Where Wildflowers Bloom (Sisters at Heart Book #1): A Novel [Kindle Edition]

Where Wildflowers Bloom is Ann Shorey's latest book, published by Revell* in early 2012, and is the first in her brand-new Sisters at Heart series. The series will be continued with two sequels, each one featuring a protagonist introduced in this first story. Set in the aftermath of the Civil War, Where Wildflowers Bloom is a laid-back Historical Fiction Romance, with a helping of mystery and suspense woven in.

Faith Lindberg, our protagonist, is a young woman whose life has been torn apart by the war - her father and brother were killed, her town altered in many aspects, and her sweetheart taken away. The only people left to love in her life are her aging, failing, grandfather, and two new friends, a sister and brother named Rosemary and Curt Saxon. Faith decides that the only way for herself and her grandfather to forget their tragic past is to emigrate west, on a wagon train headed for Oregon. Until the man she thought was dead returns.

The main obstacle in the way of taking the westward journey is Lindberg's Mercantile, the store which belonged to Faith's family for many years. Before she can convince her grandfather to sell, Faith must rebuild the run-down business. Will this be possible when thieves target the mercantile, threatening to close them down and chasing away potential buyers? Faith is forced to look to Curt Saxon for help, and to decide between the man she thought she loved, and the man who understands her so well.

The strong moral woven throughout the pages of Where Wildflowers Bloom is the importance of listening to the Lord's leading, and not merely following your own ideas without the Lord's guidance. Faith is stubbornly determined to travel to Oregon, and will stop at almost nothing to realize her dream - even marrying a man she doesn't love. A disaster is soon created, and both her own life and her grandfather's are nearly ruined. Faith finally comes to realize that without God's guidance, nothing turns out right.

Where Wildflowers Bloom was an enjoyable book, with an interesting storyline and likable characters. It took almost halfway through the book to really feel 'in' the story, however, and up to that point the characters seemed only two-dimensional. The last half of the book was sweet and realistic, however, and worth the slow beginning. Altogether, Where Wildflowers Bloom was a nice story, and I look forward to returning to the town of Noble Springs, and visiting reoccurring characters in the next book of the Sisters at Heart series, whenever it is released.

***Note: I received this book free of charge for review purposes, courtesy of Revell Publishers and Graf-Martin Communications. I would like to say thank you very much for sending it to me.