The Preacher's Promise: A Home to Milford College novel Paperback – August 17, 2014

There is always a story behind all missions. This one proved to be very special and informative. We always hear of our ancestors trials and tribulations but to hear how others got through is amazing. Looking forward to the rest of this series.

This was a sweet romance. The author did a great job of blending historical facts with vivid imagery.Virgil Smithson is the mayor, blacksmith, and preacher of a town called Milford. Good Lord, that man has plenty of work to do! He writes to a man named Lawrence Stewart to teach the newly freed slave children. There's only one problem: Mr. Stewart died a few months earlier. So, his daughter, Amanda comes in his place. Destitute, and believing she's been swindled by her father's law partner, Amanda makes the journey from Ohio to Milford to teach in her father's place.She's met at the train station by Virgil, who, for secret reasons of his own, takes an immediate disliking to her.Wanting a male teacher, instead of a female, Virgil practically chases Amanda out of town. Then, something happens that forces them to accept each other and make the best of the situation.I won't give away what happened. All I'll say is that Amanda was a very forgiving person, especially toward her father's law partner, who suggested she become a "soiled dove." Virgil was slow to come around, but he finally acted like he had some sense in the end. The ending has a wild plot twist I wasn't expecting.I think anyone who enjoys inspirational and historical fiction will like this story. The author obviously has done her research, and she's put a lot of work into this. Good job, Ms. Huguley.

This is an amazing, intense read.The style of writing is more authentic than most historicals and the way the characters think and speak more typical of their time. Some readers may be unused to the diction, or find Virgil a bit frustrating because of the assumptions he made, which he didn't clear up by talking to Mandy, but that's all authentic to the time and character. Others may be turned off by the characters' religious beliefs, which drive their actions. (Book is not intended to convert anybody but to be readable by those with religious beliefs.) Still others may deride the lack of open-door sex scenes, although there is definite physical attraction made more intense by the fact it's generated by contact we would look at matter-of-factly (lifting Mandy down from a cart, for example).But these features are necessary to be true to this heartbreaking and hopeful story. Mandy and Virgil both grow and learn throughout this first book in the series featuring them (I haven't read any of the others), and there is a satisfying and believable conclusion despite all the obstacles in their path, including the threat of white violence. The white characters are not all villains; the black ones are not all heroes.If you like slow-burn, angsty, intense stories and are not afraid of one that doesn't sugarcoat the realities of slavery and racism in the US (still here, btw), this is the book for you.

I began this series with Ms. Huguley's prequel (The Lawyer's Luck) which entices the reader to learn more about her Milford College characters, so I continued the journey with The Preacher's Promise.Ms. Huguley's voice shines through in this longer work which features Amanda Stewart, the daughter of the couple in The Lawyer's Luck, and Virgil Smithson, a post Civil War black mayor who takes his job seriously. A female teacher isn't what Virgil expects and certainly not one with such airs and frippery as Ms. Stewart possesses, but he did promise his deceased wife that his daughter would receive an education. Virgil is out of his element dealing with such a fine lady and comes off as a bit harsh to the determined Amanda. It's a great first meet for the reader and soon Amanda and Virgil find themselves married before they get to know one another. I won't spoil the how and why of that, but it works with the mores of the era.Amanda and Virgil's journey from married strangers to happy couple is fraught with many setbacks and difficulties, intensified by their disparate backgrounds and the gritty race realities of that time, but each obstacle won is a joy.I recommend this book to all readers of American historical romances.

An awesome read. A historical romance between two strong-willed and caring individuals. Piper Huguley penned a piece work on a daughters promise to her father and a husband's promise to his wife: Virgil would ensure that their daughter learn to read ( as well as he needed to learn) and Amanda going South for a teaching job.Virgil, as stoic as he was, was not going to settle for a woman working in such a capacity and Amanda was not going to take no for an answer. Virgil's word was usually the law (he was the mayor, blacksmith, preacher for the town and you name it). Mrs. Milford spoke up and ensured that Virgil not only kept Amanda around but marry her. How likely would two different people (she highly educated and him lacking a formal education) make this marriage work? Even though it took place at a different time...it showed that, just like today, opposites attract. Like most historical romances the guys are stoic and demonstrative but the heroine is of a mature age and can stand her ground. I loved how the couple softened in the book (they read the Bible to each other daily and even with the difficulties between one being formally educated and the other not....the continental divide became very narrow).

I enjoy historical fiction. This was a nice combination with romance. Represents the female with strong character and determination. Looking forward to the second book. I'm glad that I didn't know about the prequel.

Very good book

If you are interested in American history at all, you will enjoy this book as it opens a window into an oft-overlook aspect of history -- the African American experience in Georgia during Reconstruction.Although the relationship between Amanda, the college educated Northerner who grew up believing she was free and Virgil, the former slave who had to work for his freedom but then in doing so failed to save the woman he loved is an important element of this story, this story is more about Virgil's struggles with self-forgiveness and his feelings of inadequacy in a world which in many ways has changed beyond reckoning but where unfortunately old prejudices still linger and can strike at the heart of those he holds dear. These struggles have blighted his life in many ways, closing him off from his young daughter. It is through school teacher Amanda's influence that Virgil changes and begins to embrace the rich future God has envisioned for him.Huguley has a wonderful voice and the story is a page-turning read. It is a life-enhancing book.Huguley is a worthy successor to such saga writers as Catherine Cookson, Joesphine Cox and Benita Brown. If you enjoy a good family saga, you will find the entire Home to Milford College sequence unputdownable.

"The Preacher's Promise" is a very entertaining tale set in Reconstruction Era Georgia. With some interesting characters, this is another book which I found hard to put down once I started. I look forward to reading the other books in the series.

The civil war has given freedom to slaves even in the South. The estate owner wants them educated . The mayor is also the Blacksmith and for propriety marries the teacher. Can they find love, freedom and recompense. Excellent story, good characters and faith sees them through.