Hearts Stolen by Caryl McAdoo

I laughed, cried, cheered, and flinched with these characters. I hated saying goodbye and hope to read more about them. Hearts Stolen is a historical Christian fiction book, the second in the series. Vow Unbroken is the first, but you don’t need to read it first in order to enjoy Hearts Stolen. But now that I’ve read Hearts Stolen, I have to go back and read Vow Unbroken just because I’m not ready for the story to end. Be ready to start a story you won’t want to finish.

Rosaleen “Sassy” Fogelsong Nightengale’s husband Charles told her not to go visiting her mother. This is in the early 1800s in Texas. She didn’t listen and is kidnapped by Indians. Sassy is a wonderful character. She has smarts, isn’t afraid, and is a very likeable heroine. Her faith in God kept her through her captivity of 5 years, until one day Levi Baylor shows up to rescue her and her child.

Charley Nightengale is Sassy’s son born soon after she is captured by the Indians while she was the third wife to Bold Eagle. He is a fun character. After Levi rescues them and they travel back to Texas, Charley’s dialogues and ways of thinking had me laughing. I’d love to see this as a movie. He’d steal the show.

Levi Baylor is a Texas Ranger. As he and his fellow Ranger Wallace Lusk transport Sassy and the other women back home, it is fun being along for the ride. You feel like you are really there. Levi and Sassy are great characters together and you are rooting for them to get together, but she is still married to Charles. What will happen when he delivers her home? Will Charles still want her after she’d been the wife of an Indian? How will she now fit into society? A fellow captive, Laura, has her baby after they rescue her. Wallace is enraptured. But is that love strong enough when he finally meets Levi’s cousin Rebecca? Will these two end up together, or will his cousin come between them?

What happens with God in the mix? I loved this angle of the story. The hearts of these men are so great, and the love for their women so strong, they’ll go through anything to keep them safe.

All the characters have to learn they have their pasts and none of them are perfect. But with God, peace and love reign no matter what you are going through. Peace like one of Sassy’s Granny’s heavy quilts. Now that’s peace! I thoroughly enjoyed this story by Caryl McAdoo and can’t wait to read more. The dialogue is engaging, the characters are unforgettable, the setting and descriptions move the story along without taking away from the story.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A Bride in Store By: Melissa Jagears

What is the purpose of prayer? Can you follow your dream and follow what God wants you to do at the same time? God wants you as you are. All your hopes and dreams reside in Him. I loved this book by Melissa Jagears. These characters were so focused on fulfilling their dream they couldn’t see any other way to get what they wanted, but yet they weren’t happy.

Eliza Cantrell is a mail order bride. When she comes to town to find her intended, Axel Langston, she finds his business partner Will running the store. Axel is gone. She jumps in and helps make improvements to the store as she has had experience back East. Once Axel returns, how can she decide which man she really should marry, the one who sent for her or the one who takes her breath away?

Axel Langston finally returns to town finding his mail order bride has already arrived. He is prepared to marry her and have her run his store, something she has always wanted, her own store. What happens when she finds out about his past? Will she still marry him?

William Stanton is in love with a woman he can’t have because she is promised to another, not able to run the store he is managing due to being too kind and being taken advantage of, blindsided by a crook, and failing at medicine because he wouldn’t charge for his services and didn’t have enough education, afraid God would require more than he was willing to surrender. When you feel like you’ve lost it all, that’s when you give it all to God. William has a heart for practicing medicine but he doesn’t have the education to be a doctor. He tries, but doesn’t have faith in his abilities. Can Eliza convince him to go to school to be the doctor God has called him to be?

Which man will Eliza choose? Can she have her dream of owning a store and true love? This is a wonderful story of true love and believing God has your best in mind when things happen. Once I started reading this story, I couldn’t put it down. The writing, the characters, pull you in and keep you turning pages. Will read more by this author and hope there are more stories about these characters to see what happens after the end.

I received this book free in exchange for an honest review.

Unending Devotion By Jody Hedlund

Unending Devotion is a great book by Jody Hedlund. Once I started it, I couldn’t put it down. From the first meeting between Lilly and Connell, attraction is pulling them together. She is searching for her lost sister and she knows what she needs to do to rescue her and nothing will stop her, not even Connell. Can she learn to slow down and do what God wants her to do instead of always having to be in control? Can Connell be the man she needs to him to be to work with her incorporating change in the town before more girls are hurt? Lilly finds out that even when things don’t turn out the way she wanted, she can know that God is still there piecing together everything the way He had planned. Lilly Young knows where God wants to use her, but she must learn to be patient with those who are still discovering where God wants to use them. She is searching logging camps for her sister who has run away. Then she encounters Connell McCormick. Will he help her find her sister and help her fight against the injustices she sees in the logging towns? Can Connell trust God to find out where God wants to use him? Connell wonders if his little bit of help will be enough to accomplish anything. If things have always been this way, why try to change them now? Unending Devotion is about the logging camps and how the towns were impacted. Jody Hedlund does a great job of creating characters that you care about. She expertly depicts the shanty boys, the saloons, and all the moral problems of that era. Lilly, Connell, and Lilly’s sister, Daisy, are believable characters from that bygone time. If you love historical fiction, inspirational stories, and true romantic novels, you will love this book!

Backyard Horses by Dandi Daley Mackall book review

I received this book, Backyard Horses by Dandi Daley Mackall, free from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for a book review. I loved this book!! If you have ever prayed for something to happen, this is the book for you. Mackall does a great job showing the power of prayer, trusting, and believing in God for miracles in the life of almost-10 year old Ellie.

All Ellie wants is a beautiful stallion to ride in the Hamilton Royal Horse Show. She daydreams about this horse. She has prayed for years for God to send her a horse. She is doing a science project on how to get a horse. Begging and crying have already been tried and failed—all that is left is praying. Then, one day she is daydreaming out the window, and there is a pinto horse running around lost; but nobody believes she saw a horse. Ellie thinks, “It’s a horrible feeling when the only one who believes you is you.”

But God has control of this situation. Ellie is dreaming of a champion stallion; God shows her a pinto. Ellie’s brother, Ethan, is deaf. Ellie’s mother and father, and her friends help round out the story. The characters are very believable. Ethan signs to Ellie that there’s no such thing as a coincidence—only God things—which are events only God could bring together. Ellie finally realizes what she has been wanting is right in front of her. Will she realize it in time? Will she get to keep “her” horse? Ellie tells us that she guesses a lot of her prayers are selfish. But she doesn’t think God gets mad for it. She can see Jesus smiling at her when she prays. He’s just glad she can be hones with Him. That is how we need to be. Tell God what you want; the answer may still be no, but at least you’re being honest.

This story is an honest look at a 10 year old’s view of wanting something. It will touch your heart, make you laugh, make you cry—but leave you with a very good feeling at the end. I am looking forward to reading more books by Dandi Daley Mackall. Thank you for an amazing book!

Night of the Cossack by Tom Blubaugh

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Once I started it, I couldn’t put it down. Night of the Cossack by Tom Blubaugh is a must read. This is a story about a Jewish boy whose father dies, then he is kidnapped by the Cossacks, and subsequently drafted into the Russian Army. You get drawn into the story from the start.

Do you regret not knowing an ancestor who is gone now, and there is no one left to answer questions? Do you wish you knew their story? This is a historical fictional account of what might have happened to Blubaugh’s grandfather. He knew his grandfather had been a Russian Cossack soldier and had immigrated to America in 1910. Blubaugh puts those pieces together—with the historical facts of the Cossacks—and weaves a believable fictional account of his grandfather’s life.

Night of the Cossack starts with Nathan waking up to the Cossacks attacking his village. He is kidnapped by Nikolai, a Cossack soldier. He takes him in as his son and teaches him the way of the Cossack. I enjoyed learning about the Cossack way of life. The story follows the adventures, betrayals, and challenges of Nathan and how he adapts to his surroundings to survive and make it to America. You will be amazed at Nathan’s story—from changing his name a few times to escape capture to traveling the secret route set up to convey Jews to Bucharest. Nathan eventually gets a job on a ship and sails for America.

If you love adventure, historical fiction, and suspense, I highly recommend this book, Night of the Cossack.