I enjoyed the time spent with these four novellas, and recommend them to anyone looking for historical romances with an inspirational theme. The changes in location mean there is a lot of variation within COURTING THE COUNTRY PREACHER. Angela K. Couch, Carolyn Miller, Naomi Dawn Musch and Kari Trumbo each contributed a tale. Β The Mountie's Rival by Angela K. Couch is set in Canada in 1907. Jonathan Burton has accepted a parson posting to Rowley, on the railroad tracks, knowing little about the town. He might not have if he knew his brother David was the Mounted Policeman keeping order here β he hoped to stand on his merits, not share a life with family. Young April Harvey welcomes Jonathan and helps him get to know the townsfolk, but tongues start wagging immediately as the parson isnβt married. Β Convincing the Circuit Preacher by Carolyn Miller brings us to scenic Australia in 1863. Dorothea Maclean and her sister live outside town with their strict parents, but a destructive flood gives them the opportunity to drive a sulky to town and bring food to those working in a cleanup effort. Β This includes the country preacher, Mr. Hammill, who is glad of a hand from Dorothea to clean the church. Β I love the historical details, from the kind of crops that grew or failed here to the genuine flooding. Β The Angel and the Sky Pilot by Naomi Musch is highly unusual, as in 1910 a circuit preacher rides the Minnesota trails to bring the Word to men in the lumber camps. Angeline Adair helps her father in a small store and inn, far enough from the lumberjacks to be respectable. But Everett Shepherd is only given time to speak to the men on Sundays, their day off work, so he finds his horseβs feet set on the three-mile trail to the Adair store quite often. Everett was once a lumberjack and gambler before seeing the light, so he gains acceptance where a meeker man would not. Β Mail Order Minister by Kari Trumbo looks at South Dakota in 1889. Town politics enter the picture as a congregation disagreed and split, and now a pair of new ministers are required. Reverend Finch Presly arrives in Bakerβs Nook after Olive Torey's parents mail-ordered a preacher. They were hoping for a young man who would be a suitable husband for their daughter, but nobody told the reverend. Β While the preachers in these stories are not considered well-off, their role is respected and properly remunerated. Notably, the men have to behave with utmost propriety. COURTING THE COUNTRY PREACHER provides tender romances, a good deal of humour and a lot of adventure. Thatβs just how life was in those days, with lightning strikes, coach crashes and river flooding. No wonder young men and women tried to seize any happiness that came their way. If you enjoy these stories you may like to check out full-length books by the authors.
Being a preacher in the countryside is not for the faint of heart nor faith. Four inexperienced preachers face a myriad of challenges including those who figure a man of the cloth needs a wife. Can they meet the expectations of “helpful” congregants and be true to their hearts?
The Mountie’s Rival by Angela K Couch Canada, 1907 — Tired of living in his twin’s shadow, Jonathan Burton is frustrated to find himself serving as a still wet-behind-the-ears preacher in the same community as his Mountie brother. How is he to find a wife when all the eligible women of the community seem enamored by his dashing brother in scarlet uniform?
Convincing the Circuit Preacher by Carolyn Miller Australia, 1863 — As soon as Dorothea Maclean saw the country preacher, she knew Mr. Hammill was the man of her dreams. Now she just needs to convince her wealthy parents—and Mr. Hammill.
The Angel and the Sky Pilot by Naomi Musch Minnesota, 1905 — A preacher with a checkered past sets off to win souls in the lumber camps like the “sky pilots” before him. But can he earn the respect of hard-living men—and still respect himself—after a local trader’s daughter joins the all-male congregation?
Mail Order Minister by Kari Trumbo South Dakota, 1889 — Olive’s parents mail-ordered a preacher and prayed he’d be a husband for their daughter. The rest of the town—and Olive—have other ideas.
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