Ripples Along the Shore by Mona Hodgson

About the Book
When Caroline Milburn steps off the boat and back into her hometown of St. Charles, MO, part of her wishes she could step right back on board and sail away. St. Charles, though home to her beloved friends and quilting circle, hasn't felt like home since the death of her husband. And living with her sister, Jewell’s family hasn't provided much balm for her grieving heart. Caroline knows something needs to change—but for now she’s stuck sharing her sister’s home, and enduring the anger and bitterness of her brother-in-law.
But change is brewing in St. Charles. A group of brave souls are preparing to head west on the Boones Lick Wagon Train, led by the mysterious and handsome Garrett Cowlishaw. Despite her dislike for Mr. Cowlishaw, who served as a Confederate soldier in the war that killed her husband, Caroline is tempted to join the wagon train and start fresh somewhere new.

When the lovely young widow makes her intentions to travel west known, Garrett Cowlishaw forbids her—a single woman—to travel with them. Will one man’s prejudice destroy Caroline’s hope for a new future? Or will the ripples of God’s love bring the answer she needs?

My Thoughts
It's hard to write this review since I'm still kinda confused. I've been enjoying these novellas a lot and I was really looking forward to this one, so once I got it I excitedly jumped in. The characters were great and it was interesting how not only Caroline's story but also a bit of another girl named Anna's were told. The plot was also cool with the idea of Union widow and a Confederate soldier. Honestly I was loving this book until the end, where the story just stopped abruptly without any sort of resolution between the two main characters. And Anna's story seemed like she was going to end up with Boney but after I bit of searching I  realized that the author's next book is about Anna and another guy and that Boney is actually from the Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek series where his story is finished. So I was really left with way more questions than answers and this novella really felt unfinished. I still would recommend reading this one especially if you plan on reading this authors new series.

About the Author
Married forty-one years to her leading man, Mona from Arizona lives in the Southwest where trees have
arms instead of branches and salsa is a staple. When Mona Hodgson isn't writing or speaking, she's playing Wii games with her Arizona grandson, spending time with her mom, picnicking, texting her sisters, or chatting on Skype with her grandchildren in Africa.
Mona Hodgson is the author of nearly 40 books, historical novels for adults and children's books, including her popular Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek Series, The Quilted Heart novellas, and upcoming Hearts Seeking Home Series. Her children's books include bestseller, Bedtime in the Southwest, six desert and princess Zonderkidz I Can Read books, Real Girls of the Bible: A 31-Day Devotional, and her six I Wonder books. Mona's writing credits also include several hundred articles, poems and short stories, which have appeared in 50 different publications. Mona is a speaker for women's groups, Christian women's retreats, book clubs and reading groups, schools, and conferences for writers and librarians.

I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for my review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own