THE JOURNEY OF ELEVEN MOONS, by Bonnie Leon

Anna and her little sister, Iya, are the lone survivors of an earthquake and tsunami that ripped her Native village from the Alaskan coastline. While Anna tries to make survival plans, a trapper with blond hair and blue eyes discovers them and offers help.
Erik is a Civil War veteran whose belief in the goodness of God won't allow him to leave the two girls alone in the wilderness. However, Anna distrusts him, as she does all white men, and only the need to protect her sister persuades her to travel with Erik as he searches for a Native village that will accept the girls.
Bonnie Leon has used all of her masterful descriptive skills to craft this novel of a life-changing journey. The reader will feel the cold, hunger, and fear as the three make their way south from the Aleutians. The journey is more than geographic as Anna, Iya, and Eric attempt to trust and accept each other's ways.
The Journey of Eleven Moons is a captivating journey indeed. I loved this story.

CHRISTMAS AT HARMONY HILL, by Ann H. Gabhart

By working as a washerwoman for her husband's Army unit, Heather Worth has been able to remain with the man she ran away to marry. Then she discovers she's expecting a child. The year is 1864, and as the troops are preparing to advance into battle in Tennessee, Heather's husband insists that she return to her parents. Much as she hates leaving him, she knows it's the best decision. A battlefield is no place for the birth of a baby. But once she makes her way back to Kentucky, she discovers she's traded one battleground for another.
 In this Christmas novella, Gabhart returns to territory familiar to fans of her Shaker novels--Harmony Hill. How Heather ends up in a Shaker colony, and the subsequent reactions of her family and members of the colony, form the basis for this engrossing story. I'm always interested in the details of Shaker life, and I loved the way the author gave a balanced view of the beliefs of this sect.
 Christmas at Harmony Hill is a novel to savor while curled up in a cozy chair with a cup of tea. Be sure to add extra copies to your gift list. Lovers of historical fiction will be delighted to find Christmas at Harmony Hill under their tree this Christmas.
 My thanks to the author and Revell for my review copy.

THE PROMISE, by Dan Walsh and Gary Smalley

"Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive."
 Sir Walter Scott wrote those lines in 1808, and The Promise illustrates the many consequences that arise when Tom Anderson disregards this warning. When he loses his job, he decides to protect his wife, Jean, by not telling her what happened. After all, he's bound to find other employment soon and she'll never have to know.
 Five months later, no job and he's still hiding his secret. Their marriage is beginning to crack at the seams. Jean doesn't know him anymore and the marriage isn't the only thing beginning to crack. So is Tom.
 Walsh and Smalley have written an engrossing story. The life lessons their characters need to learn--of communication and mutual encouragement--will cause readers to stop and think about their own life situations. I know The Promise had that effect on me. I recommend this story highly.
 Although The Promise can be read as a stand-alone novel, readers will enjoy learning more about the characters from The Dance, the first book in the Restoration Series.
 My thanks to the authors and Revell for my review copy.