Beyond These Hills by Sandra Robinson

ISBN: 9780736948883
Harvest House Publishers

About the book:  It's 1935, and Laurel Jackson fears the life she's always known is about to become a memory. The government is purchasing property to establish the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and nearly all the families in Cades Cove have decided to sell. Laurel is determined to save the land her family has lived on for a hundred years.

Andrew Brady, the son of a wealthy Virginia congressman, arrives in the Cove to convince the remaining landowners to sell. Sparks fly when he meets Laurel, the outspoken young woman who is determined to thwart his every effort. Will they ever be able to put aside their differences and accept what their hearts already know?

In the third and final book in the Smoky Mountain Dreams series, acclaimed author Sandra Robbins brings a dramatic conclusion to the story of the families of Cades Cove.

Review:  This was one of those books that you pick up and then cannot put down until you have read the last page.  In it you will find a beautiful love story, conflict, a glimpse into history, and the overarching theme that God is in control of all things and uses those "all things" for our good and His Glory.

Laurel Jackson and her family live in the community of Cades Cove in the Great Smokey Mountains of Tennessee. The year is 1934 and the US government is moving ahead with the developmental of the National Park system - no matter who is affected.  Laurel's family has lived on this land for over a hundred years and the thoughts of loosing her beloved home is more than Laurel can bear.  Then arrives Andrew Brady, son of a Virginia congressman, who has been hired by the government to persuade the remaining landowners to sell.  Upon initially meeting Laurel there is an immediate attraction, but of course, neither knows about the conflict about to ensue over the land that Laurel loves so dearly.

Through various circumstances including great tragedy,  the families come to realize that they must leave.  Laurel and Andrew cannot escape the attraction they feel, but how can they pursue any relationship in the midst of such differences?  Yet, God who is full of grace and wisdom, directs in every circumstance to use all the details of life for His glory.

Read and enjoy this dramatic historic fiction by Sandra Robinson. (rev.  J. La Tour)

DISCLOSURE:  A complimentary copy of Beyond These Hills was provided by Harvest House Publishers in exchange for our honest review. Opinions expressed are solely those of the reviewer. No compensation was received for this review.