MY REVIEW:
Third book in The Midwives series, “Choices of the Heart” features Esther Cherrett, a young midwife trained by her mother. Caught in the middle of scandal and blaming herself, Esther accepts a position as teacher in the Appalachian mountains in order to escape the controversy. Upon her arrival Esther finds herself in the middle of a family feud and the love interest of two cousins. She also learns that she hasn’t run away far enough because someone knows her history and wants to frighten her away. In addition she finds that she can’t turn her back on her medical training that is needed so desperately among the mountain people who surround her.
The primary characters are true-to-life with strengths and flaws. Although a minister’s daughter, Esther struggles with her faith due to her circumstances. Caught in their family conflicts, both Griff and Zach are determined to put an end to the feud but seem helpless against the grudges held by other members of their families.Tensions escalate as more threatening incidents occur and the true reasons behind the violence are both surprising and regrettable.
Peppered with humor, faith, drama, action, romance, and suspense, “Choices of the Heart” is both entertaining and informational. I especially found it interesting to learn that although depended upon by their communities, most midwives were often avoided because they knew too much about their patients and families.
I enjoyed “Choices of the Heart” and would recommend it to lovers of historical fiction.
This book was provided for review by
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Laurie Alice Eakes brings to life a gripping story of trust, deception and bittersweet loss, as a young woman learns the true meaning of choices of the heart. In the third book of The Midwives series, you will be transported back to 1840’s Appalachia with a tender romance that includes closely guarded secrets and a bitter feud.
Esther Cherrett comes from a proud line of midwives and was trained by her mother to take over the family calling. But when a scandal threatens all she holds dear, Esther takes a position as a teacher in the western mountains of Virginia instead. There she finds herself in the midst of a deadly family feud and courted by two men on opposite sides of the conflict. When it seems as though her past has followed her all the way into the mountains, all she wants is to run away again.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Laurie Alice Eakes is the author of Lady in the Mist, Heart’s Safe Passage, A Necessary Deception, A Flight of Fancy, and several other novels. She won a National Readers Choice Award for Best Regency in 2007 for Family Guardian. Laurie Alice writes full-time from her home in Texas, where she lives with her husband and sundry dogs and cats.
Praise for Laurie Alice Eakes and Choices of the Heart:
“The gifted Laurie Alice Eakes has done it again with a page-turner romance straight out of the Hatfield and McCoy feud. The wonderful period detail sucked me into 1840s Appalachia, while the realistic characters and tender romance kept me reading late into the night.”–Linda Goodnight, Carol and Rita Award-winning author
Reviews for Lady in the Mist, #1 in The Daughters of Bainbridge House series:
4 Stars = Compelling, page turner
The first book in Eakes’ new Midwives series is filled with secrets, a budding romance and mystery with characters who have their doubts about themselves and those around them. Readers will not be able to put this gem of a novel down. – RT Patsy Glans
It’s always wonderful when you start reading a novel with the hope of being entertained and distracted from your busy life, only to be blown away by the discovery of a new favorite author. Laurie Alice Eakes’s novel had that exact affect on me, and I can’t verbalize how pleasing it is to uncover a gem of a story like this one. – The Christian Manifesto Rachel Ropper