Celebrate Lit / October 30, 2024

Return to the Wilderness

About the Book Return to the Wilderness

Book: Return to the Wilderness

Author: Andrea Byrd

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: October 22, 2024

Two outcasts. One marriage of convenience. A love story forged in the fires of adversity.

Muireall Blair has finally found a comfortable life at Fort Harrod—until she experiences a recurring nightmare that warns of impending doom for her sister. Unable to shake the weight of foreboding, Muireall cannot sit idle anymore and risk the dream becoming a reality. With her near-sightedness a closely guarded secret, she seeks the help of Jude, a man with his own hidden past, to reach her sister.

Jude Browne has been gifted with a life of fighting for survival, not one of finding acceptance. Half-blinded as a youth, the scars across his face and the knowledge of his illegitimate birth serve as a reminder of his worthlessness. However, when his mother falls ill, she finally lays bare all the secrets she has kept all his life.

Secrets that point to his one chance of finding who he truly is.

Jude and Muireall soon realize that a marriage of convenience is the key to reaching Pitman Station safely.

But when their secrets unravel and danger closes in, will they succumb to the shadows of their pasts, or will they find the strength to forge a new future together?

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My Thoughts on Return to the Wilderness

Return to the Wilderness is a fun marriage of convenience historical fiction novel with some danger and plenty of secrets as well thrown in. I really enjoyed this book. This is part of a series so do be forewarned.

Jude and Muirreall both have their own issues and secrets. They both have a need to get to a family member. And the best way for them to do this is to get married so they can safely travel together. Neither of them is beating marriage prospects off with a stick either so it seems like a good decision.

But when secrets start popping out of the woodwork are they going to regret their decision?

I enjoyed this novel. It read quickly. The characters drew me in and wouldn’t let me leave. Both of our main characters have things that affect them physically, either that can be seen or that you don’t notice at first. But they are there. And they make them feel less than, like they’re not a whole person and that no one would want them.

This is book four in the series that I mentioned earlier. I do feel you should read the series in order, but you could probably get by with reading this as a stand-alone novel if you wanted to.

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from Celebrate Lit. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.

About the Author of Return to the Wilderness

Andrea Byrd is a Christian wife and mom located in rural Kentucky, who loves to spend time with her family in the great outdoors, one with nature. Often described as having been born outside her time, she has a deep affinity for an old-fashioned, natural lifestyle.

With a degree in Equine Health & Rehabilitation gathering dust and a full-time job tethering her to a desk eight hours a day, Andrea decided it was time to show both herself and her children that it is truly possible to make your dreams come true. Now with over 1,000 contemporary Christian romance novellas sold, Andrea is pursuing her passion of writing faith-filled romance woven with a thread of true history.

More from Andrea

I love to read books that have historical facts, especially little-known ones, woven into their pages. Within my books, I strive to do the same and Return to the Wilderness is no exception.

This book comes in after the unrest of what some call the “Indian Wars,” in Kentucky. During that time, attacks by the native were frequent and brutal. Many of the Station Masters and long hunters in the area lost family members. If you read, Rescue in the Wilderness, you have seen a glimpse of this time and how devastating it could be.

Due to these attacks, stations and settlements were often abandoned. Sometimes the families returned after this time period came to an end and sometimes the buildings were simply left to deteriorate and become shells of a past time. I do not want to give any spoilers, but if you decide to read Return to the Wilderness, you will find out just how this little piece of history impacts the main character, Muireall (the sister from Redemption in the Wilderness).