Choices of the Heart

The Midwives #3

by Laurie Alice Eakes

Esther Cherrett comes from a proud line of midwives and was trained by her mother to take over the family calling. But when a scandal threatens all she holds dear, Esther takes a position as a teacher in the western mountains of Virginia instead. There she finds herself in the midst of a deadly family feud and courted by two men on opposite sides of the conflict. When it seems as though her past has followed her all the way into the mountains, all she wants is to run away again.

In this gripping story of trust, deception, and bittersweet loss, a young woman learns the true meaning of choices of the heart.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction, Christian, Romance, Historical, Historical Romance, Fiction

386 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Laurie Alice Eakes used to lie in bed as a child telling herself stories so she didn’t wake anyone else up. Sometimes she shared her stories withothers; thus, when she decided to be a writer, she surprised no one. Family Guardian, her first book, won the National Readers Choice Award for Best Regency in 2007. In the past three years, she has sold six books to Baker/Revell, five of which are set during the Regency time period, four books to Barbour Publishing, as well as two novellas to Barbour Publishing and one to Baker/Revell. Seven of her books have been picked up by Thorndike Press for large print publication, and Lady in the Mist, her first book with Revell, was chosen for hardcover publication with Crossings Bookclub. She also teaches on-line writing courses and enjoys a speaking ministry that has taken her from the Gulf Coast to the East Coast.
Laurie Alice lives in Texas with her husband, two dogs and two cats, and is learning how to make tamales.

You can learn more about her and her work at http://www.lauriealiceeakes.com

Reviews

[Jacquelyn 💐 {This Rapunzel Reads} [Jesus Christ, my Living Hope] · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow! This book was a MESS! Where to begin? 🤦🏼‍♀️😂

[Meagan Myhren-Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Choices of the Heart
The Midwives Book 3
By Laurie Alice Eakes

Esther Cherrett is running. Running from her home in Seabourne. Running from the accusations. And running from the pain. Running to protect her family from the shame.

Esther Cherrett is heading into the mountainous regions of the Appalachians to become a teacher, leaving behind her calling to be a midwife and a healer. But Esther is about to walk into a new unknown danger - a family feud that could be restarted at any moment. Will Esther be the trigger that destroys the mountain or can she bring peace to the mountain and end the feuding?

But someone knows about the guilt and shame of her past and they have let her know it! But who could have followed her into the wilds of her new home? Could Hannah or Zach have discovered something when they escorted her to her new home? And what about Griff and Bethann Tolliver?

As Zach and Griff feel themselves drawn to Esther, she tries to discourage them in thoughts of courting her. But Zach is determined to win her just so Griff won't. Griff is determined to keep peace on the mountain, even to the point of denying his heart and letting his cousin court Esther.

But someone is threatening the peace and Griff and Zach have both been targeted. Will either young man be lost in the hate that is lurking in the shadows?

When Esther's skills are needed, will she allow God to heal her heart and re-embrace the calling she has trained for? Will the Choices of the Heart bring healing or pain?

Choices of the Heart is an intriguing look at the art of mid-wiving and at the deep seeded issues that resulted in generations of feuding in remote areas. The historical and spiritual aspects of this book are well blended, making for a meaningful and thought provoking reading experience. This is story of reconciliation and redemption!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review.
Available January 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting and different story. The lead lady is stubborn. Once she gets an idea into her head...

At the beginning I wasn't sure how much I was going to like the plot or maybe I should say plots--OR the author's writing style. The scenes were beautifully presented and theorem read--I was hooked.

[Vera Godley · Rating 5 out of 5]

My thoughts: I previously read Laurie Alice Eakes' book A Flight of Fancy and reviewed it here on Chat With Vera. Click to read review. However, reading Choices of the Heart is a totally different reading experience in my opinion. This third book in Eakes' "midwife" series is set in the isolated mountains of Virginia in 1842. Esther Cherrett leaves her home of affluence in coastal Virginia under cover of night to obtain a position in the mountains as teacher for the uneducated and very isolated families. As they travel by horseback to reach their destination, she learns that she is entering a virtual hornets nest of feuding amongst families similar to that in Scotland. Dangerous indeed.

Esther is a midwife but wishes to keep these skills a secret and not practice this profession she learned from her mother. However, upon seeing injuries and illness from knives, guns, and life in general she can not withhold her tender care of folks.

The rugged terrain of Appalachia, the desire of men for her company, the feuding over longheld anomosities, and ignorance are wonderfully described by Laurie Alice Eakes as she unfolds this tender story of romance and choice. The characters are well developed and come alive on the pages of the story, and the story plot is realistic and well chartered.

The period detail provided by Eakes is indicative of her research and brings to mind visions of the mountain folk and their times and troubles. You feel the poverty of the people and the emotional strife as well as the longings they experience.

Without giving a spoiler clue, I'll just say the conclusion might be a bit surprising to some of you that normally get a book figured out before you reach mid-read.

I regret that I have not yet read the first two books in the midwifes series and will look forward to "catching up" later. Though the books most likely build on the previous story, Choices of the Heart is a well-written stand alone book and there is no problem reading it without previously reading the first two.

About the author: Laurie Alice Eakes is the author of Lady in the Mist, Heart's Safe Passage, A Necessary Deception, A Flight of Fancy, and several other novels. She won a National Readers Choice Award for Best Regency in 2007 for Family Guardian. Laurie Alice writes full-time from her home in Texas, where she lives with her husband and sundry dogs and cats.

DISCLOSURE: I was provided a complimentary copy of choices of the Heart by Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group on behalf of the author for the purpose of rendering my honest review. No positive remarks are required. Opinions expressed are solely my own.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review on my blog: http://christianbookshelfreviews.blog...

Choices of the Heart is the third book in Laurie Alice Eakes' The Midwives series and a good read. I was a little confused about who everyone was and what was going on in the beginning of this book, and I think part of that was due to the fact that I only read book two of this series, Heart's Safe Passage , prior to Choice of the Heart. While I did still enjoy the book a lot, I wish I had read A Lady in the Mist - mainly because it is Esther's parents' story.

The characters were good and I have to say, for a while I didn't have any idea who (if anyone) Esther would end up with. There'd be a scene with Zach and I'd be "Oh, she'll definitely end up with him!", but then Griff would come into the picture and I'd think "It'll be him!". It went back and forth for awhile. ;)

The feuding that went on between the families added some tension to Choices of the Heart and even a little mystery when certain things happened.

I really liked the message of forgiveness in Choices of the Heart. There were a few sad moments in the book, but also some joyous ones. All in all, a good book that I recommend if you enjoy historical romances. I think you probably will want to read books one and two first, though, because otherwise things might be a little confusing. I look forward to reading more of Laurie Alice Eakes' books in the future.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book for my review. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.*




“Available January 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

[Christine Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

The intrigue of who would win the heart of this honest-to-goodness heroine, Esther, had me gripped from page one. I thoroughly enjoyed this third of the Midwife series. What I especially liked were the realistic blurs between what appears the bad guy or woman in the story, and that by going beneath the veneer of a person, you find a troubled heart.I think this is my favorite of the Midwife series because of that fact.

In real life, the lines between hero and villian are not so clearly defined. Wounded hearts make it hard to make the best choices in life. Very apt title for that reason.

I recommend Choices of the Heart as an intelligent, gripping human historcal drama, written with deft artistry.

[Victoria (TheMennomilistReads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esther. . . Esther. She definitely is seeping in her own guilt when she really shouldn't be, but throughout the book she will feel she isn't good enough for a lot and beats herself up and feels like she deserves guilt and doesn't deserve good things because of a situation she went through in the past.

Esther went up into the Appalachian Mountains to become a teacher, even though she is a trained midwife. There is a big family feud happening all around her once she arrives between the Tollivers and the Brookses and the Neffs and whoever else (I have Brooks and Neffs in my own family line so that was really weird to read about, but my family line never moved south of NJ. Okay, back to the bulk of this book).

The two cousins, Griff Tolliver and Zach Brooks, have made a pact of peace with their families, but something is still happening around them that is filled with hatred and vengeance. Esther has no idea what has happened, but she hopes that it will stop happening! Both of the cousins seem to have taken a liking to her as well, but she doesn't want to be in a relationship (though the actual reason why, I won't give away). Throughout this we also learn a little bit about Hannah, Zach's sister and Bethann, Griff's sister.

The whole story has some intense situations that might be a bit much for teens to read, even though this is a Christian Fiction story. I think it was really good though. I think I may have liked it more than the other two books in this series. Therefore, I give it a 3.5 star rating. Speaking of the series, this book does have the main characters from both book 1 and 2 show up! The story is about forgiveness and the love of God. It might make you tear up a slight as it did to me.

[Kathleen E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thursday, January 17, 2013
Choices of the Heart by Laurie Alice Eakes, ©2013
Set in 1840’s Appalachia, meet Esther Cherrett who runs away from her training as a midwife to avoid scandal. Instead she is caught up in the middle of a bitter family feud. This is book 3 in The Midwives series, but can be enjoyed as a stand-alone.


Choices of the Heart
The Midwives, Book 3

She thought she had left her old life behind . . .
Esther Cherrett comes from a proud line of midwives and was trained by her mother to take over the family calling. But when a terrible scandal threatens all she holds dear, Esther flees, taking a position as a teacher in the wild western mountains of Virginia. But instead of the refuge she was seeking, Esther finds herself in the midst of a deadly family feud—and courted by two men on opposite sides of the conflict. All she wants is to run away again.

But could it be that her past holds the key to reconciliation—and love?

In this gripping story of trust, deception, and bittersweet loss, you’ll discover the true meaning of choices of the heart.


My Review

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus,
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
--Romans 8:1-2

Seabourne, Virginia
April 1842

At least, Esther Phoebe Cherrett will be in Seabourne, her home, for a few hours more. She has accepted a position as teacher at Brooks Ridge, many days away from her home in the East. She travels on horseback with cousins from two opposing families. Siblings Griff and Bethann Tolliver, and Zach Brooks and his sister Hannah Gosnoll, have come to guide her higher to their Appalachian Mountains. Opposing, if you will, because of past wrongs that never seem to come to a close. Cousins Zach Brooks and Griff Tolliver have vowed before the itinerant preacher that they, as the oldest, will strive to stop the warring and bring, no ensure peace, between the families. But will it stop? The suspicion, the watchfulness?

"Our father's people were here first," Zach explained.
He already had said so along the way. His mother and Griff's mother were sisters whose families had resided in the mountains since the Revolution. The Tollivers were relative newcomers, having only been in Virginia's mountains for the past forty years or so. "They've been in America forever, though," Hannah had admitted reluctantly. "Maybe lived around your people once."
--Choices of the Heart, 68-69

And Esther... how is she going to fit in? Her speech, however coveted, is different. She is to educate the children because of a strain of ore now being mined from the earth. Taught to read and write so they are not swindled in the future. What would it be like to come into a new area where, because of your skills at automatic doctoring ~ seeing a need and applying what you know ~ misplaces another's worth and recognition as their life trade? Your ways different, "more modern," unknown to those you have come to serve? Esther has a lot of learnin' of her own to come by. Not trying to make things right, that hamper instead?

But Esther Cherrett has arrived, and is offered a two-room wooden structure with glass windows and quilts hanging on the wall. Esther's room and schoolhouse ~ prepared just for her; does she think everyone lives this way? Set apart in reverence, keeping her from melding in. The set apart is to protect her. Wise woman, Mrs. Lizbeth Tolliver is. Besides teaching, it is expected that Esther will become the refined bride of one of the cousins to bring some culture into their lineage. The cousins have already informed her along the way.

Esther has already put a snag in the deciding. She has set God apart, questioned His authority and leading. This has put her at odds with one of the cousins, unknowingly. He is hoping she will keep it to herself and not indoctrinate the children in her way of thinking, but teach from the Word of God direct.

Laurie Alice Eakes' writings are so fluid. You are walking each footstep with them. As Esther tries to run to begin anew, she finds her tendencies lean to serving in what she knows. She is open and giving by nature; wrapped up by fear and unsteadiness from what she has left behind. Choices of the heart.

Queasiness gripped Zach's stomach. He feared his sister was right. Females who looked and talked like Esther Cherrett and came from the kind of family she did didn't go to the mountains for work or husbands. Yet Miss Esther Cherrett, with her English father and American mother living in a quiet fishing village on the eastern shore, had answered an advertisement for a schoolma'am there in the Virginia mountains.
Not for the first time, he questioned her honesty. She might be telling them the truth about most things. She was certainly good enough for the work they wanted from her--to teach the youngsters good English and reading and writing so they could be more than men and women trying to eke a living out of the unforgiving rock of these hills. But Esther was too pretty, too comfortably off, too confident in herself, to truly belong amidst the mountain folk. She was more like those people who had come to ask questions and watch them, write in little books, then go away and print things they thought were true, like they were writing about some new breed of animal. And she was a bit old to not be wed, especially as pretty as she was.
--Ibid, 77


Laurie Alice Eakes
Laurie Alice Eakes is the author of Lady in the Mist, Heart's Safe Passage, A Necessary Deception, A Flight of Fancy, and several other novels. She won a National Readers Choice Award for Best Regency in 2007 for Family Guardian. Laurie Alice writes full-time from her home in Texas, where she lives with her husband and sundry dogs and cats.


Choices of the Heart
By Laurie Alice Eakes
978-0-8007-1986-9
$14.99
Paperback
400 pages
Pub Date: January 2013

Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books that bring the Christian faith to everyday life. They publish resources from a variety of well-known brands and authors, including their partnership with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and Hungry Planet.

Choices of the Heart: Available January 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.


*** Thank you to Revell Blog Tour Network Historical Fiction for inviting me to be a part of this tour and sending me a copy of Laurie Alice Eakes' Choices of the Heart to review in my own words. ***

[Christine Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esther Cherrett has had a pampered upbringing that resulted in a spoiled, self-absorbed young woman...until one night changed her life completely. Afterwards, Esther's life is filled with regret, shame, and self-loathing...so much so, that she decides that she can no longer stay with her parents or even in their hometown. Esther decides to leave in the middle of the night and take a chance on a new life, in which no one knows her or her terrible secrets. When she arrives at the very rustic mountain community she is to teach for, she begins to wonder just what she signed up for. Two families are virtually at war with one another and all sides suffer. Can Esther help to bring peace to this community or will her sins of the past interfere with her future...will love conquer all or fuel the fires of familial war that needs to be extinguished before all are consumed in its' inferno.

This was a good end to The Midwives series my Ms. Eakes. I enjoyed seeing characters from the previous two novels and learning what had happened to them, as well as becoming acquainted with new ones.

[Kami S · Rating 1 out of 5]

I liked the first book in this series. I skipped the second since Amy only gave it 3 stars. I did NOT care for this one. I got about a third into it and started skimming, by half way I started skipping pages..I did want to know how it all ended up, but it was so painful to get there! I hate characters who think everything bad that happens to them is somehow their fault. This girl is very pretty and so she is sure that she's some kind of loose woman since she's been taken advantage of. Super annoying, this attitude was literally on every page! Turns out she was taken advantage of to a greater or lesser degree, it's not even completely clear how far... And I don't care for those types of plots either. And then the sub characters had issues ... There was a feud going on over different characters' unfaithfulnesses, killings and stabbings, fires set, and I already had guessed early on who was at fault...and that was just strange. And the men were kind of portrayed as pigs, very attracted to all the physical attributes and touches etc. Really just not the type of story I like to read.

[Crystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read several historical fiction novels about life in the Appalachian's of Virginia. I lived for a time in Bristol, TN and became interested in that general area of the country. The feuds are a sad bit of history (and quite possibly still happening at some level), and this book takes place on the fringes of a multi-family feud that is starting to reignite. Unfortunately, I grew increasingly frustrated with the characters and how the story was told. So many thoughts and conversations and reactions to events just did not feel like it fit well, the pacing of the story felt off, and sometimes I was confused as to how things actually happened. I do understand that the thinking around "the incident" back in those times were quite different than for today, but even with that understanding I still couldn't quite accept how events rolled out in the story. The battle with faith and God seemed a bit off as well for me. Beyond that, it was good seeing some of the characters from the previous books in the series again, even if for a brief time.

[Cass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Historical Romance

From the very first page, "Choices of the Heart" grabs the reader with another well-written story from the imagination of Laurie Alice Eakes. Set for the most part in the mountains of Appalachia during the settling of the frontier, the author weaves together the strands of love, betrayal, and loss to recount a clean, decidedly Christian, tale that won't let go. Once again, Laurie Alice Eakes has written a book that kept this reviewer up well past her bedtime. Loved it. Buy it. You most likely won't be sorry.

[Heidi Morrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This reminded me so much of Catherine Marshall's, Christy. Having read the previous books in the series, though, this was definitely a unique work by Mrs. Eakes. Although the feud and past issues that the characters had to deal with, make my recommendation for this book to be for adults, I loved how I was pleasantly surprised at how each of the characters learned to forgive and trust the Lord and others to move forward.

[Betty E Sclater · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful read!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as well as the first and second mid-wives books. It had some spice in it, but not too much, and a lot of love. But, most importantly, it was filled with Christian love. You have a special ability to make your books come alive. I cannot wait to start another.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Choices of the Heart

Loved this story! Esther, Griff you will love them. This was a tender story that brings tears to your eyes. Lots of drama and seeing how difficult life in the mountains was.All three books in this series were great. Loved seeing how each character grew throughout the series.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Third in this series regarding midwives. Esther runs away from her home on the Eastern shore of Virginia when she feels she has brought shame on her family due to a poor decision. What she heads into is a feuding extended family in the Blue Ridge Mountains. She gets caught in the middle of the feud when two cousins both find her attractive.

[Liza Lehman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story drew me in right from the beginning with mystery, suspense, secrets and a love triangle. While I felt the ending took a while to resolve, it was defintely worth the read. I always love relatably, flawed characters, and this book had a wonderful selection of them.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interest story, but the scandal that they kept bring up over and over again kind of ruined it for me.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

1800s, horrific family feuding, midwifery, romance, ghastly Appalachian backwoods grammar....what's not to like?

[ANNETTE · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mountain setting with a feuding family . This book will draw you in.

[Lorraine Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book.

[Kerstin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining read.

[Melissa Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action packed with a startling surprise, but the romance is so gut wrenching and sorrowful

[JoAnn McGowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous book - 3rd book in series and was so interesting! A story involving the mountain people who are feuding , secrets and love ! Great book

[Julie K · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've ever read. I read it over a year ago and I still think about it.

[Carolyn Lockwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly enjoyable. I didn't want the book to end.

[English · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review can also be seen on blog here http://crossromance.blogspot.co.uk/20...

Choices of the Heart was another first with a new author for me. Once again, I read this title the third in a trilogy without having read the other two. Perhaps I really ought to start reading series at the beginning as intended!

The story itself was good enough, with a fairly original concept and some interesting characters. It was not hard to sympathise with poor Esther, who it seemed really could not have done anything that bad, yet was effectively driven out of her hometown by the hatred of his neighbours. The device of the feuding families adds tension and danger .

Esther, though hurting and in many ways still afraid was a strong and bold enough character, as were the two male leads Zach and Griff, both of whom were manly men with a soft side who seemed to genuinely care for the city girl thrown into their midst.
Some of the minor characters were also likeable for their unique characteristics or personalities, like Zach’s sister, with her desire to like the well-bred uptown ladies, and the mischievous younger children. The elements of faith, and meaningful messages also seemed to be woven well into the story, with some passages that really spoke to me. Some of the descriptions of Medical practices and herbal or ‘folk’ remedies could prove interesting.

Yet Choices of the Heart is not a story I would list among my favourites. It was pleasant and enjoyable but probably not a book I liked enough to want to keep and read over and over. Like another book I read this year, it seems to be that this novel it about standard fare for this genre. There were some elements that could make it stand out, like the heroine being a member of a profession that doesn’t seem to get much coverage.

Yet there also seemed to be a certain amount of (forgive the term) ‘fluffy’ romance. The hurting protagonist having to overcome their personal demons, emotional angst and painful past or risk losing the opportunity to embrace true love is a formula that may have been used before.
Really also, Esther’s behaviour did at times seem a little inconsistent, with her being afraid of getting close to any man one minute, then letting him kiss her the next.

Some things seemed a little too quick and easy, such as Esther’s overcoming of her religious doubts. As I recall in one place she was convinced God had abandoned her entirely, and that she would have to leave, then not long afterwards realizing this was not the case and getting reconciled with Griff.
A little bit of a too easily and quickly wrapped up resolution perhaps, after all the tension and high emotion? This tension itself could be argued to be a little too dependent on overly dramatic events, with one stabbing and one shooting... in about 100 pages.....

Overall Choices of the Heart was a good read, but it is still not a period setting that I find myself too enamoured by, and the story did always seem to really stand out from a lot of others in the genre.

I received a copy of this book free on request from the publisher for review. All the opinions expressed therein are my own.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Midwifery is such an interesting and enthralling topic to read about and study. Laurie Alice Eakes's series really brought the trials and tribulations of 19th century midwives front and center. With the last installment in The Midwives series we once again meet a young midwife, this time one who has all but given up practicing because of a scandal, all to protect her family's reputation. The lack of birthing room drama in Choices of the Heart disappointed me but overall I'd recommend it if you enjoyed the previous books in the story and want to know what happens next.

Esther Cherrett, beautiful and spoiled, through no fault of her own got into a situation that scandalized seemingly the entire coast of Virginia. To protect her family, she decides it's best to abandon her family and practicing midwifery altogether for the mountains of western Virginia. However much she tried she wasn't able to outrun the truth and no matter how hard she tried to deny it, she had to face the fact that she was in love. If anyone on the mountain discovered her secret, she could potentially be responsible for destroying a precarious truce between the feuding Tollivers and Brooks.

An avid reader of historicals, stories set in the backwoods and "hollers" have become some of my favorites, give me a book by Laura Frantz or Marcia Gruver and I'm a happy girl. Choices of the Heart was quite different from the first two novels in the series. Since everything happened mostly in the wilderness the setting definitely appealed to me. The story was a bit like the aforementioned Frantz's Kentucky set The Frontiersman's Daughter, you never quite knew what was going to come crawling out of the woods -- a bear, a mountain lion, a snake, or the worst kind of "critter"; the two-legged snake. However, after the first few chapters the love story turned a bit bland. From the back cover I thought this was going to be a romance with some kind of love triangle but there really wasn't a question who Esther would choose after the first handful of chapters. This one was really predictable as far as the romance went. There was plenty of scandal though which saved this from being just an "okay" book. I have to say the feuding families could put a soap opera to shame. Don't worry readers, this was still a "clean" read. All in all this was good even if I did end up liking it more for the clashing of the Tollivers and Brooks' than the romance.


“Available January 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

~ My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars ~


*I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.*

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esther Cherrett has a problem. She can’t find a man to suit her tastes in her hometown. She’s learned the art of flirtation, and has broken hearts. Now she has a reputation around town, with the potential to ruin the good name of her parents. Instead of sticking it out, she runs away in the dead of night without any idea of what she’s getting herself into.

The family feud was the selling point for me when I first read the description of Choices of the Heart. I had in my mind the Hatfield-McCoy feud, even though that took place a little further west in the Appalachians after the Civil War. There are, however, similar elements. A member of one family kills a member of another family which retaliates. Two sisters marry the patriarch of each family (how did that happen?) and it is left to their sons, Zach and Griff, to attempt to forge a peace. Everything appears to be well until Esther and her flirtations is hired to teach their younger siblings.

With the exception of Griff’s mother and one of his sisters, the women in this novel are not very pleasant. Griff’s sister, Bethann, is unmarried and pregnant – a scandal in the 1840s – and Zach’s sister, Hannah, doesn’t like Esther and makes it well known. I have to say, I did not care for Esther at all. I read Lady in the Mist and kept wondering how the two likeable main characters from that book could produce such a daughter. The two of them, however, spoiled their only daughter and now, because of the scandal, she believes she’s not worthy of any man’s love. How could anyone love her? She’s also melodramatic about it, which was a bit too much for me. “My heart isn’t a prize to be won,” she tells Griff. “It’s a cold, unfeeling lump of beating muscle inside my rib cage, and I intend to keep it that way.”

But then there’s Griff, a man of immense patience. He was my favorite character. He falls for Esther early on in the novel but is determined not to act on his feelings in order to keep the peace. He also often has to be the de facto head of the family due to injuries his father received early on in the feud.

What else did I like, besides Griff? I loved whenever Griff and the younger children tried correcting their speech so they sound more like Esther. They’ve said, “Ain’t,” for so long and are now learning they should be saying, “Isn’t.” I also appreciated the setting. Last year, I had the opportunity to travel through rural southwestern Virginia and West Virginia and learn of the mining encampments that grew up by the New River. I was able, therefore, to picture the Appalachian location as I read the book. At the end, you learn how the feud between the two families began and it’s sad. As for Esther, she learns that as much as she tries, no one can ever outrun our Lord and Savior.

Thank you to Revell for my free copy of Choices of the Heart, which I received in exchange for an honest review.

[Victor Gentile · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laurie Alice Eakes in her new book, “Choices of the Heart” Book Three in the Midwives series published by Revell brings us to Virginia in 1842.
From the Back Cover: She thought she had left her old life behind . . .

Esther Cherrett comes from a proud line of midwives and was trained by her mother to take over the family calling. When a terrible scandal threatens all she holds dear, Esther flees, taking a position as a teacher in the wild western mountains of Virginia. But instead of the refuge she was seeking, Esther finds herself in the midst of a deadly family feud–and courted by two men on opposite sides of the conflict. All she wants is to run away again.

Yet could it be that her past holds the key to reconciliation–and love?

In this gripping story of trust, deception, and bittersweet loss, you’ll discover the true meaning of choices of the heart.

In “Choices of the Heart” Laurie Alice Eakes gives us the story of Esther, a girl on the run from a terrible scandal. “Choices of the Heart” is a story that has a long family feud, two men vying for Esther’s affections and Esther who really is trying to have nothing to do with men. It is a tale loaded with the past that, unless dealt with, will prevent all the characters from really moving forward and reaching their destiny. “Choices of the Heart” is a great way to finish a wonderful series and Ms. Eakes creates really fun, believable characters that you care for as they live through this adventure. I am sorry to see this series come to an end however I am looking forward to the next series from this very talented author.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Available January 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.