Book Review by Diana Flowers

http://www.marciagruver.com/

Raider’s Heart, (Backwoods Brides)



By Marcia Gruver
Barbour Books, 2011

Very Exciting Read!

I wasn't sure I would like a book about outlaws kidnapping a young woman, but this book was so much more than that. It's about love, forgiveness, and not judging others, when we have no idea what they have been through. Dawsey Wilkes is kidnapped by the McRae family, who you would classify more as "Robin Hood" type vigilantes than outlaws. Robin Hood robbed from the rich and gave to the poor, and "outlaw" or not, who doesn't like Robin? I didn't like these outlaws at first, and of course, neither does Dawsey. When Dawsey is brought to their home in the Carolina swamps she is met with a surprise that changes her whole life!

This book is filled with surprises, twists, and turns, that once I got into it, I found it hard to put down. I read it a lot more slowly than I do most books, however, because of the detail that the author goes into, and I didn't want to miss a thing. I unwillingly fell in love with this "outlaw" family, and so does Dawsey, and it leaves her to question her opulent lifestyle and what makes a person really happy. She had never experienced the warmth and love between family members such as displayed by the McRaes, who had so much less material wise. Both brothers fall for her, and my favorite aspect of this book was not knowing what was going to happen next or who Dawsey would end up with. This was a very exciting book with nonstop action! Like I said, I loved the element of surprise and am looking forward to the next book in the series!

One word of warning, there is some violence, but the author does not get too graphic. The epilogue brings forth another startling revelation... one that upset me (and caused me to judge this family again)...and really made me examine myself! Ouch! Loved it, Marcia, and am anxiously awaiting the next book from your publisher! Thank you for the opportunity to review this book.

Bio: Diana Flowers, an avid reader, lives in South Carolina. Diana especially likes to read historical Christian fiction, and like the owner of this blog, loves frontier fiction! An “influencer” for many Christian authors’ books (she reads their books and reviews and promotes those she especially enjoys), she picked up this book on her own and was pleased by the book, posting a review on CBD and allowing me to post it here. Thanks so much, Diana!



Giveaway You will receive one of the following:
**Not so mysterious giveaway - Sweet Marcia Gruver is giving away a copy of her book!!!  Thanks so much, Marcia.  If you have already ordered this book or are expecting a copy, you will be enterred to win the following:

***MYSTERY BOOK GIVEAWAY: Last week here in Virginia, we had a book signing at barnes & noble with three authors present: Christy Barritt, Laurie Alice Eakes, and Roger Bruner. Leave a comment for a chance to win one of their signed books.