Monday, August 3, 2020

About the Book

Book: Love’s Mountain Quest

Author: Misty M Beller

Genre: Historical romance

Release Date: June 30, 2020

LovesMountainQuest After losing her husband in the Rocky Mountain wilderness, young widow Joanna Watson is struggling to make a new home for her five-year-old son, Samuel, in the little mountain town of Settler’s Fort. When she returns home from work to find Samuel and the woman watching him missing–and the sheriff dead–she enlists a man she prays has enough experience in this rugged country to help.

Isaac Bowen wants nothing more than a quiet, invisible life in these mountains, far away from the bad decisions of his past. But he has a strong suspicion of who’s behind the kidnapping and murder, and if he’s right, he knows all too well the evil they’re chasing.

As they press on against the elements, Joanna fights to hold on to hope, while Isaac knows a reckoning is coming. They find encouragement in the tentative trust that grows between them, but whether it can withstand the danger and coming confrontation is far from certain in this wild, unpredictable land.

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MY REVIEW

The story is a look at 1867 as Joanna and her son are trying to overcome their grief. Losing her husband has been hard but she is doing the best she can. I can’t imagine the shock she faced when she came home to find both her son and friend gone. The mountain life isn’t easy for a woman on her own and this tragedy will have a lasting impact on her life. I loved her faithfulness and her determination to find her son and friend.

Isaac is a man who has redeemed himself from a life of crime. It was interesting to follow him and Joanna as they search for the men who kidnapped Samuel and Laura. I did like the interaction between Joanna and Isaac and how they slowly began to trust each other. The journey through the mountains were dangerous and several times they faced unforeseen danger. Joanna is not one to shy away from using a rifle if necessary. The encounter she has with coyotes made me cringe as she stood her ground against the pack.

The part of the story I found most intriguing was when Laura and Samuel were with the kidnappers. The men were brutal at times and was pretty rough on Laura especially. Poor Samuel was so scared and hungry that I wanted to give him a big hug. The author writes a great story of survival and faith as we are taken far into the mountains. The characters were very realistic and at times I felt like I was watching a western on television. Laura was very brave and her survival instincts and faith kept her and Samuel alive.

For those who like historical books with danger, a bit of romance and an emphasis on faith will be pleased with this story. It was one I didn’t want to end and loved how Joanna and Isaac were able to have an emotional talk. Isaac confesses something that he fears will push Joanna away. Oh how I loved this moment when Isaac faces his past and prays that Joanna will be able to see how he has changed. For me that was a pivotal moment in the story. It was a great example of trust and looking past imperfections. The ending is good and I hope there will be another book with perhaps Laura as the main character.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

About the Author

Beller_Misty (1) After working for 13 years in the corporate world, Misty M. Beller (mistymbeller.com) is now the author of fourteen independently published Christian historical romance novels. Raised on a farm in South Carolina, she combines her love for Christian fiction and the simpler ranch life by writing historical novels that display God’s abundant love through the twists and turns in the lives of her characters. She lives outside Charlotte, North Carolina, is an active member of ACFW, and teaches regularly at conferences and writing groups on effective book marketing.

More from Misty

The Story Behind the Story: Love’s Mountain Quest

Love’s Mountain Quest was one of the hardest books I’ve ever written, even though I LOVE Isaac and Joanna and their story. What made this book so hard was the fact that I wrote most of the story during my third trimester of pregnancy with our son!

Our little Matthew is our fourth baby (and first boy), so I was VERY heavy with child during the last three months I carried him, and that was the time that I’d scheduled to write Love’s Mountain Quest. Needless to say, the words were not flowing very well. My creativity was as exhausted as the rest of me! I could see Isaac and Joanna’s story in my mind, but showing it for readers using real words was the hard part.

Thankfully, I have an amazing editor at Bethany House (waving at Jen Veilleux!) who helped me massage the first draft, pushing both me and the story to be the very best we could be. Unfortunately for her, the edits for this book were the first bit of writing I did after taking a short maternity leave after the birth, so my brain was still a bit mushy from all the post-partum hormones and lack of sleep a newborn always brings. Jen’s patience through the process was remarkable, yet I so appreciate her determination not to stop until we had the very best book possible.

Our little Matthew just turned one, and Love’s Mountain Quest is finally making its way out into the world. Because of Jen, I’m so excited to share it with you! I can’t wait for you to meet the characters and story I love so much.