Saturday, June 16, 2018

About the Book

Title: The Wilderness Journey

Author: Misty M. Beller

Release Date: April 24, 2018

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

He’s been sent to retrieve the new missionary… But she’s not at all who he expects to find.

Joseph Malcom has spent his life protecting those in need, but now that his sister is safely settled with her new family in the Canadian Rockies, his help is no longer required. That is, until he’s asked to safely retrieve the priest’s cousin to help minister to the local Indian tribe. But his passenger is not at all who he expects.

After the death of her mother, Monti Bergeron has nothing to keep her in Montreal. While the prospect of ministering to the Indians out West is daunting, she looks forward to assisting her beloved cousin in his mission work. The life of a nun may be just what she needs to heal her grief, serving her Heavenly Father and fellow mankind, especially if no more pesky suitors are around to ask for her hand in marriage. But the man who’s been sent to guide her through the mountains might make her second-guess her plans before she even begins.

As Monti settles into her ministry, Joseph finds his wandering feet drawn back to the Indian camp. Monti’s focus on God is more unsettling than he’d like to admit. Add to that her beauty which tests his willpower at every turn, and she’s made it crystal clear she doesn’t want a husband. But when his determination to keep distance between them puts Monti in danger, protecting her might require something Joseph might not be able to give.

Click here to purchase your copy.

About the Author

Misty M. Beller writes romantic mountain stories, set on the 1800s frontier and woven with the truth of God’s love.

She was raised on a farm in South Carolina, so her Southern roots run deep. Growing up, her family was close, and they continue to keep that priority today. Her husband and daughters now add another dimension to her life, keeping her both grounded and crazy.

God has placed a desire in Misty’s heart to combine her love for Christian fiction and the simpler ranch life, writing historical novels that display God’s abundant love through the twists and turns in the lives of her characters.

Guest Post from Misty Beller

The Frontier Cook

I love to write frontier romance, where the challenges were tough and the people had to be even tougher. And one of the things I love to imagine is how my characters cooked during those days.

Can you imagine how hard it would be to cook over an open fire? Every. Single. Meal. Of course, it’s not like they had a lot of variety to work with. Once you learned how to make a decent stew or corn mush, you didn’t have much to worry about, right?

Yet, many of the frontier women became quite adept at cooking over their cabin’s hearth, or even over an open campfire. In my new book, This Wilderness Journey, Monti (the heroine) came from a middle-class home with a paid chef and never had to learn to cook at all, much less without the use of a wood stove (which is still so much harder than heating a hot-pocket in the microwave). After she burned the corn mush their first night on the trail through the Canadian wilderness, Joseph (the hero) taught her a few basic meals.

As I was researching some creative ways frontier women cooked in an open hearth, I discovered the wide use of puddings, mostly because of how easy they were to make. By wrapping the ingredients in a cloth or pudding bag, they could be dropped in a pot of boiling water and left until the ingredients had softened and expanded. An entire meal could be made with a few ingredients, a pudding cloth, and a pot of boiling water.

One of my favorite cooking scenes in This Wilderness Journey is the making of the Oatmeal Pudding. What do you think? Sound like something you’d like to try?

I knew from the first few pages that this would be a great adventure. Joseph has been assigned to escort Monti Bergerson safely. I laughed when they meet and Joseph is shocked to find out Monti is a woman. Their journey will take them into dangerous territories and Joseph isn't sure Monti will survive. He tries everything to talk her out of going, but to no avail.

Monti is one tough woman. After losing her mother she decides to take a trip to minister to the Indians. I loved her faith and how determined she was to do what God had called her to do. I can't imagine being in the wilderness having to depend on a stranger to keep me safe. I loved the description of the area and how protective Joseph was of Monti. When it became obvious that Monti knew nothing about cooking, I had to laugh. Monti and I have something in common when it comes to cooking. Many disasters later, my husband is the official cook in the family.

It was nice to read about Monti meeting Joseph's sister. Emma is a gentle person and made Monti feel right at home. There is a part in the story where the two main characters share a moment that was written so eloquently that I found it to be one of the best parts of the story. The author does a good job of talking about Monti being with the Indians. It shows how gentle her heart is and how brave she is to tend to their needs. It is a good story that has adventure, faith and romance. I enjoyed getting to know Monti and Joseph. Will they find what they are looking for to be happy?

"The things that happened to you don't have the power to make you more or less than that. It's up to you to decide whether you'll live up to His plan for you."

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