A Love Triangle, Mystery and a Feud in Choices of the Heart (Midwives, Book 3) by Laurie Alice Eakes

Choices of the Heart
(The Midwives, Book 3)
by Laurie Alice Eakes
Copyright 2013
Revell Books
9780800719869

About the book:
She thought she had left her old life behind . . .

Esther Cherrett comes from a proud line of midwives and was trained by her mother to take over the family calling. When a terrible scandal threatens all she holds dear, Esther flees, taking a position as a teacher in the wild western mountains of Virginia. But instead of the refuge she was seeking, Esther finds herself in the midst of a deadly family feud-and courted by two men on opposite sides of the conflict. All she wants is to run away again.

Yet could it be that her past holds the key to reconciliation-and love?

In this gripping story of trust, deception, and bittersweet loss, you’ll discover the true meaning of choices of the heart.


My Thoughts:
Midwifery is such an interesting and enthralling topic to read about and study. Laurie Alice Eakes's series really brought the trials and tribulations of 19th century midwives front and center.  With the last installment in The Midwives series we once again meet a young midwife, this time one who has all but given up practicing because of a scandal, all to protect her family's reputation. The lack of birthing room drama in Choices of the Heart disappointed me but overall I'd recommend it if you enjoyed the previous books in the story and want to know what happens next.

Esther Cherrett, beautiful and spoiled, through no fault of her own got into a situation that scandalized seemingly the entire coast of Virginia. To protect her family, she decides it's best to abandon her family and practicing midwifery altogether for the mountains of western Virginia. However much she tried she wasn't able to outrun the truth and no matter how hard she tried to deny it, she had to face the fact that she was in love. If anyone on the mountain discovered her secret, she could potentially be responsible for destroying a precarious truce between the feuding Tollivers and Brooks.

An avid reader of historicals, stories set in the backwoods and "hollers" have become some of my favorites, give me a book by Laura Frantz or Marcia Gruver and I'm a happy girl. Choices of the Heart was quite different from the first two novels in the series. Since everything happened mostly in the wilderness the setting definitely appealed to me. The story was a bit like the aforementioned Frantz's Kentucky set The Frontiersman's Daughter, you never quite knew what was going to come crawling out of the woods -- a bear, a mountain lion, a snake, or the worst kind of "critter"; the two-legged snake. However, after the first few chapters the love story turned a bit bland. From the back cover I thought this was going to be a romance with some kind of love triangle but there really wasn't a question who Esther would choose after the first handful of chapters. This one was really predictable as far as the romance went. There was plenty of scandal though which saved this from being just an "okay" book. I have to say the feuding families could put a soap opera to shame. Don't worry readers, this was still a "clean" read. All in all this was good even if I did end up liking it more for the clashing of the Tollivers and Brooks' than the romance.


“Available January 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

~ My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars ~

To learn more about the author visit HER WEBSITE.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from the publisher. 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.*

Happy Reading!