I recently finished the final book in the At Home in Trinity series by Delia Parr and was not overly impressed by the ending of the story.
Martha Cade is the midwife in the town of Trinity, but her calling seems to make her lose sight of her friends and family. She often comes across as though she is smarter and more capable than anyone else in the town and seems to look down on the very people who love and support her.
In The Midwife’s Dilemma, Martha is struggling to find a replacement midwife so that she can marry her old sweetheart, Mayor Thomas Dillon. But she refuses to accept his offer of marriage until she has found a replacement. Although he is willing to let her continue working after they are wed until she finds someone, Martha seems determined to make the choice more difficult by refusing him until her job is complete.
At the same time, her daughter, Victoria, whom she had alienated with her passion for her calling, has returned home and is determined to marry. But Martha seems once more to want only her way and makes the match quite difficult for the young couple. Martha is then surprised when her son comes for an unexpected visit, bringing along his wife and two new daughters, whom she immediately becomes attached to.
Our heroine also seems to always want to control what is happening at the confectionery, where she has made a home with two spinster sisters, Ivy and Fern. She seems constantly to be concerned for them and for the two bachelors on the outskirts out town, who are caring for a young, orphan boy.
She also seems to want to mother the new girl in town, Jane, who is a mother herself to a special needs daughter.
In every scenario through the series, Martha seems incapable of seeing the strength and ability in others. I honestly hoped she would soften by the end of the book, but even then, she seems determined to have things done her way.
The story overall was pretty good, but the heroine definitely got on my nerves. I guess I would recommend this for a light summer read.
*I was given this book in exchange for my honest review by Bethany House Publishers.
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