as she joins her aunt on Comfort Island to work in the laundry and await the arrival of her betrothed. She loves to draw and dreams of growing in the craft. But tragedy strikes when her fiancé perishes in the sinking of the ocean liner RMS Empress of Ireland on his way to meet her. With her orphan dreams of finally belonging and becoming a wife and an artist gone, what will her future hold?

Austrian immigrant, Jack Weiss, enjoys being the island’s groundskeeper and is smitten by the lovely Irish lass. But Colleen dismisses him at every turn, no matter how much he fancies her art, tries to keep her safe, and waters the blossoms of love. When Jack introduces her to the famous impressionist, Alson Skinner Clark, Colleen seems to find hope.

But rumors of war in Europe prod Jack to choose between joining his family’s Austrian army and staying safe in the Thousand Islands to make a life with Colleen. Will she finally embrace his love for her, or will Jack lose the battle and join the war? With the Thousand Islands’ summer ending, he hopes she will.

270 pages, Paperback

Published October 23, 2021

About the author

ABOUT SUSAN:
Susan G Mathis is an international award-winning, multi-published author of stories set in the beautiful Thousand Islands, her childhood stomping ground in upstate NY. Susan has been published more than thirty times in full-length novels, novellas, and non-fiction books. She has sixteen in her fiction line including, The Fabric of Hope: An Irish Family Legacy, Christmas Charity, Katelyn’s Choice, Devyn’s Dilemma, Sara’s Surprise, Reagan’s Reward, Colleen’s Confession, Peyton’s Promise, Rachel’s Reunion, Mary’s Moment, A Summer at Thousand Island House, Libby’s Lighthouse, Julia’s Joy, Emma’s Engagement, Madison’s Mission, and Irish Rose Orphans' Christmas. Her book awards include four Illumination Book Awards, four American Fiction Awards, three Indie Excellence Book Awards, five Literary Titan Book Awards, two Golden Scroll Awards, a Living Now Book Award, and a Selah Award.

Susan is also a published author of two premarital books, two children’s picture books, stories in a dozen compilations, and hundreds of published articles. Susan makes her home in Northern Virginia and enjoys traveling around the world but returns each summer to enjoy the Thousand Islands. Visit www.SusanGMathis.com/fiction for more.
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What people are saying about Susan’s stories:

Susan G Mathis never fails to pack her books with memorable characters. ~Margaret Brownley, N.Y. Times bestselling author

Could it be my imagination, or is each Thousand Island story from Susan G Mathis better than the last? It’s hard to tell because they’re all delightful! ~Kathleen Rouser, award-winning author of Rumors and Promises

Like a monarch emerging from her cocoon, Susan's characters spread their wings in Mathis’s Thousand Island Gilded Age novels and learn how to fly with beauty and grace. ~Melanie Dobson, award-winning author of Catching the Wind and the Legacy of Love series

Spun with mystery, romance, and atmospheric history, Susan's stories capture readers' imaginations in a world divided by class yet brought together by the common bonds of humanity and love. A story Downton Abbey fans won't want to miss! ~J'nell Ciesielski, author of Among the Poppies and The Songbird and the Spy

Susan G Mathis has written another story full of history, love, and faith. She weaves a tale of longing, intrigue, and mystery around real-life people and events. A must-read for any fan of well-written fiction. ~Donna Schlachter, historical fiction author

Mathis's delightful writing style is

Reviews

[Linda]

Author Susan G. Mathis has penned a rich, powerful story of forgiveness and redemption with strong characters I won’t soon forget. Evocative description, realistic dialogue, and page-turning tension drew me into early Twentieth Century life below the stairs on New York’s Thousand Islands. I laughed, cried, and sighed as Colleen and Jack navigated difficulties and unfairness with grit and grace. Colleen has had her share of tragedies that leave her skittish of trusting others. Combined with the secret she must maintain and the constant fear of losing her job, she pushes Jack away. Interestingly, Jack has also experienced his share of adversity but is able to deepen his relationship with God as a result. I loved his manner with Colleen. He doesn’t try to force his beliefs on her, instead, he gently socializes the concepts and allows her to come to her own decisions. Colleen and Jack have stayed with me long after finishing their story.

[Cindy Ervin Huff]

Once again Susan has spun a wonderful story of the servant’s life in the Gilded Age. She’s done her research on the Thousand Islands and it shows in her well-crafted story. Colleen and Jack’s past was carefully constructed from that research. The faith thread flows nicely through the story adding to their happily-ever-after. I look forward to more from this author.

[Melissa]

Way too predictable - especially given the treatment of the Irish immigrants when they first arrived here after the famine as well as American history.

In the summer of 1914, Colleen was a 20-year-old Irish orphan and aspiring artist working in a laundry with her Aunt Gertie under the direction of cruel and abusive Mrs. Marshall working for the Clark family on Comfort Island awaiting the arrival of her fiancé, Peter. Unfortunately, Peter dies on the RMS Empress of Ireland on his way to meet her.

Jack is an Austrian immigrant working as a groundskeeper on Comfort Island when he befriends Colleen. When rumors of WWI start, he must decide whether to remain on Comfort Island or return to Austria.

[Book Reviewer]

Colleen is an orphan who has taken up a job as a laundress for the Clark family at the Comfort Island house. Colleen meets new people, some of whom are nice to her for what seems like the first time in her life. She dreams of becoming a wife and artist.

This eloquent story takes place in 1914, on the cusp of World War 1, where men run things and women are meant to support them. There is also a great divide between those who have and those who have naught. Jack Weiss is an Austrian immigrant who befriends Collen but is torn between his possible love for her or returning to Austria to fight in the war for his homeland. Will Colleen’s dream of being an artist come true, and will Jack finally woo the girl of his dreams?

At the beginning of this fascinating book, I felt that Colleen was a difficult character for me to root for. Yes, she had a horrible upbringing with abusive nuns and forced child labor, but she did not help me sympathize or empathize with her. Instead, she was continuously unfriendly to Jack and her roommate Tara. However, as the story progressed and Jack kept battering down her walls, I found myself really liking her character, and that slow evolution of her character was all the more enjoyable.

The author has done an excellent job at taking Colleen’s character through tremendous growth. She also created a fantastic villain that you love to hate, Mrs. Marshall. One of my favorite parts of the book is when Jack is trying to boost Colleen’s morale when he talks about how Colleen’s skill with art has nothing to do with being rich or poor that, in fact, being poor allows them “to be rich in what really matters.” As a result, they might be able to appreciate the little things more than those who have everything. I thought that that was the book’s central theme—the dichotomy between rich and poor.

Colleen’s Confession is a heartwarming novel of healing, hope, and forgiveness. With the time period set at the beginnings of WWI, there is a historical element to the storyline. The love story is sweet and keeps a Christian focus throughout. This is the perfect novel to read when you want a great period piece to sit down with.

[Janet Grunst]

In Colleen’s Confession, Susan Mathis takes us on another journey through the
Thousand Islands of the St. Lawrence River. The fascinating settings are like another
character in her stories. Colleen Sullivan comes as a laundress to Comfort Island Cottage
with a hurting heart from a scarred childhood. Jack Weiss, the groundskeeper, is facing
an uncertain future. As he tills the surface of Colleen’s heart they both make life-
changing discoveries.

[Tracy]

Colleen never disappoints. I loved this book and couldn't put it down. The storyline was everything, and I adored how it developed. I'm just a sucker for a good ending.