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Set in the Sierra Mountains in the 1800’s, this romance is about an orphaned girl named Katy, who goes to live with her uncle Jack and his wife. Jesse is a hired hand to assist Jack on the ranch. Katy has suffered from a lack of love from her mother growing up, and her father and grandmother try to take up the slack. After a long train ride from Utah to California, to the Nevada desert and Mountains, they arrive at uncle Jack’s ranch. There Katy meets Jesse for the first time and her heart pitter patters with unknown feelings. Little did she know that this Maidu Indian boy had the same stirrings as she did. Jack confides to Jesse about Katy's had a hard life, just as he had told Katy about Jesse’s past life. Although the both of them had a hard life it was unexpected that they should come into a relationship all their own. Through Jesse’s guidance, Katy can come to forgive her mother. This historical romance will win your heart as you watch their love grow, going through many life changing adventures along the way.
"Singing Winds" by Linda Strawn has brought about a beautiful and romantic setting in the historical 1800’s where romance, Indians, and ranch life take you on the most love filled adventures that you will absolutely love to read. If romance is what you are into then this is a must have in your library. I say to Linda Strawn this is a job well done. I enjoyed every adventure and every page. It kept me on my toes as to where this was going. Congratulations for bringing to life the romance in which I think everybody will be enthralled to read.
Reviewer: Anastasia
Let us follow Katy, our woman of admirable exploits, as she opens doors to new adventures that lead her through numerous struggles through life. Katy started out as a bitter child. If someone told her that her voice sounded great, or just happened to mention how pretty she was, her mother would throw it back at her, causing more anger. Like the wicked queen telling Snow White her failures. Or the wicked stepmother keeping Cinderella from the Ball. The hatred Katy formed in her heart, plus stubborn pride kept her a safe distance from her mom. This sounds like a good recipe for insecurity.
Katie’s mom’s death drew her even farther inside her shell of insecurity. She didn’t trust her stepfather, so she went to live with her Uncle Jack and Aunt Madeline. A Christian family. Upon entry into another new home, Katy learns an unique way of living that helps her to better understand life. She and Jesse find each other as trusting friends. A beautiful couple. Will this friendship form a love connection between the two, or bring more sadness for Katy?
SINGING WINDS, an appropriate title. I loved it! This amazing slow moving saga starts out on a sad note and tears at the heart strings. Emotions overflowed throughout the story. Devastated at what was happening in her young life, Katy still learned many ways to appreciate affection. One part in particular moved this reader to tears when a miracle happened with Jesse, our brave hero, who will always have a warm spot in my heart. The suspense held me like a magnet drawn to metal.
Linda Strawn’s unique style with the dialogue captured the warmth of the characters that lingered in my mind long after the heart moving story was read. The characters caused an overall reaction or impression on me that filled me with awe. I laughed with Katy. I cried with Madeline. I was filled with fear for Jesse. I will never forget them. Definitely a keeper!
Overall rating: 
Sensuality rating: Sweet
Reviewer: Wanda Maynard
August 13, 2007
Coffee Time Romance Rating: 4 Cups
As a child, Katy Breyer lived with her father in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and was very happy. Then her mother and stepfather took her to the city and neglected her to the point that she came to rely on the servants as her friends. After an accident took the lives of her mother and stepfather, she went to live with her uncle and his family.
A series of events led Jesse, a Maidu Indian separated from his tribe during a hunting expedition that came under attack, to Katy’s uncle Jack. Jack and his wife Madeline took Jesse in and raised him as their own. They taught him the ways of the white man and of God. He became a strong believer and knew in his heart that God would use him to spread the word among his people.
Katy and Jesse are wary of each other at first, but as they learn more about God and His works, they build up their faith. Their friendship soon turns to love and they begin the journey of a lifetime together. As they spread the word of God to the Maidu tribe, they come together as one and face many obstacles; everything from a bear trap to prejudice of a race of people.
What a wonderful story of faith, strength and character. This couple takes on every challenge thrown at them and finds a way to adapt to the outcome. The many stories told in Singing Winds effortlessly intertwine the characters together. You will fall in love with these loving, kind people as they give you hope for mankind’s fate. Ms. Strawn has started her writing career with a bang with this exciting new book. You will not want to miss Singing Winds.
Matilda
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance
Reviewer for Karen Find Out About New Books
Linda Strawn presents an Indian story that will win your heart, as orphaned Katy Breyer falls in love with a Maidu brave, and wonders whether she can successfully live a good Christian life while also living with Jessie’s people.
Review:
When Jack rescues his orphaned niece, Katy Breyer, from a loveless well-to-do lifestyle, and takes her home in Truckee, California, he relies upon his religion to get him through the hard times. He prays that his brother's eighteen year old daughter will adjust to the simple life that he offers her.
However, when Katy sees her very first Indian, he is not the wild, frightening savage she had envisioned. She is disappointed that nineteen year old Jesse would rather spend his time out in the barn, than mingle with Uncle Jack’s family. Yet, she realizes he has his own mission in life, his own hurts to heal, and his own concept of God. She wonders if she can follow him into the wild country with a clear conscience. Could God still find her and be her salvation, after she meets Stone Wolf and becomes a part of his people? What becomes of the Maidu People after they decide to convert to Christianity?
Katy worries that Jesus will deny her if she becomes wife to an Indian, and bears an Indian child. Can she change her world simply by changing her name? Can she live in two different worlds, and still have her salvation in God? This is a very touching romance, one filled with overcoming personal doubts, while also keeping the faith.
A review from Maryann . . .
Linda Strawn has written one of the best Christian romances that I have read. The book takes you to a time where life is simpler. Then the work ethic was to work hard and have faith in God, for He will see you through.
The characters in this book show a great faith in God. They try to do what is right, but not always the easy way. I think that some of us have lost this insight in our day and age, where the easy way is taken more often than the correct way... This book will help you bring back the faith in God that most of us grew up with.
The hardship of falling in love with an Indian and keeping her faith is a struggle for Katy. She at all times put her faith in the hands of God and her love in Jesse. This young woman goes from living a privileged life with her family to the hard life of an Indian woman. You see through their eyes what it is like to live as an Indian lives and still teach the word of God.
Through out the book Katy and Jesse neither loses their love or faith. It is a great book for all ages and a timeless read.
I give this book 5 ***** stars.
Maryann Nooner
| What other authors had to say... |
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Singing Winds: A time machine into the past, a romantic dream come true, a tale of faith and hope, breath taking beauty, full of real life action; a story of a young woman that lives with her father in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Her life is happy and protected until her alienated mother takes custody of her. She then moves her away, hundreds of miles from all that she has ever known. Five long tedious years she endures the neglect of her mother. She is stuck between her mother’s and stepfather’s differences. Her only happiness is discovered in a friend. A tragedy occurs and causes her life to spin around. She is reunited with her loving uncle who takes her in. She is put through trials and tribulations of life; she has to hold on to her faith in God. It is a venture into Romance, Love, and Faith. A deep soulful searching write, perfect in every way; the author writes with words that sing a song to your heart, and color that paints a picture so vivid. An artist capturing word in a picture that dances in your mind. This book is a perfect collection to any library or bookshelf. The ending is absolutely brilliant, Wow! A must read Christian Romance novel. We would all hope that we can expect great things from this writer.
~Tabitha Robin, author of “The Burning Bush”
Singing Winds does more than remind us of a simpler time; the author immerses the reader in that time. Her descriptive voice and dialog make you feel you are a part of the story, becoming so familiar with the characters that you can't help but fall in love with them.
When Jack and Madeline bring Jack's niece Katy into the family she is an instant fit, this is something that both sides feel. Katy feels the love and belonging she never felt with her own mother and step-father; and by bringing her to his family Jack fulfills a promise to his deceased brother. Katy's main discomfort though comes from her feelings about Jesse, Jack's adopted Native American son. Jesse's feelings for Katy come to light and bring you into the heart of a love so pure, you can't help but feel each emotion as the characters are feeling them for themselves.
Singing Winds is a must for any romance aficionado. Linda Strawn's easy style makes this book a great summer read. This should be packed in your beach bag.
~ Maura Clegg, author of Mohican Lake
This powerful narrative contains so many things missing from many of today's writings. It is, in a sense, one of the journey stories that begin indeed, in a horse-drawn wagon, moves to a train, and features travel to distant Salt Lake City. This highlights the personal journeys of several main characters.
In delving into an historic setting, the author did more than use window dressings to create a sense of time and place, but was not afraid to address the beliefs of the times, and show that belief as the powerful character-shaping influence it, indeed, must have been. Reflections of faith have impact throughout.
The main character is powerful; a man with a past, a man with regrets as we discover, as he remembers his bar-room days right at the start. His decisions make an impact on other's lives- including the boy he adopted but also, the lives and connections within the sprawling family. We understand that it was through his faith, that he became a responsible man. As the story opens, he is attempting to resolve family issues.
The actual physical setting is rich, right from the start "As Jesse urged the horses on through the deeper snow of the pass he began to feel the peace of God surround him." The descriptions give the reader a real sense of place, but also, mood. "The quietness of the woods," tied, as it is to a sense of faith, offers a wonderful sense of tranquility.
The primary family, followed in the tale, lives out of town. The impact of that distance is remembered in a myriad of ways that charmingly fill out the story. "Sometimes she longed to have a sister with whom she can sit and laugh and talk of silly girl things with..." is all it takes for us to recall that their slight isolation has a role in the tale, as well. The interplay of characters is immediately intriguing. There are a number of strong personalities within the story, and the conflicts that arise between them shape. We also grasp how even the best intentions can go wrong, somehow, in relationships between people.
Another wonderful aspect is that the Native Americans featured are as real and complex as any other character presented. There is no black and white, good and bad as in an old movie; there is in fact a strong parallel between the families of different ethnicities. The interaction of native peoples with other communities is dealt with sympathetically, and there is a strong parallel between a native family and how they deal with daily life, and the family that opens the story. Reliance on faith is a strong current - a current not only for interaction in life, but for healing, mentally, physically.
The life-as-journey has never been written better, and the characters Strawn creates leap from the pages of this novel, as real as if you'd met them on the wagon drive home from town.
~Nancy Lindley-Gauthier, Author of "A Case of Overkill"
"I read Singing Winds and loved it...it is beautifully written." ~Ayisha Blevins, author
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| Thoughts from readers... |
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"Linda took me back in time when I read Singing Winds. It is a beautiful book that takes a young girl out of a crisis and into a life where two cultures come together as one. It shows that when God's leading is obeyed, all things do come together for those who love Him. A must read book that you won't want to put down!"
~Diane Enos, Windsor, CA
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