Book Description:
Wyoming Territory, 1876
As the only doctor in the frontier town of Savage Wells, Gideon MacNamara knows his prospects for a bride are limited. The womenfolk in town are either too young, too old, or already spoken for. So, being a practical man, he decides to take advantage of the matchmaking service of the day—mail-order brides—and sends away for a woman with nursing experience.
When Miriam steps off the stagecoach in Savage Wells, she sees a bright future in front of her. But when the town—and Gideon—meets her, ready for a wedding, her excitement quickly turns to horror. Somehow Dr. MacNamara's message had gotten turned around. He didn’t want a nurse, he wanted a wife. When she refuses to marry him, she finds herself stranded in Savage Wells with some very unhappy townspeople.
But Gideon is not like the other men Miriam has met. Embarrassed by the misunderstanding, he offers her a job, and the two begin an awkward—and often humorous—dance of getting to know each other as they work to care for the people of their town. Romance blossoms between the two, but when a former medical associate of Miriam’s arrives in town, Gideon and the other townsfolk must rally around Miriam to protect her from a dangerous fate. Gideon and Miriam must decide if they are willing to risk their hearts for each other even as buried secrets are brought to light.
Andrea's Review:
Healing Hearts is another winner from Sarah M. Eden. I enjoyed the trip back to Savage Wells, Wyoming, and the interactions with Gideon, Paisley, Cade and the rest of the townsfolk. Miriam was a wonderful addition to this town full of quirky and lovable characters.
The beginning of the story is priceless and sure to catch your attention. If you've already read the description the beginning is somewhat spoiled for you. If you haven't, just dive in knowing that Eden does a great job developing her characters and creating memorable scenes to get a reader emotionally invested in her stories.
It was quite eye opening to read about how people where institutionalized for things that today are very much not mental illnesses. I'm so grateful to live at this time where medical advances have made life so much better for many people.
It's been awhile since I read The Sheriffs of Savage Wells, and even though I was coming back to the fun town and characters I loved, I think you could read this without having read that. Honestly, if you have access to both, read both, but you still get a wonderful story from Healing Hearts if you can't get your hands on The Sheriffs of Savage Wells first.
As usual, the story is clean and a great fit for Shadow Mountain's Proper Romance line. I'm really looking forward to reading this again.
Rorie's Review:
It has been a while since I read The Sheriffs of Savage Wells, so I couldn't really remember who Gideon was, but that really didn't matter. Yes, you should probably read that book first, just so you get to know the other characters, (plus, it's a really good book!) but it's not totally necessary, because this book does well as a stand-alone.
I'm kind of a sucker for mail-order bride type stories, mainly because I can't even imagine doing such a thing, so it's always interesting for me to read how people handled it. I must say, I loved Miriam's reaction to the whole mix-up at the beginning. Throughout the story, her "issue" was hinted at, and I enjoyed playing the guessing game, trying to figure out what it was before we were told. I'm happy to say, I was right! I'm also horrified at how people with unknown illnesses were treated back then - especially women. Not surprised, because I've read enough about those times to know that women were not much better than property back then, but still. It's horrifying.
As usual, Sarah does a great job bringing not only the main characters to life, but the supporting characters as well. I really wanted to dislike Gideon's mom from the moment she walked into the room, but she really surprised me as I got to know her better.
If you have read the previous book, this one is filled with all of the fun, quirky characters that gave that story so much life, and they continue to do so in this book. Definitely a fun read, and one that I will read again.
Tarah's Review:
I was only a few chapters into this book and I had already laughed and cried a little bit. So many emotions in so little time. I was cheering for Miriam, I was hurting for Gideon, I was laughing at the towns people. Books like this make you want to live in this little town and be a part of this community, and Eden does a great job of bringing everything to life.
I'm so happy that Gideon got his own book. He was my favorite character in The Sheriffs of Savage Wells, and he didn't let me down in this book. We obviously get to know him better, and we get to see the side of him that isn't always teasing and happy. We get to see what makes him tick and what drives him nuts. We get to see his relationship with his parents, and how he cares for the entire territory.
Honestly, I think my only downside to this novel was the cover. While it isn't a bad looking cover, neither of the characters on it are how I picture Gideon and Miriam. And for some reason that really bothers me. But if that's the worst thing I can say about the book, then I think it's a winner. Randomly, I'm really hoping that Hawk gets his own story. I would definitely read his story.
Author: Sarah M. Eden
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Published: February 2019
ISBN: 1629724580
Source: We received copies from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Purchase: Amazon | Deseret Book
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