Because I have enjoyed many of Ruth Langan’s Harlequin Historicals, I was initially enthusiastic about reviewing this book. However, while the main romance here is a very sweet one and the hero and heroine are enjoyable, the backstory just didn’t match up with the quality of the main romantic plot.

Fiona Downey is the daughter of Irish immigrants. Her father worked by day and attended school at night, eventually becoming a professor. Fiona is excited by the prospect of attending college herself and, perhaps, following in his footsteps. However, the very day that she learns she has passed her entrance exams, her beloved father dies and Fiona and her mother are left destitute. Fiona finds a teaching position in rural Paradise Falls, Michigan, where she plans to board with a local family until she earns enough money to send for her mother.

Upon her arrival in her new home, Fiona finds a community very different from the college town in Massachusetts she left behind. The Haydn family with whom she boards is also an enigma to her. While Fiona bonds almost instantly with the invalid Mr. Haydn, his austere wife and two sons are more difficult for her. Elder son Grayson seems to be a good (though rather taciturn) man, while younger son Fleming is friendly and flirtatious. These men seem quite interested in the new schoolteacher and her position brings her into constant contact with both of them. It is clear from the beginning that the quieter Grayson is the steadier and more responsible of the two, while Fleming is quite the entertainer.

For the most part, Grayson and Fleming are both well-drawn characters. The author does a good job of using Grayson’s actions to evoke his silent strength, while Fleming’s banter flows effortlessly. Meanwhile, Fiona shows herself to be a strong young woman as she copes with losing her family and learning to be a teacher. As she attracts the attention of the Haydn brothers, she finds herself coming to a point where she must choose whom she loves. The development of actual romance in this novel is slow and very sweet and those who like heartwarming tales will likely appreciate this one.

Fiona is charged with teaching a classroom of students who haven’t had schooling for three years. As a novice teacher, she must find a way to connect with these children, and to teach them. Though she is patient by nature, some of Fiona’s students and their parents are difficult, and it is here that the plot began to get cloying. While I deeply enjoyed the love story here, the subplots involving Fiona’s school were a tad treacl-y to me. Without giving anything specific away, it would be fair to observe that at times the book took on a Pollyanna Goes To Michigan aura. The idea that even terrible situations involving abuse and domestic violence could be cured by just a little bit of love and understanding directed at the wrongdoer disturbed me instead of warming my heart.

Were it not for the rough spots in the backstory of this book, it would likely have earned a higher grade. Fiona’s story here is part coming-of-age, part romance, and it is a sweet one. However, Fiona (and to a lesser extent, some of the Haydns’s) dealings with the people of Paradise Falls were just too good to be true and gave the book a preachy tone. Of all of Langan’s books, this one would not be at the top of my list of those to recommend.