One Saint in Tonica: Grooms of Tonica Book 3

Klint St. John is content working as the local bank teller in the small town of Tonica, Texas… Until the day Miss Varina Carroll walks through the doors. Suddenly, his world changes and he has no idea how to reconcile his future with the past he so desperately needs to leave behind. Varina knows her father is dying. He has settled her into a nice cottage in Tonica, made arrangement for Jon Andrews, a close friend (and unrequited love), to oversee her finances. Although she dreamed of a life with Jon, it is the quiet yet strong and supportive company of Clint that compels her as she works through the aftermath of her father’s passing.  Soon she realizes that the man she is falling in love with is also the man who has ghosts that he refuses to speak of, and a battle he refuses to fight in order to have her. What will it take for Varina to tear down those walls and find happiness?

What a beautifully penned story of life and love in the aftermath of the American civil war! While focusing on the romance, this book still succeeds in lending small but deep insights into life at that time with a beauty and tragedy that all can feel. The characters are sympathetic, and while Klint’s wavering but insistent refusal to accept a future with Varina is exasperating, as the story unfolds further it becomes understandable. There could have been a bit more time spent in allowing the reader to see their love grow, but otherwise, this is a top-notch and enthusiastically recommended read for anyone who enjoys this era in history!

Ruth Lynn Ritter