My review of Wounded Spirits by April W. Gardner

About the book: 


On the frontier, Adela McGirth's life is simple, rugged, and exactly to her liking. Her greatest concern is whether to marry the settlement's most eligible young officer. When a distant war among the Natives spills over into a nearby skirmish, life takes a perilous turn. Deep in enemy territory Adela must choose between the man she loves and a baby that has yet to be born; will she be strong enough to wait on God's provision?


A peace-loving yet loyal Creek warrior, Totka is forced to align with the extremist Red Stick faction whose purpose is to eradicate the. Whites from Creek soil. In the midst of battle, Totka is assigned to protect those he is expected to hate--and kill. Life was simpler before his enemy became a beautiful face with a quiet strength and dignity he cannot resist.


Having lived a life plagued with death and loss, Zachariah McGirth is a man on a mission - he'll have his revenge or die trying. Blinded by grief, he can't see his way clear of yet another tragedy. Why has God taken everything from him...or has He?


Their lives molded by the course of history, can these Wounded Spirits learn to rely on God's grace during one of the bloodiest conflicts in the South?


My review:


What a heart-pounding historical romance! This is my favorite kind of novel. It has emotional impact, spiritual impact, and was well-written. The plot was full of rich, historical detail and honest inner dialog. In short, this book had me near tears a few times because of it's powerful message. The pacing was fantastic and it was truly hard to put down. I loved how the author showed both sides of the horrible war through contrasting perspectives. At the same time this showed how the natives and the whites both received heavy losses because they were unable to deal with things diplomatically and reacted out of pain and the need for revenge until they ultimately decimated each other. This was very well done. The horror of the attack on Fort Mims was powerful. At the same time Zechariah's background in caring for an orphan years prior ended up helping him and his family in ways he never imagined. 


I absolutely loved Adela's character and how her heart exemplified Christ's love. Her character was in essence everything love is, and her sister exemplified everything love is not. Adela was a strong woman because of Jesus permeating her life with His spirit. People noticed this about her. I got tears in my eyes when she said regarding the invisible God, "Don't you see Jesus in me?" That's how we should all be, right? At the same time my heart broke for her because while she was obeying the Lord regarding not being unequally yolked, it obviously pained her to do the right thing. Yet in the end I couldn't help agreeing that what she did was the better choice as it caused her beloved to seek the one true God. True love does what is in the other person's best interest. What a convicting message. Tears filled my eyes as the book came to an end. Now I feel sad that I can't be part of the character's lives anymore. 


Wounded Spirits was published by Vinspire and released in Nov. 2010.