His Steadfast Love - A Moving Tale

Amanda Belle is a lady of Southern upbringing, charged with caring for younger
siblings after losing her mother. Kent Littlefield is a Union army officer, quickly rising in rank. The two meet just before the Civil War and quickly fall in love. However, when the war starts, Kent must take his place in the Northern army - taking him away from the woman he loves. Amanda's own brother soon joins the Southern Rebel army - tearing her allegiances: family and slavery; or true love and freedom? When the war ends, will Kent come for Amanda and win the blessings of both families for marriage? What will become of Amanda's brother, her siblings, and her convictions?



Set during the Civil War, His Steadfast Love does a wonderful job of portraying the terrible emotional struggle involved when brothers and friends fight each other in a war. This traditional story of romance bridging the gap between enemies has quite a few twists and turns and the ending did not come about as I expected it to. The author showed a remarkable understanding about the war from a Southern perspective when one of her characters proclaimed that "This is not about slavery, it is about the right of the State to make such decisions. (that is not an exact quote just so you know.) As someone from the North raised in public school, I always thought the Civil War was fought over the issue of slavery. The truth is much more comlex then just the "black and white" of the slavery issue. Overall, I thought this was a very fine specimen of historical romance.


Parsons mixes in many interesting tidbits about the war, particularly from the less often examined perspective in Texas. She balances believable romance with the tensions of the day. And her characters wrestle with doubt and unforgiveness in ways that could apply to many situations in our present political climate. Once again, Parsons rises above genre expectations and schmaltzy covers and gives us a quality story.

Author, Golden Keyes Parsons, uses vivid details and words that painted wonderful pictures for me and kept me fully engaged. The week that I read this book, I substituted all week, and I almost couldn't stand it when I had to stop reading.

I appreciated historical facts that were included. Some I had not considered before and some gave me ideas for further exploration. I also liked that a reader's guide was included. The questions are perfect for further personal consideration of issues raised in His Steadfast Love, or for a book club discussion. I would definitely recommend this book.