Playing by Heart left a melody in mine...

Playing by Heart is the latest release by Anne Mateer.  Lula Bowman has finally achieved her dream of teaching mathematics on the university level, a high achievement for a woman in the early 1900s.  She makes the difficult decision to put her dreams on hold when a phone call from home makes her realize that she is needed by her family for a time.  She goes home to help her sister, and winds up teaching music at a high school.  Along with the music classes, Lula signs on to coach basketball.  She knows nothing about the sport and must rely on the boys' basketball coach, Chet Vaughn, to learn about the game.

Chet is drawn to Lula from the start.  Lula is a little more reticent about looking for love.  For starters, as a teacher, there are certain conduct rules she has to follow, especially where men are concerned.  Secondly, she plans to return to university once her family no longer needs her.  As Lula becomes better acquainted with Chet, her feelings toward him start to change.  Once the melodies of their love start to harmonize, there will be no stopping until the whole love song is played.  However, Chet and Lula both face opposition from their family members, those who think their opinion about how Chet and Lula should proceed with their lives is more important. 

Anne Mateer has set high standards with every book she has written.  I only had one expectation when I was reading this book, and that was that this would be a good book.  Playing by Heart more than exceeded this expectation.  It is evident that the book was well-researched, and this comes through in the writing.  There are some plot twists in the book that I did not expect, but in my opinion that made the book even better.  This book broaches the subject of a woman succeeding in an academic and career world dominated by men, in a time where women were expected to stay home, but also in which many women had to step forward to fill the shoes of men who were off fighting in the war.  It brings to light many of the difficulties that these women faced, and the struggles and strength it took for them to survive during these times. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I recommend it for anyone who enjoys Christian historical romance.  I look forward to reading more by Ms. Mateer in the future.