The Trouble with Heroes by Kate Messner

 Finn Connelly, dealing with grief over the death of his father, goes to a cemetery and kicks over a headstone.  He is caught, of course, and is given a choice.  His family can come up with the $2000 needed to repair the broken headstone, or he can commit to climbing all 46 high peaks in the Adirondack mountain range near his house in the course of one summer. He knows his family can't afford the $2000 so he agrees to the climbing challenge. He is not thrilled, at first, that he is required to take the pet dog of the diseased woman whose grave he vandalized with him on the hikes. Nor is he happy that he will have "hiking nannies" to go along with him on each hike.  During the summer, the time with caring adults, experiences in nature and time to process his father's death, heal him more than he could have imagined. 

This is a book I chose on a whim. I remembered that it got a lot of attention when it was published a few years ago at the end of the Covid Pandemic. I didn't realize when I started it that it deals with the long term PTSD that first responders to the 9-11 attacks had to deal with.  It ended up being a good way to reflect on that event just after its 25 anniversary. Messner is an amazing author. She has a really good pre-teen male voice, and Finn is sympathetic without ever being sappy. She also does a great job describing nature and the specific hikes mentioned in the book, Messner herself being a "46 Peaker." If you want a heart warming story of a boy dealing with loss, you can't go wrong here. (2023, 368 p.) 

Stealing the Preacher by Karen Witemeyer

Crocket Archer took over the care of his brother's spiritual welfare when the group of teenage boys were left as orphans. Now an adult, he is eager to audition to lead his own parish in Piney Woods Texas. On the way to his interview, his train is held up by bandits.  They aren't after valuables.  Instead they are there to steal the him.  They take him to the ex-train robber's home and present him as a present to his daughter, Joanna.  She is mortified by her father's actions, but shares with Crocket her dreams of finding a preacher for their towns long empty church. Circumstances conspire that convince Crocket that this is the destination God intended for him, and that he has a role to play in Joanna's life. Life's pathways are never smooth, and Joanna and Crocket have many bumps in the road to overcome before they reach their divinely appointed happy ending. 

Here is another Texas Christian romance by Karen Witemeyer about the Archer boys we were introduce to in the Short Straw Bride.  It is the book that I skipped when I read Full Steam Ahead, but even after reading this one I see no connection to that one. Because the love interest is a preacher, this story tends to be even more preachy than her other books but really, I don't mind. I enjoyed the side story of Joanna's father's path to reconciliation with God after a young adulthood of crime. Of course, Crocket and Joanna are endearing as well. Still, this is my third Christian historical romance in a row, and I am ready for something else. (2013, 515 p.)

The Best-Laid Plans by Sarah Eden

 Newton Hughes is getting pressured by his parents to find a suitable match and settle down as a gentleman of leisure. Ellie is getting pressure from her parents to make a match with Charlie Jonquil, since her older sister was unable to ensnare him the previous season. Neither Ellie nor Newton want to do what their parents have planned for them so they, with the help of Artemis Lancaster, plan to thwart their parent's plans by pretending to form an interest in each other. As they spend time in each other's company, they discover that they actually like each other.  Newton likes Ellie's intelligent (though reserved) wit, and Ellie likes Newtons' quiet loyalty. As their pretend romance becomes real, it attracts the attention and ire of their families, one member of which goes to great lengths to squash their growing attachment.

This is a cute short novel in the world of the Lancaster and Jonquil families. It follows the romance of secondary characters to the main novels, but gives the readers a healthy dose of characters they love from the original series.  I especially liked watching Artemis and Charlie interact, knowing what was going to befall them in Charming Artemis. I recently watched the Netflix series based on Seeking Persephone and love love loved it! I was happy to dive back into Ms Eden's delightful dynasties once again. (134 p. 2021)