Book Review: The Heart’s Frontier by Lori Copeland & Virginia Smith

The Heart’s Frontier
Lori Copeland|Virginia Smith
The Amish Of Apple Grove, #1
Harvest House
March 2012
320 pages
Amazon|B&N|DeeperShopping
provided by publisher
RBM’s Disclaimer
5/5 Books

An exciting new Amish-meets-Wild West adventure from bestselling authors Lori Copeland and Virginia Smith weaves an entertaining and romantic tale for devoted fans and new readers.

Kansas,1881—On a trip to visit relatives, Emma Switzer’s Amish family is robbed of all their possessions, leaving them destitute and stranded on the prairie. Walking into the nearest trading settlement, they pray to the Lord for someone to help. When a man lands in the dust at her feet, Emma looks down at him and thinks, The Lord might have cleaned him up first.

Luke Carson, heading up his first cattle drive, is not planning on being the answer to anyone’s prayers, but it looks as though God has something else in mind for this kind and gentle man. Plain and rugged—do the two mix? And what happens when a dedicated Amish woman and a stubborn trail boss prove to be each other’s match?

About The Author(s):
Lori:Lori Copeland is the author of more than 90 titles, both historical and contemporary fiction. With more than 3 million copies of her books in print, she has developed a loyal following among her rapidly growing fans in the inspirational market. She has been honored with the Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award, The Holt Medallion, and Walden Books’ Best Seller award. In 2000, Lori was inducted into the Missouri Writers Hall of Fame. She lives in the beautiful Ozarks with her husband, Lance, and their three children and five grandchildren.

Connect With Lori:
Website | Facebook | Twitter

Virginia:Virginia Smith is the author of more than a dozen inspirational novels and more than fifty articles and short stories. An avid reader with ecclectic tastes in fiction, Ginny writes in a variety of styles, from lighthearted relationship stories to breath-snatching suspense.

Connect With Virginia:
Website | Facebook

My Review:
Lori Copeland and Virginia Smith are both fantastic authors. I’ve read both of their works in the past and knew when they co-wrote this book, that their fans were in for a real treat! I was right! This book is awesome. I loved every minute of this read, from first chapter to last. Generally, you either see books about Amish, or books about cowboys, but rarely do you see the two combined. Ms. Copeland and Ms. Smith took fun loving Amish and mixed them up with sweet, hunky cowboys and turned out a wonderful book. The characters were spunky, the plot line unique and well, it’s definitely an interesting book.

Emma Switzer is a young Amish woman who is setting out with her dad, Maumi and sister to her relatives in another town. Traveling by a very full wagon, Emma begins to wonder what her life holds in store for her. Back home, there is a young Amish widowed father, who needs a woman to marry him and help raise the children. But, Emma is sure she can’t marry him for she doesn’t love him. She knows the rules of the Amish but she still can’t give in, for she refuses to marry for anything less than love.

Along the way to her relatives home, they encounter a band of ruffian cowboys who steal their oxen and their wagon, filled with Maumi’s dear, dear hutch made by her Grandfather. Her English grandfather. Despite the sadness that her spunky grandmother spreads when she goes on and on about the hutch, they push forward and reach a town. Once there, Emma prays and asks God to send them help.

Luke Carson, an adorably hunky cowboy lands at the feet of….nuns. Or so he thought. Once he rights himself he comes face to face with a beautiful young woman dressed in Amish garb. Handing over money to her father, he walks away. But, something nags at him, and he returns to further help them. On the trail, trying to prove himself worthy of being a trail boss, he and his helpers encounter trouble after trouble, especially when the Amish family arrive to help them. But, as Luke spends his time trying to prove himself, he finds himself drawn more and more to the beautiful young woman.

Can Amish mix with the trail? Can a cowboy settle down and take on the Amish ways? Or will God have other plans for these two very unique, very different characters?

I truly loved the way this story played out. It was an magnificent twist on both the Amish novels and Westerns. It was filled with lovable characters who make their way into your heart to stay. And the best part about this 5 Book worthy novel? It’s just the start to a sure to be hit of a series! These ladies are superbly talented and together, they created a fun filled adventure of life on the trail, and trusting in God to show you the way! I can’t wait for the next novel, A Plain And Simple Heart, to release in September 2012!