She wants to change the world.
He wants to change her mind.
It’s the beginning of a new century at Lake Manawa resort in Iowa, but some things never change. When Emily Graham’s meddlesome aunts and grandmother take it upon themselves to find her a husband among the resort guests, the spunky suffragist is determined to politely decline each and every suitor. She has neither the time nor the need for a man in her busy life.
Carter Stockton, a recent college graduate and a pitcher for the Manawa Owls baseball team, intends to enjoy every minute of the summer before he is forced into the straitlaced business world of his father.
When their worlds collide, neither Emily nor Carter could have guessed what would come next. Will Carter strike out? Or will Emily cast her vote for a love that might cost her dreams?
The perfect summer novel. A Great Catch will enchant you with its breezy setting and endearing characters.
A History buff, antique collector, and a freelance graphic designer, Lorna Seilstad is the author of Making Waves and draws her setting from her home state of Iowa. A former high school English and journalism teacher, she has won several online writing awards and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers.
Let me “set the scene” for my favorite scene in the book. While Emily was very headstrong and fought for what she believed in she also felt awkward and clumsy and, in her eyes, never measured up. She had stood by and watched her aunts Millie and Ethel set her up with men that were very undesirable. Emily had started coming into her own by this point and had gained alot of confidence in herself and her abilities. Her aunts introduced her to yet another possible suitor and it couldn’t have come at a worse time. Emily had just been insulted and pounded with rotten tomatoes at her suffrage speech and she was in no mood for matchmaking. Given the fact that her “suitor” was the town’s undertaker didn’t help matters.
“By the time Emily approached the cabin, the familiar heaviness of last night had closed in around her.Tears made paths through the tomato smears on her cheeks. Never had she felt more alone.
“There you are, Emily.” Aunt Millie toddled down the path toward her. “Oh my, what happened?”
“One of the men didn’t like the color of my dress today.”
“Oh dear.” Her aunt looped her arm in Emily’s.”We have to get you cleaned up.”
“Why? What’s going on?”
“We’re trying to help you ease the torment in your soul, dear.”
Emily raised her eyebrows. “And how do you intend to do that?” Stopping on the path, Emily saw exactly how her two aunts planned to do it, and he appeared to be the town’s undertaker sitting in a rocking chair beside Aunt Ethel.
“Is that–“
Aunt Millie patted her hand. “No hasty judgments, dear. Dudly has an excellent job with a steady Clientele, and he’s dying to meet you.”
A moan rose in Emily’s throat. She held out her splattered skirt. “Look at me. Smell me. I can’t meet anyone tonight even if I wanted to, which I do not.”
“Now, dear, you can’t very well turn him away. He came all the way from the city.” She pulled her forward. “Besides, I don’t think the bad smell will bother him one bit. In his profession, I would guess he gets used to horrible stenches.”
What did Emily care if she offended Dudly Lynch? She didn’t want to be courted by him or anyone else, and the sooner he learned that, the better.
With a sigh, she marched up to the paunchy middle-aged man and stuck out her hand. Dudly’s handshake, cold and limp, made Emily wince. And the thick beard hanging off the man’s chin did nothing to compensate for the lack of hair on his head.
“Hello, Mr. Lynch.” Emily squared her shoulders. ” I believe women should have the right to vote. I believe they are every bit as intelligent , talented and able as men, and I believe they should say exactly what is on their minds. Don’t you agree?”
“I… uh…”
“Good. So, here’s what is on my mind.” She tugged on her shirtwaist, ignoring Aunt Ethel’s glare and Aunt Millie’s gaping mouth. ” I don’t want to entertain a suitor right now. I want to go inside and wash away my unfortunate meeting with a couple of tomatoes. Is that all right with you, sir?”
“Uh… yes… of course.”
“And please forgive my aunts for dragging you out here. I would say I hope this turns into a profitable business trip for you, but given your occupation, please understand although I’d sometimes like to kill these two, I won’t do so today.”
Yes, indeed, the fiesty Emily put her foot down and spoke her mind yet again. I absolutely LOVED this part in the book and sometimes wish I had the gumption Emily displayed in this scene. It was Laugh Out Loud funny and very well written.
Emily Graham: A fighter of the women’s suffragist movement. She believes in the right for women to vote and be treated as equals. She took a stand for those beliefs and for every woman out there who were too afraid to stand up for themselves. She is fiesty, spunky and clumsy. A very special combination.
Carter Stockton: A college graduate and a lover of baseball, Carter prefers to be on the field rather than work in his Father’s stuffy bank. He is fun-loving and a very spiritual man who trusts God to forge his path in life.
Grandma Kate: Grandma Kate supports Emily in everything she does. When Emily’s aunts are pointing out her faults, Grandma Kate is building her self-confidence and helping her find her spiritual relationship with God.
Aunt Ethel and Aunt Millie: The meddlesome twosome. They are always trying to push a suitor on Emily whether she wants one or not.
This was a very light-hearted read. A fun book for the summer or any time of the year. It had the right ammount of spiritual reference without over doing it. The characters were well thought out and fun to get to know. I’m so glad Marguerite and Lilly, from Making Waves book 1 in this series, played such a big part of this book. I just adored their characters. The historical details were very accurate and eye-opening. I never knew there was a “Bloomer Girls” baseball team and after reading this book I checked out their history. Very fascinating indeed. This story was very well written and I would recommend it to anyone who loves Spirituality, romance and history. You get a healthy dose of each! It’s hard to believe this was Lorna Seilstad’s second book. She is an author to add to your “Watch” list.
Buy A Great Catch At:
Amazon or Barnes & Noble
My Rating: 5 out of 5 Palms
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