About the Book

Book: Coming Home Forever

Author: Michelle De Bruin

Genre: Inspirational Historical Fiction

Release Date: May 30, 2023

Her college career is cut short, so Rose Harper takes a job that throws her into the path of a weary soldier who joins her in the search of a place to call home.

Rose Harper dreams of becoming a teacher, but she quit school at the local college because her classes were harder than she expected. Dreading the thought of returning to her hometown and sharing a home with her father, Rose works two jobs so that she can stay in Oswell City with her friends. When she gets called in to help with special events at the Ellenbroek home, Rose is forced to make a big decision. Should she continue working as a maid, or does she dare to try and achieve her goal of becoming a teacher? Obstacles lie in the way, but thanks to the assistance of a supportive friend, Rose is given the chance to find a place to belong.

Timothy Ellenbroek has just completed his tour of duty as a chaplain to the soldiers on the Front. Now he has come home weary, grieving, and under pressure to find a job. His father would love to see him in a high-profile career, powerful and important. But Tim isn’t so sure. He longs for a safe place to rest, to heal, and to live a quiet peaceful life. When his father intervenes in the job search with an offer to work with him in the mayor’s office at City Hall, Tim resists. He wants peace and a meaningful career, but Oswell City can’t give him both. Tim wonders if he will have to leave home again. The longer he stays, the more his hometown means to him. Tim must make the choice to listen to his heart and trust where it leads him.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Michelle De Bruin lives in Iowa with her husband of 25 years and two young adult sons who are college students at Iowa State. She has a bachelor’s degree in religion with a Christian Ministry emphasis, and in Music. Michelle serves as a chaplain for Pella Regional Health Center. She writes inspirational historical romance about people who live in rural communities. Characters that bring to life the delights of farm and small-town living, whispers of Dutch heritage, and Christian faith make Michelle’s stories distinct. A romantic at heart, Michelle is always on the lookout for glimpses of God’s love through the window of a good story. You can learn more about Michelle by visiting her website: michelledebruin.com

More from Michelle

Coming Home Forever is the last in a trilogy of books set in a small Iowa town during the years 1913 through 1918. This is the second series of books I have written. The Tomorrow series is the first set, and if you’ve already read it, you will recognize characters that appeared in Hope for Tomorrow, Promise for Tomorrow, and Dreaming of Tomorrow.

This book opens in the winter of 1919, after the end of World War I when the soldiers are coming home. We meet Timothy Ellenbroek, the son of Oswell City’s mayor. He’s been in France serving as a chaplain in the military and now that his tour of duty is completed, he’s ready to find a peaceful place to call home.

Rose Harper dreamed of becoming a teacher, but college was much harder than she expected. Now she is trying to chart a new course, but it isn’t going like she thought. Through a few unexpected adventures, she joins Tim in the search for a peaceful, safe place.

I wrote this book to illustrate how God is always with us, working through us, and speaking to us. I also wanted to encourage readers that yes, we can change, we can heal, and we can be restored, putting bad decisions behind us for good.

Thank you for joining me on this tour. I hope you enjoy the blog posts and enter the drawing for the giveaway.

Grace and peace,

Michelle De Bruin

MY REVIEW

A great story of finding out what plans God has for you. Rose has dreamed of being a teacher but her plans didn’t quite go in that direction. I remember when I was younger all I ever wanted to be was a teacher. I never had the chance to go to college so I pushed my dreams aside. Years later I became a teacher but not where I thought I would teach. Rose is an inspiration to me because she continues to press forward even when her dream seemed impossible.

When Timothy returns home from the war, he wants to pastor a church. His first thought is he needs time to emotionally heal before pastoring a church. Timothy’s father is pushy and wants Timothy to take the first job offered to him. I liked how Timothy and Rose met even though they come from different backgrounds. This may cause friction between them and their families, but I was excited to see where God would take these two characters.

With emotional scenes such as Rose trying to decide to go with her friends or stay and help her aunt the author delivers a touching example of how the enemy can slowly slip into out thoughts if we are not careful. Sometimes we have to hit rock bottom before we finally surrender to God. Rose feels insecure around Timothy while she battles with trying to do the right thing.

Timothy has his own problems with nightmares from the war. He finds comfort from letters his mother sent him. They are filled with scriptures that gave him comfort during the war. Now he turns to those scriptures to find guidance from God, and pray for direction. With pressure from his father he leans more on his faith to seek God’s purpose fir his life.

The story is a look at God’s plan for your life and finding a place to call home. There are some tearful moments in the story but the ending is beautiful.

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