Rescuing Her Heart

Post-traumatic stress is at the center of Huff’s moving latest (after Secrets & Charades), an inspirational romance set in 1870s Kansas. Jed Holt owns the Single Cross Ranch along with his twin brother, Lonnie, and lives there with Lonnie’s pregnant wife, Genny, and three young daughters. Jed, a former army chaplain, was abused as a prisoner of war during the Civil War, and Lonnie’s face was disfigured in a fire that killed their mother. After Jed learns that town drunk Lemont James killed himself after setting fire to his own house, he finds Lemont’s widow, Delilah, cowering in the barn. Though Delilah is terrified of men after suffering abuse at the hands of her husband, she accepts Jed’s invitation to live with his family and help Genny with keeping the house. All of the characters in this redemptive tale struggle to deal with the horrors of their pasts, rely on God for healing, and find forgiveness for themselves as well as others. The romance that slowly unfolds between Jed and Delilah, meanwhile, is marked by a raw emotionality that rings true to life. Those who enjoy Tracie Peterson’s historical romances should take a look. (July)