Title: The Lady and the Mountain Man

 

Genre: Christian historical romance

 

Author: Misty Beller

 

Series: The Mountain Series, Book 1

 

 

When a murder plot forces a Southern belle onto a ranch in the wild Montana mountains, love is the last thing she expects to find.

Leah Townsend, a recently orphaned heiress, flees Richmond after discovering her fiancé’s plot to kill her after their wedding. She needs a safe place to hide, and finds herself accepting a newspaper marriage proposal from a God-fearing young rancher in the Montana Territory. But when Leah arrives at the mountain ranch, she learns her intended husband was killed by a grizzly, leaving behind a bitter older brother and a spunky younger sister.

 

When Gideon Bryant finds an eastern lady standing in his log cabin, his first thought is to send her back where she came from. He’s lost too many people to the wild elements of these mountains––his parents, his wife, and now his brother. His love for this untamed land lives on, but he’s determined not to open his heart to another person.

 

But when an accident forces Leah to stay at the ranch for seven more months, can Gideon protect his heart from a love he doesn’t want? Has Leah really escaped the men who seek her life?

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MQB7F4U

 

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-lady-and-the-mountain-man-misty-m-beller/1120376441?ean=9780998208718

 

 

 

 

Misty M. Beller is a USA Today bestselling author of romantic mountain stories, set on the 1800s frontier and woven with the truth of God’s love.

 

She was raised on a farm in South Carolina, so her Southern roots run deep. Growing up, her family was close, and they continue to keep that priority today. Her husband and children now add another dimension to her life, keeping her both grounded and crazy.

 

God has placed a desire in Misty's heart to combine her love for Christian fiction and the simpler ranch life, writing historical novels that display God's abundant love through the twists and turns in the lives of her characters. 

 

 

 

http://www.twitter.com/MistyMBeller

 

https://www.facebook.com/MistyMBellerAuthor

 

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/misty-m-beller

 

https://www.goodreads.com/MistyMBeller

 

http://www.pinterest.com/MistyMBeller

 

https://amazon.com/author/mistymbeller

 

 

 

 

 

As someone who grew up reading pioneer stories, I have a familiarity with the Oregon Trail and prairie life, but it wasn’t until I started reading Misty Beller’s work that I came to appreciate life in the Montana territory. I had never realized the harshness of the conditions there due to the isolation and especially the weather, with winter setting in during September and having snow around until June. Such an environment would be difficult today, and it’s hard to fathom how challenging it would be to simply survive there back in 1874. It certainly makes excellent fodder for novels!

“The Lady and the Mountain Man” seems different to me than the other novels I’ve read by Beller, although I have loved all of them. This one seems more character-driven, perhaps because much of the action occurs in one location, after Leah Townsend makes her way to Montana and the Bryant ranch. Her journey and the shocking revelation that triggers it pull the reader in immediately, though! I found this story to be relaxing enough to be refreshing but still with enough action to keep things interesting Likewise, I think that there are enough tragedies and obstacles to keep readers engaged and sympathetic while also containing snippets of humor.

Choosing faith over fear and trusting that God is in control of every circumstance encompass the main message of the book. In a time when people could easily die from such a multiplicity of threats, faith and family were true lifelines. Hence why Leah’s story is so intriguing, because while she trades her upper-class life for that of a backwoods settler, she maintains a quiet reserve of strength. When we surrender ourselves and our plans to God, He will use them to bring us to the safety of His sweet shelter: right where we belonged all along.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Celebrate Lit and was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own.

 

 

About the Book

 

Book:  Hope in the Mountain River

Author: Misty M. Beller

Genre:  Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: March 31, 2020

This epic journey is not at all what she expected.

Joel Vargas can’t believe he’s lost his older brother in the wilds of the Rocky Mountains after surviving their harrowing voyage across the Atlantic. And he can’t shake the feeling that Adam—his only living relative—is in dire trouble. No matter what the cost, he and his band of friends won’t stop until Adam is found. He doesn’t have time to contend with the two Indian women who seem to be shadowing his every move.

After the devastating loss of her daughter and husband to a sickness that swept through their Nez Perce camp, Elan is desperate to find an escape from her grief. As she and her friend journey through the mountains toward the great river, a band of white men is the last thing she expects to find, especially as winter blows in full force.

When the dangers increase, accomplishing Joel’s mission becomes the only hope for all their survival. If the elements don’t consume them, Elan has a feeling life will never be the same for any of them.

From a USA Today bestselling author comes another epic journey through breathless landscapes and intense adventure.



Click HERE to get your copy.

 

About the Author

 

Misty M. Beller is a USA Today bestselling author of romantic mountain stories, set on the 1800s frontier and woven with the truth of God’s love.

She was raised on a farm in South Carolina, so her Southern roots run deep. Growing up, her family was close, and they continue to keep that priority today. Her husband and children now add another dimension to her life, keeping her both grounded and crazy.

God has placed a desire in Misty’s heart to combine her love for Christian fiction and the simpler ranch life, writing historical novels that display God’s abundant love through the twists and turns in the lives of her characters.

 

More from Misty

 

I’ve always been a horse lover, and was blessed to grow up on a farm. My brother and I each had ponies of our own and rode hours each day. When we were old enough to graduate to full-size horses, we met neighbors who also had horses and loved to ride together. The two mares they rode had a mottled black and white spotted look, which I knew to be part of the Appaloosa breed. Through years of riding together, I developed a deep appreciation for those two Appaloosa horses, as well as respect for the entire breed! Those two mares proved they could outrun and outlast any of the other horses in our riding group.

I’ve long wanted to include Appaloosas in one of my stories, especially since the breed was said to have begun in the Nez Perce tribe who lived just west of the Rocky Mountains. I’m so excited for you to meet Elan, the heroine in Hope in the Mountain River!

Elan and her friend are traveling through the Rockies on their Appaloosa horses, animals who can ride faster and longer than all the other horses in their group—even through the treacherous terrain of the Rocky Mountains!

I pray you love this story as much as I loved writing it. Enjoy a glimpse of the famous Appaloosa horse!

 

 

My Review

 

“From the time she first heard the stories, something had resonated in her heart. A God who created His people, then didn’t leave them to fend for themselves but walked beside them, guiding and helping them. Every time she thought of it, an intense longing stirred deep inside her.”

Although I am a relative newcomer to this author’s work, she has quickly become a favorite. Misty Beller, perhaps more than any other author I’ve known, has a gift for writing variations on a theme without any of her work becoming entrenched in repetition. The nineteenth century has always been my favorite time period, so I was looking forward to this read, and it did not disappoint. Opening in the Bitterroot Mountains in December 1830, “Hope in the Mountain River” brings together a cast of characters who include Joel Vargas, a recent immigrant who is searching for his brother Adam, and Elan, a Nez Perce woman who is desperate to escape the grief of losing her husband and child. Both have heard of the God who loves and walks with His people, but neither have personally encountered Him. As the two groups band together to aid in locating Adam, they soon face trials that will challenge them physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Beller implements a shifting third-person narrative viewpoint in this novel, which serves to provide readers with insight into the thoughts and motives of several characters, especially Joel and Elan. Because they come from such different ethnic backgrounds, this technique is very helpful in understanding them both to a greater extent. Also, their mutual attraction is not straightforward and comes burdened with societal perceptions and their own backstories. Add to this the beautiful yet treacherous landscape and weather, and there is no shortage of conflict to keep readers engaged and anticipating the next step of the adventure.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Celebrate Lit and was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own.

 

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About the Book

 

Book: Hope’s Highest Mountain

Author: Misty M. Beller

Genre: Historical Romance

Release Date: October, 2019



Click HERE to get your copy!

 

About the Author

 

 

 

 

More from Misty

 

Remember Lassie? Old Yeller? Chance and Shadow from the movie Homeward Bound? There was something about these dogs that gripped my heartstrings and made me love them as though I’d known them for years. (And, yes, I cried during every one of these movies and books.)

 

Don’t get me wrong, we’ve had real dogs I’ve loved too. As far back as I can remember, we’ve had at least one or two dogs, and each one has been my very best friend. They’ve suffered my undying love, even allowing me to dress them up like dolls during my younger years.

 

But the dogs in my stories have a special place in my heart. Handsome, the sweet little black fluffball in Hope’s Highest Mountain is no exception! He was the runt of the litter, and such a dark black that the story’s hero nicknamed him Shadow. You can see the picture that inspired Handsome at the book’s Pinterest page. Those eyes! Hard not to fall in love, right?

 

The more I wrote in the story, the more I enjoyed getting to know this little guy, and I could almost feel his soft puppy fur as he snuggled in close. I completely see why Ingrid (the heroine) is smitten him! As you read Hope’s Highest Mountain, I hope you love Handsome as much as I do. Please give him some extra petting for me!?

 

My Review

This is the perfect book to curl up with on a chilly autumn night. The cover alone drew me in, and it being the first installation in the new Hearts of Montana series sealed the deal. Misty Beller’s work has been on my to-read list for a while now, and with “Hope’s Highest Mountain”, she just catapulted to the top of my list of must-read authors. With a plethora of Christian historical fiction set during the nineteenth century, it can be difficult to find a unique niche, but this book accomplishes it beautifully. Setting the story in the Montana mountains in late 1866 opens a fascinating world that I have not encountered before. Add to this the fact that a major part of the plot revolves around medicine and a treacherous journey through the mountains, and this is a novel that you won’t be able to put down!

There are so many ways in which Christian fiction can enhance our understanding of Biblical truths and how to apply them to our own lives, and “Hope’s Highest Mountain” is a splendid example of this. The best stories are those that can transcend their own settings to reach and connect with readers. Although this novel may take place 150 years ago, the struggles of the human heart haven’t changed. Ingrid Chastain, traveling with her father to deliver life-saving vaccines to a small town in the desolate Montana Territory, and Micah Bradley, a former doctor who now lives on his own in the wilderness, both have their share of heartache. However, their approaches are different and boil down to seeing things through the eyes of faith versus through the eyes of fear. As the narrative progresses, it is enlightening to witness their interactions and their methodologies, and it makes the reader reflect on their own attitude toward life.

Action-packed without being melodramatic, “Hope’s Highest Mountain” is a quick read, but one full of encouragement. Each character brings their own gifts and talents to the table, discovering truths about God and about themselves in the process. I particularly loved how the author shows that even those who are bedbound or very young have a divinely-given purpose to fulfill. Romans 8:28 remained at the forefront of my mind throughout the story, as even tragic and seemingly senseless situations serve as stepping stones to something good. I found the inclusion of a travois interesting and enjoyed the ingenuity of the characters in coming up with solutions to problems. I also appreciated that Beller did not fall back on a deus-ex-machina but instead created realistic resolutions and outcomes, and often unexpected ones, at that. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in survival tales, Christian historical fiction, historical romance, mountain tales, and stories full of faith and hope.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through CelebrateLit and was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own.

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