Book Review - "A Rush of Wings"

Kristen Heitzmann had me hooked from her very first paragraph of "A Rush of Wings." Noelle is fearful, but of what she is not completely sure and she is not sure where this fear stems from. Noelle is searching for answers and also running from being controlled by the men in her life, most specifically her fiancee Michael who became physically harmful to me. Noelle finds herself taking buses to anywhere that will be far from home and lands at a ranch in a small town. Always loving horses, Noelle is drawn to the beautiful creatures at the ranch and this allows her to forge a friendship with the ranch owner Rick. Images and memories continue to immerse and flood Noelle's mind, but she struggles to piece them together. Through many trials and spending time with Rick, his brother Morgan and their family, Noelle discovers that she is missing out on something in her life that is important to the majority of this family - faith in God. But, why do all of these memories have "God" in them and why does He cause her more fear?

The reader is taken along on a journey with Noelle to sort through these thoughts and memories. I like that I was learning and reliving these along with Noelle and the past and fears were not revealed to me initially. This added to the suspense and also allowed me to really empathize with Noelle. The character development was great in this novel. Noelle begins as a rich, yet fearful twenty-three year-old who has lived in a secure environment with friends hand-picked for her. Noelle sets out on her own with little money and develops her talents and strengths in order to survive and really find herself. One of my favorite parts of the novel is the time that Noelle spends with the Spencer family at their home. The family is very real with their relationships with each other and how they accept Noelle into their lives and at times some are also wary of her. I would recommend this book to any fiction reader!!!

*Bethany House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.