"Against the Wind" by Amanda Cabot

Against the Wind (Oct. 3, 2023) by Amanda Cabot.*

<This is the second novel in a series.>

Time away from Sweetwater Crossing has done wonders for Louisa Vaughn. She’s a doctor-in-training with midwifery instruction. Louisa plans to be back for a few days to help a friend, but when she finds an injured man along the roadside, she won’t abandon him. She isn’t yet a fully qualified doctor, but she’s got the skills and the passion. Josh Porter plans to win his grandfather’s challenge to win control of the family business, Porter & Sons (P&S). He’s laid up for several weeks with his broken leg in a cast without his horse, Zeus, and his saddlebags containing recipes that he believes will clinch his win. It’s a roadblock, but having to pause in Sweetwater Crossing prompts new ideas. When he puts his plan into action, with Louisa’s perceptive ideas, this reality lights a spark that he didn’t know he’d been missing. Now, if only the town would accept Louisa as a doctor (this is Texas Hill country in 1883). The disparaging comments are bad enough, but someone in the town wants her to abandon her passion for healing others. Can Louisa and Josh find the person behind the threats? Is there a future for them as a couple when neither plan to stay?

            I’d been looking forward to the second installment in the “Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing” series, hoping for reconciliation between Emily and youngest sister, Louisa. This story did not disappoint. From Louisa’s fervent determination to become a doctor to big-city Josh finding comfort and new direction in a small town, this story is sweet on forgiveness, ambition, family, friendship, faith and belonging. The challenge that Louisa faces as a woman in a “man’s field” is inspiring, as well as frustrating to me, a woman in the 21st Century, but it makes rooting for Louisa and Josh all the easier. Cabot’s characters are authentic, her writing even-keeled, including during moments of turmoil for her characters. This Christian, historical fiction romance is a delight.

            Book One: After the Shadows

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”