Loves Rescue by Tammy Barley
Loves Rescue by Tammy Barley is the first book of the Sierra Chronicles Trilogy, telling the story of Jessica Hale. Set in the wild west of 1863, with the war between states going on in the east, the Hale family flees their Kentucky home, making a new life in the Sierra Nevadas, with only Jessica's brother going back to Kentucky to protect the family's land and home. Jessica soon learns that her southern accent is frowned upon by many of the people in their new hometown, not caring that the family isn't sympathetic to the south, but just wanting to have a safer life.
After her family is lost to a horrible, racist act of violence, Jessica is "kidnapped" by Jake Bennett. Held against her will, but for her own safety Jessica has to come to terms with what has happened in her life, her family lost, and alone in a rough, wild west, Jessica grapples with her faith in God, her trust in man, and her own yearnings to find her brother and bring his body home to rest with their parents.
Set in a time where "action" wasn't the norm, this book has plenty of it, war, fires, kidnapping, jail break all wrapped up in one package. Toss in a romance building in the background, and you have a great mixture for an escape from reality. Tammy Barley has woven a fantastic tale that also incorporates history that is rarely spoke of in fiction. I can hardly wait for book 2 in the series.
