Be Still My Soul by Joanne Bischof

 

 I must confess that I wasn't really looking forward to this book because I thought I would find it frustrating. And while parts of it were, I actually did enjoy it overall. Lonnie has always been a shy wallflower and can't believe ladies' man Gideon wants to walk her home after a community dance. She soon finds out why when he steals a kiss and tries to take more than that. Her drunk of a father believes he did and forces them to get married. While neither wants to get married, Gideon resents her for ruining his life. He blames her and everyone else for his problems instead of taking responsibility for his own choices. By contrast, Lonnie tries to trust God and believe that He is with her through everything. She doesn't resent Gideon or her father though she has every right to.

They leave his family home to find work in a faraway town and after days of walking with little food to eat, Lonnie is on the brink of exhaustion. Gideon starts to take his frustration out on her, but luckily an old man steps in to protect her and brings them back to his farm. Jebediah and his wife turn out to be a godsend and Jebediah especially helps Gideon realize how self-centered he has been.

Bischof's description of the scenery in the Appalachian hills was beautiful and made me feel like I was right there with Lonnie. The emotions of her characters also felt very real and she did an amazing job depicting them as three-dimensional people. I really don't like when people blame others for their mistakes and don't take responsibility for their own actions, which is what Gideon did. He's also very impulsive and doesn't think about the possible consequences. It was hard to like Gideon, especially at first, but I was rooting for him as the book went on, and I think that's a testament to how well she wrote him. Though this is a romance, I didn't find it to be a typical one. This is Bischof's first novel and I'm interested to see in what direction book two goes for Lonnie and Gideon. This book will be available October 2nd.

I received a free copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for my honest review. Please rate this review. Thanks!