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Normally this pedometer geek titles the review with the name of the book followed by the words, a review; however, because this review is for a novella, and a short one at that (less than a hundred pages, which includes a preview of the first book in the Appalachian Blessings series), it will be less extensive. I received this novella directly from the author, Sarah Loudin Thomas, through a Shelf Awareness giveaway for the first book, Miracle in a Dry Season. Although this reader didn’t win it, the author was kind enough to gift me with the novella so that her writing could be sampled and enjoyed.
Appalachian Serenade: A Novella
by Sarah Loudin Thomas
Published by Bethany House Publishers, 2014
ASIN: B00KQS1DJ8 (e-book)
ISBN: 9781441264985
As may be expected with the publisher being Bethany House, this story has some Christian/spiritual overtones. It is a romance between a young widow, Delilah Morrisey, and a local man, Robert.
After her husband died and then she lost her job post-World War II, Delilah returns to her home town in Wise, West Virginia to live with her sister and her family. Rather than wallow in the self-pity of broken dreams (she desperately wants children), she takes a job at the local general store, working for Robert. In taking a job, she knows she can contribute to her sister’s family.
Robert, too, wants something more than the store he has built. He’d love to have a wife and children, but his dreams also seem out of the question because of a previous illness.
Can Delilah and Robert get over their lost dreams? Can they forge new ones? What does God have in plan for this pair? Through faith they build a relationship. Beyond that, the people of Wise are at the heart of this romance that emphasizes the power of community to change a person’s life.
This is a sweet romance with none of the graphic descriptions of sexual encounters often seen in many of them. In fact, it is less a romance than a growing acknowledgement of a love that may grow only deeper through the years (since the novella ends with their shared realization of their blossoming feelings for each other).
This reader looks forward to reading more from the author in the futur
