Love Comes Home by Ann H. Gabhart is book three in the Rosey Corner Series. Not only did I truly enjoy this post WWII romance, but I was also delighted by the Brown Sugar Pie Recipe Ann included. The only thing better than a good book, is a reading a good book with a piece of pie! Let’s start with the book!

While Love Comes Home is third in a series, it definitely stands alone. After reading it, I am anxious to read the books which proceeded it, but they are not necessary to enjoy this book. Ann H. Gabhart did an amazing job capturing the excitement and struggles of soldiers returning home. Gabhart depicted the time period perfectly and made me want to travel to Rosey Corner myself.

In this story, WWII has ended and the Merritt sisters of Rosey Corner are welcoming their sweethearts home at last. My favorite of the sisters, Kate, is reunited with Jay who she had just married when the war began. They work at falling in love all over again and picking up where they left off.  I also felt drawn to Victoria who lost her love to the war. Tori struggles to overcome her grief and to give a new life a chance.

This is exactly the kind of historical fiction I love so much. Love Comes Home is heart-warming and delightful to read.  Ann H. Gabhart tells a wonderful story with faith included in a natural way. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romantic historical fiction. I cannot wait to read other books by Ann.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

At the end of the book, Ann includes the recipe for the Brown Sugar Pie that her character Jay loved so much. When authors do this, I like to include the recipe with my review. I bake regularly and am no stranger to the kitchen, but my weakness is pie. I am terrible at making pie. This one turned out well and was pretty easy to make.

You will need:

6 tablespoons butter

6 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed

2 cups milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 large egg yolks, beaten (save whites for meringue)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 9″pastry shell, baked

For the Meringue:

3 egg whites, room temperature

1/4  teaspoon cream of tartar

6 tablespoons sugar

First, bake your pie crust. I bought a refrigerated pie crust and it worked perfectly.

Press it in the pie pan and then stab it with a fork many times. Follow the directions for baking on the box.  It will look like this.

Next, go ahead and separate your eggs.

Then, beat the yolks. By the time you are ready for the whites they should be at room temperature. Next, melt the butter in a saucepan. Once melted, remove from heat. Add flour and stir until smooth.

Stir in brown sugar.

Return to heat and stir in milk and salt until well blended. Cook and stir over medium high heat in the saucepan until thick and bubbly. Reduce heat, cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Now you are going to add 2 tablespoons of the hot pie filling to the yolks and then add the mixture into the pie filling in the saucepan. Be careful to add it in slowly or you will scramble your eggs! Once it is added, stir constantly. Bring the filling to a gentle boil, cook and stir for 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat and gently stir in the vanilla. Pour the mixture into the pastry shell.

Now make the meringue by beating the egg whites with the cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar and beat until stiff and glossy. Spread evenly over pie filling sealing meringue to pie crust. (this is the part I missed.)

I needed to spread it a little closer to the crust! Pardon the dishes in the sink. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

This pie really is scrumptious. So much so, I had to dump the last third of it to keep myself from polishing it off!!  This pie is a must try. I will make it again to see if I have finally mastered my arch nemeses in the kitchen. Enjoy!