These Healing Hills

Jilted by her fiancé, Francine Howard needs a new direction in life. A nurse by training, she decides to join the Frontier Nursing Service as a midwife for Appalachian women. She heads to Kentucky, where the mountains are a salve to her broken heart. Meanwhile, Ben Locke returns home from World War II, mentally scarred from all he has witnessed. Over time, a wisp of romance begins to develop between the pair, but Francine is an outsider. Only God knows the plans He has for their lives, if they are patient enough to wait. Gabhart ("Hidden Springs Mystery" series) infuses her well-drawn protagonists with faith and encouragement, which helps them deal with the adversity they face. Based on the life of Mary Breckinridge, founder of the Frontier Nursing Service, this novel vividly re-creates the world of postwar Appalachia. The compelling story line resonates long after the last page is turned.