Book Review: Unending Devotion

The logging towns of Michigan in the late 1800s are not the place for a nice young lady.  Yet that's just where Lily Young wants to be, traveling as a photographer's assistant while she desperately searches every town to find her younger sister, Daisy.  Lily and Daisy are alone in the world, and Lily fears that Daisy has gone to work in one of the many brothels that service the logging camps.  When Lily meets Connell McCormick, one of the lumber company bosses, she finds him intriguing, yet is frustrated by his reluctance to help her look for her sister, rescue prostitutes, and speak out against the brothels and saloons . . . not to mention that his industry is destroying natural beauty and leaving ugly scars all over the landscape!  Lily is a woman of strong opinions and a strong sense of right and wrong.

When Lily finally rescues her sister and Connell delivers them to a place of safety, Lily thinks the worst is over and that her mission has been accomplished.  Now she and Daisy can settle down and begin to rebuild their lives.  Little does she know that danger still trails their steps, and that she has many lessons yet to learn about trusting God and letting Him be in control.

Unending Devotion was my first Jody Hedlund novel, and I enjoyed it.  From the start, I was especially drawn to the beautiful cover, and the story within was well worth reading.  I learned a lot about life in the logging towns and was surprised to realize how immoral and rough these places were.  I guess it was something I had just never thought about before.  Some prostitutes got into that life willingly, while others were lured by false job advertisements and enslaved against their will.

Lily and Connell were likable characters with real problems and flaws.  While at times I felt that too much emphasis was placed on their physical attraction to each other, I also appreciated that they held strong in their convictions to remain pure until marriage.  I also thought the author did a good job showing the characters' growth, and the spiritual lessons they learned along the way.

Because much of the subject matter dealt with prostitution, I'm not sure I would recommend this one for teen girls.  While it was not graphic, it's one of those that a mom might want to evaluate first.  Overall, Unending Devotion was a great read, and I look forward to reading more of Jody Hedlund's work in the future.  I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

**I received a free review copy of this book from Bethany House.  I was not required to give a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own.

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