Friday, May 3, 2024

About the Book

Book: A Spring at the Greenbrier

Author: Sandra Merville Hart

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: April 30, 2024

Marilla will sacrifice anything for her family. So when her sister’s doctor suggests daily sulphur spring baths, an amenity her family could never afford, Marilla takes a job at The Greenbrier resort bathhouse in order to give her sister the care she needs. When her sister befriends another girl staying at the resort with a similar health condition, Marilla finds herself crossing paths with the girl’s handsome, charming, older brother. And despite their growing attraction to each other, courting Wes must remain a dream. After all, resort staff cannot court guests and Marilla will not risk her sister’s health for her own happiness.

Wealthy resort guest, Wes Bakersfield, has dreams for a future and plans to make his family’s business his own. And while he finds himself drawn to Marilla, despite their differing social classes, he can’t help but wonder if she is really interested in him, or in his wealth.

Can the couple find the trust to help their love succeed, or will their differences pull them apart?

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About the Author

Sandra Merville Hart, award-winning and Amazon bestselling author of inspirational historical romances, loves to discover little-known yet fascinating facts from American history to include in her stories. Her desire is to transport her readers back in time. She is also a blogger, speaker, and conference teacher.

More from Sandra

In A Spring at The Greenbrier, Book 7 in Romance at the Gilded Age Resorts Series, Marilla, our heroine, is as desperate as her mother to find healing for her younger sister’s polio. When the doctor recommends daily bathing in the sulphur springs, her family cannot afford the cost. Marilla transfers to the bath wing at The Greenbrier where her new boss allows her to bring her sister at the end of each day after the guests have finished their bathing sessions. It makes for a long day yet the sacrifice is worth her exhaustion if the springs can help her ten-year-old sister.

The Greenbrier, a beautiful and elegant resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, first received its fame from healthy benefits of drinking the sulphur springs and bathing in its waters.

Both the hero and heroine in A Spring at The Greenbrier have younger sisters who can benefit from heated spring baths.

The bulk of my research for this story was for the springs and what illnesses benefit from them. I had to discover the illnesses for which doctors recommended the baths historically.

Soothing soaks in hot springs are recommended even today. They can boost blood circulation, reduce pain, improve skin conditions, reduce stress, decrease inflammation in joints, and detoxify the body.

Most resort guests in the early days drank tumblers of the water before each meal. A resort doctor in the 1800s cautioned taking a maximum of 12 glasses daily. Health benefits for the bowels, liver, kidneys, and skin most often appeared between three to six weeks. The resort began to sell it in bottles at drug stores. It was labelled as A Natural Laxative.

Major renovations were done by new owners for a grand reopening in September of 1913. Marilla, our heroine, begins working at the Women’s Department of the new bath wing. Female guests enjoyed heated sulphur spring baths in bathing rooms. Doctors sent their wealthy patients to the springs with a recommended regimen of bathing that might also include drinking the spring water. The temperature of the water, the frequency, and the length of the baths were set by their doctor.

Folks suffering from a variety of ailments sought benefits from the spring waters, including gout, rheumatism, arthritis, neuritis, dyspepsia, jaundice, scurvy, hay fever, malaria, bronchitis, asthma, and chronic diseases of the skin, stomach, bowels, and liver.

Mineral waters can harm people with aneurisms in the heart and large arteries, cancer, tubercular consumption, and some brain complaints.

The springs were of great benefit for folks suffering from chronic complaints. These benefits happened so gradually that patients started to feel better “without being able to account for it.”

So there were a lot of conditions to choose from for my two ailing girls in my story.

A Spring at The Greenbrier is a nostalgic story set in 1914. I invite you to read the whole series!

MY REVIEW

This has been a sweet, emotional story set in a time period where polio affected many. Marilla is such a generous and caring person. She devotes herself to caring for her young sister who has been stricken with polio. Working at the resort bathhouse she sees many people who hope the spring will help them with their illnesses. I love how Marilla takes time to make sure her sister gets to enjoy the spring water as well.

Wes comes from a wealthy family but he doesn’t let that keep him from being kind to everyone. He meets Marilla when his sister gets treatment from her. I like how they bond over both of them having sisters with similar ailments. The sisters become fast friends. It was easy for Wes and Marilla to be around each other since their siblings have become close friends. Wes is reminded that staff and guests cannot court. There is another reason his family is concerned. Wes was very hurt by someone he thought would become more than a friend. Poor Wes fell victim to a woman who was more interested in his money than him. Should he be cautious of Marilla?

I loved how the author incorporates historical figures like President Woodrow Wilson in the story. The resort is all a flutter when he and his family arrive at the resort. Have they come because someone in the family is ill and hopes to get help through the bathing session? This added a little excitement to the staff but they are careful not to gossip and get in trouble.

Wes and Marilla begin a sweet relationship but Marilla is afraid that she may lose her job because he is a guest at the resort. I like how Wes figures out a way to court Marilla and help her keep her job. They begin to have deep feelings for each other and spend precious time getting to know each other while going on dates.

The story illustrates how a young woman gives all her time to take care of her young sister. It prevents her from forming relationships or even being able to spend time alone. Her selfless act shows how giving of yourself blesses others. The ending is very nice and I can’t wait for readers to discover this beautiful, engaging faith filled story.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.