Tuesday, November 3, 2020

About the Book

Book: Desire of the Heart

Author: Anne Perreault

Genre: Christian Romance

Release Date: April 2020

It all started with a hike…
Cady Jackson’s vacation plans were simple. Go to Yellowstone National Park, enjoy the scenery, take lots of pictures. She and her cousin, Ashley, have grown up in a strict, conservative Christian family in upstate New York. Cady has never been encouraged to spread her wings. This trip is an opportunity to do so. Only, she doesn’t know how much her life is about to change when she has an unfortunate encounter in the middle of nowhere.
Why would God take a personal interest in someone like her?
Grant McClintoch generally loves his job as a ranger in the oldest national park in the country. That it includes rescuing stranded visitors to the park is unfortunate. He has been trying to rebuild his life after it had nearly been destroyed. Grant doesn’t realize that God isn’t done with him yet when he stumbles onto an injured hiker.
But can he place his past in God’s capable hands where it belongs?

Click here to get your copy!

MY REVIEW

This story is so well written I hated it to end. The author takes us to Yellowstone National Park and I felt I was right there among the trees. I enjoyed learning about the park and all it has to offer. I wasn’t real thrilled about bear sightings but after all we are on their land. Let the adventure begin.

Let’s start with Cady. She has grown up in a very strict home and her feelings on falling in love are mixed up. Her parents have made her feel that she can never make a mistake and has sheltered her from any chance of finding someone to love. Her upbringing does cause her to be a little judgmental at times especially with her cousin Ashley. I’m surprised they took a trip without any supervision. After all their families still treat them like children. The tension that develops between the cousins are due to someone being a bit high and mighty and the other giving in to temptation. This part of the story is worth mentioning because it’s a great example of learning to forgive and look past a sin to give grace.

The story really gets good when Cady meets the handsome Park Ranger Grant. He is quite upset to find her out by herself injured . I did enjoy their banter as he insists on taking her to get looked at. Seeing a bear would scare me and Cady was so lucky she wasn’t attacked by him. Grant is certainly not looking for a relationship but God may have other plans. As we slowly find out about his past, I understood why he was so hesitant to keep his feelings in check.

I loved how the author showed a young woman who needed to branch out on her own and trust God. Her parents made me angry by the way they never trusted her. I felt like she was living in a home where she was seen but not heard. Cady girl you need to start relying on God to direct your path, and stop worrying about making mistakes. I was so hoping she would soften up and give her concerns to God.

Grant is still feeling guilty over a tragic loss and won’t allow anyone to capture his attention. But what happens when these two people start to pray, open up to each other and trust God? The story is filled with faith and I loved seeing how several characters grew and began to be set free from their past and learn to forgive people who have judged them.

There is a little danger in the story that I felt was the perfect addition to draw Cady and Grant closer to each other and God. They both seek God to show them His plans for their lives. Oh it’s an emotional journey of love, forgiveness and trust. I am so excited to learn that there is a second book to follow.

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

About the Author

Anne Perreault was born and raised in Germany. By the time she was 14 years old, her family moved to Dubai, UAE. While living in this exotic place, she traveled extensively to various countries around the world. After graduating from an American boarding school in Austria, she attended college in England, where she met her husband. She graduated from New England College with a degree in biology, and settled down in Connecticut. Anne became a horseback riding instructor as well as a certified therapeutic riding instructor. She and a group of friends started a therapeutic riding center in Bristol, CT. During that time, Anne also received a masters degree in secondary education and began to homeschool her three children. While raising their three children, she began to write an inspirational story primarily for her daughter. Anne, her husband, and two of their grown children now reside in Southern Vermont, where they are building their home. Besides writing, Anne enjoys reading, spending time with her husband, grown children, and grand-dogger.

More from Anne

Desire of the Heart…

This book is so special to me. I had been pondering what to write a few years back and the thought came to me that I should base my next character on some of the adorable quirkiness of my beautiful daughter, a young woman filled with integrity and strength. Except, when you first meet her, you might think she’s too naïve or too sweet. She has a fire in her and a passion. And then I watched a TV show and one of the character’s were named Cady. I knew I had my main character. My daughter loves to travel, and a few years ago, she and her cousin traveled to Scotland together. It was kind of like fiction came to live right then and there. I had already paired Cady up with her cousin, a young woman who is the complete opposite to Cady. Of course, in real life, my daughter and her cousin are incredibly similar to each other and are both such amazing young women of God.

Her counterpart came about because I was looking for someone with strength and also with great integrity, but someone who was wounded by life. I also realized that I wanted to set the story in a national park. I’ve always enjoyed nature and wanted my main character to be working in some capacity with nature. Grant naturally became a park ranger. It fit his personality so well, I secretly rubbed my hands together in glee.

Setting the story at Yellowstone allowed me to research that beautiful part of the country. I have always been a wildlife enthusiast. My oldest son loves wolves and has studied them all his life. I wanted to include wolves in the story… enough said. I fell completely in love with the park and I will one day travel there and stand where Grant and Cady did.