Review: Heart-wrenching  *** 4 1/2 Stars***
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 10, 2014
This is a very emotional story about a chaste hero, his terminally ill sister, and a spinster heroine.  The story that Ms. McQueen weaves around these three characters is a compelling one, that touches the heart.  The characters are so well developed that they fairly come to life within the pages of the book...well all except the heroine who, IMO, was not as fully developed.  The book is extremely well written, with a unique and engaging plot.The romance between Emily and Robin is the focal point of the story, but in my view, little Anne stole the show.  Robin is an awkward 24 year old man, who is single handedly raising his 11 year old, terminally ill sister, Anne.  Robin has a huge crush on Emily's niece, Harriet, who is, IMO a somewhat self-centered, silly, young woman.When he meets Emily, Robin is almost overimmediately smitten, but getting the much older Emily (she's really only 9 years older) to take his attentions seriously is a challenge.  I loved Robin.  He is sweet, loving, caring, and completely insecure about his manly charms (of which he thinks he has none.)As for Emily, she is convinced that she is too old for the sweet, boyish Robin.  The two do spend a significant amount of time together, mostly in the company of Robin's sister, Anne, who is a total sweetheart.  Anne is terminally ill and her sincerest wish is to see her brother settled with someone who will love him as he deserves.The story that unfolds in this book is extremely sweet and poignant.  I loved it.  But, I have to warn you that it WILL make you cry, so make sure to have a box of Kleenex close by when you read it.  I rated this book 4 1/2 stars because, in my view, the heroine needed to be more in the forefront...she does get a bit overshadowed.  Because Amazon doesn't allow 1/2 star rating I gave 5 stars as, in my view, this book is closer to a 5 star read, than a 4.