Waltz in the Wilderness

By Kathleen Denly

Description:

She's desperate to find her missing father. His conscience demands he risk all to help.

Eliza Brooks is haunted by her role in her mother's death, so she'll do anything to find her missing pa—even if it means sneaking aboard a southbound ship. When those meant to protect her abandon and betray her instead, a family friend's unexpected assistance is a blessing she can't refuse.

Daniel Clarke came to California to make his fortune, and a stable job as a San Francisco carpenter has earned him more than most have scraped from the local goldfields. But it's been four years since he left Massachusetts and his fiancé is impatient for his return. Bound for home at last, Daniel Clarke finds his heart and plans challenged by a tenacious young woman with haunted eyes. Though every word he utters seems to offend her, he is determined to see her safely returned to her father. Even if that means risking his fragile engagement.

When disaster befalls them in the remote wilderness of the Southern California mountains, true feelings are revealed, and both must face heart-rending decisions. But how to decide when every choice before them leads to someone getting hurt?

Book Takeaway:

God is worthy of our trust in all circumstances and with all we care about. He has gone before us and prepared a way where we can see no way.

Awards:

Why the author wrote this book:

This book began with prayer, research, and the question: What if a young woman's beloved father went missing in mid-nineteenth-century Southern California? As I wrote, God showed me that the heart of the story was about the struggle between leaning on our own understanding and trusting in God when the lives of those we love are at stake.