By D. E. Stevenson

‘Who said I was going to be married?’ cried Julia in alarm. ‘Nobody. Nobody at all,’ he replied, with a little chuckle. ‘But there’s always a chance that some misguided man might take a fancy to you.’ Julia laughed

This is gentle story of a girl who finds her independence by escaping from her controlling fiancé and cold uncaring father. Along the way, she meets and falls in like, then love with a nice, interesting guy who’s crazy about her, moves away from home to a boarding house, meets new friends, gets a job, makes a bit of money in the stock market, finds a long lost uncle, gains a possible new love interest, helps save her uncle’s life, and becomes an heiress.

I couldn’t have asked for more in her final confrontation with her jerk-wad of a fiancé. I did wish that there had been more closure with her equally awful father, but the fact that she just moves on is probably more realistic. As with The House on the Cliff, I felt sorry for the sad fate of our heroine’s mother. So far D.E. Stevenson’s novels have been happy but tinged with a bit of melancholy lurking in the background. That’s not a bad thing.**4 stars out of 5**

March 23, 2019