"A love story at its core, this intensely emotional novel connects to readers on many levels as it examines the ideas of family, identity and the complicated relationships that grew out of the civil rights movement." — In the Fields Kirkus Review
1971—In the tiny, backward town of Tulma, Tennessee, optimistic, bookish Caroline Carson unwittingly finds herself in the middle of a forbidden romance. Severely neglected by her family and forced to flee Tulma to protect her secrets, Caroline’s young life comes crashing down around her. She finds refuge in a new town, but the past always has a way of stretching around time and stirring up trouble.
When a new love comes into her life, she has to decide if she can give her heart to someone else, or if she will always be tied to someone she can’t have.
Willow Aster is the author of True Love Story and In the Fields, and many more to come. She loves her crazy life with her husband and kids.
Foxy’s Review:
★ ★ ★
THREE POINT FIVE STARS
The beginning of the story caught my attention right away. The story is set in the 70s when people didn’t get involved in other people’s parenting methods. The neglect the heroine experiences felt believable because in the 70s and 80s teachers weren’t required to be first responders by reporting when they thought a child was being abused or neglected. In third grade I was a handful and one night I was disobeying my mom while she was trying to get me to go to bed. I was jumping all over my bed refusing to go to sleep. She grabbed a three-sided architect ruler and went to spank my bottom. Instead she missed and smacked me across the elbow. Of course, I bled and made a big scene about it. The next day at school I went to my teacher, Mr. Goldstein, and informed him what my mom had done. He looked me in the eyes and said, “I’m sure you deserved it.” LOL! Makes you wonder what kind of student I was for my teacher to say that to me. 😉 Anyways, had I reported that to my teacher today there would have been an investigation to make sure my parents weren’t beating me (which they weren’t). That’s why I can believe that the heroine, a teenage girl, was left to fend for herself and no one stepped up to report it to the authorities. Different world we live in today.I really enjoyed the beginning of the story but as the story continued I began to get frustrated with the characters. They spent a lot of running from their problems and the added misunderstandings between the hero and heroine could have been prevented with a simple conversation between the two of them. I know the H/h are young and because of that it lead to misconceptions about their situations.
IN THE FIELDS is a forbidden romance based off of people’s prejudice.
✻LOVE sees no color!✻
STANDALONE
