Shine Like the Dawn by Carrie Turnanksy

This book is an excellent mixture of mystery, romance, suspense and historical drama!  Set in the early 1900s the heroine faces challenges of raising her younger sister while helping her grandmother operate a millinery shop.  There are union riots, threats of strikes, an unsolved mystery of how her father died and a childhood crush that comes back to town.  How all the characters interact and find God's path again after years of misunderstanding, bitterness and sorrow make for a real page turner.  Detail is given to the historical times as well as to the emotional journey one makes through grief and seeing God in the midst of trials.  The spiritual nuggets of truth are woven into the story in a natural way and fit right in with the character's musings and feelings.  The path that the two main characters take separately and then together was very moving.  I liked how the author showed that each had to be strong individually before they could come together in an emotionally healthy way.  I really appreciated the sweet love story that did not include sexual tension.  I've been so tired of that in "christian" romance!  This story instead dwelt on the aspects of learning to trust each other, learning to share even when fearful, learning to be honest, learning to see each other's core values and appreciate each other's strengths.  The descriptions of scenery, homes, town, hats at millinery really added to the story.  But what I enjoyed the most was each character's battle with self to trust fully in God's guidance and how God worked through each person's life.