Welcome! Colors of Christmas by Olivia Newport will be out on October 1 along with A Place to Call Home by Tania Crosse. Christmas at Carnton by Tamera Alexander will be released on October 3.
These Healing Hills by Ann H. Gabhart takes readers back to 1945 in Hyden, Kentucky. Francine Howard needs to get away from
Cincinatti, Ohio before her former fiancé, Seth Miller returns home from the
war with his English bride. Fran has a
nursing degree, can ride a horse, and looking for an adventure so she signed up
for the Frontier Nursing Service Midwifery School in the Appalachian
Mountains. It will be a life style
change for Fran, but she feels she will be something worthwhile. Ben Locke is returning home from the
war. He cannot wait to return home to
the mountains, but he has not thought of what he will do with his future. Ben is on his way home when he encounters a
very lost Fran. They are immediately
comfortable around each other, but they come from very different
backgrounds. But Fran feels at home in
the mountains and has fallen in love with the people. Is there a chance for a future between Ben
and Fran?
These Healing Hills is well
crafted novel that has a unique plot. It
was interesting reading about the Frontier Nursing Service Midwifery School in
Hyden, Kentucky (it still exists) and the services their nurse midwives
offer. I liked the characters and the
beautiful setting. Woody Locke was my
favorite character. He was refreshing and
entertaining. Ann H. Gabhart is a
descriptive writer which brings scenes to life (especially the mountains and
the people who live there), but it also makes for a slower pace novel. I sometimes felt the author was a too
verbose. The Christian element is
prominent throughout the story and I liked the Christian attitude of the
mountain people. I appreciated the
spiritual wisdom that Fran’s grandmother (Grandma Howard) imparted on Fran. I am giving These Healing Hills 4 out of 5
stars. My favorite phrase was “Trust in
the Lord with all thine heart”. The
romance was sweet, but it was predictable. Some of the themes in the story are prayer,
friendship, trust, listening to God, believing in God, and a person finding
their path or place in life. I did feel
that the ending was abrupt and felt incomplete. It would have been nice if the
author had included an epilogue. Readers
who enjoy rich, historical novels will appreciate These Healing Hills.
Thank you for stopping by, and I hope that you have a enchanting day. I will return tomorrow to review Turkey Trot Murder by Leslie Meier. Take care and Happy Reading!
Kris
The Avid Reader
No comments:
Post a Comment