About the Book: To escape a forced marriage, Cora Taylor travels from England to the *Blue Ridge Mountains in search of her brother, who is working as a teacher in a mission school. She hopes to find a place where her nursing skills and independent ideas will be accepted and appreciated, but nothing prepares her for the wild mixture of isolation, community, brokenness, and hope within these mountains…or in the person of Jeb McAdams.
Returning from the devastation of World War 1
emotionally damaged, Jeb McAdams struggles against the rampant mountain
alcoholism to soothe his nightmares. It’s easy to hide within the mountains, or
it was, before Cora Taylor arrives. Now, she seems to show up at every turn,
bringing her ideas, curiosity, and beautiful eyes with her. Their mutual
understanding of the costs of war leads to an unspoken bond that develops into
a hesitant friendship. As Cora turns her nursing experience and determination
on establishing hygiene and education for women in the Appalachian community
while also attempting to rescue Jeb from his own ghosts, Cora and Jeb’s partnership
turns into a project of celebrating the gifts within Appalachia. But when the
past sweeps back into their lives and an outbreak of scarlet fever threatens
the future, will Cora and Jeb find a way to work together – even if it means
unplanned matrimony – or will their different lives and brokenness tear them
apart.
____________________________________________
My
Review 5 STARS
‘As
she stepped from the house, her bag in hand, she looked back over her shoulder.
Their gazes held for a few seconds as the door closed, and Jeb knew, sure as
shootin’, he was ready to take all this lip itchin’ and put it into action.’
If you know anything about pivotal moments in
romance novels, the heroine looking back at the hero is important. Cora
definitely looks back. J She and Jeb are one of the best “on
paper” couples. I did so love the interaction between them, their obvious
differences and yet some striking similarities.
Basham is queen when it comes to writing Christian
historical romance, in my opinion. Ticking all the boxes for me—witty dialogue,
satisfying character growth, uncertainty and bravery, laugh-out-loud humor and
lots of strong emotion—this novel made for a riveting story, along with lovable
and not-so-lovable secondary characters.
I will journey time and again to my beloved Appalachian
Mountains and immerse myself in whatever story this author writes. She brings
the essence of the mountain folk to life with entertaining vernacular while
painting lovely word pictures of the sights and sounds of life in Appalachia!
Historical fiction with deep faith encircles
these mountain folks. Fans of this genre will be deeply satisfied and left
longing for more stories set in The Heart
of the Mountains.
I received an early copy of the book in
electronic form from the author. I was under no obligation to write a review.
*Y'all might want to read My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge: Laurel's Dream as it has characters that overlap in this novel. It's FREE to read on Kindle Unlimited.
Oooh, this sounds good! I love historical fiction. I'll have to look it up. Great review!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Susan! Pepper's books are ALL top reads for me!! :-)
DeleteThis looks really good. I haven't read her before, but will order it from my library, as well as the other one you mention - or get it for my tablet reader. It sounds like this books as all the flavors I seek in my favorite type of book! Marilyn
ReplyDeleteHey Marilyn, I can't recommend Pepper's books highly enough! I think I've read most of them and they're fabulous. She writes both historical and contemporary so there is sure to be something for everyone. Hope you are weathering this summer well so far. <3
DeleteThank you so much, Anne!!!!
ReplyDelete