Hailee, Book 3 in the Montana Skies Series by Penny Zeller

Product Details Paperback: 320 pages Publisher: Whitaker House (September 6, 2011) Language: English ISBN-10: 1603742182 ISBN-13: 978-1603742184 A review copy was provided by the publisher. Want to purchase a copy of this book, click here.

Product Description:

For years, orphan Hailee Annigan was just a ragamuffin in the Cincinnati streets, stealing food to keep her two younger brothers fed. Her thievery landed her in a home for delinquent youngsters, where her life was changed, thanks to her teachers. Now, nineteen-year-old Hailee excitedly heads to Montana to be a teacher, yet she's still plagued by her shameful past and the fear of never seeing her brothers again.

Based on his upbringing in high-society Boston, no one would have guessed that Maxwell Nathaniel Adams Jr. would attend seminary and become a church pastor in rugged Montana. Even now, Nate's parents refuse to put aside their own plans for his future and accept his calling.

When their paths converge, an immediate attraction draws Hailee and Nate together, even as the pressures and demands of others pull them apart. Can the unlikely pair come to terms with their pasts and face the future together?

My take on this book:
Penny Zeller is an author whom I had never heard of until I started reading book blogs, but the more I read about her christian books the more I wanted to read one. Luckily for me I had the opportunity to read "Hailee" and all I can say is what a wonderful storyteller. It is so easy to see how God works thru Penny. The stories she weaves allows us to relate to characters who are struggling with personal issues, but those characters realize that God truly has the answers, a reminder that we all can use from time to time.
The story "Hailee" transports us back to July 1893. Hailee Annigan is about to embark on a new future, while she is excited to begin her new life as a teacher in Pine Haven Montana, she hates to leave Cincinnati not knowing what happened to her two brothers, Philip and Reuben. You see Hailee and her brothers were orphaned as children, and when Hailee provides food for her siblings the only way she knew how,by stealing, she is caught, which caused her to be taken to The Sanctuary of Promise a home for wayward children, a place that literally changed her life. The only problem was she was separated from her brothers Philip and Reuben that day and has no idea what happened to them. Now its years later and as she leaves Cincinnati she wonders if she will ever see her brothers again. When she arrives in Montana, she meets Nate Adams the preacher who hired her. The two hit it off and Nate starts to have feelings for Hailee, but Nate comes from a prominent background, and Hailee is afraid that her background may come out and she will be judged because of it. Will Nate and Hailee find true love together? Will Hailee ever find her brothers again? 
"Hailee" is the third book in Penny Zeller's Montana Skies series but can easily be read as a stand alone work. I haven't read the first two books but had no problems following this story. I loved the way the author uses words to paint a picture of the story she is telling. I could just envision the scenes of the book playing out in my head. From Hailee cutting her hair to alter her appearance when she was stealing food, or when she stole her teachers wig. I could also feel the desperation that she must have felt knowing her brothers relied on her but she was unable to go back to them that final time.I liked the way the author  used flashbacks to reveal the main characters past.The two main characters were easy to like. Nate's parents wanted him to be a lawyer, but he wanted to become a minister and moved away from his family to accomplish his goal, although I think his parents believed he would tire of the life and come home for his schooling. Hailee's joy in landing a teaching job was tempered by the fact that she may never find out what happened to her  brothers if she left Cincinnati. 
 I was totally delighted with this story and the positive christian themes that were woven through out. If your a fan of historical fiction that have wonderful characters a positive message and a nice romance woven in then run out and purchase the Montana Sky Series, because if your like me you are going to want to read all three books!  Highly recommended!