Simply Susan

‘Prayers were simply empty words. What could prayer do for him?

As soon as I started this book, I knew it was going to be a 5 star read. Ann H. Gabhart is a natural born storyteller, the kind you’d like to sit with on a rainy day by a crackling fire and just listen to her tell stories for hours. Or go for a long walk with her in early fall and hear her tell stories along the way. Maybe sit down on a fallen log and listen eagerly for each word. She has such a wonderful way with telling stories, her words flow sweetly as our hearts are filled with each character and their problems, joys, and love.

This precious story, set in 1925, is one that I won’t soon forget. A widow burdened with tuberculosis must let her two darling daughters go to an orphanage because she has to live in a sanitorium to be healed of this dread disease. These girls are not in the best place and situations arise that they call upon their father’s brother, a man who is scarred and lives in seclusion. Can they count on Dirk to rescue them? Will his heart open to their plight? Hearts are closed and broken, fears run deep, old secrets cause pain. Will the meadow ever bloom again in these hearts?

Gabhart has a winner here, one for the keeper shelf, as once again, our hearts are filled to the brim by this amazing storyteller. Well done!

My thanks to Revell for a copy of this book via Net Galley. The opinion here is entirely my own.

I really enjoy Misty Beller’s books and I’ve been looking forward to the next in this series. The group of folks living in the mountain side, hidden from the outside world in the wilderness captured my attention from the very first. This one tells Audrey Moreau’s story, she who acts as the healer for the group. Audrey faces some very difficult challenges here when a stranger comes to their little community. And the outsider, Levi Masters, also faces very hard choices here.

I love Beller’s way of telling stories about the American frontier. She has such a way with her stories that pull this reader in. I’m a history buff and am totally happy reading one of her books. Very much recommended.

My thanks to Bethany House Publishers for a copy of this book via Net Galley. The review here is my own.

They share a passion to heal what is broken, but it’s their own hearts that need to be made whole.

Brody McQuaid is a broken man, and he knows it. While his body survived the war, his soul did not. Besides loving his little niece, his only sense of purpose comes from saving the wild horses that roam South Park. Ranchers in the area have taken to killing the horses, which are competing with their cattle to feed on the open grass.

Savannah Marshall is a veterinarian on her family’s Colorado ranch. She longs to keep her father happy following the tragic death of her older brother, including marrying a man of his choosing. But days before her wedding, she gets cold feet and disappears to South Park. As she learns more about the destruction of the horses, she joins Brody in an attempt to save the wild creatures. But when Savannah’s family and the resentments of the area cattlemen catch up with them both, Brody and Savannah will have to tame their fears if they’ve any hope to let love run free.

‘Wounds might shape us, but they can’t determine who we are.’

I have followed Jody Hedlund’s books since she wrote her first one. I’ve never missed one and I never intend to. I love her books, whichever genre she writes in, and she is accomplished in all. This series started out so good and I was a fan. But this book? It’s the best yet in this series. I was drawn in at the very start. Hedlund has crafted a hero that is damaged from his time in the Civil War and a horrific prison during that conflict. He keeps to himself and will let no one in. I hurt for him as he felt such agony of emotional pain. I loved how the author handled this and how God moves in His most wonderful way for His children.

This one is for the keeper shelf for sure. I know I will treasure it. Recommended very much.

My thanks to Bethany House Publishers for a copy of this book via Net Galley. The review is completely my own.

I loved the first book I ever read by Brenda Minton and I have not changed my opinion one bit. There is such heart in her books! The characters seem real and the plots are totally believable.

This book deals with some hard stuff in life. Stuff that sometimes tends to stick with a person and cause pain years after it happened. Minton handles this admirably and her voice here is so heartwarming. An incredibly moving story. One I won’t soon forget. I had tears in several places. This was a seriously good book! One for the keeper shelf for sure.

My thanks to Love Inspired for providing me with a copy of this book via the Net Galley platform. The opinion in this review is expressly my own.

Susanne Dietze takes her readers back to the sweet and small town of Widow’s Peak Creek with this story. Clementine has become the guardians of her niece and nephew after their parents are killed in a tragic accident. She has been fearful ever since. When her high school sweetheart comes to town to recover from surgery and stays with his grandmother, Clementine is going to have to come to terms with several things.

This is a wonderful little town and I’ve grown quite fond of its inhabitants. I hope Deitze has more to tell of these folks. This one is precious with two lovely children and a thread spiritually that all believers can identify with. Recommended.

My thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book. The review is my own opinion.

Boy, does Dana Mentink ever hit the ground running in this fourth book of her Desert Justice series! The reader barely has time to catch her breath between the suspense. Well done!

My thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book.