Rose McCauley, Christian Author

Monday Musings--Book Review of A Hopeful Heart by Kim Vogel Sawyer

I am behind on book reviews so decided to use some of my Monday Musings posts to catch up. I love all of Kim Sawyer's books, even though she writes mainly historical and I write mainly contemporary. But whenever I read one of her books it reminds me of why I've always loved historical romances, especially those written by such an expert writer of that genre.

Kim Sawyer has taken a chance comment by someone she met on a trip about a "herdsman school" that taught women how to be proper wives for ranchers, and woven a love story of an unlikely couple that you fall in love with and root for them to be together. And the whole cast of characters are so unique and well-drawn that you feel like you have spent time living in that community and sharing their lives with them.

Besides being a romance, this story encompasses cattle rustling, a couple shootings, lots of lessons on surviving on the prairie, and some great spiritual lessons that are so interwoven into the story that you feel like a friend is counseling you, not preaching at you. Forgiveness is one of the lessons, and also that God can turn bad things into good things.

Since this book is a stand-alone, it doesn't matter if you have read any of the author's earlier books or not, and if this is your first book by this author, you are in for a big treat. You could read a book a week by her until November without any repeats, so check out her website for a complete listing at http://www.kimvogelsawyer.com/. Happy reading!