Choices of the Heart by Laurie Alice Eakes ~ review

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Revell (January 1, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800719867
• ISBN-13: 978-0800719869

This book is also available as an e-book.

Publication Date: January 1, 2013 | Series: The Midwives (Book 3)

Esther Cherrett comes from a proud line of midwives and was trained by her mother to take over the family calling. But when a scandal threatens all she holds dear, Esther takes a position as a teacher in the western mountains of Virginia instead. There she finds herself in the midst of a deadly family feud and courted by two men on opposite sides of the conflict. When it seems as though her past has followed her all the way into the mountains, all she wants is to run away again.

In this gripping story of trust, deception, and bittersweet loss, a young woman learns the true meaning of choices of the heart.

My take on this book:

"Choices of the Heart" is the third book in The Midwives series and takes place in Virginia in 1842. Esther Cherrett finds herself in the midst of something that forces her to head for the mountains of Virginia and take a job  teaching, hoping that she can leave her problems behind. Instead she finds herself smack dab in the middle of a family feud between the Tollivers and the Brooks, added to that is the fact that Griff Tolliver as well as Zach Brooks wants to court her. Which one will win her heart, and does it really matter, especially when her past catches up with her? What will happen when the past she tried to outrun reaches the mountains?

As a fan of historical fiction I have enjoyed this entire series. Ms. Eakes does a wonderful job of creating realistic characters that are very easy to connect with because of the issues that they are dealing with. Esther's character wants to run from her past, but learns that the past has a way of catching up with you anyway. It was interesting to see her character grow and change as the story progressed. Griff was determined to see the feud end between the families, which made him a stand out character for me. While I enjoyed the characters I also loved the way the author brought the region to life, the descriptions allowed me to envision the area as well as the time period. Overall the historical feel of the story along with a great plot that provided a few twists made this a great read. While this book could be read as a stand alone work, I recommend reading the entire series. If your a fan of historical romance, with an inspirational bent your going to enjoy "Choices of the Heart."

A complimentary copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review.

"Available January 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group."