McKenna Nichols, a young wife, abandoned by her husband in favor of his work, is left alone to raise her disabled child. Can she remain faithful to her marriage vows when tempted by the friendship of an unlikely stranger?
Rudy Taylor, who senses her loneliness and understands the difficulty of raising her daughter, struggles to keep his concern for the young woman biblical. Will McKenna’s faith in God and Rudy’s commitment to his Lord be enough to keep their relationship simple?
RT (Romantic Times) Review gave the story 4 stars. This is what they said:
Lee’s latest is an inspirational romance that will warm readers’ hearts. Engaging storytelling and heartwarming characters are the highlights of this story. Both McKenna and Rudy’s integrity and vulnerability make them characters that readers will embrace with all their hearts, and the genuine connection between them will keep readers engaged. McKenna’s struggles with having a special-needs daughter bring the right amount of tension to a tender story. McKenna and Rudy’s faith and dedication to God is inspiring. When photographer McKenna Nichols meets diver Rudy Taylor one day on the beach after he almost drowns in the ocean, her life takes a sudden turn. McKenna is married with an autistic 6- year-old daughter named Sydney. Newly arrived back in her hometown, McKenna is waiting for her husband to return home after two years. Intrigued by each other, McKenna and Rudy form an instant connection and friendship. As McKenna witnesses Rudy’s special connection with Sydney, unlike any Sydney has ever had before, her feelings for Rudy deepen. However, McKenna is determined to remain faithful to her absent husband, with Rudy in full support. Grappling with unexpected emotions and unsure of what the future holds, McKenna and Rudy rely on God to guide them. (MOUNTAIN BROOK INK)
Reviewed by: Melanie Bates
Available at Amazon.com . Check the buy my book button on the Home Page.
Here’s what is being said about book two, Love Calls Her Home
“The second novel in Lee’s Mended Hearts series is a sweet, modern-day love story between two vulnerable people facing intense personal struggles. With a solid plot, complete with genuine characters and strong conflict, Lee brings a tender story that will touch readers’ hearts. Along with the intense romantic connection between Lissa and Kurt, the highlight of this story is the adorable, woundWhen former Navy officer Lissa Frye meets the old love who broke her heart, Marine Kurt McKintrick, after not seeing him for two years, it is an awkward reunion. Both are back in the same Oregon town, Lissa starting anew as a sheriff’s deputy and Kurt fulfilling a promise to his best friend and dead fellow Marine, Foster Blake. He is working with Foster’s mother at her animal rescue center, tending horses. Kurt knows he hurt Lissa and he wants to explain the reason why, but the tension between them is thick. However, time spent together at the animal rescue center because of a wounded boy begins to thaw the chill between Lissa and Kurt. Suddenly, their love is rekindled. But will their personal fears derail the opportunity of a second-chance romance and a happy future? (MOUNTAIN BROOK INK, dl $12.99
Reviewed by: Melanie Bates”
https://www.amazon.com/Love-Calls-Home-Mended-Hearts-ebo…/…/
Left waiting at the altar, Claire Simpson has buried her past and moved on, carving out a life for herself as a teacher on the Oregon coast. When her former fiancé appears, he threatens to unravel the peaceful independence she has worked so hard to achieve after their relationship failed.
Montgomery Chandler has moved to NOAA headquarters in Newport, Oregon to make new, happier memories for his children after his wife died of a lingering illness. Their home in Seattle held nothing but the whispers of their earlier lives. Starting over will help all of them heal, but Monty is determined not to risk love again.
When the handsome widower enrolls his hurting children at the school where Claire teaches, her resolve to remain uninvolved vanishes at the whim of a snowstorm. This family needs her expertise. Can she help them without losing her heart?
What one reviewer said:
Monty had an amazing job studying marine mammals, focused specifically on grey whales. When his wife died, he moved to Newport, Oregon to be closer to his sister so she could care for his twins when he went on his six-week long voyages. This grieving scientist had a deep love for his children but didn’t know how to help them overcome their grief – or how to recover from his own.
Claire was a wonder with children. As a learning specialist, she was able to help troubled children and those with special needs. You might remember her from An Anchor on Her Heart. She had been terribly wronged by her ex-fiancé and carried a burden of hurt and unforgiveness.
I loved the children in the story. Monty’s twins were eight and Mason was so protective of his sister Mia. Watching them blossom under Claire’s love and care was very precious and touching.
There was quite a bit of detail in the story about NOAA and the oceanographic research that they do. It was presented partly in conversations between Monty and his cohorts, which can work out as an effective means of communicating this type of information but it felt a little awkward here. I did enjoy reading about the rescue of the humpback whale.
Having lived in the Willamette Valley and having visited Newport on more than one occasion, reading A Kite on the Wind had the added benefit of allowing me to reminisce on the time we dwelt in that beautiful area!
Phyllis Herton, Among the Reads
Find the book on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Kite-Wind-Mended-Hearts/dp/1943959501/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
All Eily McKintrick needed was an onion.
Across the fence an entire garden waits, but her brusque and unfriendly neighbor Marshall Frye doesn’t want to trade for the needed vegetable. Annoyed, Eily crawls through the fence to borrow the onion anyway, risking the wrath of the contrary man at the property line. If she’s caught.
Marshall would only be too happy to gift the widow with an onion, if it weren’t for her choice of friends. She spends time with Hillary Shepherd, a determined divorcée with her sights set on him. After his wife died, he retired early as a high school principal to live a contented solitary life growing vegetables for the local food banks. But when he finds Eily on her knees in his garden, the ensuing adventure is more trouble than either are prepared to handle.
Will Eily and Marshall find love in their back yards? And will Hillary be pleased? https://amzn.to/3d3su5m
What one reviewer said:
Jennifer Dyer
Halle Jayne Murphy can’t imagine change.She loves her career. She shares an apartment with her best friend. She’s happy.
She has lived an idyllic life in San Francisco growing up as the only child of Maisie and Fred Murphy. A graduate in architecture of the Art Institute, Halle works for one of the city’s historic home tours, a job that suits her.
But one Sunday while she’s working her mother slips at church and falls, the head injury claiming her life. At the memorial service the pastor presents an envelope of documents that he says will rock Halle’s world. Now officially an orphan, everything Halle believed about herself will soon prove to be false. Will she accept the challenge?
Garrett James has studied the life and adventures of his great-great-grandfather Cornelius Joel Hills, tracing his westward migration from Cortland, New York to Oregon’s Willamette Valley in 1847. Garrett has searched for clues that will lead him to a lost bag of gold Cornelius buried but never reclaimed. Garrett believes the answers lie in the old family mansion no one seems to want. He decides to let himself into the house with a hammer and nails, only to discover the long lost owner has finally arrived.
Will this pixie of a girl allow him to look for answers or has he stumbled upon a greater treasure?
Will a pair of long lost treasures recovered a continent apart pave the way for two eager hearts to find each other?
Realtor Blake Bergstrom stumbles upon an ancient barn while checking fences along a deserted property. A cursory inspection reveals a prairie schooner stored at the building’s back. He climbs into the wagon and discovers a rusted lockbox. Secreted within is a water color portrait of a young man. Whose picture could this be and why is it here?
When her mother needs her to check an abandoned cabin before the plantation where it sits is sold, Emberly Chastain uncovers her great-great-great Uncle Fred’s Bible and takes it with her. Tucked inside is a watercolor portrait of a young woman Emberly can’t place. Her uncle never married. Who can she be?
Curiosity sets Emberly on a quest to solve the mystery, a journey that will take her across the continent following a long ago wagon train. Will what she finds help her own heart mend and open the door to a new love?
What reviewers are saying:
Both happy and sad, The Sister’s Plight follows two women to Oregon. The first, Emberly, willingly traveled while attempting to solve the mystery of the portrait she found. And the second, Almira, unwillingly, traveled with her family on the Oregon Trail to their new home.
This time-split novel was done well. I enjoyed the way Almira and Fredrick’s story was woven into the modern-day narrative and the way the events in their lives intersected, though thousands of miles separated them. As in The Descendant’s Daughter, it touched on the topics of slavery and the Underground Railroad. Unlike in the first account, much of Almira’s story here told of the time spent traveling in the prairie schooner and the boredom, the trials, fears, and hopes of the young woman.
Readers who enjoy both historical and contemporary romances will enjoy the lovely The Call of the Frontier series. Phyllis
Can they bridge the long gap in their friendship?
Growing up, Jayden Clarke dreamed of becoming a Marine like his late father, who was killed in Afghanistan when Jayden was nine. His foster dad, Kurt, was also a decorated soldier. But his own encounter with a narrowly missed IED in Afghanistan leaves Jayden wounded and honorably discharged. He returns home defeated, his dream destroyed, not certain what his future will hold. Who will he become now? Is there anyone he can turn to?
Two years out of college, Baylie Summers has returned to the Mueller Rescue ranch where her best friend Jayden Clarke once lived as a foster teen. She hasn’t seen him since they graduated six years ago, but she’s thrilled when she lands the job as the ranch’s fundraising newsletter writer. Seeking refuge from the storms of life, Baylie waits for Jayden to return home, hoping he’ll have wisdom to help her recover from past incidents she wants to forget. Once a foster child herself, she fears Jayden might not like the woman she’s become. Will telling her secret make her lose Jayden forever?
Absolutely loved “Autumn”. Please keep writing about love in later years. Why your publisher/whoever said “too old”. Needs to realize that life gets better and more interesting with us older people
Thank you! I loved writing this story. So much fun creating banter between two seasoned characters. Pat