Crises involving refugees are in the news right now, but once a situation moves off the front page, it becomes easy to forget that refugees are real people with real needs who have gone through really awful situations–and their problems are not solved overnight.
Refuge of the Heart, a new novel by Ruth Logan Herne, introduces the reader to Lena, a young woman who fled war-torn Chechnya with her 5-year-old sister Anna. Lena, who was a medical student on her way to a promising career before the war tore her family and her life apart, wants nothing more than to complete her nursing degree and find a job that pays well enough for her to move to a safer neighborhood with a good school for Anna. As the novel begins, D.A. Mitch Sanderson happens upon Lena and Anna as they discover a flat tire on their car on a snowy night. One broken date later, Mitch arranges for tire repairs for Lena’s car, and slowly goes on to win the independent Lena’s heart.
Lena’s past proves to be a complication for their relationship, as she fears legal reprisal for some of the things she did in order to survive the living hell of war in Chechnya. Mitch’s high-society family doesn’t help matters either.
This novel is a tribute to resiliency of spirit and a life lived gratefully. Lena has very little, but she constantly looks for ways to give back.
To help me introduce this book to more readers, publisher Franciscan Media is offering a copy of Refuge of the Heart to one lucky reader! To put your name in the hat for a FREE copy of this novel, simply answer this question in the comment box:
Thanksgiving dinner (two of them, actually–one at church and one at Mitch’s family home) is the first holiday celebration Mitch and Lena enjoy together. Name the one dish that must be on your family table for Thanksgiving.
This contest ends Tuesday, October 20 at noon Eastern. Winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen. USA only, please!
Want more chances to win? Visit the other blogs on the book tour and enter your name in their giveaways!
- 10/12/2015– Spiritual Woman
- 10/13/2015– Reviews from the Heart
- 10/14/2015– Singing Librarian Books
- 10/15/2015– The Engrafted Word + Christian Chick’s Thoughts
- 10/16/2015– Reading is my SuperPower + Reconciled To You
About Author Ruth Logan Herne:
Born into poverty, Ruth Logan Herne is the mother of six and grandmother to thirteen. She and her husband, Dave, live on a small farm in upstate New York. She works full time but carves a few hours each day to write the kind of stories she likes to read, filled with poignancy, warmth and delightful characters. She is the 2011 award winner from the American Christian Fiction Writers.
I must have sweet potatoes or its just not Thanksgiving.
I am so excited to be here, Barb! Thank you so much for featuring “Refuge of the Heart” on your blog, I’m so grateful. And you’re right, we glimpse problems on fast-moving TV, and then they’re gone… but the inspiration for this beautiful story came from my daughter’s graduate work. She went to Thailand to visit a Karenni Catholic refugee camp… and some of those people have been locked in that camp for nearly 30 years.
Babies get born there. People die. And all of them just wish they had a place to call home. So that was the original inspiration (and still exists today just outside Burma/Myanmar) but at the same time, the Chechen uprising of insurgents and Muslims against Russians was storming and I saw one little article online about a small Catholic enclave… and that it disappeared. And I thought what if one of those Catholic Christians escaped? What would her story be?
And that’s how Refuge was born.
And when it comes to Thanksgiving and turkey being a given, it’s homemade cranberry orange relish, a family favorite!
Thanks for your wonderful review of ‘Refuge of the Heart’, Barb!! I read and reviewed it several weeks ago, the story still resides in my heart – it is beautiful and touched me deeply. All who read it will be inspired.
Shared post!!
P.S. I love the entire Thanksgiving dinner – turkey, stuffing, cranberries, sweet potato casserole, gravy, other vegetable casseroles, etc.; but my fave is probably pumpkin pie!!
I’ve been following the blog hop for “Refuge of the Heart” and with each stop, I become more intrigued by the book. It sounds like an enriching & delightful read that I would very much enjoy!
As far as Thanksgiving….I think every one of the dishes are a must to me, lol! Turkey, my mom’s homemade giblet stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes (none for me, thank you)cranberry sauce & can’t forget the homemade pumpkin pie with the crust to melt in your mouth!! I am making myself SO hungry 🙂
Thanks for the chance to win this wonderful book by a equally wonderful author!
teamob4 (at) gmail (dot) com
Deanna, you are the winner of a copy of “Refuge of the Heart!” You were chosen by the super-scientific method of writing down each entrant’s name on a slip of paper, folding it, putting it into a big bowl, stirring it around and then choosing one. 🙂 Look for an email from me to claim your prize!
[…] in October I read a review of this wonderful book over at Franciscan Mom. And then, lucky me, I won my own copy of Refuge of the Heart by Ruth Logan Herne. I decided to […]