About the Book

Book: Reverence in the Wilderness

Author: Andrea Byrd

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: March 5, 2024

She’s desperate to save the homestead she’s poured her life into…but is a marriage of convenience with him the answer?

Alone in the Kentucky wilderness, Keturah Elliot finds herself bereft of family and facing the looming threat of losing all she has left. After toiling alongside her demeaning father for two years, she cannot bear losing the homestead they built with their own hands. Keturah has no choice but to trust the Lord’s urging—she must marry to protect all she holds dear. But when a candidate presents himself in the form of a wealthy dandy from back East, can she find enough redeeming qualities to accept him?

Haunted by his mother’s death and a lifetime of failure and isolation, Daniel Scott sees little hope of a better situation when he’s sent to a remote Kentucky station. But when he meets a captivating Scottish woman in need of a husband such as he, he’s determined to break the cycle and prove himself once and for all.

Brought together by circumstances beyond their control, can these two opposites overcome their challenges to build the future they both crave?

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About the Author

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

In many ways, Reverence in the Wilderness is deeply personal for me.

To read about Daniel Scott is to receive a glimpse at my own husband. Dark hair and a golden-brown gaze…and my complete opposite in nearly every way. He is also talkative, entertaining, and gentlemanly. He definitely shares Daniel’s fun-loving and caring nature. Just as God blessed Keturah with Daniel, God blessed me with a man who perfectly complements me while keeping life interesting.

And, not to provider spoilers, but the miscarriage was drawn from one of my own experiences. During my most recent pregnancy, I experienced a threatened miscarriage. I just knew without a shadow of a doubt that I had lost my baby, and in that moment, I glimpsed the hopelessness one would face during a miscarriage. Thanks to the prayers of others and the good Lord above, I was blessed with a healthy pregnancy from then on out and now have a beautiful, healthy baby boy. However, there are so many women who must face that grief and loss in full force. And for always, my heart will break for them. As soon as I returned home from the hospital that night, I knew I had to represent their plight within these pages.

This book is dedicated to every woman who has ever experienced a miscarriage or threatened miscarriage.

My Impressions

“Ye need land, an’ I need a husband. But only if ye can pull yer weight.”

Whoo, boy, you know exactly what to expect out of Andrea Byrd’s historical romance, Reverence in the Wilderness, when you read Keturah’s words to Daniel. Well, at least you know two people are hurtling head-long for adventure, compromise, hurt, and possibly love. When Keturah’s mean-spirited father is killed suddenly, she realizes the only way to keep her land is to find a man to marry who can help her homestead it. So off she heads husband-hunting at the nearest trading post.

Daniel has been injured and left behind by his westward traveling party at the post to recuperate. But, Daniel knows it goes beyond that. Failure could be his first and last name, with rejection being his middle name. Can he ever prove his mettle before God and others, or did God make a mistake when He made Daniel, as his father believes?

Keturah believes God has answered her prayer for a husband quite quickly, and decisions are made that must be lived with. I will give credit to both Keturah and Daniel for seeking out advice. Says James Skaggs, the trading post owner,

“Marriage itself is an adventure, one that must be learned along the way…You cannot allow the fear of failure to cause you to turn from something that could be the best choice you ever make.”

Both Daniel and Keturah had fathers who greatly influenced them in a negative way. Although the fathers are not present in the novel, their attitudes towards their children have caused severe scars. In at least Keturah’s case, when things begin to go south, she sees the Heavenly Father through the lens her earthly father provided. “Had she somehow lost favor with her Heavenly Father as she had long ago done so with her earthly father?”

As difficulties multiply and walls build and become insurmountable, will the newly established family crumble in the dust or find its firm footing in faith and forgiveness?

A heart-rending story of two deeply damaged hearts searching for the ultimate love of the Father and the deep, abiding love of a faithful, caring spouse.

Trigger warning: miscarriage

I received a copy of the book from the author through Celebrate Lit. I also bought my own copy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.

Notable Quotable:

( What Characters Need to Learn)

“It is sometimes difficult to remember the truths of reality when you are being fed a lie.”