An Appalachian Summer is a wonderful book about second chances. Set in the stunning Appalachian mountains, the story focuses on the Frontier Nursing Service in Kentucky.

Piper Danson is living most girls’ dream because she’s a debutant whose family survived the terrible stock market crash. Unfortunately, the man she loves with didn’t fare so well and their growing relationship frowned upon. Her parents are keen for her to set her sights on the wealthy and respectable Braxton Crandall instead.

With her heart torn between what’s expected and what she dreams about, Piper heads for the hills. She volunteers with the Frontier Nursing Service as a horse courier. Her spinster aunt Truda encourages the trip not knowing it’ll change her life too. Because, when Truda visits, she discovers the only man who caught her interest is working in the mountain hospital.

Piper’s former beau, Jamie arrives to write a newspaper article about the nurses, and then old possibilities race back to the fore and clash with the convention for a young lady of Piper’s social standing.

As much as the characters leap from the page, so does the setting. The couriers and nurses encounter nature in its wildest form. When you’re a debutant, everything is done for you. Milking a cow, painting a door or weeding a garden, presents a huge challenge. Piper and her colleagues learn a whole other way of life and face the harsh conditions with an adventurous spirit that seems infectious to all around them.

I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this book, from the setting, the struggles and watching the relationships play out. I’d highly recommend An Appalachian Summer to anyone who enjoys a good love story, visiting a dramatic new place or likes to learn about history. Ann E. Gabhart is a new author to me, but I plan on reading many more of her books.

For a sneak peak or to buy An Appalachian Summer, click here…

To connect with Ann H. Gabhart’s website, click here…

And for my other top picks for 2020 so far, click here…