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Genre: Christian Historical Romance
Release date: April 6, 2021
Synopsis
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.
This book is number four in the Call of the Rockies series, so I was a little worried reading this book first before the others. However, I didn’t have trouble understanding the story line or the characters; it was a good read in and of itself.
Historical romance is one of my favorite genres, so I was excited that it also fell in the Christian category. It did not disappoint me. I absolutely adored this book, and couldn’t put it down. I read it in one night.
Otskai has by far become my favorite characters that I’ve ever come across in a book. I could really relate to her on so many levels. Being a single mom myself, I could totally relate to many of the feelings she had as a parent (especially fear and guilt). I’ve also been through trauma that caused me crippling anxiety and PTSD, so I could relate to her intense fears – both physically, emotionally, and relational.
I really love romantic stories, but rarely read them because they cause my depression to hit me. This was my first Christian romance book, and I was pleasantly surprised. It left me feeling refreshed, and full of hope. I may have found one of my new favorite things.
I really loved how the author added the pure gospel into the book when Caleb shared his faith with Otskai in a simple way. It was really inspired me reading how Caleb prayed through every aspect of his life; and I highlighted every one as I can’t reiterate enough how much I enjoyed this. I found myself thinking, man I wish I would have prayed like that in the past.
The power of prayer was also introduced when tragedy hit Otskai, and she prayed to “Caleb’s God” to come and save them.
God, please! If you love any of us. Any of these creations Caleb says mean so much to you. Please. Save us. All three of us.
Often times it takes God’s miracles to show us how God’s hands have been on our lives, and how much he loves us. Otskai and Caleb’s story definitely showed the reader that.
Miracle – Something that seems impossible yet actually happened. An act only God could do.
I can’t wait to dive into the rest of this series this summer!
Thank you to the author/publisher for the review copy of this book via Celebrate Lit. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.
About the Author
Misty M. Beller is a USA Today bestselling 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.
So glad you enjoyed the book and hope your readers do, too! Thanks for sharing!
Excellent review, Elizabeth! I’m looking forward to reading this series. Thank you for hosting.
This sounds like a great read and my kind of book!