That First Step’s a Doozy!

Now & Forever is the second book in the Wild at Heart Series, with a story that can stand alone.  This is the tale of Shannon Wilde, homesteading in the Idaho Territory of 1866.  She is one of three sisters, all of whom were bullied by their father into disguising themselves as men, and serving in the Civil War. 

The action in this story starts right on the first page. Shannon, out for a hike in the woods, comes face to face with Mountain Man, Matthew Tucker–and a mad grizzly bear right behind him.  Since they are on the edge of a cliff, Shannon sees their only chance for survival is jumping into the river below.  Unknown to Shannon, that is the Slaughter River, so named because no one has ever gone in it and survived.

Have you ever questioned your faith?

Although this book contains Ms. Connealy’s trade mark humor, it also has some very somber sections that deal with the post traumatic stress that Shannon suffers from the war.  She worked as a medic on the front lines of combat and witnessed, as well as, took part in, many grizzly medical procedures.  The horrors of that experience, have caused Shannon to have a crisis of faith, and question God.

Will she hang in there…and survive?

In addition to facing those demons, Shannon is also facing another type of evil that wants to force her off her land, and destroy her beloved sheep.  Shannon, Matthew and the rest of her family face many dangers while trying to figure out who is behind all of it.  Some of those scenes were so intense that it made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.  Ms. Connealy packs a lot of action between the pages of this book.  She has well-developed characters living out an adventurous story with lots of twists and turns.

I have read other works by this author, and was thrilled to have the opportunity to read and review this one.  I recommend this 5-star book to anyone who enjoys a well-written book with action, romance, and a dash of humor, written from a Christian viewpoint.

The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book through Bethany House Publishing for the purpose of review.   I have not been compensated in any other manner.  All opinions expressed are my own, and I was not required, or influenced, to give anything but an honest appraisal.

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