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Twenty-Niners of the Georgia Gold Rush #3
The Schoolmarm and the Miner
A teacher seeking independence. A widower guarding his heart. In Georgia's gold country, the richest prize may be the love they’re afraid to claim.
Adelaide Duncan's dream of teaching is within reach until her father's drinking and gambling force her to start over. Taking a position in the rough-and-tumble gold rush town of Dahlonega, she’s determined to prove herself. But unruly students, strict rules against teachers courting, and her growing feelings for a certain widowed father threaten the independence she’s fought so hard to claim.
Wade Coulter walked away from the law after he lost his wife and unborn son. Raising his daughter alone is safer than letting anyone else in. But Lotty’s beautiful new teacher makes him question everything. Just as he begins to trust again, a dangerous man from Wade’s past threatens both the women he loves.
A gold strike on Wade’s property promises security…but also revives old dangers. Scarred by her father’s choices, Addie fears any man who might put selfish desires before love. As deadly threats close in and the past refuses to stay buried, Wade must prove he's changed or risk losing his chance at happiness forever.
Adelaide Duncan's dream of teaching is within reach until her father's drinking and gambling force her to start over. Taking a position in the rough-and-tumble gold rush town of Dahlonega, she’s determined to prove herself. But unruly students, strict rules against teachers courting, and her growing feelings for a certain widowed father threaten the independence she’s fought so hard to claim.
Wade Coulter walked away from the law after he lost his wife and unborn son. Raising his daughter alone is safer than letting anyone else in. But Lotty’s beautiful new teacher makes him question everything. Just as he begins to trust again, a dangerous man from Wade’s past threatens both the women he loves.
A gold strike on Wade’s property promises security…but also revives old dangers. Scarred by her father’s choices, Addie fears any man who might put selfish desires before love. As deadly threats close in and the past refuses to stay buried, Wade must prove he's changed or risk losing his chance at happiness forever.
- GenresRomanceHistorical
289 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 5, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 13, 2026
I don’t think I say it enough, but I love reading stories set in the 1800s. This time period fascinates me. The people worked hard, protected family and faith was a huge part of their lives. I love how the author describes the area with breathtaking views and lush countryside. The gold rush was in full swing as many hoped to strike it rich.
Addie is a thoughtful and smart young woman. I admire her determination to become a teacher. Traveling a long way from home she takes a chance of being hired. I can imagine the shock she endured seeing the town with chaos at night and not so welcoming townspeople. Has she made the right choice to come here?
Wade works hard raising his daughter alone while tending his land. He sure has his hands full with his feisty daughter Lotty. He has closed his heart to love after the loss of his wife, unborn child and sister. Wade has no time for romance where his heart can be broken again. When he meets the new teacher, will he change his mind about a relationship?
Lotty for me steals the spotlight with her antics. Being made to attend school during the week keeps her away from her father. She is not happy with Addie being her teacher. I like how Addie finds ways to reach Lotty in a gentle way. Lotty does seem to open a little bit but I think she is worried about having to share her father’s heart with someone else.
The faith element in the book fits well as we witness Addie sharing how God, “can redeem even the pain of death. He uses our sorrow to help us comfort others.” Wade has been bitter for a long time after his losses. As he begins to open up to Addie he tells her that he blames himself for his sister’s death. He doesn’t want Addie to preach to him about forgives with his mind so bent on revenge.
This has been a wonderful journey with characters who learn to forgive and open their hearts to a new beginning. Trials bring strength and hope as Addie and Wade grow closer. I appreciate how the author used characters to show how God can help them overcome their past and learn to trust again.
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.
Addie is a thoughtful and smart young woman. I admire her determination to become a teacher. Traveling a long way from home she takes a chance of being hired. I can imagine the shock she endured seeing the town with chaos at night and not so welcoming townspeople. Has she made the right choice to come here?
Wade works hard raising his daughter alone while tending his land. He sure has his hands full with his feisty daughter Lotty. He has closed his heart to love after the loss of his wife, unborn child and sister. Wade has no time for romance where his heart can be broken again. When he meets the new teacher, will he change his mind about a relationship?
Lotty for me steals the spotlight with her antics. Being made to attend school during the week keeps her away from her father. She is not happy with Addie being her teacher. I like how Addie finds ways to reach Lotty in a gentle way. Lotty does seem to open a little bit but I think she is worried about having to share her father’s heart with someone else.
The faith element in the book fits well as we witness Addie sharing how God, “can redeem even the pain of death. He uses our sorrow to help us comfort others.” Wade has been bitter for a long time after his losses. As he begins to open up to Addie he tells her that he blames himself for his sister’s death. He doesn’t want Addie to preach to him about forgives with his mind so bent on revenge.
This has been a wonderful journey with characters who learn to forgive and open their hearts to a new beginning. Trials bring strength and hope as Addie and Wade grow closer. I appreciate how the author used characters to show how God can help them overcome their past and learn to trust again.
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This was an absolutely wonderful story! By far my favorite it in the series! If possible, it would be great to read the other books in the series first, especially the first one because the main character is introduced in that one and his backstory. However, you could probably get the gist of his story by not reading it!
The author does a lot of research on these books before writing them and it shows! They are very accurate as to the history of the era and setting. The characters are also well developed and interesting. I loved Lotty, the little girl who has lost her mother. Although she is mischievous at times, it's because she is trying to find her way without a mother and wants to be with her dad who she adores. Her father, Wade, loves her too, but is trying to get through his grief and make a living farming which he really doesn't enjoy! He vows to never marry again and lose another woman, but we all know that just doesn't happen if the right woman comes along! That woman is Addie, who is the new schoolmarm and she doesn't intend to marry either because it says so in her teaching contract! She's wanted to teach her whole life but doesn't count on the challenges of doing so in a town like Dahlonega, Georgia which is so foreign to her. There is suspense, humor, romance, faith and grief in this story! I loved it all!
The author does a lot of research on these books before writing them and it shows! They are very accurate as to the history of the era and setting. The characters are also well developed and interesting. I loved Lotty, the little girl who has lost her mother. Although she is mischievous at times, it's because she is trying to find her way without a mother and wants to be with her dad who she adores. Her father, Wade, loves her too, but is trying to get through his grief and make a living farming which he really doesn't enjoy! He vows to never marry again and lose another woman, but we all know that just doesn't happen if the right woman comes along! That woman is Addie, who is the new schoolmarm and she doesn't intend to marry either because it says so in her teaching contract! She's wanted to teach her whole life but doesn't count on the challenges of doing so in a town like Dahlonega, Georgia which is so foreign to her. There is suspense, humor, romance, faith and grief in this story! I loved it all!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This book provided another in-depth look into Georgia’s history, this time focusing on the rough and difficult life of gold miners in the northern part of the state. I have always found the lives of early schoolteachers fascinating with how they dealt with the many ages and ability levels within one room as well as the many rules imposed upon them. So it was very interesting when the highly educated and recommended Addie Duncan was forced to become a teacher in a mining town due to circumstances not of her own making.
Former lawman and now farmer Wade Coulter met Addie when Lotty enrolled as one of her students. It took a while for me to warm up to him and his daughter with their demeanor and behavior. Wade, Lotty and Addie had all experienced loss in their lives which affected how they interacted with each other. Side characters including townspeople and some of Addie’s students had a significant impact on the story along with questionable and dangerous occurrences within the mining community. The pace of the story really picked up in the second half of the book as events transpired one after another. Throughout it all, faith played an important role in several characters’ lives and helped bring the story to a very satisfying conclusion.
I received an advanced reader copy from the publisher. A positive review was not required and these are my own and honest opinions.
Former lawman and now farmer Wade Coulter met Addie when Lotty enrolled as one of her students. It took a while for me to warm up to him and his daughter with their demeanor and behavior. Wade, Lotty and Addie had all experienced loss in their lives which affected how they interacted with each other. Side characters including townspeople and some of Addie’s students had a significant impact on the story along with questionable and dangerous occurrences within the mining community. The pace of the story really picked up in the second half of the book as events transpired one after another. Throughout it all, faith played an important role in several characters’ lives and helped bring the story to a very satisfying conclusion.
I received an advanced reader copy from the publisher. A positive review was not required and these are my own and honest opinions.
May 11, 2026
The Schoolmarm and the Miner is my favorite in this series! I just loved Addie and her heart for teaching and being a good mentor. She has so much stacked against her but I enjoyed her grit, good humor, and love for those around her. I loved Wade’s journey back to faith and forgiveness, even to the one who definitely didn’t deserve it. I would have loved to see even more of his progress as it happened. Lotty was fantastically written. So sweet and likable- yet sometimes a true terror! I couldn’t believe a couple of the things she did. But then, sometimes a kid’s rationale is baffling. She felt so real to me. I got so mad at some of these side characters- obviously proof of how much I cared. I was deeply invested!
There’s some nice suspense in this one, especially toward the end, which we know is my favorite thing ever. This book is part of a series but can absolutely stand alone, which is not always the case. This one is very light on physical romance- it’s mostly emotional.
Recommended for anyone who loves:
• Single Father & Teacher
• FMC Overcomers
• Well-Written Children
• Forgiveness Themes
• Love triangles (this one didn’t bother me)
I received a complementary copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. I was not asked to leave a positive review. My opinions are my own.
There’s some nice suspense in this one, especially toward the end, which we know is my favorite thing ever. This book is part of a series but can absolutely stand alone, which is not always the case. This one is very light on physical romance- it’s mostly emotional.
Recommended for anyone who loves:
• Single Father & Teacher
• FMC Overcomers
• Well-Written Children
• Forgiveness Themes
• Love triangles (this one didn’t bother me)
I received a complementary copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. I was not asked to leave a positive review. My opinions are my own.
May 5, 2026
Adelaide Duncan has just graduated from Cobbham Institute for Young Ladies with the hopes of filling a teaching position at the school. Her hopes are dashed when her father’s drinking problem becomes public and leaves her destitute. She leaves Athens for Dahlonega with her beau Micah on the recommendation of her former headmistress to fill a teaching position there. However, the position requires that she be unmarried, which irks Micah. Addie also starts developing feelings for one of her student’s widowed fathers, Wade Coulter.
Wade is struggling to let his daughter Lotty attend school in town after losing his wife to childbirth several years earlier and his sister to a stray gunshot before that. He is scared to lose another woman in his life. When Addie swears to protect Lotty, Wade starts to feel things he hasn’t felt in years. His fear of losing her prevents him from acting on his feelings. When Addie learns of Wade’s reliance on drink, she decides that she can’t trust Wade.
Can trusting God help bring Addie and Wade together or will a man from Wade’s past ruin their chances?
Wade is struggling to let his daughter Lotty attend school in town after losing his wife to childbirth several years earlier and his sister to a stray gunshot before that. He is scared to lose another woman in his life. When Addie swears to protect Lotty, Wade starts to feel things he hasn’t felt in years. His fear of losing her prevents him from acting on his feelings. When Addie learns of Wade’s reliance on drink, she decides that she can’t trust Wade.
Can trusting God help bring Addie and Wade together or will a man from Wade’s past ruin their chances?
May 6, 2026
The Schoolmarm and the Miner (Twenty-Niners of the Georgia Gold Rush Book 3) Written by Denise Farnsworth as Denise Weimer is my favorite of the series. Of course, I loved little Lott who could sure get herself into trouble, but I also liked her father, teacher, great aunt and great uncle. These people all loved Lotty, teaching her of God’s love and care too. I especially like the fact that forgiveness and second or third chances were given to people who had made some bad choices.
Adelaide Duncan's life has not turned out to be the way that she had planned just a short time before she traveled to Dahlonega, Georgia, a wild gold rush town. I admired her persistence in not giving. Wade Coulter had kept going after tragedies in his life because of his young daughter. A father’s love is clearly shown in this story. Their story becomes more complicated as it progresses with crooks, wild uncontrollable boys at school and a snobbish board member. While Adelaide’s travel friend is not always portrayed as a man of steel, I liked him too, hoping that he will get his Happy-ever-after in as story someday. I recommend The Schoolmarm and the Miner to all Christian historical fiction readers.
Adelaide Duncan's life has not turned out to be the way that she had planned just a short time before she traveled to Dahlonega, Georgia, a wild gold rush town. I admired her persistence in not giving. Wade Coulter had kept going after tragedies in his life because of his young daughter. A father’s love is clearly shown in this story. Their story becomes more complicated as it progresses with crooks, wild uncontrollable boys at school and a snobbish board member. While Adelaide’s travel friend is not always portrayed as a man of steel, I liked him too, hoping that he will get his Happy-ever-after in as story someday. I recommend The Schoolmarm and the Miner to all Christian historical fiction readers.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This is the third book in the series Twenty-Niners of the Georgia Gold Rush by Denise Weimer Farnsworth. It will help if you have read at least the first book, The Songbird and the Surveyor, as the main male character in this book is introduced there. (Characters in the second book, The Maiden and the Mountie, make appearances in this book as well.)
Many of the characters in this book are delightful, but there are also quite a few of the “love to hate” type, as well as rowdy students who give the schoolmarm quite a bit of grief. There’s a good mix of humor and serious in the book, a few plot twists that are quite dramatic, and plenty of tension with a love triangle.
Once again, Farnsworth has done a lot of research so that the book fits in well with what actually happened historically in the area she writes about.
"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
Many of the characters in this book are delightful, but there are also quite a few of the “love to hate” type, as well as rowdy students who give the schoolmarm quite a bit of grief. There’s a good mix of humor and serious in the book, a few plot twists that are quite dramatic, and plenty of tension with a love triangle.
Once again, Farnsworth has done a lot of research so that the book fits in well with what actually happened historically in the area she writes about.
"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
God will help us through the trials and He allows them for a purpose.
The gold rush is slowing down, but there is still mining to be done. The gold must be formed into usable currency. the need for a mint has arisen, and that requires specialized workers. Adelaide Duncan needs to get out of Athens - her father had lost everything in his drunken state. Her teaching certificate puts her in a prime position to take on the children of miners and mint employees.
Wade Coulter is trying to survive as a farmer, since the gold on his lot is no longer easy to get at. After losing his wife, infant son and sister in Athens, he is only too happy to be in the Dahlonega area. Schooling for his daughter Lily, has come to town. She, however, is not convinced it has any importance in her life.
Excitement, danger and more will keep you enthralled in this rich historical story. Received through Wild Heart Books and BookFunnel, these thoughts are my own and were in no way solicited.
The gold rush is slowing down, but there is still mining to be done. The gold must be formed into usable currency. the need for a mint has arisen, and that requires specialized workers. Adelaide Duncan needs to get out of Athens - her father had lost everything in his drunken state. Her teaching certificate puts her in a prime position to take on the children of miners and mint employees.
Wade Coulter is trying to survive as a farmer, since the gold on his lot is no longer easy to get at. After losing his wife, infant son and sister in Athens, he is only too happy to be in the Dahlonega area. Schooling for his daughter Lily, has come to town. She, however, is not convinced it has any importance in her life.
Excitement, danger and more will keep you enthralled in this rich historical story. Received through Wild Heart Books and BookFunnel, these thoughts are my own and were in no way solicited.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
It was good to see Wade Coulter finally get his happy ending. He has walked through much. Little Lotty is adorable but quite feisty with a tender, grieving heart. They both needed Addie’s touch in their life, they just didn’t know it yet.
Addie has much to overcome from her father and his legacy, but she is determined to make the most of her life. There is a small love triangle between her, Wade, and Micah; Micah was a decent guy that cared for Addie, but I’m glad Wade won her heart. It was good that her influence brought him back to the Lord.
I enjoyed this novel. I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and these are my voluntary and honest opinions. I was not required to leave a positive review
Addie has much to overcome from her father and his legacy, but she is determined to make the most of her life. There is a small love triangle between her, Wade, and Micah; Micah was a decent guy that cared for Addie, but I’m glad Wade won her heart. It was good that her influence brought him back to the Lord.
I enjoyed this novel. I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and these are my voluntary and honest opinions. I was not required to leave a positive review
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews