ABOUT A RUSH OF WINGS

Though her panic is real, Noelle St. Claire is uncertain what danger she is fleeing. Fragmented images and slivers of memory have driven her to abandon her wealthy, sheltered life in New York for the hope of a haven–remote and safe.

Noelle's arrival at the Rocky Mountain horse ranch owned by Rick Spencer and his brother Morgan causes more than a little stir. Beautiful, vulnerable, yet strangely secretive, Noelle is an enigma the two contrasting brothers seek to unlock. But as their attentions breach the wall she hides behind, the past becomes a menacing threat from which Noelle can no longer hide.

A Rush of Wings by Kristen Heitzmann has been in my "to read" pile for a while now. Noelle St. Clair is a wealthy, yet sheltered young woman. Her memories are sharp fragments of the past that scare her into running away. Although, she has no idea what it is she is fleeing, she is frantic to stay away from the past. Noelle is confused and running away from something she is not even sure happened. The author does a fantastic job of telling a romantic story that keeps you in suspense until the very end.

I do highly recommend this book if you enjoy mystery and romance. This book has great twists and turns, just when you think you have it figured out and you know what is going to happen, hold on to your hat a twist happens and the story is turned upside down. It is a great page turner to the very end. She points her readers to Christ. I appreciated the fact that Heitzmann shows us the struggle that is in each of us as we seek to find God in all of our lives. All we have to do is turn back to God and find the strength that we need to get through each day. The characters seemed so real I felt like I was a fly on the wall. The author had a way of telling the story that made it interesting and yet so intriguing to the very end. I really had no idea how the book would turn out until the very last page.

Note: This book was originally published in 2003 and was re-published with a new cover in 2010.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Bethany House a division of Baker Publishing Group as part of their Blogger Review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Kristen Heitzmann is a new author for me, never read any of books before receiving this one. A Rush of Wings for me took a few chapters to get into but once it got there, it was hard to put it down. Noelle St. Claire runs from New York in the middle of the night because of an abusive fiancee. She finds herself in Colorado and staying with Rick Spencer on his ranch. There she meets his brother Morgan. Both brothers see there is something going on with Noelle but can't get through her shell. Rick is a very spiritual man and very open about his spirituality. Noelle isn't spiritual at all. She actually finds hersef wanting nothing to do with God. Noelle has this horrible flashbacks/dreams that she can't figure out but they were triggered by the violence of her fiancee. Noelle settles into life at the ranch. She begins painting again and selling her work in town. An accident happens and Noelle is thrown into a mess. Rick tries to help her but knows that unless she allows God to help her she will never be healed.

The characters in this book are very deep and very likable. Life on the ranch seems very accurate. This book explores many things: spirituality, domestic violence, mental health, forgiveness, and find God. I would highly recommend this book. I have found another author that I want to read.

Noelle St. Claire is a lonely young woman fleeing from a seemingly dangerous past.

She ends up at a ranch in Colorado owned by Rick Spencer.

Rick rents out cabins on his ranch and a few rooms in the main lodge. He takes a chance on Noelle and allows her to rent out a room in the main lodge when all the cabins were booked up.

She tries to keep to herself but Rick's carefree brother Morgan is always trying to show her a good time.

She manages to keep her secret hidden until she ends up in a horse riding accident and Rick presses her about her past.

After the accident they realize they have feelings for each other but there are other factors in the way.

Was Rick meant for her, Morgan seemed to be in love with her as well and she thought she might have feelings for him. Also, there was her past and the broken relationship there.

This was a great story. If you love romances set in beautiful mountains with horses and a cowboy then you will love this book.

There was much suspense and I could hardly put the book down. The author made me care for Noelle and what she was going through. I even felt bad for the man she didn't end up with in the end. Great story telling! I highly recommend this book.

Loved it. Kept me reading and was not predictable.

Noelle is confused and running away from something she is not even sure happened. She has always had someone to take care of her needs and lived the comfortable life riches can buy. But she is not safe anymore. In her escape, she ends up in a ranch in Colorado, where she meets Rich and Morgan, two brothers whose life is turned upside down because of Noelle's presence. Both of them sense her need to belong, her need of purpose, as well as her fragility, and seek to aid her in their best way.

The ranch proves to be an oasis for Noelle. However, she

finds there much more than just a physical refuge; it is the

place that helps her realize there is more to life than the

comforts money can buy. It is where her eyes are open to a spiritual reality that can fill her emptiness through the

infinite love and care of Her Creator, even if she does not

really care about anything like that. It is in this stage of

her life that her confusion turns into depression and almost takes her life, but it is also when her soul begins to mend, thanks to other people's care.

At one point, she decides to go back to her father,

apparently leaving everything — and everyone — behind. But little by little, she comes to terms with that Creator she

was able to sense in the Colorado mountains, allowing Him to show her what true love and forgiveness is. By the end,

Noelle is able to say: "Surrendering to Jesus gave me the

only hope I have," finally giving her a true identity and

sense of belonging.

True to Christian principles, this is a highly recommendable

book, fast to read and sure to entice everyone with the

thrills of the story.

Bethany House Publishers gave me a complimentary copy of the book for review, but this does not bias my opinion on the book nor on the author.