About the Book

Book: A Heart’s Gift

Author: Lena Nelson Dooley

Series: Love's Road Home, Book 1
Genre: Christian historical romance

Publisher: Wild Heart Books

Release Date: January 12, 2021

Pages: 358

Is a marriage of convenience the answer?

Franklin Vine has worked hard to build the ranch he inherited into one of the most successful in the majestic Colorado mountains. If only he had an heir to one day inherit the legacy he’s building. But he was burned once in the worst way, and he doesn’t plan to open his heart to another woman. Even if that means he’ll eventually have to divide up his spread among the most loyal of his hired hands.

When Lorinda Sullivan is finally out from under the control of men who made all the decisions in her life, she promises herself she’ll never allow a man to make choices for her again. But without a home in the midst of a hard Rocky Mountain winter, she has to do something to provide for her infant son.

A marriage of convenience seems like the perfect arrangement, yet the stakes quickly become much higher than either of them ever planned. When hearts become entangled, the increasing danger may change their lives forever.

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My Thoughts

I am a sucker for the marriage of convenience trope and this was definitely one of those. I really enjoyed this story. The characters were very well done and so is the plot. The story is about Lorinda and Franklin. Lorinda is a sweet, innocent young woman living in the mountains of Colorado. She has past hurts of abuse from her father and marries Mike who although keeps his hands to himself but believes that women should not really have a say in things more of the barefoot and pregnant kind of man. When tragic news comes at her door she has to make a decision on what to do, especially since she is with child. She decides the best thing to do is leave and stay with Franklin Vine in his ranch along his housekeeper.

Franklin feels a pull towards Lorinda and he cannot explain it. I absolutely loved the conflict within him as he tries to figure out why he is feeling this way. (Also the way the author describes him, he sounds absolutely yummy... definitely swoon worthy material!) He has been hurt before and wants no part of it but at the same time he wants an heir for his ranch. Goodness the way he is with the baby is heartwarming. You definitely fall for him immediately and are rooting for him the entire time. Although there are times you want to bop him upside the head as he keeps his feelings for Lorinda inside instead of just letting her know.

There are some surprising elements that I was not expecting in this story which were great! It definitely kept me reading. I loved how the author weaves faith through out the whole story but its not preachy. This is also one of the first books that I have read that addresses nursing/breastfeeding so openly. I enjoyed this aspect of the book very much as you don't see that very often.

I wish that we would of read more of Lorinda letting Franklin know why she was so reserved and her back story with her father so that's the only thing that was missing for me. Despite that I thought the story was very good and I will definitely be reading more from this author.

(I received a copy of this book from the author through Celebrate Lit. I was not required to post a positive review. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)

About the Author

Lena Nelson Dooley has been an author for 36 years. Her 51^st book released in June 2020. Raised in Arkansas, she married a Texan 56 years ago. They have lived in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex for decades. She is an active member of ACFW and one of the founding members the DFW local chapter. She’s often been a speaker for other writers’ groups and conferences, both as a keynote speaker and a workshop teacher. Her fans love reading her books filled with characters who grip your heart.

The Story Behind A Heart’s Gift

I’ve been a lover of history for decades. In college and graduate school, all my elective courses were history. Of course, I chose the countries and eras I wanted to learn about. When I began writing novels, my first one was a contemporary story. After that at least 75% or more of my novels have been historical, from 1805 through the early 20^th century.

I’ve always been fascinated by the relationship between Joseph and Mary the mother of Jesus. The Bible doesn’t give us a lot of information about their relationship. But by his actions, we can assume that Joseph believed the angel and Mary about her baby. He didn’t do the usual thing and put her away quietly. Instead, he protected her, and from the day He was born, he became the earthly father of Jesus. I’ve often thought about what that meant for Joseph and for Mary. When I wrote a story of a marriage between a man and a single mother, I used the emotions that I feel God has revealed to me about their relationship.

The first time I read a marriage of convenience novel, I loved it. And I’ve read quite a few. I’ve also written a few. A Heart’s Gift is one of them. This book was an easy and interesting book to write.

I’m what’s called in the industry a seat-of-the-pants author, more or less. I do have the complete outline of the story in my head. When I sit down to write, I know where I’m going, but I don’t have every single scene plotted out as some authors do. And I pray a lot. During the time I’m writing a book, God drops ideas into my mind. Not just while I’m writing, but other times, too. That’s the exciting thing about writing. This keeps it fresh for me.

During the writing of A Heart’s Gift, there’s a place where I just stopped and said, “God, what am I going to do now?” When you get there, you’ll know what scene I mean, but I don’t want to give a spoiler.

I never dreamed that the book would turn into a suspense novel in the last quarter of the book, but God knew. And it made it a better book.