when sparrows fall by Meg Moseley

Before you fuss at my subject and the use of all lowercase letters, this is the way the author has the title printed on her book. I am just trying to be "authentic" to her work.

I got this book from Multnomah Books Blogging for Books program. I had never heard of this author, but was intrigued by the bit of synopsis provided.  I am so glad I chose this book! I devoured it!  First book that has grabbed me like this in a long time.

Miranda is a young widow with 6 children who lives a quiet life on land that has been in her husband's family for years. When her pastor announces that the entire church is selling their homes and moving to another state, Miranda sees it as a way out... a way for a fresh start.  But then an accident occurs and her estranged brother-in-law comes to care for her and the children. Jack brings the outside world to Miranda's sheltered exsistence and threatens to unearth secrets she wants left buried. 

The tension rises as Jack tries to revive what he sees as a dead existance for Miranda and her children... as Pastor Mason looms in the background like a dark cloud threatening to storm down his wrath and the law... as Miranda struggles with feelings she never thought she would have again and doesn't want to admit.

when sparrows fall is a wonderful tale of freedom... safety... and love.

Under the Big Sky by Kelly Eileen Hake

I was recently at a local Christian bookstore and happen to see a large table with sales items on it.  There were a number of books from a series called Romancing America. From what I could tell, the books each contained 3 novellas set in a specific state.  Some of the writers were new to me, so I decided to snatch up a few and check them out.

One of these was Under the Big Sky by Kelly Eileen Hake. I do not recall reading anything by this author before.  The 3 stories in this book are set in Montana in the same community following the same families over several generations from 1865 to 1916... from the founding families to the arrival of the railroad and beyond.  Each story is a delight... light and dreamy... romantic and set in an idealistic time gone by (which is probably more idealistic in our minds than reality.) 

In A Time to Plant, Delana shows up as a surprise to join her fiance' as he works to prove up their land and make ready their future home. Will her early arrival cause a delay and added burden and ultimately crush their dream of marriage?

Rosalind longs to travel... to see more than her hometown of Saddleback, Montana.. she longs for adventure. In A Time to Keep she gets her opportunity and along with it a chance at love.

And in A Time to Laugh, Nessa turns down the proposal of her long time friend after waiting for it for years.  Everyone is surprised at her no and more surprised when another young man shows up and draws her attention.

If you like historic Christian romance, you will have time of enjoyment with this book.