I have read several of Mary Connealy’s books, including Books 1 & 2 of the Brides of Hope Mountain series. But the third book, Her Secret Song: Brides of Hope Mountain, Book 3, is my favorite.
At first, I thought Ursula Nordegren, like her grandmother, was a little loony. But as I ventured into the landscape of her fears, I learned that Ursula grew up with a fearful grandmother, and my heart filled with compassion and understanding. Habits are difficult to break, especially when a character flaw of our nature becomes a besetting sin.
Connealy has an excellent sense of humor—something few authors can pull off successfully—and I laughed with the Nordegren sisters, Josephine and Ilsa, in books 1 & 2. But Ursula’s anxiety and fear weren’t anything to laugh at. Frozen, Ursula stayed safe to the point of cutting herself off from her sisters because she was afraid of dying of the sickness, as her grandmother warned her.
Once again, the narrator, Barbara McCulloh, moved me with her pacing and delivery. In my favorite scenes, where Ursula and Wax Mosby interact, Ursula sings to the cowboy. Not only does Wax believe that Ursula could be an angel, but she’s a tall woman, and according to him, strong. Conflict and tension plague this meeting, and through the struggle for survival, Ursula and Wax become stronger characters who rise to the challenge of staying alive long enough to reach the bottom of the mountain and reunite with the Nordegren sisters.
Another topic of interest is Ursula’s stubborn refusal to consider that her grandmother’s teaching about two Bibles could be incorrect. As the novel progressed, I loved how Ursula became less self-righteous and judgmental, even though she was frightened by towns and cities filled with people she had never met and did not want to.
If you like historical Westerns, Her Secret Song: Brides of Hope Mountain, Book 3, by Mary Connealy may be an excellent choice. Other books in the series that you may appreciate include Aiming for Love: Brides of Hope Mountain, Book 1, and Woman of Sunlight: Brides of Hope Mountain, Book 2 by Mary Connealy. Historical western fiction lovers may also appreciate The Lady’s Mine by Francine Rivers, A Woman Called Sage by DiAnn Mills, and When Love Blooms by Robin Lee Hatcher.
