After a rough winter spent alone, Ursula Nordegren realizes she must overcome her fears of the outside world and begins a trek down Hope Mountain. Along the way she finds a badly wounded stranger and realizes God may have used her decision to leave as a way of saving the man.
Wax Mosby was climbing Hope Mountain in part to atone for his terrible choices. He was hired to drive out the Warden … Warden family and now knows he was duped. But when he’s wounded during the climb, the last person he expects to rescue him is a beautiful blond woman with the voice of an angel.
As both Ursula and Wax weigh the costs of living new lives, the two find an unlikely bond. And they’re joined by Ursula’s sisters and the Warden family as the final showdown over the family ranch looms with the coming of spring.
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Mary Connealy ends her Brides of Hope Mountain series with eldest sister Ursula’s story. Ursula is the one who has stubbornly refused to ever go down the mountain to the lowlands, something her grandmother always warned her against. Then one day she decides to conquer her fears and go part way down. She finds a desperately wounded man on the trail and heads back up the mountain to tend him. Life changes for her right then and there as she fights to save Wax Mosby’s life. Could Ursula possibly be happy not on the mountain? Grab this latest book and find out. Mary Connealy is a favorite of mine and I never miss her books.
*My thanks to Bethany House Publishers for a copy of this book via Net Galley. The opinion in this review is entirely my own.
It’s a nice conclusion to a memorable series about three sisters growing up isolated in the mountains of 1874 Colorado with only their grandparents. The series should definitely be read in order because so many things happen in the first two books that lay the foundation for the subplots that get resolved in this book. I enjoyed following Jo, the middle sister, and Ilsa, the youngest, and their respective husbands as they gather forces to deal with evil schemers out to hurt their entire family. Getting to know Ursula was fun and seeing Wax/Jake Mosby with Ursula was a surprising turn of events, given what he was hired to do and who had hired him. Second chances, forgiveness, and conquering fear are themes that bind Ursula and Jake and there is plenty of humor peppered throughout the book to make you laugh out loud. Quite enjoyable historical fiction.
I received the book from Bethany House Publishing via NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a positive comment. All opinions are solely my own.
Somehow I skipped #2, but I really enjoyed this one about Ursula. What a life in the mountains! I don’t think I could have done it. This is action packed and full of surprises and humor. Now, I will backtrack to the second one.
It was easy to be frustrated with Ursula in the first two books with her resistance to her sisters’ new friends and choices, so I was looking forward to reading from her perspective. I appreciated the way she eventually overcame her fears and made the choice to connect with people rather than isolate. Her singing to herself was an interesting mannerism and one that instantly connects her to Wax when she rescues him. Wax is another character going through an important transition as he abandons his employer and gun-for-hire lifestyle and seeks to redeem himself. He’s an important asset to the Warden’s as they battle the criminal-on-the-run reinvented as a cattle baron who is taking over the land through violent force. An entertaining blend of adventure, suspense, romance, and faith.
Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.
This final book in the Brides of Hope Mountain series is like icing on a cake. The other two books were wonderful stories but Her Secret Song wraps up the saga of the Nordegren sisters in a totally satisfying way! I enjoyed getting to know Ilsa and Jo but author Mary Connealy truly saved the best sister for last. Ursula is the oldest and stubbornest Nordegren but she is also the loneliest. Will she remain on Hope Mountain or will she decide that she needs something more? Is Ursula destined to live a life of solitude or is there someone waiting to share it with her?
Her Secret Song is a thrilling adventure set in 1874 Colorado and Connealy perfectly captures the beauty of this dangerous and isolated terrain. Ursula’s desire to remain on Hope Mountain is understandable and her reliance on God is very admirable, and it is this love for God and nature that helps Wax Mosely to find his own faith-walk. And finally, Ursula is given a glimpse of romantic love.
Her Secret Song has laugh-out-loud moments, thrilling adventure, and a wonderful faith message. I recommend it to all who enjoy historical Christian romance.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author and publisher. I was not required to give a favorable review. All opinions are my own.
Her Secret Song is another great read from Mary Connealy that wraps up her Brides of Hope Mountain series. Between its covers I once again found a wonderful tale filled with vivid descriptions, interesting characters, and more of Connealy’s trademark humor.
Set against the backdrop of Colorado mountains, Her Secret Song is a story of hope, redemption, and overcoming fear. The conclusion of the series features Ursula Nordegren who has yet to overcome her fears of the unknown world below the mountain where she has spent her entire life. After spending the entire winter alone, Ursula finally summons enough courage to venture down the mountain but midway down she encounters badly injured outlaw Wax Mosby. With no choice but to help him up the mountain, Ursula takes him to her winter home and nurses him back to health.
A wonderful tale with an unexpected love story, Her Secret Song may have been my favorite of the series. It was a fitting conclusion with answers to a mystery or two revealed and major problems overcome. I loved all three of the Nordegren sisters as well as the members of the Warden family. I also found inspiration in the major life changes in Wax Mosby. I particularly enjoy how this author manages to teach important messages of life and faith while keeping me delightfully entertained the entire time.
If you are not familiar with Mary Connealy’s books, please do yourself a favor and pick up all three books of this series. Her Secret Song could easily stand on its own but would be much more enjoyable after reading the previous two books.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by Bethany House Publishers. A favorable review was not required. All views expressed are my own.
A wonderful conclusion to a fun series. The Nordegren sisters have been a lot of fun to follow along as they are introduced to the world outside their little borders. In this installment, we finally get to cheer for Ursula. There have been many times I have wanted to have a heart to heart with this headstrong, opinionated woman who is set in her ways. I relish that she loves her family fiercely and stands by her convictions. It is this very love that allows her to open to the possibilities that just maybe she’s gotten a few things wrong. I enjoyed being able to laugh out loud at the antics of Ursula, her sisters and the men who come to love them. I especially love the ending that wraps up all the details and provides a very satisfying conclusion.
She’s afraid of everything and is falling for a wanted man. Ursula Nordegren decides to leave the mountain and ends up rescuing the enemy of her family, Wax Mosby. Ursula copes with her loneliness by singing, usually a song she makes up from Bible verses, when she saves Wax he believes she is an angel. This is the final book in the Brides of Hope Mountain about the three Nordegren sisters. It is full of humor, romance, adventure, and suspense. The characters are great and I love how they all come back together to fight as one against their enemy.
Ursula, who was raised by her grandparents isolated in the mountains, has decided to come down the mountain to meet her family when she come face to face with a battered and bruised man, Wax, who needs her help to survive. Wax was injured on his way to make amends to the Warden family, as he has become a Christian and is wanting to start a new life. Tired of her hermit ways, she decides to nurse him back to health. Just as Wax improves, her two sisters with their husbands show up. They insist they must go to the lowlands to protect themselves from killers and thieves bent on taking the Wardens land. Except Ursula has never been off the mountain, and she was told all her life she would die if she left the mountain.
The Wardens are facing two different bad guys that need to be overcome, throw in some hilarious miscommunications and situations between the men and the mountain women, along with an extremely difficult showdown all make for an exciting adventure. Murder and robbery, along with talk of God’s love are woven through the story to make it an excellent ending to this wonderful series.
Mary Connealy is a wonderful and gifted writer who uses humor, warm and relatable characters to make stories you can’t put down and you find that you have to read again and again.
Bethany House Publishers, through NetGalley, has provided a complimentary copy of, Her Secret Song, for the purpose of review. I have not been compensated in any other manner. All opinions expressed are my own, and I was not required, or influenced, to give anything but an honest appraisal.
This is book three in the Brides of Hope Mountain series. You can read this as a stand alone, however I feel you will get a deeper meaning and not be lost if you read book one “Aiming for Love” and book two “Woman of Sunlight” first. They are all good reads, full of humor, spunk and sparks.
All three books focus on the Nordegren sisters and their unique upbringing. Even though all three books have lots of detail and story line with all three sisters, This book focus’ on the oldest Nordegren sister, Ursula.We have met all the characters from book three in the previous two books. I love reconnecting with them and seeing how everything plays out. I have enjoyed this entire series.
3.5 stars
“Ursula felt a song rise to her lips . . . ”
Ursula Nordegren had always used her gift of song to communicate .. . . mostly to herself as of late; she had been confined to a cozy, but cave-like existence high upon Hope Mountain all winter long. Snowed in, she hadn’t seen another human being in months, but spring was coming and Ursula was weary of her low country fears. Summoning up her courage and singing through her doubts, she began her slow descent, only to stumble onto something that she never expected; a man.
She was an angel, thought Wax Mosby in his injured state; . . . “he’d died, and he realized with a lifted heart that she had come to take him to heaven. Surely God didn’t send angels when a man wasn’t going to be taken through the pearly gates”. . . . “except did angels wear britches?”.
Struggling mightily to get the gargantuan man with the multiple injuries to shelter, Ursula begins to realize that God had his own reasons for sending her down the mountain that day, and so he must have a plan for the black, blue, purple, and yellow bruised up man as well, so she better do her best to keep him alive. Only how was she supposed to know that Wax Mosby was considered by many as a mighty dangerous man.
Readers will enjoy this witty conglomeration of initial misunderstandings, as Mary Connealy charms her audience with the Nordegren sisters, and the men who dared to love them.
The Brides of Hope Mountain series by Mary Connealy comes to a close with Ursala’s romance in Her Secret Song.
The eldest Nordegren sister is the one most resistant to experience the world outside of her mountain, but a long, lonely winter leads her to face her fears. On her way to find her sisters, she finds an injured Wax Mosby.
He hasn’t led a blameless life, but his intention of making amends with the Warden family is admirable. He also understands Ursula in a way no one else does.
Connealy brings her usual humor to this story with misunderstandings, mix-ups, and headstrong, capable women to this book. And for those of us who have followed this series, catching up with Jo and Ilsa is icing on the cake.
Disclosure statement: I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.
This is definitely my favorite book in the series! I loved it! I love Mary Connealy’s sense of humor. I also enjoyed Ursula facing her fears and branching out to try new things. I enjoyed getting to know Wax better and his redemption. I really liked the way this series wrapped up and ended. This is a series that I could see myself reading again!
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
Her Secret Song by Mary Connealy. This is about the oldest Nordegren sister, a beautiful blond woman with the voice of an angel. When she finally decides to leave her mountain home and rejoin her family she finds an injured man and takes him back to her home to help him recover. When Spring arrives the Warden family arrives and everyone is ready to save the family ranch. I really liked how they come together and worked to plan and then use each members special talents.
Her Secret Song is a sweet conclusion to Mary Connealy’s Brides of Hope Mountain series. Ursula Nordegren is a quiet, insecure, and fierce heroine all wrapped together in one package. I love the way Mary Connealy developed this character and also chose a not-so-perfect hero to be the one to draw out the best in Ursula. All three of the books in this series have been a delight to read. I’m sad to see my time with the Nordegren sisters come to an end. This book as well as the others are ones you’ll definitely want to read.
Loved this series so much. I hate for it to end. The humor and interest in three women who grew up isolated from the outside world added so much to all three books in this series. This will be a book I will want to read again.
The story of Ursula is the third installment of Brides of Hope Mountain series. While it does answer the questions that we have about their family it just seemed to drag for me. The other two I finished in a day but this one took me over a week to struggle through. I love Mary Connealy’s stories and I may have just been having an off time but it just was not as good in my opinion as the others. If you have read the other two books in the saga you really need to read this just to end the story.
I have loved all three books in Mary’s Brides of Hope Mountain Series. Each of the books became an instant favorite. Mary’s unique voice and imaginative story lines are a pleasure to read. You won’t want to miss this one.
For me, Mary Connealy’s books are dessert. They’re sweet and enjoyable without being heavy. Yet, there are always crumbs to pick up. In this case, it’s that we can sometimes allow the actual fear of something to cause just as much damage as that thing we fear.
As for this particular book, it ends the series well, and I truly enjoyed the epilogue. However, the first book in the series stood out more to me. Maybe, at that point, the premise was more unique, but it also had that spark of fun that Ms. Connealy is famous for. While this one had moments, particularly with Wax and Ursula’s opinions of Mitch—the hero from the second book— it didn’t sparkle for me in that same way.
So, I’ll recommend it with 4.5 stars.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. My opinions are my owns.
With an imaginative premise of three sisters raised in the tops of the mountains in rural Colorado in the 1870s, Mary Connealy has created a clever and humorous series that climaxed with Her Secret Song starring Ursula Nordegren. Raised by their grandparents and warned about the dangers existing down in the valleys, the girls learned to be self-reliant but lacked knowledge about society. Mary Connealy’s sense of humor shines through her stories, and this series has been a favorite of mine.
“Grandma had only taught them to count to one hundred. It seemed unlikely they’d ever have more than one hundred of anything, so Grandma thought going higher was a waste of time.”
Populated with amusing and endearing characters and full of madcap adventures, this tale captured my imagination and kept me turning pages. Although this was Ursula’s story, characters from the other books in the series popped up and added to the fun. Ursula is an interesting character, at times timid but also courageous when circumstances warranted bravery. Jake “Wax” Mosby is a hired gun who is trying to mend his ways and live uprightly. When he’s rescued by Ursula and introduced to her family, things get a little crazy.
“The hatchet hit hard and stuck. ‘Right where I aimed.’ She felt proud of her skill. That was a sin, but before she repented, she enjoyed the shocked expression on her sisters’ faces.”
“He glared down the mountainside. He had no wish to climb down. Being shot off a mountain cured a man of climbing.”
If you’re in the mood for some humorous historical fiction, this series The Brides of Hope Mountain is sure to please. This series is bound for my keeper shelf.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from the author and Bethany House Publishing. All opinions are my own.