Love Finds You in Hope, Kansas

by Pamela Griffin

Fashionable Easterner Alison Stripling is shocked to receive a letter from her deceased sisters husband in Hope, Kansas, pleading for help with his six children. The letter gives Alison a chance to escape her troubles in Boston, and the name of the town seems like a sign from God. But when she arrives at a rustic cabin on the prairie, shes in for a bigger shock: Rafe Munroe didnt write the letter at all! Realizing the children are determined to pair them off, Rafe and Alison join forces to prove the idea would never work. Can Hopes cupids - all six of them - strike loves arrows into the hearts of their pa and Miss Alison? Author: Pamela Griffin Format: Paperback, 320 pages Publisher: Summerside Press ISBN: 9781609360078

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

327 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2010

About the author

Pamela Griffin lives in Texas with her family. She fully gave her life to Christ in 1988 after a rebellious young adulthood and owes the fact that she’s still alive today to an all-loving and forgiving God and to a mother who steadfastly prayed and had faith that God could bring her wayward daughter “home.” Pamela’s main goal in writing Christian romance is to help and encourage those who do know the Lord and to plant a seed of hope in those who don’t.

Reviews

[Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls)]

DNF at pg. 105
I knew this book would be a hit or a miss for me based on the back-cover, so I wasn't expecting much. Their attraction for each other started quick and was based more on the physical appearance--and Rafe's longings for a woman. He had thoughts which made me uncomfortable and ultimately DNF this book as I knew that even if I did finish this book, it would still probably only get a two-star rating from me because of those thoughts/comments.


Content for the first 105 pages.
Spiritual Content- Psalm 39:7 at the beginning; A couple Scriptures are mentioned; Prayers & Blessings over food; Talks about God & faiths; ‘H’s are capitalized when referring to God; After the death of his wife & son, Rafe has fallen away from God and his faith; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, services, a pastor, a sermon about Job, & the Bible/Bibles; A few mentions of faiths; A few mentions of blessings & being blessed; A mention of the Ten Commandments;
*Note: A couple mentions of hell (the phrase “there will be hell to pay” is said and a child replies that they don’t want to go to hell); A mention of a devilish smile; A mention of a godforsaken place.


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘stupid’, two forms of ‘blast’, and two ‘give a fig’s; Mentions of Indians not being a threat because they moved onto the reservations (Rafe tells Alison that each side of an argument is typically right and wrong); Mentions of lies, lying, liars, & deceit; A few mentions of a rumor of a man that was insane and killed another man; A few mentions of criminals & outlaws; A few mentions of spankings; A few mentions of gossip & rumors; A couple mentions of an accidents & deaths; A mention of pipes & smoking;
*Note: A couple mentions of a mother and stillborn baby dying in labor; A mention of a baby dying from scarlet fever.


Sexual Content- Noticing (including when she hair is down, barely-above-not-detailed); Recalling a woman’s loose hair & her figure (Rafe about Alison, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of Rafe experiencing the occasional physical yearnings of a man when seeing a pretty woman and temptation after his wife died (he evaded said temptations by leaving the area), & thinks that he hasn’t slipped away from his faith enough to go to town and be with a prostitute for hours of questionable pleasure which would give him guilt for months nor take a woman to his bed without them being married first; A mention of a woman throwing herself at a man;
*Note: A mention of a womanly form (Rafe noticing Alison’s).

[Emilee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet and cute story. Alison is a wonderful character. She's strong and loving. Rafe, on the other hand I did not like. His grief is understandable but still I didn't find him likable nor did I feel a strong chemistry between the two. The children were very well written. The author must know well children the ages of these endearing kiddos. I think the kids made this story.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, the disclaimer. "I bought a copy of this book from a used bookstore. All opinions are my own." That done, LOVE FINDS YOU IN HOPE, KANSAS, is an earlier book in the wildly popular Love Finds You series--that I and so many others were so sad to see come to an end.

Rafe wasn't much of a God-fearing man even though his brother is a preacher, and didn't put much effort into instilling faith into his children after his wife dies. When the six kids decide Dad needs a new wife, they go after their mom's sister (who was only 8 years old when the mom married so she is much younger than Rafe.) Alison doesn't have the vaguest clue about how to be a wife, mom or run a house -- let alone cook -- do it has some funny moments.

If you like mail order bride stories with a twist, then LOVE FINDS YOU IN HOPE, KANSAS is one to consider. Not much of a faith message, but there is a lot of humor and some mention of church and praying.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK, I have to say this is by far the BEST Love Finds Historical book I have read.

The kids in the book were hilarious with their antics, and the sadness and grief the whole family was feeling tugged at my heartstrings. A very endearing book!

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

BACK OF THE BOOK BLURB
Fashionable Easterner Alison Stripling is shocked to receive a letter from her late sister's husband in Hope, Kansas, pleading for help with his six children. The letter gives Alison a chance to escape her troubles in Boston, and the name of the town seems like a sign from God for a fresh start. But when she arrives at a rustic cabin on the prairie, she's in for a bigger shock: Rafe Munroe didn't write the letter at all! Realizing the children are determined to pair them off, Rafe and Alison secretly join forces to prove the idea would neer work. Can Hope's cupids--all six of them--strike love's arrows into the hearts of their pa and Miss Alison?



MY REVIEW
I must tell you that this book sounded so familiar to me, like I'd read it before, but if I have it was before August of 2011 as that is when I started posting reviews. Anyway, I really enjoyed this book, even if this is possibly the second time I've read it. The kids are desperate and just when the adults think they have pulled one over on the kids, STOP, things are getting out of control, lol. A nice read when you need something to give you a laugh once in a while. Thank you Pamela for a lovely story.

[Rose | Adventurous Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was not sure what to expect with this because it is a “Love Finds You” book. The series is written by dozens of different authors; all with their own style of writing, but this book was simply amazing. The humor was hilarious and I was laughing almost the whole time I was reading it. I loved reading about the relationship between the children and adults. It kept changing and growing throughout the novel. It was very hard to put down. The romance was also not the main focus, which was nice. Best of all, one character plays the violin and the other plays flute. :) I felt that the characters were realistic and they really drew me into the time period. Overall, this was a really enjoyable book and I am going to look into more books by the author.
4.5 Stars

[Joycelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable christian fiction novel set in the nearby town of Hope, Kansas. There truly is always hope in Kansas. Full of positive, life affirming faith, moral characters, love of family and the Lord.

[Barbi Huhn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series!
In this book, we meet Alison, a woman living in Boston on the verge of spinsterhood. She’s an orphan who was adopted as a child and gained an older sister, Amy. When she was younger, Amy and her new husband, Rafe, moved to Kansas.
Alison receives a letter from “Rafe” that is written by her 6 nieces and nephews. They are writing to ask her to come be their new Mom since Amy died about 1 1/2 -2 years before this book takes place.
Alison goes to Kansas expecting a warm welcome from Rafe and he gives her a cold shoulder. The 2 quickly figure out that they are pawns in the play that the kids expect them to play. The kids get a little help from Caleb, the towns preacher and Rafe’s brother, and his wife, Ivy.
It’s a very sweet story revolving around family and faith and love!

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just happened across this book and thought it sounded like a nice, clean love story. It was squeaky clean and a love story, but it wasn't terribly gripping. It was also extremely predictable and some parts of it reminded me a lot of The Sound of Music. It was still a decent book. I probably would have enjoyed it even more if I hadn't tried reading this on a busy vacation. I only was able to read about 5-10 minutes of it a day, so I had a harder time getting into it.

This book is part of a series called Love Finds You, where each book is an independent Christian love story. Each book is written by a different author and takes place in a different state. I'm always looking for clean love stories, so I will definitely try some of the other books in this series by other authors.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely heroine Alison made. It was easy to identify with her and see her heart for this bereaved family. What outrageous hijinks the kids got into, several times getting an actual laugh out of me instead of just a smile. As for Rafe, he didn’t win me over right away, Mr. Grumpy that he was, but he grew on me quite well over the course of the story. I enjoyed the music included in the storyline and the honest mistakes she makes trying to learn how things are done on the prairie (definitely no flawless gal here, but she has a great attitude about her fails too).

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Christian romance from my mom that I want to finish and move out of the house.

This one is about Alison who moves to Hope after receiving a letter from her deceased sisters husband asking for assistance with their 6 kids. When she arrives she finds out that the letter was written by his children and she wasn’t asked by him to come to assist.

This was a little harder for me to get into and it was filled with unnecessary tension as most of these books seem to be.

[Audrey Colman · Rating 4 out of 5]

An endearing story of young meddling matchmakers! I love books with children and this was so delightful.

Rafe has closed his heart off after losing his wife. Allison has decided that due to her bad bloodlines (due to being an orphan) that marriage won’t be something that will happen in her lifetime.
Rafe had a lot of emotions to sort through, and sometimes growing that had to happen over the course of the story.
Allison went to Kansas thinking she would just stay for a few weeks. But how could she ever leave those children?

This enjoyable story has moments of laughter, but also a few tense moments where the characters had to show emotional fortitude as they faced obstacles.

[Mawdiay Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story. The mischievousness of the six kids wanting to find a new wife for their dad that will be a good mom for them was entertaining. I found the grief of Rafe the dad to be genuine.

I had a bit of a hard time feeling connected to the characters.

I liked that this was a close door romance. There were some sweet kisses, some hands touch hands, and some hands touching arms, but it was all PG-13. It felt a lot like Love Comes Softly By Jannette Oak.

[Judine Brey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I tend to enjoy the "Love Finds You" books more if they're historic fiction, and this one is no exception. I enjoyed the fact that even though Alison was brought up in high society Boston, she found her true purpose in pioneer-era Kansas. The relationships she established with her sister's children were beautiful, but I didn't buy Rafe's resistance lasting as long as it did.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! The author grabbed my attention with the 6 kids scheming to get a new Mom for them after theirs died. Wonderful characters, great plot, interesting & difficult location & many hurdles presented. One of the best LOVE FINDS YOU books in the series that I’ve read.

[Ruth Cozad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book from the beginning and through out. I picked it because of title having grown up in that area. Not my usual pick but just what I needed I read more factual historical fiction but this was a great read.

[Kbarker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book was great!!!!!! It's about a bunch of siblings trying to get a new mother. Very sweet story and a fast read. Going to find more of these books!!!!!

[Danni · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one. A good read.

[Patricia Kemp Blackmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alison Stripling receives a letter from Rafe Munroe, the husband, of her deceased sister. Since the death of his wife he is finding he needs a woman's help in rearing the children and with the household chores usually regulated to his wife. She jumps at the chance to leave her fancy eastern lifestyle to move to Hope, Kansas to care for her sisters home and six children. It will be a daunting task to learn a rustic style of living but if her sister was capable of learning she was determined she too would learn.

When she finally arrives it becomes apparent Rafe had not written the letter and even worse he knew nothing of her coming. The children evidently have it in their head that Aunt Alison would be perfect as their new mom and wife for their dad. At first Rafe wanted her get back on the train until he decided the children needed to be taught a lesson. So Rafe, not totally convincing Alison, comes up with a plan that will have the children realize they have made a big mistake, which is Aunt Alison is not cut out to be a mom. The pair do not have a chance when the children have cupid on their side and most importantly God?

The author wrote a humorous story of how children can create big trouble although with great intentions. In this story you have love lost, broken hearts, loneliness, healing, revenge, reconciliation and romance. God's enduring love comes through in every chapter of this book. It is a lovely story you will want to read yourself!

I highly recommend this story.

I rated this book a 5 out of 5.

Disclosure: I purchased this book for my own reading pleasure therefore was not required to write a review. This review is my honest opinion.

[Victoria (hotcocoaandbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Monroe kids' mom died a couple of years ago. The 6 of them have been having a hard time with their father, who is still mourning her loss pretty badly. They want a mother to help them and to make their dad happy. The decide they want to send for their mom's sister in Boston, who was adopted when she was a small girl and stayed closely knit to her older sister through letter-writing. Alison decides to meet her nieces and nephews, not knowing one bit what their real plan for her is. This of course makes for interesting events and some drama.

I really liked this story a lot. The characters were well developed and I think you saw the struggles really well. It made sense. My ONLY issue with this book is that they mentioned the story of Job from the Bible at one point and said he had a second wife, which is not in the Bible at all. Job's wife didn't die and it states that he had more children. His wife would not be allowed to leave him according to old Jewish law and if he took on a second wife to have children with, the point is that his first wife was still alive. That really irritated me when I read what they mentioned about Job's "second wife." I let it slide and enjoyed the story outside of that issue though!!!

[Loraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

SUMMARY: When Easterner Alison Stripling arrives at a rustic cabin on the Kansas prairie to help her late sister's husband with his six children, she's in for a shock. The children have lured her here, determined to pair her off with their pa!

REVIEW: This nice, sweet, simple romance is a good historical romance read. Rafe's six children are all adorable and each one has their own special personality. Filled with whimsical humor, Alison learns to navigate prairie life after been raised in gentile, well-to-do Boston. From schemes to upset the children's plans to connect their aunt to their dad to burnt cornbread and tornadoes, the plot line was predictable but at the same time well developed and enjoyable.

FAVORITE QUOTES: "Deception in any form can bring all sorts of misery...Even the best laid plans falter when trickery is their source."

"It's by a parent's actions that children learn their true lessons, which will take them through life and become the foundation in every decision they make."

"Only that we don't always have control over the fixes we find ourselves in or over how things happen or progress, but how we respond to those trails is how others perceive our character."

"Sometimes God allows troubles to help us grow and not be so fable in our faith."

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story about choices and love. But also about God's sovereign plan. The kids characters were fun. Rafe and Alison were filled with such things in their past and honoring the memory of his wife/her sister. Very sweet story!

[M.B. Tosi · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I began this book, I was amused by the simplistic dialog of the Munroe children who are plotting to find themselves a new mother after their own mother passed away. Little sister, Maggie, is especially touching with her lisp, and I thought back to the interactions of my own children when they were young. The story gets more complicated, however, when the children decide to act on their desires for a new mother, and they write a pretend letter of desperation from their father to their mother's sister, Aunt Alison, in Boston. The story line is predictable, that, of course, Aunt Alison comes to Hope, Kansas and finds out that her sister's husband never wrote the letter. But it is heartwarming as well as a family that is hurting comes together in love. Although I initially sought out this book because my own book, The Sacred Path of Tears, also takes place in Kansas, I realized by the end of Love Finds You in Hope, Kansas that I was really glad I read it. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to read warm, loving story that leaves you feeling good.

[Paula-O · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Finds you in Hope,Kansas by Pamela Griffin

This is first time to read this author but I am impressed. This story tells of a family that has lost the mother at childbirth and papa says he will never marry again. six children put their heads together and decide to write to their aunt in Boston pretending to be their papa and ask her to come help for awhile.
Never have been to an area like kansas she looks at the name of the town of "Hope" and sees it as a sign to make changes in her life.
Once arriving she soon finds out papa is outraged and upset that she is there leading her to think -HE did not write her to come.
You will love reading this story and see how it all works out in the end...Love usually does that doesn't it.

[Tesha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just happened across this book in the library day before yesterday. I have never read any books in the Christian/inspirational section so I wasn't sure what to expect. I loved it! It was a quick read but the story was great. I live in a little town in Kansas which is why I picked the book to begin with. I love any story that takes place in the past. I like historical books even if they are fiction.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good entertaining period romance. While reading I had numerous flashbacks of 'Sara, Plain and Tall'. I found myself making mental comparisons for certain situations throughout the book.

There is a large, but nicely developed cast of characters that makes the story more engaging.

Good story, has the potential for shelf space or to pass on to someone who will enjoy it.

[⚜️XAR the Bookwyrm · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a somewhat cute read about children acting as matchmakers for their widowed father. They bring their Aunt out from Boston, and the story is about her adapting to the harsh life of Kansas and falling in love with her brother in law. The story dragged somewhat for me, and it seemed like the ending was somewhat rushed. I think it is a good read, but one that I am torn on actually owning.

[elizabethedwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Family love prevails over death and hardship.

I liked this book because it is God honoring. Throughout the story loving sacrifice brings blessings in disguise. Also, in spite of sometimes tragic circumstances loving actions bring balm to the characters. Each person was shown with their flaws as human beings.

[CarolynB · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Though not a true mail-order bride story, it's nearly that as a motherless brood of six siblings write to their aunt, posing as their father and asking her to come to Kansas and help him with the children. Needless to say, all is not appreciated by the adults. This was my first read by Pamela Griffin but I will be seeking other books by her.