Book Review: Beyond Wounded Hearts by Cynthia Roemer

BEYOND WOUNDED HEARTS by Cynthia Roemer
SERIES: Wounded Hearts #2
GENRE: Inspirational Historical Fiction
PUBLISHER: Scrivenings Press, LLC
RELEASE DATE: March 14, 2023
PAGES: 373

They were North and South ~ Faithful and Faithless

After suffering disabling burns during the fall of Richmond, Adelaide Hanover awakens in a hospital alone and destitute, escalating her already stanch hatred for Yankees. When the Union soldier who freed her from the rubble begins paying her visits, she wants nothing to do with him … or his faith. Yet, his persistent kindness penetrates her resolve and forges a much-needed friendship. But after a dangerous man threatens Addie, she flees Richmond, intent on solving the mystery to her aunt’s dying wish before he does.

Haunted by a tragic failure in his past, Corporal Luke Gallagher takes Adelaide’s plight on as his own. Though his strong beliefs collide with his growing feelings for her, he offers his family’s home as a place to convalesce. Adelaide’s initial rejection, followed by her sudden willingness to accept his benevolence, hints there’s more to the decision than a mere change of heart. When trouble follows her, endangering her safety, as well as his family’s, Luke must lay his life and his convictions on the line to save them.

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A Federal soldier, a Southern belle, and a Union spy set out on a road trip… No, it’s not the start of a clever joke but rather an entertaining piece to the layered plot that makes up Cynthia Roemer’s newest historical romance.

The story dawns with the fall of Richmond, destroyed by its own Confederate soldiers to leave nothing for the Union to plunder. In the process, however, they’ve also destroyed the livelihoods and – in many cases – the lives of Richmond’s citizens. Staunch southerner Adelaide Hanover is one such person who has literally lost everything: her home, her family, her financial security, and her independence. As far as she is concerned, God has abandoned her – which is fine because she wants nothing to do with Him either. The only people left to care about her are the nurses at the hospital where she was brought after the injuries she sustained… and the Union soldier who plucked her from the ashes. Why, oh why, did it have to be a Yankee? And, worst of all, a Yankee who keeps talking about God?

I thoroughly enjoyed Beyond These War-Torn Lands, where we first meet Luke Gallagher, brother to Drew and a fellow Union soldier, so I was delighted to get to know him better in Beyond Wounded Hearts. Luke has a grin that will make your heart flutter, a gentleman’s personality (with a hefty dose of charm), a strong faith in Jesus, and a desire for others to know Him. From the moment Addie wakes up in that hospital and discovers Luke at her side, I adored their interactions, though perhaps not for the reasons you might think. See, for each of Luke’s attempts to befriend her, Addie pushes back and, while it was fun to watch her resistance become a bit more reluctant as the story unfolds, it’s Luke’s consistent response to her that I loved the most. Much less for the romantic perspective – even though I completely enjoyed that aspect of the story, too – and more for the deeper foundation he wants to build on.

Bottom Line: Beyond Wounded Hearts takes readers on a heartfelt journey through the days immediately following the fall of Richmond and the intersection of two lives who will forever be changed by the events of that night. The Biblical admonition to love our enemies becomes a theme tenderly woven throughout these pages, illustrated not only in Adelaide’s crisis of faith but also in the people who are actively living out these verses in her presence. Romance and blossoming friendship add further layers to the story, as do the vibrant historical figures that make cameos. Cynthia Roemer does a fabulous job of painting the delicate situation that is Addie – from her lack of independence to her heartbreaking bitterness to the dire situation her aunt has left behind for her to deal with – and of using Luke and his family to shine the light of Jesus into the wounded places of her heart without being trite or preachy. Another must-read from this author!

(I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I read via Kindle Unlimited. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)

My Rating: 4.5 stars / loved it!

KissingBook Level: 3 / may forget to breathe on occasion

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Cynthia Roemer is an inspirational, award-winning author who enjoys planting seeds of hope into the hearts of readers. Raised in the cornfields of rural Illinois, Cynthia enjoys spinning tales set in the backdrop of the mid-1800’s prairie and Civil War era.

Cynthia feels blessed that the Lord has fulfilled her life-long dream of being a published novelist. It’s her prayer that her stories will encourage readers in their faith. Her Prairie Sky Series consists of Amazon bestseller, Under This Same Sky, Under Prairie Skies, and 2020 Selah Award winner, Under Moonlit Skies. Her fourth novel, Beyond These War-Torn Lands, is her first Civil War novel, and Book One in her new Wounded Heart Series. Book Two in the series, Beyond Wounded Hearts, releases March 14, 2023.

She writes from her family farm in central Illinois where she resides with her husband of twenty-nine years. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. Visit Cynthia online at: www.cynthiaroemer.com

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