As part of the Waterbrook fiction grab bag I was given the book, A Promise for Breanna by Al Lacy - another author that I have never read before. The book is part of the Angel of Mercy series but does not need to be read in order to understand what is going on, I was able to pick up what was going on with the other books. Waterbrook wants to make affordable summer reading and for a full length, historical novel the price of $6.99 (U.S.) is a bargain!
We are introduced to certified medical nurse, Breanna Baylor, who has been left heartbroken by her fiancee who married another after he decided Breanna got religion. Her trust in men has been all but destroyed, she sends away her true love, John Stranger - a legendary hero. Breanna puts all of herself into her work as a nurse traveling to frontier towns and even a wagon train. She doesn't let wether a man or woman, American Indian or white man, determine whether she will give treatment. She genuinely cares for the people she treats and loves her job and the reader can tell from reading the book this is true. Four years later her ex-fiancee, Frank Miller, is back on the scene. Things do not go well after being accused of murder and he threatens Breanna. Breanna, relying on her faith, prays to God and rests in His peace.
What an exciting book this way, I was hooked from the first page and couldn't put it down until the last - although if it had kept going I wouldn't have cared. I liked the fact that it was a romance but didn't have the romance fillers that a reader would usually see in other books. Although this book is not classified as a romance, Breanna does think of John Stranger and I think there were a couple kiss scenes but it really didn't make an impression on me since it wasn't on every single page! I enjoyed not having to sift through a bunch of details that weren't pertinent to the story.
The historical details were well laid out and for that I am thankful. Mr. Lacy even goes so far as to give a little history lesson at the begining of the book so that the reader doesn't get lost. I will admit I got a little lost when he references vehicles when talking about wagons - I am not used to wagons being called vehicles because my modern mind thinks of automobiles when vehicle is used. Quite a bit of detail is given to certain medical issues, such as a c-section that is done, there was a lot of historical facts given that could have been left out without detriment to the book but, I can see that some people may not understand the medical procedures and so this may help them understand the story better. I liked the fact that the Biblical Scriptures are given for cleanliness and hygiene which most don't know about, so maybe this book will cause someone to dig deeper into Scripture.
I recommend this book for some great, inexpensive summer reading!
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