The Healing Season
by Ruth Axtell Morren
Published by Steeple Hill
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Reviewed by Lacy J. Williams
Ruth Axtell Morren has crafted an engaging and romantic story that will draw you into Regency London and keep you there.
Beautiful and self-sufficient, actress Eleanor Neville doesn’t need a man in her life. But when a dear friend nearly dies of trauma, she calls on surgeon Ian Russell, a man with a reputation of helping people, including those who can’t afford to pay him. Ian is different than any other man Eleanor has known, but can she trust him?
Ian has a thriving medical practice helping London’s needy, gives weekly lectures, plus helps out at the local mission. He is a godly man who doesn’t need complications in his life, but he wouldn’t mind a wife, if God would provide her. After meeting Eleanor, he is both entranced by her beauty and disgusted by the past she shares with him—a past full of sinful mistakes.
When Eleanor has an accident during a performance, Ian is there to rescue her. He helps with her recovery, and to his own chagrin, begins to have feelings for her. Will he act on those feelings or reject the woman he loves? Is God’s love strong enough to turn Eleanor from a life of fame to a life for Him?
Morren has a masterful way with words. The reader is transported to another time and period and won’t be able to put the book down until the end. This is a well-written historical, a bit longer than the usual trade paperback, but Morren uses every page to her full advantage.
The reader will be able to identify with real characters that have real flaws and fragile emotions. As the love story unfolds between hero and heroine, you’ll feel each conflict and each pain. This is a beautiful romance handled deftly by a master storyteller.
The inspirational aspect of this book is handled well, without being overdone. Morren allows her characters to question their faith and then ultimately come to a decision point where they must choose God, but never preaches to the reader.
Armchair Interviews says: Highly recommended inspirational romance.
Author’s Web site: http://www.ruthaxtellmorren.com