This Courageous Journey is engaging, interesting, and while true to the historical fiction style I love, it also had a fresh and different tone to it. Misty M. Beller has written the Heart of the Mountains series, and while I haven’t read the first three books I thoroughly enjoyed this one on it’s own and now will be reading the entire series! I am so glad I listened to the other readers on the blog tour when they advised this was a book to read and that I didn’t need to read the others in the series to thoroughly enjoy the book. I was so excited to pick this book up at any chance I had. I found the characters refreshing and interesting. While complex there was also a simplicity to them that made them believable and by the end of the story I felt like I knew them and had made new friends of Daniel and Noelle the main characters. I love that Beller explores race relations, social expectations, and also the struggle with how God wires and how that can conflict with the world. You’re sure to find something to challenge your thinking or inspire you.

I will say, I recently read a novella that took place on a wagon train, it was called “The Christmas Prayer,” and while I reviewed the story as good, I also reported that I was left wanting more. The good news is THIS book provided it! Also set on a wagon train I was able to dream with the characters, delve more into who they are and the relationship dynamics they were creating and to really know where their story would take them. All the areas I was left wanting more with the short novella by Wanda E. Brunstetter this book took me there and beyond. (That being said I still recommend The Christmas Prayer as a quick seasonal read.) The authors are different and the stories, ultimately not the same, but since the setting was so similar it was the perfect book to pick up now to satiate my desire for more.

I also love the unexpected twists (read more of Misty’s guest post below for a sneak peek, and find her $50 gift card giveaway!) the deep relationships, and the internal struggles that the characters are processing. This novel fulfilled those desires and then some. The book lead me to Misty’s website, which you can visit here, and she will gift you the first book in the series for free. But be prepared you’ll end up wanting to pick up the others too. I can’t wait to dive into the other stories in the series and am so excited about another new and exciting series she has coming out.

On a formatting note I love that this book is a bit larger and with larger font. Again a refreshing change. And I really enjoyed that each chapter began with a guiding thought from a character, and also journal entries from Noelle’s heart. It make the story engaging and interesting.

Whether you want a bit of romance, an engaging story to escape with, or a wee glimpse into history this is one to grab!

Thanks to Celebrate Lit Blogging for gifting me to book in exchange for my honest review.

About the Book

Book Title: This Courageous Journey

Author: Misty Beller

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: October 9, 2018

As the fifth daughter in a family of nine children, Noelle Grant has spent her life working to be unique. Her love of stories helps define her goal—to be known around the country as one of the top news correspondents of her time. And what better way to uncover sensational stories than to travel through the mountain wilderness to visit the brother she hasn’t seen in years? The trip comes together perfectly as she plans to journey with family friends who will be settling in the same area. Her first inkling that things may not be as perfect as planned comes in the form of the mountain man they hire as their guide for the final leg of the journey.

When Daniel Abrams agrees to guide the small group of easterners along his usual journey northward to the Canadian mountains, his gut tells him he’s making the wrong decision. But if he doesn’t take them, who will? The man in charge refuses to consider turning back. As they start out, Daniel can’t help but notice the woman traveling under the care of her friends. Though she appears too genteel to last long in these mountains, she soon reveals a strength that draws him more than he should allow.

As the dangers of this wilderness become more than the group bargained for, Noelle is faced with the choice to delay her journey northward or proceed alone with the man she’s come to trust against all reason. She never imagines her decision will place her—and the man she loves—in a situation more hazardous than any story her imagination could conjure.

Click here to purchase your copy!

About the Author

Misty M. Beller writes romantic mountain stories, set on the 1800s frontier and woven with the truth of God’s love.

She was raised on a farm in South Carolina, so her Southern roots run deep. Growing up, her family was close, and they continue to keep that priority today. Her husband and daughters now add another dimension to her life, keeping her both grounded and crazy.

God has placed a desire in Misty’s heart to combine her love for Christian fiction and the simpler ranch life, writing historical novels that display God’s abundant love through the twists and turns in the lives of her characters.

Guest Post from Misty

Ever Been Struck by Lightning?

One of the fun things about being a writer is the crazy topics I get to research. Without giving away too much of the story, part of my research for This Courageous Journey included uncovering what happens when lightning strikes a person. It turns out anything can happen!

Surprisingly, about nine out of ten people struck by lightning live to tell their story. Each person’s experience seems to be different—some are knocked unconscious, while others are horribly aware of everything happening. One person who was struck said it seemed as if time slowed to a crawl and a white haze surrounded him like a bubble, as excruciating pain shot through him.

People usually try to determine the path the lightning traveled through them, based on where burn marks appear on both skin and clothing, but sometimes that can be difficult if jewelry or coins were touching the body. Survivors might suffer a variety of short- and long-term effects, including—but not limited to—cardiac arrest, confusion, seizures, dizziness, muscle aches, deafness, headaches, memory deficits, distractibility, personality changes, and chronic pain, among others. That may sound like an awful list, but it does beat the alternative!

As I considered the possible effects of a lightning strike when I was writing This Courageous Journey, I was reminded once again how magnificent God’s creation is. Both the incredible power contained in one streak of lightning, and the beautiful inner workings of the bodies He created for us. As the Psalmist said, we are “fearfully and wonderfully made!”