On Barb’s Bookshelf: Refuge of the Heart Review and Giveaway!

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.