About the Book –– It's 1790 and the American Revolution has been over for seven years. Nathaniel Stearns, a veteran Continental soldier, still awaits the return of his father, who seemed to vanish as the battles ended. Growing embittered and isolated, Nathaniel is haunted by painful memories of war and scarred from betrayal in love. The young man has turned away from faith. The only hope he clings to is that perhaps his father still lives.
Then he discovers his hope is shared by a young woman, Sarah Thomsen, who understands loss and the longing for a father. Their hearts are drawn together quickly as this unexpected connection grows. But jealousy, slander, and misunderstandings ignite a fire of doubt and mistrust—destroying their relationship.
Can two souls longing for healing and trust love again? Can faith—and a family—be restored? Discover for yourself in The Promise of Deer Run.
The Series
The Promise of Deer Run is the second novel in author Elaine Marie Cooper's Deer Run Saga. The story opened with The Road to Deer Run. There will be a third, concluding book soon.
About the Author –– Elaine Marie Cooper is an award-winning author currently living in the Midwest with her husband, her three dogs and one huge cat. She has two married sons and triplet grandchildren who are now one year old. She grew up in Massachusetts, the setting for her three-part Deer Run Saga that takes place during the period of the American Revolution. This novel is the second in the series. The Promise of Deer Run is dedicated to the triplets and to veterans who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Elaine is a registered nurse and has been a magazine freelance writer for many years.
You can learn more about the author and her books @ http://deerrunbooks.com/
The Story Behind the Story:
How The Deer Run Saga Was Birthed
By Elaine Marie Cooper
When I was young and first heard that one of my grandfathers had been a Redcoat during the Revolutionary War, I was somewhat embarrassed. Growing up in Massachusetts had made me proud of our country’s heritage. But instead of finding zealous patriots in my bloodline, my DNA was from an enemy soldier named Daniel Prince!
Calmer reasoning prevailed, however, as I thought about the reality of his story. Living conditions in Colonial times were difficult, to say the least. It was a frightening period of our history for both Americans and the British. And in the midst of our nation struggling to be birthed, two people on opposing sides in a bloody war met and fell in love.
This story from my family’s history was transformed in my thinking into an inspiring one of romance, unhindered by the politics of the day. It became, purely and simply, a love story.
And so was birthed the idea to create a fictional account of actual events. Since the story is from my imagination, I opted to change last names, the names of the communities, and many other details of the time. However, many of the historical events are documented facts.
The particular information on Daniel Prince’s military background was discovered thanks to the diligent work of Betty Thomson, independent researcher at The National Archives, Kew, in England.
In book one, The Road to Deer Run and now in the sequel, The Promise of Deer Run, I made every effort to stay true to the colonial times. Descriptions of food, homes, clothing, farming, worship practices, medical care, etc. are the result of extensive research.
It has been a personally inspiring experience to write these novels. While the times have changed since the 18th century, the same struggles of their day are our own. Forgiveness, fear, pain, illness, despair, the pain of having a family member at war, the death of a loved one—these are all the battles we contend with in the 21st century. But we also share faith, laughter, love, the excitement of that first kiss, the wonder of looking at a newborn. These are the same joys that we share with our ancestors who are so much a part of who we are.
Their journeys are interwoven with our own.
My Review –– I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. Typically, if I receive a romance to read & review, it's passed on to my wife to read. She'll either write up her own review, or tell me what she thought of it. This time, however, I determined to tackle The Promise of Deer Run myself. I'm glad I did.
I found the characters to be quite real, even though set in a vastly different time in history. What I truly appreciated most, however, was the centrality of faith in Christ throughout this book. Even those characters that might not be true followers of Christ were depicted realistically. I'll go even further to point out the active part church played in the lives of these people. So many Christian novels that I read leave the church completely out of their story lines (I wonder if this reflects the place of the church in the author's life). Cooper, however has faith, church, prayer, God and Christ enter prominently and believably during the whole story. For this, I highly commend her and her works.
My only regret was I found myself entering a world already begun in a previous book––The Road to Deer Run. Normally, when I get a sequel, without having had the benefit of the first in the series, I feel a bit lost. That was not the case here. In The Promise of Deer Run, Cooper does an excellent job of making sure the reader can thoroughly enjoy this story without having to lean heavily upon the first. Again, for this I commend her.
The Promise of Deer Run by Elaine Marie Cooper – a book review may be purchased here:
Amazon.com – paperback
Amazon.com – eBook
Extra! Extra!
If you leave a comment on this book review post, you'll bet entered into a drawing to win the following:
Grand Prize (Retail Value: $297.38) Contains:
- Basket
- $25 Starbucks gift card
- Spode Christmas teapot
- Spode Christmas mugs
- Yankee candle
- Hardbound copy The Road to Deer Run
- Hardbound copy The Promise of Deer Run
- Bath and Body Paris Amour scent
You have until November 18, 2011 to enter your comments. I'll forward your have a drawing and send your name on as a finalist.
This book was received free of charge for review purposes only.