This story was beautifully written. I love books written in this Era and Melanie captures the feel of that time by immersing us deep in the culture. She weaves a tender tale of how childhood friends face heartbreak, compassion, and love that transcends years to bring them together forever. - First Amazon review. A Friendship’s Love Filled with the dreams of youth, and surrounded by the love of her family and friends, Payton Martin’s world was simple. When someone closest to her is cruelly betrayed and unjustly sent away, life afterwards proves never to be the same for everyone involved, beginning a series of events beyond her control. Somehow, through the years that follow, Payton manages to deal with the heartache of loss and rejection, all while balancing her new situation, and becoming her own woman. Finally settled into a life that she could only once imagine, Payton is content; especially when the promise of love is presented by someone she admires and trusts. Nothing ever goes to plan, though. Once again she is faced with surviving circumstances, and choices others make on her behalf. This time, they ultimately take her across the ocean, to settle in a harsh new land.