Rhonda Kulczyk

Taken from 'Amazon' description of story: " 'The most beautiful people are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths.' Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. With his medical training finally behind him, Drew Carson returns home to fill the position at the new local hospital. Planning to pursue Miss Ellie Mae O'Connell, his hopes are dashed when he finds her engaged to another man. Surprising his family and perhaps even himself, Drew accepts an unexpected position elsewhere, only to find his heart in more turmoil than he ever believed possible.

Meadow Foster has long been accustomed to the disdain of others. Married off at a young age by her father, she soon finds herself faced with raising a child. Mistreated by her husband and ignored by the community, Meadow has always felt unloved, unwanted, and undesirable, until a note beneath a tree begins to unveil the beauty within. A note that begins to change the way she sees herself. But will it be enough to change her future?"

Although I have enjoyed all the stories in this series, this one wasn't the best (although I hate to say that, because they were all good). It just didn't hold my attention quite the way some of the other stories did. I am so glad though that I found this author and read her series. Not disappointed at all!… (más)

A story of forgiveness and learning to let go of the past and to make amends and go forward in life and love. It was another good story in this series. I highly encourage anyone reading this to read these stories in the order written (this is book #4), as this is just a continuation of the saga of this family and community in Oregon.

This book is about two ladies, Katrina from Boston, and Catie O'Connell from Sheridan, Oregon. Katrina is a spoiled and discontented young woman who falls in love and quickly marries Jude, a man who has little material possessions. When she finds herself in Sheridan, she realizes how ill equipped she is to be his wife. Their story will run through this book as well as Catie's story.

Catie has waited 10 years for her childhood sweetheart, Rand, to return and marry her. She finally agrees to marry a fine upstanding man in the community who loves her dearly and who has continued to pursue her. Days before their wedding Rand returns and Catie makes a very bad and hasty decision to run away with him. This doesn't end well for Catie, but thankfully she finds herself back home and trying to make amends for all the hurt she has caused.

Both of these stories were very well told and I found myself staying up late to see how they would both end. This is a series I am glad I took the time to read. I have not been disappointed in any of them.… (más)

This is book three in this series, and I am thoroughly enjoying myself as I continue to read about this family. This book covers many different people I have become familiar with in books one and two, and enjoy how the author skips around telling one part of the story and then jumps to someone else and what is going on with them. The main focus though is on Savannah O'Connell, who is the schoolteacher in Sheridan, Oregon, and who is a very independent and determined young lady. At first I had a hard time liking her, but she quickly grew on me and I especially enjoyed how her and the minister in town, Matthew, and her finally got together and made a very touchy town scandal, turn into a loving relationship.

There are other stories going on also, which I was very interested in. The author does a good job of keeping you reading to see what happens next. The families involved in this series have a strong faith in the Lord which I also enjoy reading about. It has so far been a favorite series to read and I still have two more books in the series to go! Looking forward to 'Freedom to Forgive' and 'Freedom to Endure' next.… (más)

Book two in this series, and I liked this story better than book one. It was like watching a mini-series on TV, as it covered a lot of time and dealt with a lot of different emotions. You could read it as a stand alone story, but you would miss out on some of the background to some of the folks in this story by not reading book one 'Freedom to Love'.

Jesse and Candice (nicknamed 'Andi") were childhood playmates. They are now entering adulthood and their feelings are more that just friendship but neither knows how to convey that to one another. When a new young banker moves into town Candice will make a bad decision and it will end up changing the course of her life and the life of Jesse. Fast forward 5 years and Candice will see another change in her life and in her marriage. Jesse will move back home and begin his sought after horse ranch. Then things will suddenly go from better to bad, and again Candace will find much sorrow and anger. Jesse will always be there though to help her, but this time she wants nothing to do with him.

Without giving away everything, this story is about innocence, betrayal and forgiveness. About how life can change so quickly, and about what a difference the Lord can make in changing a person's life for the good. I look forward to reading more about these people in book #3, 'Freedom to Surrender'.… (más)