About the Book

Book Title: This Courageous Journey

Author: Misty Beller

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: October 9, 2018

As the fifth daughter in a family of nine children, Noelle Grant has spent her life working to be unique. Her love of stories helps define her goal—to be known around the country as one of the top news correspondents of her time. And what better way to uncover sensational stories than to travel through the mountain wilderness to visit the brother she hasn’t seen in years? The trip comes together perfectly as she plans to journey with family friends who will be settling in the same area. Her first inkling that things may not be as perfect as planned comes in the form of the mountain man they hire as their guide for the final leg of the journey.

When Daniel Abrams agrees to guide the small group of easterners along his usual journey northward to the Canadian mountains, his gut tells him he’s making the wrong decision. But if he doesn’t take them, who will? The man in charge refuses to consider turning back. As they start out, Daniel can’t help but notice the woman traveling under the care of her friends. Though she appears too genteel to last long in these mountains, she soon reveals a strength that draws him more than he should allow.

As the dangers of this wilderness become more than the group bargained for, Noelle is faced with the choice to delay her journey northward or proceed alone with the man she’s come to trust against all reason. She never imagines her decision will place her—and the man she loves—in a situation more hazardous than any story her imagination could conjure.

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Guest Review from Mindy Houng

You can’t go wrong with Misty Beller’s books. If you have been reading the Heart of the Mountains series, this wonderful story of Daniel and Noelle will re-engage your heart and mind as they travel through the wintery wilderness from Montana Territory to Canada in the mid-1800s. If you have never read Misty Beller’s writing, this book is an excellent sample of her storytelling and it can be read as a stand alone though it is book 4 in the series. No matter how many times I’ve read her books, the author never fails to amaze me in her world-building and creating the backdrop setting of stark wintery beauty of the mountainous wilderness as it displays the majesty of the One who created it all. The coming-of-faith component in the plot is tender, real, and believable. The characters are flawed but so lovable.

Daniel is a loyal, steadfast, and tough mountainman born and reared in the wilderness. He’s a loner by nature and has a tough time getting past his heritage. Despite his taciturn and introverted nature, Daniel is quite likable and admirable in character and Noelle, though the opposite in temperament, falls in love with her guide. Noelle’s bright and optimistic outlook, as well as her strong faith and resourcefulness, endears her to the wearied soul that Daniel is and a sweet yet tumultuous romance develops between these two who never set out looking for love. It is also nice to see the other characters from the series make appearances in the book and I look forward to the next one, which will feature Noelle and Simeon’s brother.

I received a copy of the book from the author/publisher as well as via Celebrate Lit Tours and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.

About the Author

Misty M. Beller writes romantic mountain stories, set on the 1800s frontier and woven with the truth of God’s love.

She was raised on a farm in South Carolina, so her Southern roots run deep. Growing up, her family was close, and they continue to keep that priority today. Her husband and daughters now add another dimension to her life, keeping her both grounded and crazy.

God has placed a desire in Misty’s heart to combine her love for Christian fiction and the simpler ranch life, writing historical novels that display God’s abundant love through the twists and turns in the lives of her characters.

Guest Post from Misty

Ever Been Struck by Lightning?

One of the fun things about being a writer is the crazy topics I get to research. Without giving away too much of the story, part of my research for This Courageous Journey included uncovering what happens when lightning strikes a person. It turns out anything can happen!

Surprisingly, about nine out of ten people struck by lightning live to tell their story. Each person’s experience seems to be different—some are knocked unconscious, while others are horribly aware of everything happening. One person who was struck said it seemed as if time slowed to a crawl and a white haze surrounded him like a bubble, as excruciating pain shot through him.

People usually try to determine the path the lightning traveled through them, based on where burn marks appear on both skin and clothing, but sometimes that can be difficult if jewelry or coins were touching the body. Survivors might suffer a variety of short- and long-term effects, including—but not limited to—cardiac arrest, confusion, seizures, dizziness, muscle aches, deafness, headaches, memory deficits, distractibility, personality changes, and chronic pain, among others. That may sound like an awful list, but it does beat the alternative!

As I considered the possible effects of a lightning strike when I was writing This Courageous Journey, I was reminded once again how magnificent God’s creation is. Both the incredible power contained in one streak of lightning, and the beautiful inner workings of the bodies He created for us. As the Psalmist said, we are “fearfully and wonderfully made!”