Heather Blanton’s Hearts in Defiance

About

MEN MAKE MISTAKES. GOD WILL FORGIVE THEM. WILL THEIR WOMEN?
Charles McIntyre built the lawless, godless mining town of Defiance practically with his bare hands … and without any remorse for the lives he destroyed along the way. Then a glimpse of true love, both earthly and heavenly, changed him. The question is, how much? Naomi Miller is a beautiful, decent woman. She says she loves McIntyre, that God does, too, and the past is behind them now. But McIntyre struggles to believe he’s worth saving … worth loving. Unfortunately, the temptations in Defiance only reinforce his doubts.

Billy Page abandoned Hannah Frink when he discovered she was going to have his baby … and now he can’t live with himself. Or without her. Determined to prove his love, he leaves his family and fortune behind and journeys to Defiance. Will Hannah take Billy back or give him what he deserves for the betrayal?

On a mountain high in the Rockies, looking down the barrel of a gun, both men will come to some stunning conclusions.

Review

I just really loved the first book in this series, A Lady in Defiance, and so when I saw that book two was coming out, I immediately downloaded it. And it was just as good as the last one! My thoughts:

What I liked:

Even though it has been over a year since I read the first book, it didn’t take me long to remember everybody and what had happened before. To me, I was right back in Defiance with Naomi and her sisters.

Naomi. She’s still my favorite character because she’s so not like other heroines. She’s feisty, she has a temper, she doesn’t wait for around for help, she takes charge, and she doesn’t put up with other people’s excuses. With a personality like that, you would think she would be annoying, but not at all. It’s such a nice contrast to heroines who sit around and wait for things to happen, and yet Naomi not once feels like she stepped out of the 21st century. To me, she’s more a woman of her times than others because living out west was hard, and you had to be a survivor.

Charles. I adored Charles in the first book because he reminded me so much of Rhett Butler. Now that he has a relationship with Jesus, my heart just went out to him. He’s balancing his new life in Christ with his old life’s decisions and sometimes its heartbreaking, but Charles definitely became someone I could trust.

The romance. Charles and Naomi pick up right where they left off. But Charles has this beautiful vulnerability with Naomi that is rarely accomplished in books. I loved the way he loved her.

The secondary characters. Usually I want to focus on the main characters, but in this case I was just as invested in Naomi’s sisters and their own romances.

The storyline. Looking back on it, not a lot happened. It was much more character driven than plot driven, and yet I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.

Spiritually, I loved loved loved how grace is shown in this book. The author didn’t just give us a scripture, but she showed how a new believer in Christ may wrestle with the idea of grace, but ultimately must believe that they are forgiven. And yet, sometimes, there are still consequences. But with God on your side, they are easier to deal with.

What I didn’t like:

One of Naomi’s sisters gets involved in a bit of a love triangle. I’m not a fan of those…and I think she chose the wrong guy. I’m sorry, whats-his-face just never grew on me.

Romantic scale: 9

Overall, a wonderful sequel! That ending though!