AUTHOR: Christine Lindsay
DATE: 2016
PUBLISHER: White Rose Publishing
STARS: *****
Seattle debutant Sofi Andersson will do everything in her power to protect her sister who is suffering from shock over their father's death. Charles, the family busy-body, threatens to lock Trina in a sanatorium—a whitewashed term for an insane asylum—so Sofi will rescue her little sister, even if it means running away to the Cascade Mountains with only the new gardener Neil Macpherson to protect them. But in a cabin high in the Cascades, Sofi begins to recognize that the handsome immigrant from Ireland harbors secrets of his own. Can she trust this man whose gentle manner brings such peace to her traumatized sister and such tumult to her own emotions? And can Neil, the gardener, continue to hide from Sofi that he is really Dr. Neil Galloway, a man wanted for murder by the British police? Only an act of faith and love will bridge the distance that separates lies from truth and safety.
When a book holds you captive from beginning to end, and makes you sigh in satisfaction mixed with regret once the journey is over, you know you’ve experienced a great story. Sofi’s Bridge is a great story.
Sofi inspired admiration within me from the beginning, as she throws aside “proper” behavior in order to save her younger sister. Sofi’s gift for mathematics and architecture are frowned upon by society, but her late father had encouraged her—to a point. I found her struggles with the expectations of society and her stubborn determination compelling and awe-inspiring.
Dr. Neil is the best kind of hero, too, with his dark good looks, gentle manner, and dreadful secret. His compassionate heart overcomes his instinct for self-preservation, and he gives up several chances to flee in order to try to help Sofi’s sister. The budding but forbidden romance between Sofi and Neil intertwined with a strong message of the necessity of faith in God and His goodness, in spite of personal pain.
I loved this story and award it five stars. Highly recommended!