Sadie Rose and the Secret Romance

Opal sighed. How she longed for someone who loved her enough to say, “Anything you say, Opal” Just then she glanced up to find Flynn looking at her. Her heart stopped, then thundered on. Would Flynn be the man to say that to her?

Book: Sadie Rose and the Secret Romance (Sadie Rose Adventure) by Hilda Stahl, Crossway Books, 1992

Genre: Historical Fiction

Target Audience: Girls 10-14

Subjects: Romance, Love, Truth, Lies, Forgiveness, Repentance

Summary: He’s so handsome! And so mature! Opal is in love. She’s just sure of it! When a traveling salesman shows up in town the people have various reactions to him. Sadie thinks he’s a hero for helping her catch the runaway calf. Opal is convinced he’s ideal husband material. The adults value his teaching skills and hire him as the community’s school teacher. Mitch and Mary however take a very different reaction to him. They are convinced there is something suspicious about him, something not quite trustworthy. On his part, Flynn sees them as ideal candidates to swindle… until he starts to get to know them. The more time he spends with these people who take their faith seriously, particularly the command to love one another, the harder he finds it to finish out his plan to swindle them! A terrifying blizzard could change everything once and for all.

Notes: The Secret Romance is the eighth of the Sadie Rose Adventures. This series tells of a twelve year old girl’s first year living in the Nebraska sandhills during the pioneer days. Sadie has a knack for getting into danger. The series focuses a lot on family relationships as Sadie lives with her mother, stepdad, older sister, older brother, younger sister and younger brother. It also focuses a lot on the hopes and dreams of marriage for the young girls. The culture was for girls to marry quite young so the characters, especially Sadie’s older sister focus heavily on trying to find a good husband. There is also a strong thread of forgiveness and the importance of telling the truth running through the series.

In this eighth book, the main character now shifts to Opal who continues to be determined to find a husband in time to get married as soon as she turns sixteen. Opal learns a few lessons about what love is and what she truly wants in a relationship. Even more though, Flynn becomes a central character and we see the story through his eyes as he attempts to swindle the people and finds himself caught by their genuine love for Christ and for him. Originally he plans to convince Opal to sneak away with him – not to marry him, but to work for him, helping him swindle people. But when faced with her innocent love and her determination to stick to her word even when it hurts her, he finds he can’t go through with his plans. He grew up in a home with faith but rejected that faith when he grew up. Now surrounded with it again, he finds it’s not only the people he can’t resist, it’s God Himself that wants him back!

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

 Luke 15:7 – I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.