The Mountain Midwife

The Mountain Midwife
Laurie Alice Eakes
(Harper Collins/Zondervan)
ISBN: 978-0310333449
December 2015/352 pages/$15.99
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?

Read an excerpt.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Since she lay in bed as a child telling herself stories, bestselling, award-winning author Laurie Alice Eakes has fulfilled her dream of becoming a published author, with a degree in English and French from Asbury University and a master’s degree in writing fiction from Seton Hill University. She now has nearly two dozen books in print. Laurie Alice lives with her husband in Houston, Texas, with sundry lovable dogs and cats.

MY THOUGHTS

A gifted author of historical novels, Laurie Alice Eakes demonstrates she is equally adept in the contemporary genre with the release of The Mountain Midwife. Faithful readers will enjoy discovering that Ashley and her best friend, Heather, are descendants of characters in three of Eakes's earlier novels, although this novel stands alone. Beginning with the heart-pounding opening scene and continuing with each chapter, this book drew me in and transported me to the Blue Ridge Mountains and into the lives of Ashley and Hunter. Eakes weaves a powerful story with multiple layers. Family issues, faith, a thread of romance, and not a little suspense are wrapped together in this compelling tale. Add this one to your TBR pile and grab a second one for a gift. The Mountain Midwife is highly recommended!


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book free from Harper Collins Christian Publishing/Zondervan. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”