Virginia Autumn (Sinclair Legacy #2) by Sara Mitchell

The second and final novel in Sara Mitchell’s historical Sinclair Legacy series, Virginia Autumn traces the struggles and spiritual growth of young schoolteacher Leah Sinclair and her widowed father, Jacob.

Spinster schoolteacher Leah lives by intellect and reason, unable to relate to the rich, full-hearted faith of her father and two older sisters (whose stories are told in Book One: Shenandoah Home). Yet her dogged pursuit by devout naturalist Cade Beringer suddenly brings Leah face-to-face with her doubts and fears–and with the possibility that love can bloom where she least expects it.

As Leah falls in love, and with his other daughters married and gone, Jacob faces an uncertain future. He realizes that he is too old for adventure and too young to cease working. But when the terribly scarred concert pianist Fiona Carlton enters his life, he begins to suspect that he is not, and never will be, too old for love.

Linking together two old-fashioned love stories, Mitchell beautifully addresses God’s compassion, reminding readers that the Creator is intimately aware of our hidden places of pain, and that his love for us truly is unrelenting.