When I was a little girl, I thought I would be a teacher when I grew up. Occasionally other careers came to mind for me, acting, singing, social work, but for the most part, teaching remained my main objective. If you had even suggested to me that I might have a future doing computer programming, I would have laughed. Really? Yet here I am, well into two decades doing exactly that. Computer programming. And not doing it as drudge work, but actually loving it.
So often we have plans for ourselves that are not God’s plans. Plans, perhaps that are good and noble, but not what He has intended for us. The good news is that God’s plans for us are good and we can trust Him. All the time.
We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. Proverbs 16:9 NLT

This Wilderness Journey
by Misty M. Beller

Series: Heart of the Mountains #2
Publication Date April 24, 2018
Genres: Historical Fiction, Western, Christian Fiction, Clean Romance
Setting: Canada Victorian Era – Canada – 1837 – 1901
Written for: Adults
Pages: 267
Synopsis:
A Christian Historical Romance novel
Joseph Malcom has spent his life protecting those in need, but now that his sister is safely settled with her new family in the Canadian Rockies, his help is no longer required. That is, until he’s asked to safely retrieve the priest’s cousin to help minister to the local Indian tribe. But his passenger is not at all who he expects.
After the death of her mother, Monti Bergeron has nothing to keep her in Montreal. While the prospect of ministering to the Indians out West is daunting, she looks forward to assisting her beloved cousin in his mission work. The life of a nun may be just what she needs to heal her grief, serving her Heavenly Father and fellow mankind, especially if no more pesky suitors are around to ask for her hand in marriage. But the man who’s been sent to guide her through the mountains might make her second-guess her plans before she even begins.
As Monti settles into her ministry, Joseph finds his wandering feet drawn back to the Indian camp. Monti’s focus on God is more unsettling than he’d like to admit. Add to that her beauty which tests his willpower at every turn, and she’s made it crystal clear she doesn’t want a husband. But when his determination to keep distance between them puts Monti in danger, protecting her might require something Joseph might not be able to give.
I would like to thank Celebrate Lit for giving me a copy of this book. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.
Also in this series: This Freedom Journey, This Courageous Journey, This Homeward Journey, This Daring Journey, This Healing Journey
Purchase Links
Monti, the lovely French princess according to Joseph, was determined to be a missionary to the Indians with her cousin. She was also determined to never marry. I really liked her confident gentleness and the way that she was so determined to learn whatever she needed to in order to live and thrive in the breathtaking Canadian Rockies that were now her home. It was fun watching her feeble attempts to cook for the first time.
Joseph struggled with a view of himself based on the disability that came about because of a terrible accident. Scarred and unable to use his hand, he felt that he was less of a man. He also had a past that he was ashamed of. Nevertheless, he was noble and protective. He adored his little niece and played with the Paiute children, which made him so appealing.
The overall tone of the story is quiet, peaceful, and restful, yet with a touch of adventure. I thought the way the author used the term “Indians” for the natives of the area was quite appropriate because in the mid-19th century, that is how they were known. That is just one example of the way she gave the sense of time and place through the story.
There is a strong Christian message; however, I wish there was a more obvious point where Joseph realized that God’s love extended to him as well as to Monti. The allusion to his shame over something in his past wasn’t explained more. Perhaps it was explained in the first book of this series but as this book is about him, it seems like it should have been described here as well.
Overall, the story was very good and enjoyable. This is a great option for readers of historical fiction that takes place in the “Old West”.
The Frontier Cook
by Misty Beller
I love to write frontier romance, where the challenges were tough and the people had to be even tougher. And one of the things I love to imagine is how my characters cooked during those days.
Can you imagine how hard it would be to cook over an open fire? Every. Single. Meal. Of course, it’s not like they had a lot of variety to work with. Once you learned how to make a decent stew or corn mush, you didn’t have much to worry about, right?
Yet, many of the frontier women became quite adept at cooking over their cabin’s hearth, or even over an open campfire. In my new book, This Wilderness Journey, Monti (the heroine) came from a middle-class home with a paid chef and never had to learn to cook at all, much less without the use of a wood stove (which is still so much harder than heating a hot-pocket in the microwave). After she burned the corn mush their first night on the trail through the Canadian wilderness, Joseph (the hero) taught her a few basic meals.
As I was researching some creative ways frontier women cooked in an open hearth, I discovered the wide use of puddings, mostly because of how easy they were to make. By wrapping the ingredients in a cloth or pudding bag, they could be dropped in a pot of boiling water and left until the ingredients had softened and expanded. An entire meal could be made with a few ingredients, a pudding cloth, and a pot of boiling water.
One of my favorite cooking scenes in This Wilderness Journey is the making of the Oatmeal Pudding. What do you think? Sound like something you’d like to try?
Preview of This Wilderness Journey
Blog Stops
A Baker’s Perspective, June 7
Among the Reads, June 7
Two Points of Interest, June 8
The Power of Words, June 8
Blossoms and Blessings, June 9
The Christian Fiction Girl, June 9
Mary Hake, June 10
Splashes of Joy, June 10
Neverending Stories, June 10
Kathleen Denly, June 11
D’S QUILTS & BOOKS, June 11
Maureen’s Musings, June 12
Kat’s Corner Books, June 12
Mommynificent, June 13
Reading Is My SuperPower, June 13
Moments Dipped in Ink, June 13
Bibliophile Reviews, June 14
Luv’N Lambert Life, June 14
Pause for Tales, June 15
proud to be an autism mom, June 15
A Greater Yes, June 15
Texas Book-aholic, June 16
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 16
Janices book reviews, June 17
Jeanette’s Thoughts, June 17
Carpe Diem, June 18
Red Headed Book Lady, June 18
Connie’s History Classroom, June 19
Bigreadersite, June 20
Christian Author, J.E.Grace, June 20
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Misty is giving away a $50 Amazon gift card!!
Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/cd16/this-wilderness-journey-celebration-tour-giveaway
Wonderful blog post. The book was amazing. One of my favorite author.
Thank you, Julie! I appreciate your kind words. 🙂
I really enjoy Misty Beller’s books as well.
This sounds like an interesting story–I’m especially intrigued by the cooking scene mentioned!
I can’t imagine cooking over a campfire or wood burning stove. Guess I was born in the right century!
This sounds like a great book. I love these type of romance stories.
Great book and thanks for this giveaway
Love a good frontier story
Looks like this will be a really good read. Thanks for hosting.
Looking forward to reading this. Thank you.
Thank you!!
i can’t wait to read this, it sounds perfect.
Thanks for sharing your talents and providing us good reading.
Looks like an interesting book.
Thanks for the contest.
slehan at juno dot com
I love this type of story, romance in my favorite genre. I’ll have to check this book out 🙂
I am a long distance backpacker and spend a lot of time in the mountains/nature. Seeing all the wonders daily, it’s evident of a maker.
This sounds like an author I need to check out that I would really enjoy!
I love Christian romances and especially historical ones. I would like to read this book!