Review: The Heart of the Mountains

The Heart of the Mountains by Pepper D. Basham
My rating: 💛💛💛💛

Rating 4.5

“But I reckon God wouldn’t have given tears to us if He didn’t mean for us to use them now and again.”

With the start of this story, I have met a brave young woman who I quickly realised do no back down at the first challenge. Cora was a character to easily love and connect with. Jeb, the hero, was a strong male character, his strength coming from his fight to choose better and rise from circumstances and memories.

The start of this story was a bit slow for me with a slow build to a more action filled end.

From all the books I have read to date, this author is talented and delivers strong stories fitting to the era and location. This was another enjoyable historical read that took me right along the mountain people and getting to know them and their ways along with Cora.

The author has a beautiful way of penning words.

She looked at him in a way that made him feel like he hadn’t lost half of himself in the trenches of Europe.

I loved how though Cora found the mountain vastly different to expected, she embraced it and the people and learned their ways, using what she learned in her skills. Cora was also not afraid to face the dangerous elements to help others.

Any sound person would likely run off, but thanks to her stubborn streak and some sort of crazy love for. . .crazy, she fell right into the world here.

Fans who love the romance Pepper D Basham always delivers, will not be disappointed. The romance, though not conventional, was smile worthy and there were toe-curling kissing scenes to satisfy all the lip itching.

“Love’s worth being brave, ain’t it? Brave again and again and again.”

For readers who enjoys a bit of danger, suspense, and action, will find scenes to their liking as well.

“Mama’s always said that God uses prayin’ to change us more than us changin’ anything else.”

The Spiritual thread within these pages was strong and there was one of the strongest and emotional redemption stories as well.

*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.*

Review of book 1 

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About the book:

To escape a forced marriage, Cora Taylor travels from England to the Blue Ridge Mountains in search of her brother, who is working as a teacher in a mission school. She hopes to find a place where her nursing skills and independent ideas will be accepted and appreciated, but nothing prepares her for the wild mixture of isolation, community, brokenness, and hope within these mountains…or in the person of Jeb McAdams.
Returning from the devastation of World War 1 emotionally damaged, Jeb McAdams struggles against the rampant mountain alcoholism to soothe his nightmares. It’s easy to hide within the mountains, or it was, before Cora Taylor arrives. Now, she seems to show up at every turn, bringing her ideas, curiosity, and beautiful eyes with her. Their mutual understanding of the costs of war leads to an unspoken bond that develops into a hesitant friendship. As Cora turns her nursing experience and determination on establishing hygiene and education for women in the Appalachian community while also attempting to rescue Jeb from his own ghosts, Cora and Jeb’s partnership turns into a project of celebrating the gifts within Appalachia. But when the past sweeps back into their lives and an outbreak of scarlet fever threatens the future, will Cora and Jeb find a way to work together – even if it means unplanned matrimony – or will their different lives and brokenness tear them apart.

About the author:

Pepper D Basham has been telling tales ever since she was a little girl. When her grandmother called her a “writer” at the age of ten, Pepper took it as gospel and has enjoyed various types of writing styles ever since. A native of the Blue Ridge Mountains, mom of five, speech-language pathologist, and lover of chocolate, Pepper enjoys sprinkling her native Appalachian culture into her fiction wherever she can. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of Asheville, NC, where she works with kids who have special needs, searches for unique hats, and plots new ways to annoy her wonderful friends at her writing blog, The Writer’s Alley.