Horse in the Wilderness by Debbie Eckles

Warning: Do not start this book if you still have Christmas cards to get out, cookies to bake, gifts to buy, etc.  

  

I normally would not pick up a book about a horse unless it came highly recommended or the author was a favorite of mine.  Neither was true about Horse in the Wilderness.  The online description of this book, however,  about a missing horse and then a missing child, peaked my interest.   This wonderful story is not just about being lost and then found, but also about trust, forgiveness, and love.

Set in the mountains of Arkansas, in the small town of Orchard Springs, Autumn Parker returns home to work in her father's store; her cousin, Jerry, and his son return to the family cabin because they need a place to live; and Brent arrives to take a mid-year music teacher position; and a mysterious vandal is making life pretty miserable for one of the local farmers.  Their lives intermingle as each begins to find their way in this enjoyable read. 

I would classify the book as a Christian romance/mystery.  It is well written, although it does contain a few typos.  (Typos really annoy me!)  I read the Kindle version and thought the ending was disappointingly abrupt.  I was surprised that it did not have discussion questions included, as I think it would be great for a book club.**

**Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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I finished the book this morning and then headed out in 24 degree temperatures to get some Christmas shopping done.

When I returned home, 4 hours later, I dropped the packages on the floor and headed right to the kitchen to turn on the tea kettle!

My feet were so cold, I wish I could have crawled into the cup like the cute kitty on this Christmas card.

 I paper pieced the striped CTMH paper onto the digi image tea cup.  Then stamped JOY onto it.  The cat was colored with markers.  I fussy cut the dollop of whipped cream, pushed it into the versamark pad and then added white embossing powder and heat embossed it for texture. The entire image was then popped onto the die cut hexagon.

Challenges:

Through the Purple Haze Challenge #113 - Anything Goes 

Crimbo Crackers Challenge #122 - Animals

Show Us Your Pussies Challenge #13 - Christmas

Crafty Ribbons Challenge #180 - Christmas

Polkadoodles Challenge Week 50 - Anything Goes

C.R.A.F.T. Challenge #394 - Christmas

Crafty Girls Creations Challenge #31 - Anything Goes

Stay safe this week-end!  

We're expecting some snow overnight.