The Mountain Midwife

It is National Lemon Cupcake Day and Bill of Rights Day!  The Bill of Rights gives us the wonderful freedom of speech (and so many other rights).  These amendments were added to the Constitution on December 15, 1791. We are so lucky to have these extra rights in the United States.  Enjoy a lemon cupcake (it takes a skilled baker to make a good lemon cupcake) today to celebrate these freedoms.

The Mountain Midwife by Laurie Alice Eakes is a heartwarming Christian novel two mysteries in it.  Ashley Tolliver is twenty-nine years old and a certified nurse midwife.  Women in Ashley’s family have been midwives for over two hundred years.  One night she is awakened by pounding on her door.  A young woman with a man are on her doorstep.  The young woman is in labor and needs assistance.  Ashley lets them in and delivers the baby.  The young woman then starts hemorrhaging.  Ashley tries to call for help on her house phone but it is not working (not a good sign).  She steps outside to use her cell phone (to get coverage) and is almost run over by a big truck.  When she goes back inside, the couple is gone.  Who were they and why did they run away?

Hunter McDermott is returning home after working on a project overseas.  He has the press hounding him (in person and on the phone) after rescuing a little girl and her family from a car bomb.  Hunter receives a call from a woman named Sheila Brooks claiming to be his birth mother.  Sheila Brooks claims his sister needs him.  She even uses his first name (that he changed years ago).  When Hunter confronts his parents, he gets unexpected revelations.  This leads him to a small community in the Appalachian Mountains.  Hunter has the name of the midwife that delivered him thirty-two years ago which leads him to Ashley.  Can Ashley help him find his birth family?

Hunter and Ashley are in for some adventures as they both seek answers.  Some people do not wish them to get the answers they seek.  The Mountain Midwife was a wonderful book.  It captured my attention from the very beginning.  It is very well-written and has such a good flow (you do not even realize how much time is passing as you sit there and read).  I liked the characters for the most part (Ashely got on my nerves sometimes), the mountains sound beautiful, lonely, and dangerous.    I enjoyed the two mysteries (Ashley’s mysterious guests and Hunter’s search).  They were intriguing (I just love mysteries as you can tell).  The only thing that got on my nerves was Ashley’s desire to go to medical school (wait and see).  She felt she would be able to help her community more with the degree (she was wrong).  I just wanted to shake her and show her what a great help she is to the people in her area.  Overall, The Mountain Midwife is a book that you will not want to put down.  I give The Mountain Midwife 4.5 out of 5 stars.  I will definitely be reading more books by Laurie Alice Eakes.

Check out Laurie Alice Eakes other novels on Amazon.  I received a complimentary copy of The Mountain Midwife from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am currently reading Huckleberry Hearts by Jennifer Beckstrand. I do not know how this happened, but this novel was not listed on my review list (I keep a spreadsheet with all the books I need to read and review along with due dates).  I am glad that I was going through my books on NetGalley and discovered I had missed this book.  I hope you are having an enjoyable Tuesday!  I know this is a hectic time of year, but you need to make time for yourself (a little down time).  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris
The Avid Reader