Inspirational Romance annotation

A Heart Most Worthy by Siri Mitchell

Three young Italian immigrant women in America are trying to determine how they fit in with their new country in this historical romance set during 1918 with WWI and the Spanish influenza epidemic raging in the background, while they also try to balance the obligations of family and faith with their own desires.

Julietta comes from a loving family, yet longs for excitement, but will her choices lead her into trouble?  Annamaria is the eldest girl in her family and is beginning to chafe at the expectations of giving up her dreams of marriage and children to take care of her parents - will this quiet good girl get what she longs for?  Luciana has a secret, one that has followed her from Italy and keeps her in constant fear, will she be able to put the past to behind her and find happiness in her new country? These girls meet while finding employment in a dress shop, and as they become friends and their lives intersect, they make mistakes but learn from them to create hopeful futures for themselves.  Rating: G

 Appeals:

• strong community/family ties
• religion/beliefs 
• sweet story 

Characteristics of Romance that was applicable for this title:

• Misunderstandings between the couples
• Secondary characters mainly hinder progression of romance, or may help
• Historical setting determines the gender roles
• HEA, happily ever after 

The backdrop of the story was interesting, yet the style was very slow. It was not a compelling read, you could easily put this down and go back to it later. This book seems somewhat unique compared to many of the other popular Inspirational Romances I have seen, as the girl's religion is Catholicism. The religious aspect of the book didn't bother me as much as I thought it would, it was not preachy, which was nice.  Mainly, the characters contemplated sin, felt guilty if they did or thought something wrong, and went to church a lot. This only reminded me of my grandmother and her contemporaries.  Unfortunately, I didn't feel emotionally invested in the characters, but overall, it was an easy, pleasant read.

Author Read-a-likes from NoveList using keywords Christian historical fiction:

• Siri Mitchell - She Walks in Beauty
• Judith Pella - Written on the Wind
• Maureen Lang - The Oak Leaves