Monday, January 22, 2024

About the Book

Book: Loving Beth

Author: Bonnie Rose Ward

Genre: Christian Historical Romance Fiction

Release Date: June 8, 2023

A courageous woman, a bitter man, and God’s plan.

Times were hard after Beth McCullough’s father died in the Civil War, but she and her mother are getting by on their little farm outside Rosewood, West Virginia. The kindly banker holding the loan lets them pay what they can. Then Beth’s mother dies suddenly, and the banker’s arrogant son gives her only thirty days to pay her full debt. Beth is left alone and lonely and fears losing the only home she’s ever known. It would be nice to have someone in her life like Jacob, the handsome man who found her mother. Then to her horror, Beth discovers two small children who’ve been abandoned. It’s one more thing for her to worry about, but Beth has to keep faith in God’s ability to work miracles.

Although he has to travel to Baltimore to care for his ailing mother, Jacob Wallace can’t stop thinking about Beth, but he’d promised his late wife he’d never love again after her tragic death. After receiving a letter with terrible rumors about Beth, Jacob returns to Rosewood, angry, bitter, and disillusioned, more determined than ever to keep his vow to never love again. He’s right to close his heart against Beth.

As Beth struggles to protect the children and keep her farm, she’s also defending against Jacob’s unfounded suspicions. The danger escalates with an attack and threats to her life. But God moves in mysterious ways. Is there room in Jacob’s heart for a new love? Will they learn to trust each other and have faith in God’s plan to find their way together?

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About the Author

Bonnie Rose Ward, an award-winning author celebrated for her vivid memoirs recounting life in the Alaskan wilderness, currently resides in West Virginia with her husband. Bonnie’s homestead is nestled within the serene foothills of the Allegheny Mountains. The spirit of these mountains and her husband’s familial tales from the region breathe life into her compelling narratives of Appalachian resilience, strength, and the quest for love. Drawing from her fifteen-years in the wilderness, Bonnie’s present lifestyle encapsulates the essence of self-sufficiency. Together with Samuel, she tends to a menagerie of goats, chickens, Zebu cattle, and other barnyard animals, while also cultivating their verdant gardens. When not immersed in her rural responsibilities, Bonnie transitions into her writer’s persona. At her keyboard, she masterfully weaves new tales echoing the valor of women, the fidelity of men, and the extraordinary miracles that God orchestrates in their lives. Bonnie Rose Ward is not just an author, but a storyteller—painting vivid pictures with her words that resonate with the human spirit’s trials, triumphs, and faith.

More from Bonnie

My husband, and I lived in the Alaskan wilderness for many years. We built cabins and lived off the land. While there, Sam shared stories about his ancestors—especially those of his spunky great grandmother, Easter Mullens. I was fascinated by her life. We eventually purchased my husband’s mother’s old homeplace nestled in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia, and together we built our home by hand, reminiscent of the cabins we built in Alaska. Living in the wilderness for fifteen years gave me the skills and understanding of how our forefathers and mothers’ must have lived in the 1800s. Sam often talked about his aunts foraging from the land—they knew what vegetation you could eat and what you couldn’t. I became enamored with these hardy, resilient mountain people and their stories.

I started to write Easter’s story as nonfiction, but my imagination took over and a fictional story grew from the fragments of her life and circumstances.

As you know, characters are typically a composite of people we know and characters we imagine, with a bit of ourselves sprinkled in there. Beth originally was a combination of Sam and my ancestors—at least, how I imagined them to be. As I worked with her, she took on a life of her own. Instead of simply being impressed by her courage, I realized how vulnerable she is. I also realized that being so young, she is going to make mistakes a more mature person wouldn’t. But I think her driving characteristic is her spunk. She does what she has to do to survive in a harsh world and to protect those she loves.

Jacob is a decent man whose devotion to his departed wife leaves no room for another. He has to come to terms not just with his wife’s death, but with what is expected from him as he puts the pieces of his life back together. Most importantly, he must realize his harshest expectations are those he has cast upon himself—and that his stubbornness is destroying not only his own happiness, but the happiness of those he loves.

Faith, love, and determination are the main themes of the book. Faith has been so important in my own life and got me through so much when we lived in the Alaskan wilderness. Therefore, I wanted to illustrate the role faith played in the lives of Beth and Jacob. Love comes in so many different forms, and I wanted to explore the different types of love. There’s the love between a man and a woman; the love between parents and children—even if they are not biologically related; and, of course, the love that grows from relying on good neighbors and friends. Determination is what allows us to survive the unsurvivable. Without the determination that seeds in our guts and grows to see us through the worst times of our lives, we would not succeed. Of course, determination can also work against us. When we stubbornly adhere to principles that are no longer relevant, our determination cause much more harm than good.

MY REVIEW

As I read the opening pages, I knew this would be a story filled with loss, determination, survival and faith. Beth has seen tragedy in her young life but now losing her mother was almost too much for her. All she had was her sweet mother who did her best to provide for them. Now Beth is alone and must face challenges that seem overwhelming. She has to fight to keep her home before the bank forecloses on it. You can feel Beth’s desperation as she seeks God for answers. The town tries to help but there is little money in this small community. Times are hard in the town but their closeness to each other is very inspiring. Will Beth be able to save her home?

Life was hard for the people in this small community but I admired how they helped each other out. Churning butter to sell along with fresh eggs would help Beth for now but what happens when the chickens stop laying ? How will she provide for herself? I love how Beth is a strong young woman who is always looking for ways to help her situation. I wonder how I would have done in this time period?

When Beth stumbles upon a young boy and his baby sister her heart is full of compassion for them. Now she understood why eggs had suddenly gone missing from her coop. She wants to help the children and knows she can’t turn her back in them. Who in the world are these people who are mean and seem to not care about their children? Their harsh language made me cringe when they turned on Beth in a rage.

Beth is startled awake by a loud knock on her door. Who would be here on a cold night banging so loudly? To her surprise it is the sweet little boy Tommy. He is freezing and needs Beth to go get his sister. Those mean people left them all alone at the cabin with no food or heat. Beth sure has her hands full when she takes them in. There is no way she will let those horrified people take the children ever again. The children have been abused and my heart hurt for what they had been through.

Jacob has challenges of his own as he leaves his precious children with his cousin. He has been called home because his mother is very ill. He still remembers how strong his mother was. Now as he sits with her, he sees how frail she has become. His heart is breaking as his mother seems to be slipping away. The story is filled with a little intrigue when Jacob learns that the fire that destroyed his mothers house was arson. Who would be so heartless to burn down a home that his sweet mother lived in?

I loved how the author illustrated how people in town came to help both Beth and Jacob when they faced trials. The townspeople were comforting and showed compassion. With a few unsavory characters in the story we witness how greed and jealousy can turn someone into doing ungodly things. The author gives us a glimpse into how faith overcomes tragedy as trust leads to a new beginning.

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