Guest Review by Bonnie Roof of Elaine Marie Cooper's "Road to Deer Run"

Road to Deer Run

Road to Deer Run (CrossRiver Media Group, 2015)

By Elaine Marie Cooper

Review by Bonnie Roof

In 1777, nineteen-year-old Colonial woman Mary Thomsen finds wounded British soldier Daniel Lowe lying on her Massachusetts colony farmland. At first fearful of aiding an enemy - she is reminded of the biblical account of the Good Samaritan, her sense of right and wrong demands she must help Daniel. Managing to help support Daniel's weight while the two walk to an abandoned American wigwam, which Mary and her younger brother used as a playhouse when children, Mary hides Daniel and rushes home to secure medical supplies. Leading her mother, a midwife, to believe she is leaving to give medical aid to a wounded dog - Mary returns to the wigwam to nurse Daniel. When he develops a fever from the infection of his wound, and without enough protection from the cold late October weather, Mary realizes the time has come to ask for her mother's help; yet fearing her reaction due to the recent death of Mary's younger brother, Asa, by British soldiers.

Mary's mother, Ruth - a widow, still grieving over her youngest son's death, and concerned for older son James' safety while away fighting for America's freedom - refuses to fully engage in Daniel's care. Until...while sharing bible scripture with her youngest daughter Sarah, she reads Proverbs 25:21: "If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink". A woman of deep faith, she prays for God to remove her bitterness towards the King's troops and restore forgiveness - then makes the decision to bring Daniel into her home for healing treatment. The dangers involved in hiding Daniel, a smallpox epidemic, and an incident of drunken abuse aren't the only elements of drama which kept my eyes glued to the pages of "Road to Deer Run".

Elaine Marie Cooper paints an unforgettable story of forgiveness, redemption, romance, deep faith, courage, hope, and the horrors of war during the American Revolution. Based on true events and the lives of her great-great-great-great grandparents - there is much realism of characters, precise historical facts, suspense, and one of the sweetest, most tender love stories I've read. My initial attraction to the book being it's beautiful, compelling cover featuring it's heroine portraying such depth of distress on her face - I found it hard to put down once I began reading, it's characters remained in my heart after finishing the book. A touching story of deep inspiration! 

Road to Deer Run - publisher CrossRiver Media Group, is followed by book 2 of the Deer Run Saga, "Promise of Deer Run" (June, 2016), and book 3, "Legacy of Deer Run" (December, 2016). "Saratoga Letters" will be released by Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas in October, 2016.  

GIVEAWAY: Winner's choice of paperback or ebook copy (ebook only outside the USA).

Guest Reviewer: Bonnie Roof is a reviewer on the Overcoming with God blog. She lives in beautiful Kentucky, is an avid reader, and loves God and His people.