Courtesy http://www.miraleeferrell.com
She could never shake the feeling of abandonment she had carried with her since she was four years old and an Indian brave found her burn-riddled body beside a cold campfire. Raised by a loving woman but never quite feeling comfortable in her scarred skin, Beth Roberts has been recognized for her talent as an illustrator but tries to keep that part of herself secret from all but her closest of companions. Having come to Baker City, Oregon with the woman who raised her, “Aunt” Wilma Roberts, to escape a less-than-reputable suitor, Beth looks forward to a future as a spinster illustrator.
Then Jeffery Tucker, frustrated author and fellow boarder at the Jacobs’ boarding house, begins to take an interest in Beth. He is determined to make his own way as an author and not as the pampered son of a retired judge. His own feelings of not measuring up blend with Beth’s lack of confidence and lead the two of them into a hesitant friendship that blooms into love, although neither is willing to admit it.
Wishing on Buttercups by Miralee Ferrell, published by David C Cook, is the second novel in the Love Blossoms in Oregon series. The characters in the book walk a thin line between remaining stuck in their wounds and finding freedom from them, which, I am discovering, is a difficult thing for authors to do well. Miralee Ferrell managed this pretty well, although there were certainly moments where I tired of the constant back and forth of “I want, but he/she couldn’t” between Jeffery and Beth. While this stagnation may be true to life, it can make for drag in a novel.
Otherwise, the mystery of Beth’s past – both where she came from and her untrustworthy former suitor – were well-done and really saved this book.
I give Wishing on Buttercups by Miralee Ferrell 4 stars. I didn’t read the first book in the Love Blossoms in Oregon series (Blowing on Dandelions), and while it would have been nice to have that back story of the minor characters, it was absolutely not necessary to enjoy Wishing on Buttercups.
**I received Wishing on Buttercups by Miralee Ferrell from David C Cook (via NetGalley) free in return for an honest review. My opinion is my own.
Mixed Nutts 