Beneath a Southern Sky by Deborah Raney (Book Review)

Title: Beneath a Southern Sky
Author: Deborah Raney
Publisher: WaterBrook Multnomah

My synopsis: Daria and her husband Nate are missionaries in a remote Colombian village called Timone. Nate is a medical doctor and was called there even before he and Daria were married. He is called to a neighboring village due to illness, but is reported killed in a fire.

Daria returns home devastated, but also pregnant with their child. She slowly puts her life back together and gets a job to provide for herself and Natalie, her infant daughter. The job is at a local vet's office where she meets Dr. Colson Hunter. He is also a Christian and working there is like a dream come true. The office staff is like family and she is able to work flexible hours around her daughter. Slowly, her and Cole become more than friends. Daria struggles with her feelings for Nate and whether or not she should even be pursuing a relationship already. Then a letter comes from the missionary that was in Timone before her and Nate, urging her to go back to the mission field.

Daria rationalizes all the reasons why she shouldn't return and when Cole asks her to marry him, she says yes. But then the unspeakable happens - she receives a telegram telling her that her husband has been found alive and is flying home. . .

You gotta read it to see what happens - and it is worth it!

My thoughts: I liked this book and the way it talked about hearing the voice of God. It was also suspenseful and kept me reading later at night than was good for me! It showed Daria was very human in the ways she tried to rationalize certain actions in her life - while basically ignoring God's will - (this fits right in with a Bible study that I am in right now in 1 Samuel). Being a Christian book, I was very pleased with how they ended this dilemma, even when you thought there could not be an acceptable outcome. . .

Purchase Beneath a Southern Sky

~I received this book for review from Waterbrook Multnomah.~

It's time for another "Grab Bag" Blog Tour

I received these two titles in Waterbrook Multnomah's Grab Bag Blog Tour (Feb 22 - 26).

Yesterday's Promise
by Linda Lee Chaikin

HE FOUGHT TO SEEK HIS FORTUNE.
WOULD HE LOSE A GREATER TREASURE: THE LOVE HE LEFT BEHIND?

As the son of the squire of Grimston Way, aristocrat Rogan Chantry has fought hard to win his independence from Sir Julien Bley and the British South Africa Company. Now, his pursuit of a mysterious deposit of gold, marked on a map willed to him by his murdered uncle, Henry Chantry, is challenged by a new complication: the impending British colonization of South Africa. Can Sir Rogan find the gold in the midst of escalating tensions among the native tribesmen, the missionaries sent to win them, and the new colonists?

Meanwhile, Evy Varley, the woman Rogan loves back in England, is headed for a brave yet dangerous confrontation with Henry's killer -- but at what price? With so much against Rogan and Evy, a reunion seems improbable, if not impossible. Can yesterday's promise hold them faithful to the hope of future freedom and a victorious love?

LINDA LEE CHAIKIN has written numerous best-selling and award-winning books and series, including the Silk series (Heart of India Trilogy), A Day to Remember series, The Empire Builders, Royal Pavilion Trilogy, Arabian Winds Trilogy, The Buccaneers Trilogy, and For Whom the Stars Shine, a finalist for the prestigious Christy Award. Chaikin also is the author of Tomorrow's Treasure, book one in the East of the Sun series. She and her husband make their home in Northern California. (back cover)

Beneath a Southern Sky
by Deborah Raney

HER SECOND HUSBAND HEALED THE SORROW OF A TRAGIC LOSS.
HER FIRST HAS JUST RETURNED FROM THE DEAD.
WHICH MAN HAS THE RIGHT TO CLAIM DARIA'S HEART?

After two years of serving as a missionary in a remote area of South merica, Daria Camfield has returned to the States to mourn her husband, reportedly killed while providing medical aid to a neighboring Colombian village.

ONE FAMILY DISCOVERS HOW GOD CAN REDEEM ANY TRAGEDY.

At first, Daria finds comfort only in the daughter born to her after Nate's tragic death. As she begins to heal, she also finds a listening ear and a tender heart in her new boss, veterinarian Colson Hunter. Determined to move forward with life, Daria ignores the still small voice calling her to wait and accepts Cole's marriage proposal. But after the wedding, Daria's new dream life turns into a nightmare following the arrival of an unbelievable telegram: "Nathan Camfield found alive. Flying into K.C. Int'l. via Bogota. . ."

Now, two men have the right to her daughter, her life, and her love. Will Daria return to her beloved first husband, abandoning Cole? Or will she reject Nate and choose the only man her daughter has ever called "Daddy" -- a man she has come to cherish with all her heart?

DEBORAH RANEY is the award-winning author of several novels, including A Vow to Cherish, which inspired the feature-length film of the same name. She and her husband, author/illustrator Ken Raney, have four children and make their home in Kansas. (back cover)