It used to be I could devour three or four books a week while working full time, raising two kids, and teaching a 5 a.m. aerobics class at our local gym two days a week. I don’t know how I did it, but sad to say, those days are long gone. It took me over a month to finish Misty Beller’s historical romance Healing the Mountain Man’s Heart.
My only excuse is that since I borrowed this book from Kindle Unlimited (and yes, all her books are available on KU), we’ve been in the throes of moving. Lots of packing, unpacking, and cleaning both the old and the new house. Still, it’s a little embarrassing to admit. Extensive reading is a critical component of success for a writer. Let me just say, there hasn’t been a whole lot of writing happening around here, either. Now that we’re getting settled into our new home, that’s about to change.
Healing the Mountain Man’s Heart is Book 1 in Ms. Beller’s Brothers of Sapphire Ranch Series. I actually read Book 3 (Protecting the Mountain Man’s Treasure) a couple months ago as a reviewer for the Celebrate Lit Blog Team. I didn’t know at the time that it was part of a five-book series, but I enjoyed it so much, I immediately borrowed the first book from KU. And now, I’m reading Book 2 Marrying the Mountain Man’s Best Friend.
One thing I was told when I first started studying the craft of writing is to be careful when naming characters. It’s easy for readers to confuse people with similar names. We have a sweet family in our church whose six children all start with the letter J. John, Josie, Julianna, Jake, Josiah, and Jebidiah. My husband and I have the older four of these precious children in our Wednesday night Bible thrills class. We’re now into month five, and poor Chris still asks me which girl is which. See? Confusing.
Three of the four brothers in this series start with a J. Jericho, Jude, and Jonah. And yes, I’ve had a hard time keeping track. Could be a symptom of aging, but there it is. That doesn’t deflect from the book, however. Just an observation. When I saw that Book 4, Earning the Mountain Man’s Trust, was scheduled for the Celebrate Lit Blog Tour in April, I immediately signed up to be a reviewer.
You will find the back cover blurb below, but before you get to that, let me give you my impression of these fine characters.
Jericho Coulter is a mountain man set on protecting his family. There is a fine line, however, between protecting and paranoia—and Jericho is walking it. As the oldest who has already lost a sister, he is wary of any strangers coming onto their land. Not only does he not want his family endangered (including his young niece and nephew), but he’s wary of anyone knowing that the family mines unique sapphires on their property. He’s fearful the greed of his fellow man might turn their quiet lives into another gold rush fiasco.
Dinah Wyatt is also protective of her family—her twin sister and the baby she’s carrying. She and Naomi travel to Montana territory on the whim of an advertisement offering marriage for Naomi—to Jericho Coulter, who is unaware of it. They happen upon the family at just the right time (isn’t that always the way in God’s economy?) for Dinah to use her doctoring skills to help one of the J brothers after he’s hurt in an accident. It’s the perfect set up for romance, which is what you’d expect from a historical romance. There are twists and turns along the way, some sweet scenes, and more than enough edge-of-the-seat drama to keep the story interesting.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and if you like historical romance series, you’ll want to read Healing the Mountain Man’s Heart.
Back Cover Copy:
In the wild mountains of the Montana Territory, the Coulter ranch is a place of family, loyalty…and a hidden fortune.
Jericho Coulter, the eldest of six fiercely devoted brothers, is entrusted with safeguarding his family and the secret that binds them together: the Sapphire mine. To keep tragedy from striking again, he allows no outsiders on their land. When two women stumble upon their ranch, claiming Jericho himself sent for one of them as a mail-order bride, he aims to send them straight back where they came from.
Dinah Wyatt, a talented and determined doctor, wasn’t about to let her twin sister travel to Montana alone and marry a stranger. Dinah’s skills are immediately put to the test when one of the younger Coulter brothers is gravely injured, forcing the family to trust his life to her.
As Dinah and her sister become entwined in the Coulter family’s life, sparks fly between the enigmatic Jericho and the captivating doctor. In a world where trust is hard to come by and secrets hold the power to change lives, Jericho and Dinah must learn that sometimes, the most precious secrets are those buried within our own hearts.
From a USA Today bestselling author comes a mountain family saga filled with a mail-order bride, hidden treasure, and love that heals wounded hearts.
