A Life Such as Heaven Intended - Book Review

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Let me take you back in time, to the early 1860’s, when the American Civil War was raging. There, we meet Brigid McGinnis, in Amanda Lauer’s A Life Such as Heaven Intended.  Brigid is 17, and coming of age, as a typical southern belle. However, rather than marrying, Brigid sees herself giving her life to God as a nun. That is, until one day, when Brigid finds a very handsome stranger, lying injured in her backyard. Charitable young thing that she is, Brigid tends to the injured soldier, who seems to have lost his memory because of a head injury. Together, she and the injured soldier try to make sense of what might have happened to him. As he recovers under Brigid’s care, love blossoms between the two.
From the onset, Lauer takes us on a romantic journey of chaste love, valuing the virtue of chastity. In this second book in a series, we see the virtues of charity, compassion, honesty and love on full display. There are fascinating sub-plots addressing the horror of slavery, and the battles of the Civil War, that make this book a real page-turner.
Lauer excels at illustrating the complexities of relationships in this novel; from Brigid’s deceptive relationship with her father, to her honest relationship with Dominic Warner, the injured soldier. The contrasts are profound. As the story progresses, we see... Read more...

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