Laurel's Dream by Pepper D. Basham

My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge: Laurel's Dream
by Pepper D. Basham

ISBN-13: 9781683227793
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Barbour Books
Released: January 1st 2019

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Journey into the Blue Ridge Mountains of 1918 where Laurel McAdams endures the challenges of a hard life while dreaming things can eventually improve. But trouble arrives in the form of an outsider. Having failed his British father again, Jonathan Taylor joins is uncle's missionary endeavors as a teacher in a two-room schoolhouse. Laurel feels compelled to protect the tenderhearted teacher from the harsh realities of Appalachian life, even while his stories of life outside the mountains pull at Laurel's imagination. Faced with angry parents over teaching methods, Laurel's father's drunken rages, and bad news from England, will Jonathan leave and never return?


My Review:
Laurel's Dream is a Christian romance set in 1918 in the Appalachian Mountains. Laurel dreamed of saving up enough money to go to college, become a teacher, and come back to teach the local people. No outsider teacher stayed around or really understood the local culture enough to make an impact.

Jonathan left England to teach at the school because of his father's deep disapproval of him. He encouraged Laurel to develop her writing and storytelling skills as well as her dream of becoming a teacher. He dreamed of finishing his medical education so he could better serve the local's medical needs. But an accident leads to what appears to be the end of both their dreams.

The characters were likable, complex, and reacted realistically to events. The historical and setting details immersed me into the story and brought it alive in my imagination. Laurel struggled with why God would apparently deny her dream since she just wanted to help others. There were no sex scenes or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable historical romance.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


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