TITLE:  What Momma Left Behind
AUTHOR:  Cindy K. Sproles
DATE:  2020
PUBLISHER: Revell
STARS: ****

Worie Dressar is seventeen years old when influenza and dysentery ravage her Appalachian Mountain community in 1898, leaving behind a growing number of orphaned children with no way to care for themselves. Worie's mother has been secretly feeding a number of these little ones on Sourwood Mountain. But when she dies suddenly, Worie is left to figure out why and how she was caring for them.

Plagued with two good-for-nothing brothers--one greedy and the other a drunkard--Worie fights to save her home and the orphaned children now in her begrudging care. Along the way, she will discover the beauty of unconditional love and the power of forgiveness as she cares for all of Momma's children.

What Momma Left Behind made reviewing difficult for me. I enjoyed the story, once the Appalachian dialect became more familiar, but the harsh details that made the story real were disturbing. Worie’s life is turned upside down when her beloved mother suddenly dies, leaving her alone in the world for all practical purposes. When her momma’s quiet practice of feeding orphans falls onto Worie’s young shoulders, her struggle to carry on her mother’s legacy of caring creates an unforgettable story.
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Love, loss, redemption and hope combine in What Momma Left Behind. I was given a copy of this book by the publisher and award it four stars.
 

TITLE:  Rocky Mountain Revenge
AUTHOR:  Rhonda Starnes
DATE:  2020
PUBLISHER: Love Inspired Suspense
STARS: *****

Temporarily home to help at her family’s vet clinic, Grace Porter has no intentions of staying—but someone’s determined she won’t live long enough to leave. With both Grace and her sister in the crosshairs, her ex-boyfriend, Police Chief Evan Bradshaw, must protect them. But can the single dad lawman uncover the truth about why a killer’s out for vengeance before time runs out?

Rocky Mountain Revenge starts with one of the best first paragraphs I’ve ever read. It’s shared here with permission of author Rhonda Starnes.

Grace Porter regretted she hadn’t stopped for fuel before leaving Denver two hours ago, when it was still daylight. If she had, she wouldn’t be at a run-down gas station that looked like it belonged in a low-budget horror movie. A dim yellow light flickered overhead and made a strange buzzing sound. The attendant, a tall, gaunt man with oily brown hair, stood behind the counter and stared at her through the window, reminding her of Norman Bates.

Did that make you shiver in anticipation? Me, too. The rest of this fabulous story keeps its promise of great writing, tight suspense and fantastic characters.

When danger replaces the expected tedium in helping her sister with the family veterinary business, Grace has to re-examine her long-held beliefs—and those she’d set aside. She’s determined to discover who attacked her sister and threated her, complicated by having to rely on her old flame, the police chief.

Chief Evan, single father of six-year-old cutie, Camden, needs to protect Grace and her sister Chloe from unknown attackers while managing his police force. He also strains to control his reignited attraction to Grace—a lot of roles to juggles. Maybe too many?

With a multi-layered plot filled with suspicion, treachery, faith and love, Rocky Mountain Revenge easily earns five stars. I was given an ARC of this book by the author, and I highly recommend it.