An Appalachian Summer – Ann H. Gabhart – Revell – Published 30 June 2020

♥♥♥/♥

 

Synopsis

In 1933, most people are focused on the Great Depression but all Piper Danson can think about is how to get out of being a debutante and marrying Braxton Crandall. In an act of defiance, Piper volunteers as a frontier nursing courier in the Appalachian Mountains where adventure awaits.

My thoughts

An Appalachian Summer is an atmospheric novel about the frontier nurses of the Appalachian Mountains, women couriers, and life and love in the in 1930s. With romance aplenty, adventure and lighthearted moments, An Appalachian Summer is a light and easy book to enjoy.

Piper is grateful her family has weathered the crash of the economy so well, even if it means she must go ahead with her Debut Ball. Being pressured by her father to accept an engagement to Braxton Crandall and heartbroken over the silence she is receiving from her best friend and keeper of her heart Jamie Russel, Piper seizes upon the opportunity to join the frontier nursing courier service in the Appalachian Mountains. From the journey there, to the surprises in store for her, it is all a great adventure. She just wants to forget men and romance for a summer, which is fine until a mystery man from her aunt’s past re-emerges, Jamie follows her all the way to the mountains and she must decide where her heart and future will lay.

Set against the backdrop of the Great Depression, this is a novel that mixes the past with more modern ideas of women’s liberation and a changing society. I sometimes forgot the time setting and had to do a double take at some of the more casual language and use of jeans and such.

I absolutely adored These Healing Hills by Ann H Gabhart, which is also set in the Appalachian Mountains. And while I liked An Appalachian Summer, it just didn’t grab me in the same way. I loved the scenery and the adventure, the people of the mountain and the other nurses, I just didn’t warm to Piper all that much and I certainly wasn’t intrigued by the love triangle she is dragging around behind her. I really enjoyed Piper’s aunt’s reconnection with a past beau, though, and thought this a nice addition to the story.

If you are looking for a historical read about strong, independent women with a touch of the dramatic in the romance, you’ll enjoy An Appalachian Summer.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

More information

Category: Adult fiction

Genre: Christian Historical.

Themes: Romance, 1930s, nurses, Appalachian Mountains, family.

Published: 30 June 2020 by Revell.

Format: Hardcover, paperback, ebook. 368 pages.

ISBN: 9780800738600

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