FROM AUTHOR'S WEBSITE: I'm a native of central Maine, and grew up on a small farm with a wonderful mom and dad, three sisters and a brother. Most of my books take place in small towns, many of them in Maine.
My husband, Jim, and I moved to his birth state, Oregon, for a while after we were married, but decided to move back to Maine and be near my family. It allowed our six children to grow up feeling close to their cousins and grandparents, and some of Jim's family have even moved to Maine!
Our children are all home-schooled. When Jim retired from his vocation as an editor at a daily newspaper, we moved from Maine to Kentucky.
I've always loved reading, history, and horses. These things come together in several of my historical books. Another longtime hobby of mine is genealogy, which has led me down many fascinating paths. I'm proud to be a DAR member! Some of Jim's and my quirkier ancestors have inspired fictional characters.
For many years I worked for the Central Maine Morning Sentinel as a freelancer. This experience was a great help in developing fictional characters and writing realistic scenes. I also published nonfiction articles in several magazines and had several short stories appear in Woman's World, Grit, and Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine.
In 1860, 18-year-old Prince Albert Edward, son of Queen Victoria and heir to the throne, toured British North America, including a brief stop on Prince Edward Island. The royal visit only lasted 48 hours, but required a lot of planning to run smoothly. All of that is historical fact. From there, the author brings fictional characters onstage in Peter Stark, a young steward sent ahead to Charlottetown to prepare the way for the Prince of Wales, and Molly Orland, a local farmer’s daughter who gains temporary employment at Government House.
Molly is a beautiful young woman who wouldn’t normally be in a servant’s position, save for the family’s dire need after her father broke his leg in a farm accident. Her main duty is housekeeping and this is where Peter first sees her. They’re immediately interested in one another, but Peter is only on the island temporarily, and Molly is certain he’s above her station in life.
But there’s more to the tale. Molly’s grandfather is determined to speak with Peter’s employer, the Earl of Washburn, about a historical family matter. The Earl is equally determined to avoid the old man. Peter and Molly get caught in the middle when the ‘family matter’ comes to light, threatening the fragile trust they’ve begun to establish.
Love Finds You in Prince Edward Island, Canada is the first book in the series to be set outside the United States. As a Canadian, I enjoyed this glimpse into my country’s history. Though the novel started out slow and with many characters to keep straight, I was soon drawn into Molly and Peter’s story.
I really wish we could do half stars. This is a three and a half star read for me.
Lovely Molly Orland takes a job as temporary housemaid at Government House to help her family in a time of financial crisis. Her father has broken his leg and while the family farm is profitable, cash is needed to keep things going. The position is only available because Prince Albert is coming so Molly will have the added benefit of seeing the excitement up close.
Peter Stark is the advance envoy for the Prince's retinue, sent to make sure things go smoothly on his visit. He is delighted with the lovely Molly when he meets her and enjoys spending time with the young lady. The two are both kept busy by their jobs but snatched moments slowly build the attraction between them. But Peter's home is in England and his visit to Prince Edward will be only a few weeks long, can love bloom in such a sweet period of time?
The start of this novel was perfection. The characters are well drawn and interesting, the life of the island is captured beautifully, and we receive just enough history to get a sense of what is going on without reading like a lecture. However, the events surrounding the ball and the things revealed after felt like a soap opera was tacked onto the end. The book would have been better, I think, if it had stayed the original course of sweet story without add the action/adventure at the end. It didn't need it.
Love Finds You in Prince Edward Island, Canada - Susan Page Davis (*SPOILER ALERT!!!*) For the most part, this was a great book. But I did find a few things to be annoying though. First, it seemed to take a while to get into the book. Susan Page Davis was just cruising along, setting the scene. There is, of course, nothing wrong with that. I just found myself wishing she'd put the pedal to the metal! Second, the faith was vague. I must admit, this isn't new to me; I've found many books labeled as 'Christian' that were quite lacking when it actually came to sharing the Gospel. I don't know if this is because of the author or because of the limits from the publishers. *shoulder shrug* Third, they were so stinkin' proper! I know, I know, that's how they acted back then (at least, the respectable people). But that doesn't mean they thought properly. Most of the people just seemed so unrealistically perfect, which was totally irritating. I'm actually kind of glad it had that part with Prince Albert. I mean, I get that Peter is supposed to be Molly's Mr. Right, and he obviously has to be good. But, despite popular belief, he doesn't have to be perfect. I really wish he was more non-perfect. It would've been so much better that way. (To me, at least.) Fourth, what's up with the cover? Yes, I love the cover. It's completely beautiful. But in the novel, I specifically remember Molly telling her doubtful father that her dress wasn't immodest. Well, no offense to the cover designer, but that would not have been considered modest back then. Despite popular belief, low-collared dresses were not fashion in the olden days. Only wanton women of loose morals dared wear the inappropriate clothing. Despite all my complaints, I really enjoyed the novel. The romance was pretty good, even though it was slow. The characters were enjoyable. And the setting was sweet. Molly was a nice character. She was sweet, and attractive, and humble. A quiet, gentle girl. I really liked her, but I'm more for the sassy heroine. Oh well. Peter was perfect. Literally. It was annoying. He never did a single thing wrong. No offense to anyone, but I do not like guys that perfect; that's just way too unrealistic. He was a sweet guy though. I just wish he was less perfect and more expressive. And more romantic. Earl of Washburn - I liked his character too. He was calm, kind, and faithful. I had no idea he was Peter's uncle. I mean, I figured out that he was what's-her-name's son, but I didn't realize that it made him the earl's nephew until it said so. Then I was, like, "Well, duh!" Prince of Wales. Despite him being a bit bratty and his selfishness, he's a pretty good kid. He understands the importance of his duty. He's responsible, for the most part. And pretty sweet too (not counting that one part which was totally not as important as they made it out to be, of course). Compared with today's average 18-year-old, he's actually pretty mature. I believe I have covered all the main characters covered. I recommend this novel to those who enjoy a sweet Victorian fairy tale. I may read more of Susan Page Davis. I'll definitely read more of the "Love Finds" You" series.
Title: LOVE FINDS YOU IN PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND CANADA Author: Susan Page Davis Publisher: Summerside Press April 2011 ISBN: 978-1-60936-109-9 Genre: Inspirational/historical romance
Molly Orland’s father has just broken his legs, and her family needs Molly go to work to help support the family for awhile. The governor is hiring twenty Island girls to work as maids during the Prince of Wales visit, and to Molly’s excitement, she is hired to work as a chamber maid.
Peter Stark is an understeward for the royal party. Peter is attracted to the beauty of the island and of Molly, whom he wants to protect from the playboy prince.
When Peter discovers that Molly’s family has a tie to his royal employer, Peter is torn between being a loyal servant or helping Molly’s family get the justice they deserve.
LOVE FINDS YOU IN PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND has the distinction of being the first book set in Canada. I enjoyed reading the history of the island and the author’s notes about the historical aspects.
Molly and Peter are both realistic characters with a familiarity about their histories that give them something in common. I wasn’t surprised by some of the twists in the book, but others took me completely by surprise. I enjoyed reading about the romance set on this idyllic island. Highly recommended. $12.99. 320 pages.
SUMMARY: In the summer of 1860, Prince Edward Island's inhabitants eagerly await their first visit from a British royal. Molly Orland is too poor to be invited to the ball in honor of the young Prince of Wales, but she is pleased to serve as a maid in the house where he will be a guest. There she meets Peter Stark, under-steward for the royal party. Peter is attracted to the beauty of the island and to Molly, whom he's determined to shield from the antics of the playboy prince. When they discover a long-buried secret that could bring shame to Peter's royal employer, will he remain a loyal servant or help Molly's family get the justice they deserve?
REVIEW: This is definitely a "royal romance" set in Canada during a visit of Queen Victoria's son Albert Edward. This novel moves at a rather slow pace most of the way through, but it is an easy and enjoyable romance read as it focuses on an "upstairs-downstairs" romance between Peter (who represents the upstairs) and Molly a temporary maid-servant for the royal visit at the Governor's House.
The historical detail was very well done and definitely added to the interest of the storyline.
This particular LFY was very light on the "faith" element to be designated a Christian fiction novel which is one reason I only gave it 4 stars along with the slow moving pace. Still an overall good read though for its historical detail.
I had been looking forward to this book ever since my husband bought it for me as a birthday present a few years ago. However, when I finally got around to reading it today, I was actually a bit disappointed in it. There is very little interaction between the two main characters, certainly not enough to base a relationship off of, never mind a marriage. The story revolves around the royal visit, but it doesn't paint a clear picture of island life or beauty, as most of the time the story had it raining. Both of these make it difficult for this reader to fully immerse themselves into the story. What is even more jarring is the fact that the main characters in the story are actually somewhat distantly related to one another, and they still go through with a marriage! It rather ruined the ending for me, as I found myself wondering about their chances for genetic abnormalities in their children, rather than focusing on their happy ever after. All in all, a disappointment rather than a pleasure.
Molly wants to help her family by taking a maid position for a short while as the prince of Wales would be arriving to Prince Edward Island. Peter Stark arrives a day in advance to set up accommodations. He is a mere servant himself but appears to be an aristocrat to those around him. He has an upbringing that would make people probably look down on him. Molly's family has some sort of connection to Peter's "master" that he is curious about.
This story basically ties together well enough and there aren't that many conflicting issues with it until later on, but most of it seemed to not show any dependency on God or mention of Him at all when this is supposed to be a Christian romance. Sure it was very clean, but I think they mentioned God about 3 times in passing only. The story itself was cute though, but very basic.
I have enjoyed reading books in the "Love Finds You" series. I have especially like the books that are historical fiction. I have also learned a lot about various geographical regions from many of these books.
After reading "Prince Edward", I am absolutely certain that I am very happy that I live in America where there are no formal class distinctions. Of course, there are informal class distinctions, but it seems to me that these can be overcome while formal class distinctions are often insurmountable.
It is entertaining to follow the antics of "Downton Abby", but I would not want to live under such a system.
I do wish that the author had included more geographic details about Prince Edward Island.
Love Finds You in Prince Edward Island, Canada was a fun and entertaining read. There were some slow parts, a lot of descriptions and internal thoughts and little dialogue between the characters, but the rest of the story was greatly enjoyable.
Ever since I first heard about P.E.I., from Anne of Green Gables, I knew it was a place I would someday love to visit and this book continues that desire. I love reading about the different locations, they all sounded very beautiful.
I haven't read many books in the Love Finds You series, but I hope to read more of them. If this book sounds interesting to you I would recommend you read it, as I found it very enjoyable.
This was a nice, sweet story of two people who are very different yet very alike. This book was an easy read with princes, dukes, earls, farm-girls and a few Cinderella moments.
I enjoyed learning more about Prince Edward Island as really didn't know anything about it before. As I've said in other reviews, I love when a book makes me want to do research to learn more about a certain subject.
LFY in Prince Edward Island, Canada is a very entertaining story about "Prince Bertie’s" 1860 visit to the Americas, right before the start of the U.S. Civil War. Great grasp of period dialogue. Stylistically, teh story felt like British lit. Both the hero and heroine were very likeable, and Davis amazingly manages to progress a believable romance between them while the two hardly share pages for most of book.
I was disappointed with this book. I have enjoyed Susan's other books and was looking forward to this one. I was expecting a sweet easy read. I loved the setting, even if it did rain all the time (but that reminded me of our visit to the island). I liked both main characters but there wasn't much interaction between them, which made me question the romance and then the twist at the end which reveals of the connection between the two families ruined it for me.
Love Susan Page Davis books! This one was fun to read. It was interesting to read about Peter who always remembered his status even when the job made him look like he was of a higher class. And at the same time Molly was able to step into a lower level in order to help her family in a time of need. Was hard to put this one down. Enjoy!!
I loved this book. The reason it only got 4 stars though is because I thought the irony between Anson defending his sister and Peter defending Molly was too much. They both got exiled. I was hoping Molly could go with Peter to Great Britain. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed it especially when Peter's mum got to meet the rest of the family and move in. Very sweet ending!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I love this author, but not this particular story. I hate to leave a bad review, but to be honest, I must. It was slow moving through most of the book, with not much adventure, mystery, romance, or excitement. It was just dull. I would recommend the author's Fraiser Island series.
Thanks to Montgomery, I adore P.E.I. so I was excited to read this book. However it didn't capture my interest, I felt it moved slowly, and I never formed any connections with the characters! Rather disappointing!
A good light read. Some nice twists. I like my Christian fiction to include a bit more "Christian." I think I heard an audible prayer utter a couple of times when a particular character was in dire straights. Other than that, there was nothing.
Love, love, loved this book. I felt like I was right there on Prince Edward Island in 1860. I would love to know more of the Orland family and what happens next in their lives. This is a book I found hard to put down. Plus I really didn't want it to end.
On Prince Edward Island the Prince is suppose to visit, he finds secrets about his lineage, a beautiful girl who ends up his cousin, a lot of hidden secrets and family hates but the Prince makes peace with all. But the Prince doesn't get the girl. A long hidden secret is uncovered..... good read.
First, I wanted to love this book because it was set in the late 19th century on Prince Edward Island but the setting was not enough. It's a romance, pure and simple, but I was just hoping for a little more substance. The characters are not really even that engaging.
Really enjoyed it, the end seemed a little rushed and didn't quite match the rest of the story but overall a very good read. One of my favorite in the "Love Finds You" series.
Except for the very beginning, the first part of the story was slow & somewhat boring. The pace picked up later, especially towards the end of the story. It had a satisfying ending.