Sunday, April 11, 2021

Courage in the Mountain

About the Book

Book: Courage in the Mountain Wilderness

Author: Misty M. Beller

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: April 6, 2021

Courage in the Mountain WIlderness Keeping her son safe on this epic journey may be harder than she imagined.

Caleb Jackson is on a journey. And not just the mission he and his friends have embarked on to fetch the Nez Perce chief’s runaway daughter. Maybe someday, he could also find God’s plan for his life. He’d once thought being a small town minister was the Lord’s will for him, but he’d proved a failure at living under the scrutiny of his congregation. Yet the chief’s niece and her feisty toddler accompanying them on this expedition make him feel like he might be able to make a difference yet.

Otskai is eager to take on a challenge. She’s lived under the shelter of other’s choices her entire life, especially when she was betrothed to one of the village braves at the tender age of eight. Now with her husband dead, she’s finally found the freedom she always craved—even with a two-year-old to raise. She’s built her camas root harvest into a thriving trade to provide all she and her son need and more, yet she can’t seem to keep her active child safe. When she agrees to accompany her new friends on a trip to bring back her wayward cousin, she knows she’ll have her hands full managing her boy.

The journey turns out nothing like Otskai expects, and for the first time in her life, she’s thankful to have others around to help. Especially Caleb, whose gentle attentions captivate her son and occupy him for hours at a time. But as the danger escalates and her worst fears come to light, she must find the courage to choose between freedom and a love more liberating than she imagined possible.

From a USA Today bestselling author comes another epic journey through breathless landscapes and adventure so intense, lives will never be the same.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Misty M. Beller photo Misty M. Beller is a USA Todaybestselling author of 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 children 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.

More from Misty

Mom Guilt—it’s real, no matter what your race or tribe.

One of the things I love about writing the Call of the Rockies series is the cast of characters that covers almost more races than I can count on all my fingers! From Spaniards, to Frenchman, to Southern Americans, to Blackfoot, to Nez Perce, to Salish, to Shoshone. And let’s not talk about the various sectors within some of the tribes (Peigan Blackfoot, Blood Blackfoot, Pikunin of the Nez Perce…oops, we weren’t going to talk about those!).

But what I love the most about so many people groups represented is learning how much we really are alike, down deep in our cores! Sure, some are introverts, some are extroverts. Some like to swim, some hate to swim. Some like to cook, some like to play with the kids (okay, maybe most like to play with the kids!).

Yet there are common threads that connect us all. As I was writing Courage in the Mountain Wilderness, I discovered a new thread that I have in common with Otskai, the Nez Perce hero of the story.

Mom guilt.

Yep. Our situations are a little different—I’m married with four kiddos, and she’s widowed with one very energetic two-year-old son. But we both struggle with that same push and pull. That same set of conflicting longings. When I’m with my kiddos, sometimes I just desperately want time alone. Time to actually get things done. But then at night when they snuggle close at bedtime, wrapping their sweet arms around my neck and not just saying, but showing, how much they love me, I can’t imagine how I could ever want to do anything but spend time with these sweet little ones God has trusted me with.

Thus, the guilt.

Maybe Otskai and I are the only ones who’ve ever experienced that particular strain of Mom Guilt. But I’ll bet there are other ways you can relate—both to these very real fictional characters who may or may not be the same race as you. And also to the very real real-life characters you meet every day.

The great news is that God loves each and every one of us, Mom Guilt and all.

MY REVIEW

What I like about this author is how she writes stories that allow readers to feel like they are right there in the midst of what is going on. Her descriptive words help me see the terrain and the characters with ease. I have loved this series and how each character leaves a part of themselves in my heart. I have grown to love their adventures and an excited to see where Caleb and Otskia journey takes them.

What I like about Otskai is how much she loves her child. Her fierce protectiveness sometimes overshadows the child’s ability to have fun but I totally get it. Yes I was and still am at times a helicopter mom. I tensed up when my three boys would tell me things they had done because I was sure they were going to be hurt. What I learned was that I didn’t trust God. Otskai is curious about this God that Caleb talks about and Caleb is hopeful that he can share God to her in a way she understands.

I loved the time period and the different cultures we are introduced to. The author has done a great job in researching to make this story realistic. I’m not sure how long I would last on a horse over the land they traveled. I held my breath as they came upon a river. This part is very tense and I was right there as the water started to take Otskai’s horse adrift. The trip sees our characters encounter bears, a mission to find someone and along the way learn to trust.

The action is good and I loved how Caleb was so gentle and kind with Otskai’s son. I loved his name and how mischievous he was at times. He is a happy child who does like to explore even though danger may be close by. The relationship between Caleb and Otskai is slow and allows us to understand their past. I loved how they spent time sharing their emotions and trusting each other with their inner struggles. It is a beautiful story that spans across the land as they overcome obstacles, face danger, survive hardships and discover unconditional love.

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