It’s my pleasure to have Brenda B. Taylor visiting again today.
She’s gifting a digital copy of of one of her books to a commenter so be sure to leave your email address when you comment.
Through The Storm
By Brenda B. Taylor
The Wades of Crawford County series follows Leann Clark and Ralph Wade through courtship in Heaven Must Wait, then their wedding and the early married years in Follow Your Heart. The Wade family saga continues in Through The Storm, a work of historical fiction set in post-Civil War Missouri. Love reigns in the home of Leann and Ralph Wade, although tested many times during the course of their marriage. Leann and Ralph struggle to overcome the storms of life through faith, courage, and commitment to each other.
Leann’s faith is tested when her desire to have a large, fun-loving, congenial family like the one in which she was raised is threatened; however, she never stops believing the Lord answers prayer and turns to Him for consolation. After eleven years of marriage with one natural-born son, an adopted son, and a foster daughter, Leann does not give up her desire to have more children.
Ralph is proud of his ability to provide for his family on their large productive farm. He takes great pride in his crops and the abundance of their produce. Ralph is content with his lovely wife and three children, but he adores Leann, and she wants more children, so he wants more children. His heart’s desires are to please his wife, raise his three children to be fine responsible adults, and work the land on his farm.
Ralph’s pride is wounded and his emotions in a turmoil when he contacts a disease from his school-age children that may render him unable to father more offspring. His very manhood is at risk. During his illness and confinement, Ralph becomes more humble, thankful, and prayerful in his relationship with God.
Their marriage is threatened by the attraction Sonny, Ralph’s older brother, feels toward Leann, and Joan Smith, a Cuba business woman, displays toward Ralph. Sonny secretly loves Leann. No other woman can take her place in his heart. He tries to keep his feelings at bay, but her memory is welded into the very fabric of his being. Sonny loved Leann before she and Ralph married, but he enlisted in the Confederate Army during the Civil War and lost his opportunity to court her. He never expresses his love openly; however, Leann and Ralph suspect his feelings.
Sonny is good to the family, especially James, their adopted son. He and Joan brought James to Cuba from New Orleans when the baby’s mother abandoned him. Leann and Ralph adopted James and feel in their hearts the child is really Sonny’s, although they do not express those feelings to anyone but each other. Joan remained in Cuba to begin a new life.
Ralph befriended Joan Smith during an earlier encounter when she was under great distress. He found her appealing, but his love for Leann prevailed over the physical attraction he felt for Joan. The lady continues to show her feelings for Ralph, although he remains only a friend to her.
Will the marriage of Leann and Ralph survive Through The Storm?
Truly captivating in the development of the entire cast of characters, each person is given a detail unseen in literature today. These are not just silly heroes and heroines prancing about on a page. These are real people, fighting real challenges, loving real loves. If you’re looking for a truly well told story, this is your book. ~ Jessie Clever, author of Inevitably a Duchess.
Excerpt from Through The Storm
“Pa and Junior caught some nice fish in the Meramec last week,” Ralph said about halfway into the trip home. “I’m gonna take you and the kids fishing soon. Johnny and me will be through with harvesting the tobacco, and we all need a break from sickness and working hard. Nothing like a good fishing trip to make a person feel better.”
“How nice! The kids will love to go fishing. I’ll pack a lunch. We’ll have a great time.” Leann slipped an arm through his.
He looked at her sitting close on the wagon seat, and felt the warmth of her body pressing against his arm. Not being able to resist the temptation to kiss her lovely mouth, he pulled up under a large oak displaying an array of orange and red colors. He had missed her sweet love while lying sick in the bed for what seemed an eternity.
The reins slacked when Leann returned his embrace. Jed came to a complete stop while they kissed in the warm sunlight of a beautiful autumn afternoon. Ralph’s hat fell onto the floorboard. A red leaf floated softly into her hair as the sun’s rays crowned her head with a golden halo. He nibbled a pink earlobe, then kissed the white nap of her neck where strands of sweet-smelling hair lay in small curls. A folded quilt in the wagon bed came to mind. He may spread it out on the grass for them to lie on. Leann suddenly removed her arms from his neck. “We’d better go. The kids will be home soon.”
Hating to, but knowing the necessity, Ralph released her, found his hat, and took up the reins. They rode the rest of the way in silence, basking in each other’s company. The wagon pulled into the front yard at the same time Jim galloped up on Starbright
About The Author
The desire to write historical fiction has long been a passion with Brenda B. Taylor. Since elementary school, she has written stories in her spare time. Brenda earned three degrees: a BSE from Henderson State University, Arkadelphia, Arkansas; a MEd from Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas; and an EdD from Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas; then worked as a teacher and administrator in the Texas Public School system. Only after retirement could she fulfill the dream of publication.
Brenda and her husband make their home in beautiful East Texas where they enjoy spending time with family and friends, traveling, and working in Bethabara Faith Ministry, Inc. She crafts stories about the extraordinary lives of ordinary people in her favorite place overlooking bird feeders, bird houses, and a variety of blooming trees and flowers. She sincerely thanks all who purchase and read her books. Her desire is that the message in each book will touch the heart of the reader as it did hers in the writing.
Brenda’s Contact and Book Information
