A Simply Enchanted Life

A Heartbeat Away by S. Dionne Moore

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is the first book I’ve read by this author.

My mother is a quilter and I was intrigued by the idea of quilting and storytelling.

The Civil War has always been an interest in mine—it was a very sad time in our history where brother fought against brother. I can't imagine how heartbreaking this was for the families involved.

The fascinating thing to me is that there are documented stories of “enemies” that fought in the Civil War becoming close friends. How could two people that fought one another ever become friends? This book really focused on the power of forgiveness and shows how our lives can change when we soften our hearts towards our fellow man. I would be interested in reading more by this author!

Beth has gone against her parent’s wishes in learning to become a nurse. When Beth arrives at her grandmother’s she is completely loyal to the Union and finds it hard to serve the injured confederates. Her grandmother however sees each injured man as a person with a soul and feelings and refuses to turn away anyone—regardless of which side they fight for.

Joe is one of the injured confederates that Beth is caring for and she is intrigued by his gentle nature. He doesn’t seem to be the monster she assumed a confederate would be. As it turns out, Joe tried to help a family of slaves and in doing so was shot—his brother killed.

Joe is struggling to recover emotionally and physically while Beth is learning to see past labels and the exterior and see the man that is inside. A promise of love develops between them but there are obstacles to overcome.

A quilt sent to Beth by her mother holds a secret message in the pattern. The design hides a message of faith and hope that Beth begins to discover as she pieces together the blocks.

This story was very touching and I was rooting for Beth and Joe from the start. I enjoyed this book very much and it was very well written. I did find one small editorial mistake in mid book in a misspelled word but was easily overlooked—especially because the storyline was so wonderful!
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Dionne Moore is a historical romance author who resides in South Central PA with her family, surrounded by the beautiful Cumberland Valley and lots of fun, historically rich locations. She is a weekly contributor to "The Borrowed Book", a blog for book-lovers and "Cozy Mystery Magazine", for all things cozy mystery.

I received this book free from the publisher through a fantastic program called Litfuse Publicity. I was not required to write a positive review. The thoughts and opinions I have expressed are my own. To view other reviews and learn more about the blog tour for A Heartbeat Away please visit the Litfuse group by clicking here