Adult Review - Like the Air After Rain - historical fiction

Roth, Kellyn. Like the Air After Rain. White Salmon, WA: Wild Blue Wonder Press, 2025.

The Hilton Legacy, book 2

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Title: Like the Air After Rain (The Hilton Legacy, Book 2)

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Era: Victorian Era/Gilded Age (specifically, the 1880s).

Summary

What if nothing’s left after the storm fades?

Aubrey Montgomery has three problems: the care of his adolescent sisters, the managing of his household, and his own loneliness. Over two years have passed since he was rejected by Cassie Hilton. Although he no longer trusts himself to love a woman properly, he could settle for an amicable partnership—if the right woman came along.

Lorelei Hilton only has one problem that she knows of: her manipulative and controlling father is arranging a marriage to a spineless boy in order to maintain the family business—and keep it out of her very determined, very female hands. But if Lorelei can’t force her way through a door, she’ll crawl in a window. To rescue herself and her sister, she sails off to England in search of a man with the gumption to stand up to her father.

After a chance meeting and an intense contract negotiation, Lorelei and Aubrey agree to a marriage of convenience. As they grow closer and struggle through the trials of their utilitarian arrangement, Aubrey is left with a question. Can the sacrament of marriage be entirely practical—or is there something otherworldly about it?

Like the Air After Rain is the second novel in The Hilton Legacy, a stand-alone trilogy featuring characters from the author’s first series, The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy.

Purchase Like the Air After Rain on Amazon – https://amzn.to/3GLX5Jj

My Adult Review

I always enjoy Roth’s books, Like the Air After Rain is no expectation. In this second book in The Hilton Legacy series, Roth focuses on the middle Hilton child – Lorelei. Her older brother Patrick makes an appearance and her younger sister Winnie is present throughout the book.

Because Lorelei does not want to marry her father’s choice she decides to arrange a marriage for herself. During a visit to friends in England (we’ve met them before in one of Roth’s other series) she meets, and determines to marry Aubrey Montegomery (who had previously dated Lorelei’s now sister-in-law). Lorelei does all this so that she can work in the family business, which is what she believes she wants. Because her husband will own her portion of the business due to English laws, they write a “pre-nup” of sorts that isn’t really legally binding but does lay out each of their responsibilities in the marriage – it is quite an interesting agreement.

I love how Roth laces Biblical principles into the story. Through the story she is actually teaching Biblical concepts of marriage.

I really enjoyed the book and look forward to the third book in the series.

While Like the Air After Rain is adult historical fiction, I think it could find a place in a K-12 Christian school library but I would label it for high school only.

I received a complimentary copy of Like the Air After Rain. This is my honest review.

About the Author – Kellyn Roth

Kellyn Roth is the author of ten historical romance novels with strong Christian themes, a touch of humor, and messy situations that put the main characters through the wringer and force them to face hard questions. Kell is the founder and owner of Wild Blue Wonder Press, a small press with the mission of sharing fictional stories full of grace and truth. Her goal is to create stories that matter, to delve into the deepest and sometimes the saddest parts of life, and to return from the darkest valleys resplendent in the light of hope and the fullness of joy. When not building her author career, Kellyn is likely drinking iced coffee with her husband, getting lost somewhere in the Pacific Northwest with her friends, or watching period dramas and facetious comedies with her border collie.

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