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Tender romance not to be missed!

by Karen Barnett

August 24, 2012

@KarenMBarnett

"Night’s chill tickled her skin. Lonnie pressed her hands together and glanced up. He was even more handsome up close. Having grown up the shy, awkward daughter of Joel Sawyer, she’d hardly spoken to any boy, let alone the one who had mothers whispering warnings in their daughter’s ears and fathers loading shotguns." (Be Still My Soul, Joanne Bischof).

It's time to start preparing for cozy fall days, curled up by the fireplace with a good book and a cup of hot apple cider. Be Still My Soul releases October 1, 2012 and should be on every Christian fiction-lover's pre-order list. Author Joanne Bischof is creating a stir with her brilliant debut release, set in the Appalachians around the turn of the last century.

I fell in love with Appalachian fiction years ago when I read the classic, Christy, and I have been searching out Appalachian novels ever since. Joanne Bischof does a splendid job of weaving the setting into her tender romance, with the characters coming to life against the lush background. When bluegrass musician Gideon O'Reilly picks at the strings of his mandolin, I can practically hear the notes jumping off the page and when sweet Lonnie pads down the trails in her bare feet, I can feel the mountain dirt clinging to her skin.

This tender romance is anything but formulaic. Rather than starting with the first glance and ending with marriage, Be Still My Soul begins a hasty, unwanted wedding. Already saddled with regret, can Lonnie and Gideon even dream of romance?

Here is the back cover copy, courtesy of publisher WaterBrook Multnomah: *Pretty Lonnie Sawyer is shy and innocent, used to fading into the background within her family, and among the creeks and hollows of the Appalachian hills. Though her family is poor and her father abusive, she clings to a quiet faith. But when handsome ladies’ man and bluegrass musician Gideon O’Riley steals a kiss, that one action seals her fate.

Her father forces her into a hasty marriage with Gideon—a man she barely knows and does not love. Equally frustrated and confused by his new responsibilities, Gideon yearns for a fresh start, forcing Lonnie on an arduous journey away from her home in Rocky Knob.

Her distant groom can’t seem to surrender his rage at the injustice of the forced matrimony or give Lonnie any claim in his life. What will it take for Gideon to give up his past, embrace Lonnie’s God, and discover a hope that can heal their two fractured hearts?*

I had the joy of meeting writer Joanne Bischof at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference in 2011 when, during an icebreaker, she landed a paper airplane at my feet. We've been friends ever since, sharing a love for writing and for historical romance. I look forward to reading more of Joanne's books in the future, including Though My Heart Is Torn, the second novel of the Cadence of Grace series, due out in April, 2013.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for the purpose of review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”