Schoolteacher Leanna McKee plans on leaving the coal mining town of Castle Gate, Utah, and never looking back. Good riddance to coal dust, rugged men, and the fatal mine that took her husband’s life.
Until the widow meets a widower who awakens her heart…and she finds herself inexplicably falling for miner Alex Pappas which stirs up a whole heap of trouble.
Alex’s Greek parents have arranged a more traditional match for him. When the schoolteacher’s association with the Greek family begins to anger the American miners, they threaten Alex and his family. Leanna has received an offer to teach elsewhere and feels she has no choice but to leave Castle Gate. . .though she will be leaving her heart behind.
More from My Heart Belongs in Series…
My Heart Belongs in Fort Bliss: Priscilla’s Reveille by Erica Vetsch (January 2017)
My Heart Belongs in the Superstition Mountains: Carmella’s Quandary by Susan Page Davis (March 2017)
My Heart Belongs in Ruby City, Idaho: Rebecca’s Plight by Susanne Dietze (May 2017)
My Heart Belongs on Mackinac Island: Maude’s Mooring by Carrie Fancett Pagels (July 2017)
My Heart Belongs in the Shenandoah Valley: Lily’s Dilemma by Andrea Boeshaar (September 2017)
My Thoughts: I’m a sucker for a mining camp story, so I was drawn to Dicken’s Castle Gate and wasn’t let down. The story didn’t focus on life inside the mines quite so much but was rich on the difficulties of the immigrant miners, namely the Greek miners. The place where this story really shined was in immersing the reader into the Greek culture and traditions. This is an area that I haven’t run across often in Christian Fiction and found it delightful. It’s always sobering to witness prejudices being played out in a story, and I leave with so much respect for those who traveled the hard roads earlier in our nation’s history as well as leave with a lesson or two about how to respond to it in today’s climate.
My Heart Belongs in Castle Gate, Utah was a delightful read with a delightful cast! I enjoyed my time with the Pappas family and only wish we could expect more from these friends.
Rating and Recommendation: I’m giving My Heart Belongs in Castle Gate, Utah 4 stars and recommend it to those who enjoy Christian Historical Fiction or mining camp settings.
~I received a copy from Net Galley. I was not compensated for my review. All thoughts are my own.
Christian Author: A.M. Heath 