Tabitha, Girls from the Mountain, Book 1
by Vikki Kestell
Genre(s) Christian Historical Fiction, Christian Romance
Reviewed by S. S. Bazinet

Description: From the author of the groundbreaking series, A Prairie Heritage, comes the compelling story of fiery-haired, fiery-tempered Tabitha Hale. Rescued from a life of depravity, Tabitha gives her heart to God and her life to nursing.

As this tenacious, redeemed woman perseveres toward her vocation, her temper and stubborn independence threaten to derail her aspirations. Will Tabitha pass the trial by fire that is necessary for God to truly use her?

And what is Tabitha to do with her feelings for Mason Carpenter, the man who simply refuses to give up on her? Is it even possible for God to ordain a shared future for two such different people, both with fervent callings upon their hearts?

When the Great War erupts in Europe, Carpenter leaves for England to train British pilots to fly reconnaissance missions over Belgium and France. Soon after, Tabitha hears God asking her to nurse the war wounded. However, because America has not joined in the fight, Tabitha has few options. Will the elite British Nursing Service make a place for her? Will they accept the services of an American volunteer?

And will Tabitha and Mason overcome the differences that stand between them?

Revisit Palmer House—a most extraordinary refuge for young women rescued from prostitution. Renew your acquaintance with Rose Thoresen, Joy Michaels, and the others who live at Palmer House. Glimpse the years between Stolen and Lost Are Found.

Review: Vikki Kestell’s latest book, Tabitha, starts out in 1911. However, Tabitha’s story begins in 1894. Tabitha is fourteen years old. She’s uneducated and without a spiritual foundation. Brought up on a farm, she’s an only child who knows nothing about the world. With a fiery, independent temperament driving her on, Tabitha runs off with a boy. A short time later, she’s thrown into the worst kind of misfortune. Tabitha is literally sold into a life of slavery and prostitution.

The triumph of this story is the step-by-step way in which Tabitha learns that there is more to life than she ever thought possible. She learns that there is a God who has never forsaken her. Tabitha’s Christian based viewpoint and her ability to see beyond her rage at what she’d endured becomes a foundation for her later life as a nurse, including nursing the war wounded during the First World War.

This is a beautifully told story that takes the reader on a journey of hardship and trials, but it also depicts just how amazing a life can be when a person’s spirit opens to the expansiveness of Divine love.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vikki Kestell’s passion for people and their stories is evident in her readers’ affection for her characters and unusual plotlines. Two often-repeated sentiments are, “I feel like I know these people” and “I’m right there, in the book, experiencing what the characters experience.”

Vikki holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Learning and Instructional Technologies. She left a career of twenty-plus years in government, academia, and corporate life to pursue writing full time. “Writing is the best job ever,” she admits, “and the most demanding.”

Also an accomplished speaker and teacher, Vikki and her husband Conrad Smith make their home in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

“Vikki writes the kind of fiction that hooks you within the first few pages, will not let you go until you have finished, and leaves you wishing for more.”
—Janis Braun, Seattle, Washington

“Her books are not just for ‘chicks’! I was amazed how engrossed I became in the lives of Vikki’s characters, and how much I could relate to their situations.”
—Ed Dunne, Los Angeles

“Be prepared to put life on hold. That’s all I have to say!”
—Rebecca H., New Jersey

“You will laugh, you will cry but, most of all, you will be uplifted.”
—LaTisha Holland, St. Augustine, FL

Website and Social Media Links
To keep abreast of new book releases, visit her website, http://www.vikkikestell.com/, or find her on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/TheWritingOfVikkiKestell, Pinterist, https://www.pinterest.com/vikkikestell/, and Twitter, @FaithFilledFic.

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