Book Review

Healing the Mountain Man’s Heart by Misty Beller

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

Brothers of Sapphire Ranch, Book 1

1868—Rock Creek, Montana Territory

Dr. Dinah Wyatt accompanies her pregnant twin sister Naomi to the Montana Territory. Naomi was responding to a mail-order bride advertisement from Jericho Coulter. Once her sister is settled, Dinah plans to open a clinic in one of the few towns nearby, regardless of its reputation for wild behavior among the men. They’d hardly bother a female doctor determined to treat their illnesses, right?

Jericho Coulter doesn’t trust the sisters—or any strangers, for that matter. He didn’t advertise for a bride. What did they really want? His brother’s accident requires a doctor’s care. Begrudgingly, he allows them to stay a few days. He must protect his siblings…and the hidden treasure.

I fell in love with both families and they drew me into the story. The lovable main characters possess believable, relatable flaws. This story had many surprising twists that kept me turning pages from the beginning.

I’m already hooked on this series! I can’t wait to read the next book.

Recommended for readers of inspirational historical romances.

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Where Trees Touch the Sky by Karen Barnett

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

A Redwood National Park Novel

A Time Slip Novel

1972—June Turner took a summer job at the new national park at her great-aunt Marion’s prompting. Her leg brace and crutch are constant reminders to others of her childhood bout with polio, yet she hopes she can do all the job requires. When she learns that her boss has hired Adam to replace her, she sets out to prove herself. She’s used to this treatment, having endured it all her life.

1923—Nurse Marion Baker spends the bulk of her free time fighting to establish a national park along with others in the Save the Redwoods League. She has loved the giant trees since childhood and can’t bear to see loggers cut any more of them.

Frank Duncan tries to make up for past mistakes with his father, but the stern timber baron is as unmovable as the trees that irritating nurse loves so passionately. He manages to keep his identity a secret from her. After they begin dating, he worries how his family will accept her—and how she will accept his family.

Loveable, believable characters make mistakes that affect their future and the future of the Redwood Forest. Past heartache rises up to affect the present.

The author has woven a beautifully redemptive story. Readers are pulled into the challenges faced by each character, making us care on so many levels. A myriad of twists and turns in both time periods kept me riveted to this well-written book.

This book will stay with me for a long time.

I will look for other books by this author. Highly recommended.  

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Rescue in the Wilderness by Andrea Byrd

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

Frontier Hearts, Book 1

Lucinda Gillespie’s father has kept her confined since her mother’s death eleven years before. He’s ashamed of her illness, which keeps her in constant pain. Her mother was the one who’d ever loved her. Her embittered, cruel father blames Lucinda for his wife’s death. She has lived with shame and abuse from the age of seven and sees no end in sight.

William Cole, a lonely hunter, carries his own guilt. Yet when he learns that Lucinda’s father plans to gamble her away on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, he can’t leave her fate in the hands of the drunken victor. He searches for her and tells her of her father’s plans.

She hasn’t left the cabin in over ten years but she must trust God and this stranger who hides his face from her. Their dangerous journey west to Kentucky also fills her with wonder and a sense of freedom she’s never known.

Both main characters struggle with a sense of self-worth. Lucinda clings to the Christian faith her mother had instilled in her. William searches for his faith that a heart-wrenching loss stole from him.

This story tugged at my heart. I was quickly pulled into their plight. It was a page-turner for me.

Recommended.  

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Love’s Winding Road by Susan F. Craft

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

The Great Wagon Road, Book 1

1753—When Rose sets out on a wagon train with her parents and sister, she has no idea how much the journey will change her life. The trail is fraught with danger yet Daniel, the half-Cherokee wagon scout, makes her feel protected.

Rose’s beauty and courage draws Daniel’s attention like no other, even Rebecca, his childhood friend whom it was generally expected to marry someday, though he’d never proposed. Surprisingly, his dog also befriends Rose. Unfortunately, Daniel knows someone like Rose will never reciprocate his feelings.

This story was a page-turner for me. The protective hero is also vulnerable. The compassionate heroine has many instances to call upon her own courage. Lovable, believable characters drew me into the story from the beginning. Violence is realistic to the era.

Unexpected twists kept me turning pages. I’m so glad this is a series because I can’t wait to read the next book.

Recommended for readers of historical romance.  

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Madison’s Mission by Susan G. Mathis

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

A Boldt Castle Story

Thousand Islands Gilded Age

Madison Murray has served as lady’s maid to Louisa Boldt, the sweet and compassionate wife of the wealthy George Boldt, for the past ten years. Madison worries about the declining health of Mrs. Boldt, who treats her almost like family. Madison is just as impressed by the castle on Heart Island that Mr. Boldt is having built in his wife’s honor as she is with Emmet O’Connor, the construction overseer.

Emmet O’Connor loves his job as construction engineer on the beautiful castle and inspects every stone that’s laid, every nail that’s pounded to insure its precise placement. He falls in love with Madison and dreams that their friendship will blossom into much more—until tragedy strikes.

Both Madison and Emmet try to clear the web of lies entangling everyone but the danger escalates.

I loved this well-written, poignant story! Loyalty, scars from the past, grief, danger, jealousy, and courage are challenges faced by lovable, believable characters.

I was transported back to another era to small islands in the St. Lawrence River. Heroic characters tugged at my heart and drew me into the story.  The beautiful settings tempt me to explore the islands for myself.

A page-turner from beginning to end, I highly recommend this delightful read for lovers of historical romances!   

Reverence in the Wildnerness by Andrea Byrd

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

Frontier Hearts, Book 3

Green County, Kentucky, 1782—Keturah Elliot has just buried her father. With the deaths of her mother and brother a couple of years before, for which her father had blamed her, she is now alone in the world. It’s up to her to save the homestead that she and her father had worked so hard to build. Yet she can’t do it alone.

Daniel Scott, left behind by a group traveling westward, meets the beautiful woman in need of a husband. He’s astounded that she’d consider him. His only father had rejected him. He longs for a wife and family who will love him.

I enjoyed this short novel that portrays the struggles of early pioneers. Endearing characters face a loss that threatens their growing love for one another. The story is also a journey of faith.

The story unfolded in a natural way that was enjoyable to read.  

I will look for other books by this author. Recommended.  

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Patriot at the River by Jayna Baas

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

A Novel of the American Revolution

For Liberty & Conscience, Book 2

1780—Patriot Scout Benjamin Woodbridge is a courageous soldier fighting for his country’s freedom from England, along with his neighbors from the backcountry settlement of Sunrising. Some of his fellow North Carolinians have joined the British side.

Benjamin’s anger runs deep, directed at the cruel British officer responsible for his father’s death. Those emotions have cost him the love of the woman he’d hoped to marry. Aunt Kate and his sister pray that his negative emotions don’t devour him in a need for vengeance. Now, with the British army’s sights set on destroying his village, Benjamin must protect those loves even if the Patriot army doesn’t arrive in time.

This poignant story portrays the struggles of our early patriots and the price they paid for their heroism. It is also a journey of faith.

Realistic characters and unlikely comrades drew me into the story from the first page. Danger, courageous acts, self-doubt, forgiveness, redemption, and questions of faith throughout the book make this a powerful read. I couldn’t put the book down.

This beautifully redemptive story is told from several viewpoints, including the antagonist. Unexpected twists kept me riveted to this well-written book.

I will look for other books by this author. Highly recommended.  

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The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

The Secret to Love that Lasts

The author opens with a story about a fellow passenger on a plane. Upon learning that the author was a marriage counselor who also led marriage enrichment seminars, the man asked, “What happens to the love after you get married?”

One of the early points that Chapman makes is that he’s glad the euphoria of those feelings when love is new doesn’t last. We have a thousand other things to accomplish, which means we can’t be with our spouse every minute.

Yet the love can last throughout our years together. We just need to learn our spouse’s Love Language.

This book is filled with stories from Chapman’s clients. These examples show the different needs people have for how to express love.

An easy-to-read book that is packed full of relationship advice.

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Mending Christmas by Shanna Hatfield

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

Rodeo Romance, Book 13

Dr. Beth Moore moves into the Idaho home she recently inherited, hoping to find a break in Twin Falls. She wants a different job away from the hospital emergency room, but first she needs rest.

She meets Billy Clark, a rodeo bullfighter, when a bull tosses him at her feet. Treating his wounds leads to a job traveling with the rodeo company. Billy’s infectious good spirits and laughter are a stark contrast to her personality. Can he grow to care for him?

Billy’s childhood had been a trainwreck. Finding a job on the rodeo and friends who cared while a teenager changed his life. Bullfighting is all he’s known. Meeting the quiet, reserved doctor who excels at her job throws him for a loop. Can he hope that someone like her will care for him?

Lovable, wounded characters quickly drew me into the story. It’s easy to see that bullfighting is a dangerous occupation. Readers will be pulled into the traveling life of those who work for the rodeo. I loved that those involved in the show became a family.

I enjoyed this holiday western romance.

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House of Cards by Rena Bell Yeager

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

This contemporary retelling of the Biblical story of David and Bathsheba gripped my attention from the beginning.

David Kingston, a divorced billionaire in charge of an international corporation, sees Elizabeth swimming at night from his high-rise New York City penthouse apartment. Her husband, who works for David, is on a business trip.

An adulterous affair leads to pregnancy. David’s reputation as a Christian businessman will be destroyed if the press discovers he’s the father.

There are sensual scenes in this inspirational novel that make this an adult story. Yet it is also a story of redemption and forgiveness.

Key aspects of David and Bathsheba, including the similarity of names, are part of the novel.

Characters are realistic and flawed. Their plight worsens with each twist, making this book a page-turner.

I will look for more by this author.

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