I admit I was a little worried. After all, blizzards are the kinds of things that movies and stories are made from. Can’t see a thing in front of you. Get lost going from the house to the barn and freeze to death. Are you kidding? This Southern California girl can pretty much count the times she’s been in the snow on both hands. And maybe one foot.

Yet we drove on to my nephew’s event in the snow, windshield wipers going, along the South-Eastern Connecticut street, calm as can be. It was cold, and there was a lot of snow on the ground, but it somehow wasn’t exactly what I had always expected when I heard the word “blizzard”.

This Freedom Journey
by Misty M. Beller

Series: Heart of the Mountains #0
Published by Misty M. Beller Books, Inc.
Publication Date July 17, 2018
Genres: Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Clean Romance
Setting: Canada Age of Reform - US - 1800 - 1840
Written for: Adults
Pages: 96

Synopsis:

Adrien Lockman is through with the political unrest and bloodshed in his home country of France, so he sets off to the Canadian territory’s mountain frontier, in search of a place where a man can live his own life in peace. The last thing he expects to find is a woman, half-starved and half-frozen in a shack nestled among the towering peaks of the great Rocky Mountains.

Mary Standish thought she’d finally found a place where she was accepted, trapping with her husband for the Hudson Bay Company. But when he dies after a gruesome grizzly fight, she determines to carry on their work. After all, life in these remote mountains is better than enduring the scorn and snubs of “civilized” folk. When she’s forced to face a winter harder than any she’s endured yet, her stubbornness may just be the death of her. Until a stranger appears at her ramshackle door.

Adrien had planned to explore the mountain country all winter before he settles down to build a farm in the spring, but he can’t leave this woman to die in the elements. Even though she seems desperate for him to go. As Mary regains strength, she’s torn between wanting to save her dignity, and craving the respect of this man who’s slipped past her defenses. As the winter worsens, the truth becomes all too real—the only way they’ll survive is together.

I would like to thank Celebrate Lit for giving me this copy of the book. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.

Also in this series: This Wilderness Journey, This Courageous Journey, This Homeward Journey, This Daring Journey

Adrien stumbled through the blizzard and was relieved to find a shack in which he could take shelter from the almost white-out conditions. He was stunned to find a half-starved, half-frozen woman there and set about to care for her as best as he could. But he underestimated Mary Standish.

I really liked Adrien’s noble and kind manner. His faith obviously directed his actions – he was a great example of “follow me as I follow Jesus”. He had great intuition in how to react to Mary’s fears and her grief.

Author Misty M. Beller captured the sense of being all alone in the middle of the wilderness quite well. I was able to picture the little shack with the dirt floor and cold wind reaching its icy fingers through the cracks. Brr. The beauty of the Canadian Rockies is a sight I would love to see with my own eyes one day, though I think I’ll plan that trip for spring or autumn. . .

Though the relationship between Adrien and Mary developed quickly for modern standards, the way that she went from being almost terrified of him to trusting him did make sense and worked well, especially given the need they had to depend on each other.

The overall tone of the story was contemplative and the pace was gentle, if perhaps a little bit slow, at the beginning.

Preview of This Freedom Journey

A Inside Look at the Cover for This Freedom Journey

by Misty Beller

My book covers are one of my favorite parts of the creative process! With most of my books, I have the cover done early, usually as I’m first brainstorming the story. I love to have the heroine on my cover, and I work hard to make sure the woman on the front matches the heroine I’m envisioning for the story. That way I can describe her in the novel the way she looks on the cover. Sometimes I even work in the outfit she’s wearing on the cover!

This Freedom Journey is a novella in my Heart of the Mountains series, so I wanted the cover to be similar in layout and style to the other books in that series. The setting is winter in the Canadian Rockies, so I knew Mary (the heroine) had to be bundled warmly! Funny story: Mary is mentioned in the other two books, although they’re set later in her life. When I first described her in the other books, I imagined her with amber brown eyes. When I chose the final cover for This Freedom Journey, I had to go back and change the amber brown eyes in those other manuscripts to the riveting blue on the cover. 

Blog Stops

Reading Is My SuperPower, July 19

cherylbbookblog, July 20

Blossoms and Blessings, July 20

Among the Reads, July 21

Connie’s history classroom, July 21

Bibliophile Reviews, July 22

Texas Book-aholic, July 23

Janices book reviews , July 24

Moments Dipped in Ink, July 25

Simple Harvest Reads, July 25

Carpe Diem, July 26

Maureen’s Musings, July 27

D’S QUILTS & BOOKS, July 27

A Baker’s Perspective, July 28

Splashes of Joy, July 28

The Christian Fiction Girl, July 29

Mary Hake, July 29

Inklings and notions, July 30

Luv’N Lambert Life, July 30

proud to be an autism mom, July 31

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 31

Jeanette’s Thoughts, August 1

Bigreadersite , August 1

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Misty is giving away a grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!

Click to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!

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