The Mountain Midwife

GIVEAWAY

EAKES, LAURIE ALICE
THE MOUNTAIN MIDWIFE

For nearly two hundred years, women in Ashley Tolliver’s family have practiced the art of midwifery in their mountain community. Now she wants to take her skills a step further, but attending medical school means abandoning those women to whom she has dedicated her life, the mountains she loves, and the awakening of her heart.

Ashley Tolliver has tended to the women of her small Appalachian community for years. As their midwife, she thinks she has seen it all. Until a young woman gives birth at Ashley’s home and is abducted just as Ashley tries to take the dangerously bleeding mother to the nearest hospital. Now Ashley is on a mission to find the woman and her newborn baby . . . before it’s too late.

Hunter McDermott is on a quest—to track down his birth mother. After receiving more media attention than he could ever want for being in the right place at the right time, he receives a mysterious phone call from a woman claiming to be his mother. Hunter seeks out the aid of the local midwife in the mountain town where the phone call originated—surely she can shed some light on his own family background.

Ashley isn’t prepared for the way Hunter’s entrance into her world affects her heart and her future. He reignites dreams of having her own family that she has long put aside in favor of earning her medical degree and being able to do even more for her community. But is it commitment to her calling or fear of the unknown that keeps her feet firmly planted in the Appalachian soil? Or is it something more—fear of her growing feelings for Hunter—that makes her hesitant to explore the world beyond the mountains?

My Review:

Exquisite mix of romance and mystery. This is Laurie Alice Eakes first contemporary novel and I was completely captivated. Has all the intricacy and depth of her historical novels but with a modern twist. And woot -- book nerd alert -- Ashley is a direct descendant of Griff and Esther from Choices of the Heart and Tabitha and Dominick from Lady in the Mist. Loved that nod to her historical midwife series.

I'm smitten by this setting. Eakes captures the essence of this Appalachian community. From the geography to the people  -- especially the women -- through Ashley's midwifery connections. So much history and sense of belonging. Ashley is anchored in the knowledge of her roots while Hunter is unable to fathom the legacy of family steeped in generations of tradition.

His quest to find his birth mother brings these two together and they are soon immersed in a mystery with some surprising twists. Mired in secrets from the past, the slow-building suspense begins to draw them closer. Theirs is a breath-taking and soul-stirring journey towards love. Exquisitely tender moments are equally matched by hard head-butting ones which makes for a thrilling read.

An exceptional beginning to a new series.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of  The Mountain Midwife please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you post a comment and add your email address, please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in the address to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so that it's easy for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday January 31 2016 . Offer open to international readers. Good luck!