Unexpected Love by Andrea Boeshaar ~ review

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Nurse Lorenna Fields always took her job at Chicago's Lakeview Hospital seriously, determining never to becomes personally involved with her patients. Then a mysterious man with eyes like onyx is admitted after a shipwreck on Lake Michigan. He has lost his memory and sight. Renna feels a special kinship with this man and soon dubs him Mr. Blackeyes. They build a strong trusting friendship, and she shares her faith in the Lord. But she dreads the day he will recover. His memory will take him away from her to family and friends now forgotten, and his regained sight will reveal a secret about herself that Renna has been trying hard to hide. Renna cannot stand the thought of Mr. Blackeyes looking at her in disgust. Soon it will be time for her to leave before his sight returns. His memories of children and a fiancée are already surfacing. But someoe else besides Renna doesn't want Mr. Blackeyes to remember the past... and may not allow him to live to see the future.

My take on this book;
This book opens in Sept. 1866 in Chicago. We find Lorena (Renna) Fields working as a nurse at Chicago's Mercy Hospital. She is thirty years old, lives with her parents, and is  labeled a spinster by many. While she dreams of a husband and children, she believes no man would want her, because of a birthmark on her face. So she has become a dedicated nurse. When she gets a patient on her floor who has amnesia, and has lost his sight, she finds herself drawn to him. Giving him the nickname "Blackeyes", while she prays for him to get his site and memory back, she also fears the return of his vision, dreading the day that he will look at her face and be repulsed by it.

Mr "Blackeyes" wakes up in a hospital, unable to remember who he is, and unable to see. While recovering, he listens to Renna speak to other patients about God, and becomes a changed man himself. He is drawn to Renna experiencing feelings he has never had before. Just as his site starts to return she pulls away, when he finds out it is because of the birthmark, he decides to continue to act blind so that she will continue to feel comfortable around him. As his memory returns, and he realizes who he is, he starts wondering if the accident that landed him in the hospital was actually an accident. Will he figure out who might be out to get him, and will he be able to convince Renna that he loves her no matter what!

A great historical romance that had a few twists thrown in. With the story of Mr. "Blackeyes", and his accident, you have a bit of mystery as to who might have caused the accident, as also whether the person may strike again. Renna was a very like-able character, who didn't have alot of self confidence. She found herself needing to be needed, which explained the long hours she worked. Her parents were delightful characters, and the families faith in God really shines thru.Several of the characters were Christians, and verses are quoted from the Bible, but it works well in this story. Instead of coming off as  preachy, it makes the Christian's seem more realistic. The story moved along very quickly and while the ending was predictable, it was still nice.

Even though this is the third book in the Seasons of Redemption series it can easily be read as a stand alone work. Readers are given a teaser of the next book in the series titled Undaunted Faith due out May 2011, and I can't wait to read it.
If your a fan of historical fiction that has a sweet romance with some substance then I recommend you give this book a try!

rating 5/5