Song of My Heart

February 1, 2012
Lured to Goldtree, Kansas, in 1895 by the promise of jobs, Sadie and Thad are both devout Christians, and they are soon stepping out together. Sadie works as a clerk in the mercantile, sending her pay home to her parents, but her dream is to sing in the town's opera house once it's built. As the son of a drunk, Thad is motivated to become the town's sheriff and stamp out the illegal manufacture and distribution of alcohol. Soon Sadie is coerced into singing bawdy songs at Asa Baxter's secret gambling nights. Her cousin Sid, initially responsible for bringing her to town, is worried that she is looking so poorly, but he is too resentful of the time she spends with the virile sheriff to enlist the lawman's aid on her behalf. Sawyer excels at setting scenes in her stand-alone Christian historical romances, and this one is no exception: her characters take on a life of their own, and their ethical quandaries engage the reader's sympathy.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)