I was not wowed by this book. I have really enjoyed the last two books by this author, however this one missed the mark. My main issue was that I didn’t feel like the motivation for Aggie’s choices were strong enough or realistic. It was hard to root for her and that made me disconnect from the story. She was still in love with James, yet she treated him rudely and it was hard to understand her thought process. It was also a long and drawn out process of the characters finding their way back to a relationship, with not much else happening in the midst of that plot point. I wanted more character development, more maturity from the characters, and a bit more happening in the plot.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC to review!
Rating (on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being excellent)
Quality of writing: 5
Pace: 4
Plot development: 5
Characters: 5
Enjoyability: 5
Ease of Reading: 5

Overall rating: 5 out of 5

A Life Once Dreamed is a well written inspirational romance. Great plot and character development. I believe fans of historical romance will enjoy this book. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

Set in the mountains of the Dakota Territory, this novel follows the story of Agnes Pratt, a rich city girl from Buffalo, as she runs from her past. When she finally thinks she's made a life for herself, her former fiance and best friend moves to town as the new doctor.

This novel by Fordham is beautifully written from the first page to the last. Though set in the 1880s, the turmoil and love is surprisingly timeless and engaging to the modern reader. And when Agnes has to make the choice between keeping her newfound family or her home, the reader can see the grit that allowed this determined woman to make it out on the mountains of Dakota. A story of love, faith, and redemption, this novel is a must-read.