The Anniversary Waltz by Darrel Nelson

This is a love story. But it has a twist. We know from the Prologue that they have been married for sixty years and are still madly in love with each other. Rather than detracting from the romance, it only adds to the story.

It is the summer of 1946 and Adam has just returned from the war. His Montana hometown is a small one and at a celebration, he meets and falls for Elizabeth. But she is taken, sort of, as she is going steady with an influential banker who just happens to be Adam's former high school rival.

While Adam is a hero to his hometown, Adam's father is bitter over Adam's leaving the farm four years ago. Times have been hard and Adam's father has tried to maintain the farm all on his own. It has fallen into disrepair and Adam sets to work at getting it back into shape.

As Adam gently pursues Elizabeth, he finds out that the farm is in financial difficulty and Elizabeth's beau, Adam's old rival, is in control of the mortgage. Just when Adam thinks his life is looking up, tragedy strikes.

This is a great romance. Knowing the outcome at the beginning made me think this might be a boring romance. Boy, was I wrong. The anticipation in the novel is not wondering whether the guy gets the gal. We know he does. The excitement is how the couple overcomes difficulties to get to that wedding day. The force of the story is about relationships. It is about people overcoming bitterness and reestablishing love. It is about trusting the love of another, even when the situation is ugly and looks hopeless.

A good story with well crafted characters makes this a novel well worth reading.

Darrel Nelson is a school teacher by profession. He and his wife live in Raymond, Alberta, and are proud grandparents. This is Darrel's debut novel. Find out more about him at www.darrelnelson.com.

Realms (a division of Charisma House Book Group), 293 pages.  Publisher product page.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review.