My Heart Belongs in Fort Bliss, Texas: Priscilla's Reveille by Erica Vetsch

This book is the first in a series called My Heart Belongs...

I was drawn to this book because I actually live about 5 miles from the modern day Ft. Bliss, Texas. We spend a lot of time in that community with families and scouting.  

This book is historical fiction from a Christian perspective.  Erica Vetsch has done a beautiful job researching the history and details of this area..  You get to know, from the very beginning of the story, that there is a love story brewing.  What you don't know until it begins to unfold is that the story takes many twists and turns to get to the final resolution.  Life is never dull in the desert for the characters of this charming story.  The characters are genuine and lovable... well, most of them.  The book gives us a pretty good picture of what the relationships between 1874 fort residents and the locals, Indians in the area, and the many travelers on their way through to other destinations might have looked like.  They had to walk a fine line with the delicate balance of peace sometimes. The author explores, in detail, the beautiful, yet sometimes harsh, landscape and flora and fauna of the area.  She tells of a doctor who becomes friends and colleagues with a medicine man from a local tribe.  They share knowledge of herbs for healing and treating ailments in order to treat those under their care. 

The story is set in 1874 in far West Texas at a desert Army Fort... Fort Bliss, TX.  Priscilla gets the news that her brother and his wife have died and left twin children orphaned.  She travels from Cincinnati, Ohio to the fort with the intention of bringing them back with her to raise them in Ohio.  She did not expect to find them living with an Army doctor/surgeon on post when she arrived  This man was not only a doctor but is also their UNCLE.  The battle for the custody of these children begins as they have to decide what is best for the children.  You will have to read the story to find out what happens.... no spoilers here!

It is a great adventure! 

If you are ever in the area they have a lovely Old Fort Bliss Museum on post and if you are here during the March/April time of year you might catch a glimpse of those beautiful Mexican Poppies you see on the cover along the Castner Range area on the Northeast side of El Paso off Hwy 54 and Trans-mountain.

Just a sampling of our Mexican poppies

Old Fort Bliss Museum area... This was taken during my middle son's Eagle Scout Project that he chose to do at the museum.

You can see the museum in the back.  I will have to go and get a better photo sometime to share with you but I wanted you to see the area honoring the old fort.

There are more books coming from Barbour Publishing in the My Heart Belongs series with the next one coming March 1, 2017 called My Heart Belongs in the Superstition Mountains by Susan Page Davis.

I was sent a copy of My Heart Belongs in Fort Bliss, Texas in exchange for an honest review.  It is published through Barbour Publishing Company.  Please check out more from Erica Vetsch here and also on Facebook. 

I loved her writing very much!  

I give it a 5 out of 5.

Book Review: Among the Fair Magnolias by four authors

The authors that shared stories here are Tamera Alexander, Shelley Gray, Dorothy Love, and Elizabeth Musser.

I don't often request fiction but this particular one has the appeal of being a collection of stories by four authors in the genre of historical fiction so I jumped at the chance to read it.

I am glad that I did!

Quick Summary 

(no spoilers!)

The historical time period for all four stories in this collection are set around the time of the Civil War.  Each story takes us to a different location and tells stories of strength in the face of some very hard circumstances.  They are all romantic stories and each has it's own unique twist.  There is faith and redemption in each story as each heroine takes her own journey to navigate the threat of and/or the consequences of a hard war and time in our nation's history.  Each story is about 80 to 90 pages in length and gives a beautiful sampling of each author's writing and story telling style as well as individual pictures of this time in our history.  

My Reactions

I have often felt like Christian fiction was predictable and slow but if I had any doubts about this collection I was quickly proven wrong.  The stories are beautiful and drew me along nicely through interesting scenarios as I enjoyed each one.  I loved the historical aspect and the places I could find on a map as I read about each setting.

Since these were shorter stories in a collection there was not a lot of deep character development one would get over a longer novel but the stories were intriguing and the heroines were realistic and dynamic as they moved through their stories.  The characters were not perfect and plastic-like.  The dialogue seemed natural and historically accurate.  The stories were inspiring with a spiritual aspect that I enjoyed.  The mention of God was not "in your face" but was naturally approached in the daily lives of characters within the stories.

Of course, as with any collection, I enjoyed some stories more than others but all were nice reads.

This book was the perfect vacation read!  I love a book of short stories when I am on the road because you can read a story quickly as you are riding along in a vehicle or take to the beach or cabin for some quiet reading on a lazy day.  I am so glad I requested this book and I would certainly read more by these authors.

Oh, and there are recipes that go with each story in the back of the book to enjoy, too!

I would give this book a solid 4 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it if you are an historical fiction fan.

This book came to me free of charge through Booklook Blogger Review Program courtesy of Harper Collins and all they ask in return from me is an honest unbiased review of the book based on my reactions and opinions.