Saturday 20 January 2018

These Healing Hills by Ann H. Gabhart

Review: I am a fan of Ann H. Gabhart's new mystery series as well as her book "Words Spoken True". I haven't yet read any of her earlier works. However, after completing "These Healing Hills" I am certainly going to go back and read the rest of her published novels. "These Healing Hills" was a beautiful example of a gifted writer going the extra mile to not only create believable and lovable characters but to bring to life an era and a subset of people that I would have never know anything about before. I can not imagine how much time Ann Gabhart spent researching this novel. What an exhaustive effort... but completely worth it.

The details in this work made the story come alive. I loved the unique phrasing and way of saying things that the Appalachian mountain people used in their every-day-talk. I enjoyed learning about Sourgum making, their tough way of life, the mountains, and especially about the frontier nurses/midwives that served the mountains on horseback. From a history standpoint, this was such an amazing story. I am glad an author as skilled as Ann H Gabhart was the one to take on this particular piece of American history. This story deserved an amazing retelling.

As far as the characters went, I loved Francine, Woody, Granny Em, Ben Locke... the whole crew just brought the story to life. They were all so unique and I loved watching them change and grow throughout the story. Francine's transformation from a wounded city girl on the run to a confident nurse/midwife in love with the Appalachian mountains and its people was really enjoyable to read. Also, the gentle love story between Francine and Ben was so sweet it made me cry. I really enjoyed this book and would certainly recommend it.

Back Cover: Francine Howard has her life all mapped out--until the man she loves announces his plans to bring home an English bride from war-torn Europe in 1945. Devastated, Francine seeks a fresh start in the Appalachian Mountains, training to be a nurse midwife for the Frontier Nursing Service.

Deeply affected by the horrors he witnessed at war, Ben Locke has never thought further ahead than making it home to Kentucky. His future shrouded in as much mist as his beloved mountains, he's at a loss when it comes to envisioning what's next for his life.

When Francine's and Ben's paths intersect, it's immediately clear that they are from different worlds and value different things. But love has a way of healing old wounds . . . and revealing tantalizing new possibilities.

Thank-you very much to Graf Martin Communications and to Baker Publishing House for a copy of this book. My opinion is completely truth and my own.

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