Book Review: Under This Same Sky by Cynthia Roemer

~ She thought she’d lost everything ~ Instead she found what she needed most. ~

Illinois ~ 1854

Becky Hollister wants nothing more than to live out her days on the prairie, building a life for herself alongside her future husband. But when a tornado rips through her parents’ farm, killing her mother and sister, she must leave the only home she’s ever known and the man she’s begun to love to accompany her injured father to St. Louis.

Catapulted into a world of unknowns, Becky struggles to make sense of the path the Lord has placed her on and finds solace in corresponding with Matthew Brody, the handsome pastor back home.

But when word comes that he is all but engaged to someone else, she must call upon her faith to decipher her future.

SERIES: Prairie Sky #1
GENRE: Inspirational Historical Fiction
PUBLISHER: Mantle Rock Publishing
RELEASE DATE: April 28, 2017
PAGES: 368

“He may not take away the pain, but He knows how to work through it.”

Under This Same Sky by Cynthia Roemer is a reminder of why ‘prairie fiction’ still resonates with us. It strips down the ‘essentials’ of life to the bare minimum and shines a light on what matters most: faith, family, and friendship.  A little romance doesn’t hurt either 😉

The story grabs your emotions from the very first page – Becky Hollister desperately trying to find help after a surprise tornado claims her mother and sister, leaving their family home destroyed and her father critically injured. I held my breath along with Becky as we waited for word on her father’s condition, occasionally distracted (I’ll admit it) by Pastor Matthew Brody who saves the day & then continues to drop in.

While your life may not have been upended in quite the same way, I’m willing to bet at some point it has changed as fast as Becky’s did. We all can relate to her struggle to hold onto her faith in God’s goodness when life is hard, to cling to her dreams even as she learns to trust God’s dreams for her life. I think Roemer presented these issues authentically and with grace – grace not only for Becky as she works through them but grace for all of us who have been there too.

Bottom Line: Under This Same Sky by Cynthia Roemer is as sweet as it is emotional. The blind school elements of the story are inspiring – with layered characters and touching wisdom. While I (of course) loved the budding romance between Becky and Matthew, I would have enjoyed the story just as much without it … because of the characters (except for Sarah, who I wanted to purse whomp lol), the setting and the message. If you’re a fan of Janette Oke, Kim Vogel Sawyer, Laura Ingalls Wilder and other stories set in the newly-settled heartland, you’ll really enjoy this book too!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)

My Rating: 4 stars / Enjoyed it!

KissingBook Level: 3 / May forget to breathe on occasion

Cynthia Roemer is an Inspirational Historical Romance author from rural Illinois. She and her husband, Marvin, have been married for twenty-three years and have two college-aged sons. They enjoy quiet living and God’s wondrous creation on their 300 acre farm.

Cynthia’s thirst for writing began her junior year of high school, when her short-story won first place in a local college writing contest. She went on to pursue a career in writing by earning a B.A. in English (with an emphasis on Creative Writing) from U of I of Springfield, IL in 1988. Since then, Cynthia has had over 100 articles and short-stories printed in various Christian teen and adult publications.

She is currently working on her Prairie Sky Series, consisting of three Inspirational Historical Romance novels set in the mid-1800s, the first of which , Under This Same Sky, released with Mantle Rock Publishing April 28th, 2017. Book Two: Under Prairie Skies, is set to release in the spring of 2018. To stay up-to-date on future novels and gain inside information about characters, sales, and giveaways, sign up for her Author Newsletter.

Cynthia is a regular contributor to Putting on the New Blog, a collective effort of various Christian women writers. It is her ardent prayer that the Lord will plant seeds of hope into the lives of those who read her work.

When she isn’t writing, Cynthia enjoys spending time with her family, taking walks in the country, 4-wheeling, biking, gardening, and reading.

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What about you? Would you want to live on the prairie?