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Homespun Bride
by Jillian Hart
A beautiful, poetic western
inspirational historical romance
Set in Montana Territory in the early
1880s, Jillian Hart's inspirational historical romance Homespun Bride makes the West come
alive. As a meditation on the Psalm 23:1 (The Lord is my shepherd, I
shall not want) this second chance romance gives a glimpse into how God
answers prayers, not necessarily in our planned time but in the
fullness of an individual's life and with an unimaginable richness.
Homespun Bride opens with a scene
of the tiny railroad town Angel Falls as seen though auditory images
and the thoughts of the blind heroine Noelle Kramer. Years ago, Noelle
Kramer lost her eyesight, her fiance and her parents in an accident.
Heading home in the midst of a brewing snowstorm, Noelle and her aunt
Henrietta's sleigh stops perilously close to the edge of a river below.
The stranger, the Good Samaritan, who comes to their aid is none other
than Thad McKaslin, Noelle's first true love but he never identifies
his name to her. When Noelle has lost everything, can God find a way of
returning what she has lost and perhaps more? More than anything,
Noelle has dreamed of being a rancher's wife but her blindness has left
her feeling like a burden on others. Fiercely independent, she sews and
teaches music but she feels useless in following her dream of running a
rancher's home. Can God open her heart with Thad's assistance and love
to see herself as she truly is, not as others have labeled her? Can
Noelle's love and this second chance help Thad stand up for love?
Distant from his faith, can his love for Noelle also open his heart to
God?
The secondary
character of Henrietta with her quirks and spunk creates a laugh aloud
kind of humor and in one point, a very moving glimpse into the kind of
deep love described in Scripture and often used in weddings. Angelina,
Henrietta's daughter gives the reader a humorous feel for
mother-daughter tensions. Jillian Hart uses poetic descriptions of
sound and touch to give the reader a feel for Noelle's blindness. Her
sewing and music descriptions are very finely constructed and flow with
a poetic feel. Jillian Hart's use of nature imagery gives the reader a
feel for the West, but also, in the sense of the land and climate as
part of God's creation. In seeing the creative force of God in nature
as the background for this inspirational romance, Jillian Hart
magnifies the sense of God's presence in Noelle and Thad's lives. One
flows naturally from the other.
The romance in Homespun Bride is just as stunning
as the inspirational aspect. Noelle and Thad's love for each other
emerges from the heart, while also challenging them to reach out beyond
their pasts into a richer and deeper faith and understanding of
themselves. Some delightful surprises at the end lead the reader to a
new found appreciation of the Bible and of romance itself.
Homespun Bride is a wonderful read,
both romantic and inspirational with a moving vision of prayer and God
answering prayers ---- not necessarily as one imagines prayers should
be answered at the moment of prayer, but rather in ways that are truly
whole and bring us to deeper answers bigger than we can possibly
imagine. Homespun Bride also
captures a glimpse of how bad things happen to God's people but also
how in times of darkness and seeming abandonment, God is present and
moving in creation and in the hearts of people. Beautiful! A romance
highly worth reading and rereading!
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From The Back
Cover:
Montana Territory in 1883 was a dangerous place — especially
for a blind
woman struggling to make her way through an early winter snowstorm.
Undaunted, Noelle Kramer fought to remain independent. But then a
runaway horse nearly plunged her into a rushing, ice-choked river,
before a stranger's strong, sure hand saved her from certain death.
And
yet this was no stranger. Though
she could not know it, her rescuer was
rancher Thad McKaslin, the man who had once loved her more than life
itself. Losing her had shaken all his most deeply held beliefs. Now he
wondered if the return of this strong woman was a sign that somehow he
could find his way home. |
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