Book Review: "Tomorrow's Garden" by Amanda Cabot

Summary from BN.com: Harriet Kirk is certain that becoming Ladreville's schoolteacher is just what she needs—a chance to put the past behind her and give her younger siblings a brighter tomorrow. What she didn't count on was the presence of handsome former Texas Ranger Lawrence Wood—or the way he slowly but surely claims her fragile heart. But can Harriet and Lawrence ever truly put the past behind them in order to find happiness?

This was a nicely done historical romance. I have always liked Cabot's books. While they aren't the most literary piece of work, I do feel like they are a good escape read and nicely written. Harriet is determined to be able to take care of her family single handed but finally has to come to the conclusion she can't do it alone. She has good intentions about what she does and I can understand why she wants to protect her family and those around her the way she does. There were times when she did seem to be a bit over dramatic and probably handled situations the wrong way. Lawrence is the sheriff/mayor of the town and does his best to stand by the law and do what is right. He is a very good guy and I liked him very much. We're introduced to him in a previous book and his admiration for Priscilla is still there but not as strong as previously. Harriet's ways seem to thwart him but he's usually good at handling them without belittling her or putting her in her place like other men would.

The situation with Harriet's unruly brother is handled very well. I understand his rebellion and since he's still a teenager, the angst is understandable especially after the circumstances thrust upon the family. Unfortunately Harriet doesn't really see the problems being cause and she's not handling them correctly, hence his behavior gets worse and worse. When it finally comes to the breaking point, I am very glad that Lawrence didn't give in. He did what was right and even though Harriet protested and was angry, he kept to his word. I am also glad that even though there is sympathy from the townsfolk, they all state that her brother did wrong and are not going to tolerate it anymore.

The romance is very sweet and I really liked it. The pair have good chemistry together without being sappy or unrealistic. It's actually quite natural and very well played off. Equally as sweet is the growing relationship between Harriet's shy sister and the new preacher.

One small thing that bothered me is how Harriet is portrayed on the cover. It is mentioned MANY times that Harriet wears glasses throughout the book. I don't believe that she can see without them. However on the cover you will noticed that the model has no glasses. I suppose that she could beholding them in the same hand that is holding the book and it's just covered by the title design but I don't believe that's the case. It's actually quite a bit annoying and insulting to those people that DO wear glasses (yes I am four eyes myself) because it seems like the cover designer thought that putting glasses on the character would harm the sales of the book.

This is the third book in the Texas Dream series and while they can all be read as standalones, having background info on the characters always helps. Sadly this is the end of the series but I am looking forward to Cabot's future books.

Tomorrow's Garden by Amanda Cabot is published by Revell (2011)

This review copy was provided by the publisher

Other books in the Texas Dream series that I have reviewed

Scattered Petals (Book 2)