The Miner's Lady - A Book Review

From the Back: When Chantel Panetta's younger sister claims to be in love with Orlando Calarco, Chantel knows there is no hope.  The Panettas and Calarcos have been sworn enemies for decades, and young love cannot heal the deep wounds between the two iron-mining families.  Yet, unable to resist Isabella's pleas, Chantel agrees to help her sister spend time with Orlando...only to have a run-in with Dante, Orlando's brother.  Chantel can't deny the attraction that flares when she's with Dante.  But when a tragedy occurs at the mine, is there any hope that the hatred has simmered between these two families might be resolved?  Or will Chantel and Isabella's hope for love be buried amidst decades of misunderstanding?

Synopsis:  Chantel Panetta has just returned from visiting family in Italy and discovers her sister Isabella is in love with a young man named Orlando.  The only problem with this relationship is that Isabella's family and Orlando's family have been fighting for three generations.  Chantel reluctantly agrees to help Isabella.  In the midst of their meetings, Chantel meets Dante, Orlando's brother, who is quite disapproving of the budding relationship.  Chantel finds herself attracted to Dante and does what she can to quash those feelings.  A tragic accident at the mine in their town harms the girls' father and the accident ends up driving the two couples closer together.  The Calarco patriarch sees the growing attraction and supports resolving the family feud though her son does not.  As the novel progresses and love grows, Orlando's father only grows stronger in his resistance to their relationships.

My Review:  This was a fun read even though it was quite predictable.  It's the classic love story with a family feud backdrop.  However, Tracie Peterson writes in such a way you enjoy the characters and find yourself wanting the relationships to work out.  There were times I could feel the frustration of the characters as they wanted to resolve a silly disagreement but were torn between breaking off a relationship and following their heart.  While it's a simple romance story, it was quite an enjoyable read and just what I've come to expect from Peterson's work.  I definitely recommend picking it up if you're in the mood for a good love story.

My Score:  3.5 bookmarks out of 5.

Note: Bethany House Publishers gave me a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest review.