My Heart Belongs in Glenwood Springs, Colorado

notes from the publisher

Journey now to healing spa town of Glenwood Springs, Colorado in 1888

Where the past and present collide and a woman is on the precipice of unexpected love.

Millie Cooper, fisherman’s-daughter-turned-nurse, flees a painful entanglement with the wealthy Drexel family who summered near her childhood home in Nantucket, only to encounter them again six years later in Glenwood Springs. The serenity of her mountain hideaway in a town with healing springs is disrupted when she faces caring for the elderly mother and the expectant wife of Stephen Drexel, the man she’d once loved—at the request of his brother John, the man who’d kept them apart. Will Millie forgive the wrongs she feels were done to her, or will she come to see them as a blessing in disguise that leads her to greater joys?

my thoughts....

Millie Cooper, the heroine in this book was the beautiful young woman who raised herself up from poor circumstances to become a gifted nurse in Colorado.  Her dedication to duty was to a fault and made it difficult to turn her back on the Drexel family in their time of need.  She put aside decades old hurt to give the best possible care to Mrs. Drexel who often took the opportunity to remind Millie of her lowly upbringing.  She took such care for the wife of the man who left her behind and took the brunt of all in the household when her methods didn't' seem to suit them.  Still, she persisted and practiced her nursing skills while burying her feelings inside a heart she longed to quiet forever.

It is through time and duty that she discovered her true purpose in life.  As with many of us, she learned over years of experience how what we think we wanted in our youth may not have been the best path to follow.  God has a way of showing us, whether through a perilous illness to, seeing, finally, what lays before us and giving us a chance to make the best choice. His choices are our best choices and while we don't always see that, things often present themselves to  us as though we should have known all along.

I enjoyed reading about Millie Cooper and her courageous way of facing such a challenging path.  She is a champion for those who dream of a better life even when there are those who would keep you down on your luck.  This book is for those who seek encouragement to keep their faith for the good things to come.  

The My Heart Belongs series is unique because each book is written by a different author.  This is my third venture into the series and the books are not written in cookie cutter fashion.  Rebecca Jepson developed believable characters set in the backdrop of the beautiful red rocks of Colorado.  

My Heart Belongs in Castle Gate Utah by Angie Dicken

This is the story of forbidden love in a time when Greek mine workers were thought of as less than scum. It is all about two lonely widowed souls caught in the web misunderstanding and class distinction. Leanna McKee is a widowed schoolteacher in the mining town of Castle Gate Utah.  Her husband, Jack McKee, wooed her away from her life of privilege in Boston.  They thought they would make a difference for others.  The difference was Jack's gambling addiction and his lack of making Leanna happy. 

Alex Pappas is a Greek immigrant who lived and worked in America for many years.  He saved enough to send for his entire family to emigrate to the land of opportunity.  They are the proud owners of a successful Greek restaurant in town. He has been passed over for promotions because of his Greek heritage.  He was Jack McKee's friend.

Leanna's life after Jack's death was filled with teaching the town's children and trying to survive without Jack. It was when Alex's sister-in-law Penelope's pregnancy kept her on bed rest that he knocked on Leanna's door for help.  He needed to hire her to escort his niece and nephew to school.  Accepting the extra job allowed her to turn her grief into purpose.  It didn't take long for her to become attached to the children and in turn the family.  What neither she nor Alex counted on was the undeniable attraction to each other.

The times dictate many of the customs of society and just like other towns with growing industry and immigrant workers, the long time citizens resented the newcomers.  Mining in 1910 was hard and dangerous and not exactly with the benefits Greek workers were lured to from their homeland and families.

It was inevitable that Leanna and Alex would receive backlash from the mainstream community. It was through their faith, perseverance and tragedy that things began to change for them. 

Many areas of our country were settled by people willing to farm, build railroads and mining for a vast array of ore. Many immigrants came legally to work these jobs.  It wasn't easy for them but they learned English and became American citizens and they raised their families.  But, it took a lot of hard work and effort to make the American dream come true.

I received this book from Barber Publishing Group through NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review.