Books & Writing -- Blowing On Dandelions by Miralee Ferrell

Do Dandelion Wishes Actually Come True?

Katherine Galloway knows the moment of calm she is feeling won't last, blown away like the dandelion seeds she'd scattered as a girl. It's 1880, three years after her husband's death, and she's struggling to run an Oregon boardinghouse and raise two girls alone. Things don't get easier when her critical domineering mother moves in. Katherine must make the situation work, but standing up for herself and her family while honoring her mother isn't easy. And with a daughter soon to turn fourteen, the pressure on Katherine becomes close to overwhelming. Then she crosses paths with Micah Jacobs, a widower who could reignite her heart, but she fears a relationship with him might send things over the edge. She must find the strength, wisdom, hope, and faith to remake her life, because everything is about to change.

Miralee has been kind enough to offer

a free book.

All you have to do is leave a comment along with 

your email address and you'll be included in the drawing.

I'll post the winner one week from today.

My thoughts:

Delightful 

is the first word that comes 

to mind.

I started the book, expecting a fun, light historical romance. And it was that, but oh so much more. Not only does Miralee create a sweet romance, she also sensitively and realistically examines broken relationships. 

The story begins in Baker City, Oregon in the year 1880.

After a tragedy leaves Micah Jacobs and his son Zachary homeless, Katherine Galloway takes them into her boarding house. Both Micah and Katherine are wary of any emotional entanglements, and Micah Jacobs can't get out from under Katherine's care fast enough. 

Micah and Katherine warily appraise one another while living in the midst of turmoil percolating among the tenants living in the boarding house. Katherine and her mother spar though they long for love and forgiveness.

The secondary characters in this story add to its charm. They are complex and colorful. I especially enjoyed the skirmishes between one of the boarding house tenants and Katharine's mother. 

Miralee Farrell deftly reveals the tenderness that lives beneath the surface of even the most cantankerous characters while gently reminding readers that we all can fall prey to the mistake of making inaccurate assumptions about others--assumptions that can be destructive. I especially enjoyed her use of humor to shine light on the painful and perilous rifts that exist in most every relationship. 

If you're looking for a light read that touches the heart, pick up Blowing On Dandelions. You won't be sorry.

Miralee and her husband Allen have been married almost 40 years. They live on 11 acres in the beautiful Columbia River Gorge in southern Washington State, where they love to garden, play with their dogs, take walks, and go sailing. Miralee also rides her horse on the wooded trails near their home with her grown daughter who lives nearby. She’s an avid reader and has a large collection of first edition Zane Grey books, which inspired her desire to write fiction set in the Old West. When she started writing fiction Miralee believed that she’d always stay with women’s contemporary, but has since branched out to historical romance. Her first two books were women’s contemporary with Kregel Publications, The Other Daughter, and Finding Jeena.

Miralee serves as president of the Portland, Oregon, chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and belongs
to a number of writer’s groups. She speaks at women’s groups, libraries, and churches about her writing journey, and has taught at both writers and library conferences.

You can find Miralee at:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/miralee
Twitter: www.twitter.com/MiraleeFerrell
Blog: www.miraleesdesk.blogspot.com