Choices of the Heart by Laurie Alice Eakes Tour w/Review.

She thought she had left her old life behind . . . 
Esther Cherrett comes from a proud line of midwives and was trained by her mother to take over the family calling. When a terrible scandal threatens all she holds dear, Esther flees, taking a position as a teacher in the wild western mountains of Virginia. But instead of the refuge she was seeking, Esther finds herself in the midst of a deadly family feud--and courted by two men on opposite sides of the conflict. All she wants is to run away again.

Yet could it be that her past holds the key to reconciliation--and love?

In this gripping story of trust, deception, and bittersweet loss, you'll discover the true meaning of choices of the heart.

MY REVIEW-I have to admit up front, this is the first book from Laurie Alice Eakes I didn't really care for. I have read her other books, flew through them to be exact, and this one had some things I didn't like. I read all of it, she still kept my attention, but there were a couple things I think could have been left out.

This is the third book in the Midwives series and has to deal with Dominick and Tabitha's daughter. Esther has followed her mothers footsteps and also learned how to become a midwife. But then a scandal arises and she leaves town without telling her parents where she is going. Turns out she is going to the mountains to teach children to read and write. But she doesn't know about the feud going on in those same mountains. Caught in the middle as two men from opposite sides vie for her attention makes for an interesting read. I wasn't sure who she would pick in the end.

This book deals with a delicate subject and I understand that. The scandal was something that happens quite often and you deal with in books many times. But I had a hard time with Esther's attitude. She knows that the flirting has gotten her in trouble before, and yet she uses it as a ploy with both men at different times. And I know some people will flirt, whatever, but the whole running her hands through his hair, touching his arm, etc just got to me. Again, some people may have no problem with this. It may not bother you at all. I just felt like her attitude was wrong about it.

I loved learning more about the herbs and medicines that were used back then. A midwife was also somewhat of a healer of sorts and didn't only help with birthing children. She wasn't always looked kindly upon and back then, many people thought she used strange spirits to help in her treatments. And the history of the feuding in the mountains of Virginia was quite interesting. You hear about the Hatfields and McCoys and it kind of ran in that vein.

This is a book that had a great plot and wonderful characters. Believe me, I raced through the book:) But I would recommend this for older ages because of a couple topics talked about. Can't wait for the next book from Laurie!

Available January 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
I received a copy of this book for my review purposes. I did not receive any monetary compensation. All thoughts are 100% mine.