Review: My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge: Laurel's Dream by Pepper Basham

Official Amazon blurb: "Journey into the Blue Ridge Mountains of 1918 where Laurel McAdams endures the challenges of a hard life while dreaming things can eventually improve. But trouble arrives in the form of an outsider. Having failed his British father again, Jonathan Taylor joins is uncle’s missionary endeavors as a teacher in a two-room schoolhouse. Laurel feels compelled to protect the tenderhearted teacher from the harsh realities of Appalachian life, even while his stories of life outside the mountains pull at Laurel’s imagination. Faced with angry parents over teaching methods, Laurel’s father’s drunken rages, and bad news from England, will Jonathan leave and never return, or will he stay and let love bloom?"

This book... I did not have time to read this book when I got it. But could I leave well enough alone? No. NO I could not. And do you wanna know why? Because a large piece of MY heart resides in the Blue Ridge, and every fall that part aches to go visit Mabry Mill and drive along the parkway. And so, I put the book on my shelf and promised I'd get to it later. Well, later finally came, and from the moment I picked it up, I knew there was no way I would put it down! The story stole me away, and placed me in the mountains. The few times I stopped for a meal or to do something that couldn't wait, I would have to take a minute and reorient. Where am I? What year is it? What time of day? Surely, this isn't only a book? And as soon as I picked it back up, I'd be falling through time and space, right back to 1918 in the mountains. The setting was incredible. The characters, more so. Each and every character made the story more real, and I can only hope there will be sequels. The real, simple, honest faith and the well-written characters drive this book to the top of my 2019 reads. In fact, I sincerely hope someone gives this book a Christy award, since I can't think of a book more LIKE Christy than this! Have I convinced you yet to pick up this book and read it? Let's hope so!

My first ever book by Pepper Basham has me ready to devour everything she's ever written.

I received this book from the publisher, but I was not obligated to leave a review.