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The Brightest of Dreams (Canadian Crossings Book #3) Kindle Edition

by Susan Anne Mason (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 146 ratings
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Quinten Aspinall is determined to fulfill a promise he made to his deceased father to keep his family together. To do so, he must travel to Canada to find his younger siblings, who were sent there as indentured workers while Quinn was away at war. He is also solicited by his employer to look for the man's niece who ran off with a Canadian soldier. If Quinn can bring Julia back, he will receive his own tenant farm, enabling him to provide a home for his ailing mother and siblings.

Julia Holloway's decision to come to Toronto has been met with disaster. When her uncle's employee rescues her from a bad situation, she fears she can never repay Quinn's kindness. So when he asks her to help find his sister, she agrees. Soon after, however, Julia receives some devastating news that changes everything.

Torn between reuniting his family and protecting Julia, will Quinn have to sacrifice his chance at happiness to finally keep his promise?
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  1. Book 3 of 3
    Canadian Crossings
  2. Print length
    352 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    Bethany House Publishers
  6. Publication date
    February 4, 2020
  7. File size
    6237 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

He Crossed an Ocean to Reunite His Family.
But Meeting Her Makes Him Question Everything.

Quinten Aspinall is determined to fulfill a promise he made to his deceased father to keep his family together. To do so, he must travel to Canada to find his younger siblings, who were sent there as indentured workers while Quinn was away at war. But before he leaves, his employer offers him a deal. If Quinn can find the man's wayward niece, who ran off with a Canadian soldier, and bring her back, then he will receive his own tenant farm, enabling him to provide a home for his ailing mother and siblings.

Julia Holloway's decision to come to Toronto has been met with one disaster after another. When her uncle's employee rescues her from a bad situation, she fears she can never repay Quinn's kindness. So when he asks for her help to find his sister, she agrees. The quest draws the two of them together, but soon afterward, Julia receives devastating news that will change her life forever.

Torn between reuniting his family and protecting Julia, will Quinn have to sacrifice his chance at happiness to finally keep his promise?

"This novel brings to light an account of three British Home Children in Canada. . . . A well-written, informative, and eye-opening read. Highly recommended."--Historical Novel Review

About the Author

Susan Anne Mason's (www.susanannemason.net) historical novel Irish Meadows won the Fiction from the Heartland contest from the Mid-American Romance Authors Chapter of RWA as well as the Christian Retailer's Choice Award for Debut Novel. A member of ACFW, Susan lives outside of Toronto, Ontario, with her husband and two children.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07VPL4J7Y
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bethany House Publishers (February 4, 2020)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 4, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 6237 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 146 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Susan Anne Mason

Susan Anne Mason

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Susan lives in a suburb near Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where she works part-time as a church secretary. She is a wife and the mother of two amazing kids, and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). In addition to writing, she likes to scrapbook and to research her family history on-line. You can connect with her on Facebook or on her website www.susanannemason.net.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
146 global ratings
A Fine Finish to this Emotional Series!!!
4 Stars
A Fine Finish to this Emotional Series!!!
Surely the hand of God had been on their lives every step of the way.The Brightest of Dreams is such a lovely finish to this series. Mason uses a deft pen to plumb the depths of despair and heartache which brought many a tear to this reader’s eye. Emotional pain runs deep throughout the narrative and although several situations cannot be described as good, the author was careful to portray them with sensitivity and compassion.The sub-story with the Reverend and Mrs “C” is utterly captivating and oh, so sweet. Mason is adept at drawing me into her stories and holding me captive with both good and not-so-good personalities. The biblical theme of forgiveness is prominent. I thoroughly enjoyed this conclusion to Canadian Crossings. I highly recommend it of fans of Historical fiction.Reading the notes in the back of the book, I was surprised that such an enormous event in history would be so little known. Several writers like Mason are shedding new light onto this period in history, for which I am thankful. We have much to continue learning about the terrible plights children suffered and to make sure those in the foster system today are treated with dignity and love.I received a copy of the book from the author and publisher. My opinion is my own.
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Top reviews from the United States

Mary C Lynch
5.0 out of 5 stars Such a beautiful story.
Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2020
Verified Purchase
This is the first book I read by Susan Anne Mason. It was the cover that caught my eye. And the story is so beautiful. So heartbreaking, tears, such precious characters, such selfless love, redemption and hope.
The history behind this story is heartbreaking but the Dedication in this book touched me deeply.
Quinn and Julia's story will stay with me for a long time.
I will read many other books by this author.
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Beautyseeker
5.0 out of 5 stars Brightest of Dreams
Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2020
Verified Purchase
A moving story of a man's determination to find his siblings sent as indentured children to Canada from Engand. Retrieving his siblings is not as easy or straight forward as he thought. A good insite into the lives of English child immigrants.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A Winner!
Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2020
Verified Purchase
Love her books. Every story is beautifully done!!!
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BookCrazy
4.0 out of 5 stars God's Mysterious Ways...
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2020
Verified Purchase
I very much enjoyed this series of Canadian Crossings, and becoming acquainted with the writings of Susan Anne Mason. The author has a real knack for making the reader care about the central characters, which overlap in each book in this series. Story plots and situations are interwoven using imagination and real historical people/events. Very interesting and spiritually engaging!
2 people found this helpful
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C.L.
5.0 out of 5 stars A heartfelt story
Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2023
A wonderful accounting of the struggles of those trying to make a new and better life between two continents. The characters were so well-drawn. Truly eye opening as to the conditions of the time.
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Randi Annie Framnes
5.0 out of 5 stars A War Veteran struggling to keep his family together accross time and continents
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2020
Dealing with tough and sad issues involving children, I was not expecting to enjoy this book as much as I ended up doing. To be fair there were parts of the plot describing appalling conditions for the children working on Canadian farms, which I found thoroughly disturbing, but other parts were about how a close relationship between Julia and Quinn got room to develop in the middle of all the drama as well as descriptions of their life in Canada. We also got to follow Julia when she dealt with her very own problems. Secrecy, pride and stubbornness seemed to be at the core of the entire plot. I found descriptions of all the restraints society put on women of the time interesting.

War veteran, family man and Earl’s of Brentwood’s personal valet Quinten Aspinall – Quinn, has made a very big promise to his father before his death to keep the family together. He has made it through the war with minor injuries and seems a level headed and well put together man who believes in the guidance of God and generally trying to do the right thing.
He is asking for leave of absence to travel to Canada in order to bring siblings Becky, Cecil and Harry, 18, 16 and 12, home. The earl hires him to find his niece and bring her home with them.
I enjoy following his though process as he is dealing with the tough experiences of this story. He gets very concerned along the way when he is told appalling stories of children having been gravely mistreated as free labor on farms. Quinn has to get creative to get information about his siblings whereabouts. He trusts God to guide him and keep him safe on his quest. His faith helps him through his hardships and descriptions of this runs strong through the story. Throughout the story he is met with experiences that challenge his view of life as well as his values, and he needs all his strength and down-to-earth personality traits to carry him through the events he encounters. I found him a thoroughly nice guy. He impressed me. Well done for creating such a likable and well rounded up character.

Julia Holloway, earl’s niece, went off to Canada as personal caregiver to Private McIntyre. Following his suicide, she lives in dire straits in Toronto. When Quinn inquires after his “fellow soldier”, he finds Julia scrubbing floors at the military hospital for a pittance.
She harbors secrets she feels vital to keep from Quinn and the earl. She expects to feel even further disgraced, so she refuses to speak to him. The earl has dangled a very tempting «carrot» in front of Quinn, making it essential for him to keep Julia safe and bring her back to England. I was relieved to see the relationship between Julia and Quinn develop in spite of all the constraints within themselves and in society.

I enjoyed the writing a lot as it managed to draw me into the plot and make the reading quite captivating. It was probably not the best idea to jump right into installment #3 of Canadian Crossings. I anticipated encountering some short comings in my knowledge about a storyline running through all the books, but felt there were no issues at all reading this as a standalone. It was a quick and easy read I was sad to see end, but still there is the option of reading books #1 and 2, which I look forward to.

I recommend The Brightest of Dreams in the Canadian Crossings Series for fans of Susan Anne Mason and for readers of historical romance fiction. Thank you to publisher Bethany House and NetGalley for this eARC, which gives me the chance to share my honest review. All opinions are completely my own.

My rating: 5 stars / 5
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TCJRogers
3.0 out of 5 stars Good story line, moves a little slow
Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2020
In The Brightest of Dreams, Quinten Aspinall returns to England from war to find that his ailing mother, being unable to care for her three youngest children, has sent them to an orphanage. And the orphanage has shipped the children to Canada for “the chance for a better life” as indentured laborers. Quinn promises his mother he will find his siblings and bring them back, but when he asks his employer, the Earl of Brentwood, for the time off to travel to Canada, the Earl has another mission for him. The Earl’s niece, Julia Holloway, ran away to Canada with a soldier in order to care for him after the war, and he wants Quinn to find Julia and try to convince her to return to England, as well. As an added bonus, Quinn will be rewarded with one of the tenant farms for him and his family if he can bring Julia back. In Canada, Julia is living in poverty as the soldier she was caring for has died. When Quinn finds her, comes to her aid, and offers her protection, she is grateful, but when she learns of the deal made with her uncle, she wonders if Quinn actually cares about her or if he is using her in order to earn the farm. As Quinn struggles to get all the pieces of his life together — finding his siblings, trying to win Julia, striving to get back to England with his brothers and sister in tow in order to keep his promise to his mother, and trying to hold up his end of the deal with the Earl of Brentwood in order to earn the farm and provide a home for his family — he wonders if it’s even possible for him to have all he dreams of.

The Brightest of Dreams is a clean, faith-based story. The story weaves in historical events as it tells about the British Home Children which is a pretty horrible piece of history that I had never heard of before. Although I liked the premise of this story, I personally had a hard time connecting with the characters. I felt that the story dragged and seemed a bit unfocused sometimes. And in some places, I thought the dialogue seemed awkward and didn’t seem to fit the time period. Of course everyone has their own reaction to a story, and as this book has many five star ratings, obviously many others did connect with this story in a way that I just didn’t. But I certainly do appreciate the focus on faith in the story, and I’m glad to have learned a bit of history as well.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
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