The Spinster: a clean historical romance

The Spinster by Tess Thompson is the second book in the Emerson Pass Historical series. In  Emerson Pass, Colorado 1920, the first World War is over and Josephine Barnes mourns the loss of her beloved fiancé as he fought in the trenches. Devastated, she vows to never marry and calls herself a spinster as she focuses on building the town’s new library. Her world is turned upside down when she receives a letter from someone who fought with her fiancé, asking to visit and return the letters she wrote. Phillip Baker survived the war and survived a bout with the dreaded Spanish flu but he is burdened with a distressing secret. Plagued by guilt, but unable to stop, reading Josephine’s letters brought him comfort and finds himself falling for the woman and her words. When Phillip arrives, Josephine is torn between loyalty to her deceased fiancé and her growing feelings for Phillip. As Phillip prepares to tell her the secrets he carries, will her new feelings be crushed and push her away from Phillip forever? 

The question of “Can the tragic death of a soldier entwine the souls of two strangers?” asked in the book’s description spoke to me as someone who descends from two people who met because of the death of a soldier on the battlefield. I fell in love with the Barnes family in The School Mistress and enjoyed seeing them growing up. First up is the eldest Josephine. The bookish Josephine who would rather hide in a book and take care of her loved one convinced she is not pretty enough to find love again. She believes her one chance at love died on the battlefield was heartbreaking. The arrival of Phillip brings new joy to her life despite her best efforts to stay neutral. My heart broke for those who returned from war with memories and horrors plaguing them. I loved that Ms Thompson did not shy away from that. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. If you enjoy wholesome historical romances, I highly recommend The Spinster. 

The Spinster is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook