A Collection of faithfilled Christian romances~ Courting the County Preacher by Angela K. Couch, Carolyn Miller, Naomi Musch and Kari Trumbo

 

This is a collection of four stories centered around the lives of preachers and their path to love. 

The first, The Mountie’s Rival by Angela Couch, is set in Alberta, Canada in the early 1900’s. Jonathan and his twin brother, David, end up in the same village. Jonathan is there as the new preacher. He doesn’t realize that his Mountie brother, David, is stationed there as well and isn’t happy about it when he finds out.  While they are twins they have opposite personalities.  Jonathan is serious and insecure. Always feeling he is in his brother’s shadow. David , on the other hand is a fun loving, thrill seeking young man.  They both become acquainted with April Harvey, the daughter of the “town drunk”.  She is the housekeeper and laundress for the parsonage and becomes friends with Jonathan.  David meets her when her arrests her father.  April is ill treated by the village residents because of the reputation of her father.  This is a story of acceptance, overcoming prejudice and both physical and spiritual salvation.

Convincing the Circuit Preacher by Carolyn Miller, is the second story in the collection. This story is set in Australia in the mid 1800’s. Jonas Hamill is a circuit preacher who accepts a temporary position while the regular preacher is away.  He has lost his wife and child in a fire and is still mourning.  Thea is the eldest daughter of a prominent family. Her father wants her to make an advantageous match. A flood brings Jonas and Thea together as they work to clean up and repair the church building. Her father isn’t pleased with the amount of time they are spending together and sends her away. Thea’s younger sister Eliza is a precocious young girl and brings some levity to the story.  Thea and Jonas learn about trusting and surrendering to God’s will. 

The third story in the collection is The Angel and the Sky Pilot by Naomi Musch. Everette Shepard is a preacher who gets trapped in a barn during a  storm in Minnesota in the early 1900’s. He is traveling to a lumber camp to minister to the men there.  He was once a rough and tumble, drunk womanizer before finding faith in God.  He is burdened to bring the Gospel to the men who are much like he was. The barn is owned by the man who owns the trading post, and his daughter, Angelina. Angelina is searching for spiritual answers and a friendship develops. Everette is trying to overcome his past while Angelina is trying to discover her future and what life holds for her.

Mail-Order Minster by Kari Trumbo is the last story of the collection. Finch Presly has come to Baker’s Nook, South Dakota to minister to a church which has just been through a split.  Olive’s father is the only elder left in the church and hires Finch with the hopes that he will marry Olive. Olive’s friend, Belta and her family are members of the congregation that left the original church.  They are also looking for a new pastor. When their new prospect falls through, they approach Finch to lead both branches, separately.  Finch has started to develop feelings for Olive but also feels a strong desire to reunite the church. The offer from Belta’s church is contingent on him being married and specifically, to Belta.  Finch is torn between what his heart is telling him and what his sense of duty is telling him. He struggles to know and accept God’s will.

This is from the publisher’s website:

“Every Preacher Needs a Wife, Right?

Being a preacher in the countryside is not for the faint of heart nor faith. Four inexperienced preachers face a myriad of challenges including those who figure a man of the cloth needs a wife. Can they meet the expectations of “helpful” congregants and be true to their hearts?
 
Convincing the Circuit Preacher by Carolyn Miller
Australia, 1863 — As soon as Dorothea Maclean saw the country preacher, she knew Mr. Hammill was the man of her dreams. Now she just needs to convince her wealthy parents—and Mr. Hammill.
 
Mail Order Minister by Kari Trumbo
South Dakota, 1889 — Olive’s parents mail-ordered a preacher and prayed he’d be a husband for their daughter. The rest of the town—and Olive—have other ideas.
 
The Mountie’s Rival by Angela K. Couch
Canada, 1907 — Tired of living in his twin’s shadow, Jonathan Burton is frustrated to find himself serving as a still wet-behind-the-ears preacher in the same community as his Mountie brother. How is he to find a wife when all the eligible women of the community seem enamored by his dashing brother in scarlet uniform?
 
The Angel and the Sky Pilot by Naomi Musch
Minnesota, 1910 — A preacher with a checkered past sets off to win souls in the lumber camps like the “sky pilots” before him. But can he earn the respect of hard-living men—and still respect himself—after a local trader’s daughter joins the all-male congregation?”

Go HERE to read an excerpt

These stories are heartwarming, spiritually uplifting Christian romances. There is a strong faith element with believable characters.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed  are my own.