About the Book

 


Book:  Vestige of Hope

Author: Sara Blackard

Genre:  Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: December, 2019

Does his future lie in the past?
 
Thrown out of his element into a time not his own, he must overcome his doubts to save the life he never knew he wanted.

Soldier, Hunter Bennet, is always in control…

…control of his missions.
…control of his life.
…control of his emotions.
 
Until he hesitates on an important mission, leaving a child orphaned. Chased by the demons of failure, he finds himself thrown back in time. Why has God called him here?
 
Viola Thomas’s idyllic life in the new state of Colorado is shattered when her father fails to return from his winter trapping trip in the Rocky Mountains and a man tumbles into her life from the future. Threats from an unwanted suitor who has pestered her for years jeopardize all she holds dear. Now she must trust a man from a world far from her own.
 
Hunter must reach through the shadows of doubt to save his future but in doing so will he fail in the most important mission of all?



Click HERE for your copy!

About the Author


I’ve been a writer for as long as I can remember being able to hold a pencil. In elementary school, I had journals full of short stories and poetry. While it’s always been a passion of mine, I didn’t think I could write for a living until I told my kids their only limit is the limit they put upon themselves. With that little piece of encouragement, I had to obviously show them I was right. Now I’m enjoying the adventure of writing and diving into the publishing world. I love to write romantic stories full of adventure and weaved with God’s message of love.
 
Between school and my launch into authorship, I’ve been busy having and homeschooling five children, moving to the wilderness of Tok, Alaska, serving in different ministries, building a house ourselves, and purchasing multiple businesses.

More from Sara

 

I’ve always had a fascination with speculating on how I would react if I suddenly ended up in another time. Growing up, I’d daydream about finding myself in a field of heather in medieval Scotland, waking in the back of a wagon traveling across the prairie, or walking through the wilderness with the colonials. I loved reading and wanted desperately to jump into the scenes I experienced while turning the page of a cherished novel. Of course, there’s no real way a person can time travel, so my dreaming was just that, dreaming … or was it?

A few years ago, I was doing a Kid’s Club Bible lesson at the local school about Philip and the Ethiopian and had my mind blown. In that event, God transported Philip to a town about twenty miles away. It was like Scotty beaming Kirk up and placing him where he was needed. I’d read that story before, but for some reason skipped right over that little nugget of information. Now here’s the part that got my mind spinning, if God could move someone in the blink of an eye across miles, why couldn’t He move someone through time? Time travel was now not only feasible, but God revealed a greater depth of Himself to me.

My mind started exploding with a story of a family in the middle of Colorado at the cusp of its statehood. What would cause God to throw a person in the middle of the wilderness? What would it reveal about the journey each person had to take to find their identities in who God created them to be? Hours, months, and years passed as the characters and story grew until they spilled upon the computer screen in a river of words.

One small sentence tucked within the middle of Acts opened my heart to a new dimension of God’s magnitude and released the dream of writing I had buried within me. I love how God does that, opens the well deep in us, nurturing the desires hidden there to reveal bit by bit who we are in Him. With Him nudging me along, my childhood fantasy of becoming a writer and transporting people to another time and place has become a reality with my debut novel Vestige of Hope, the first book in the three-book series Vestige in Time. My prayer is that my writing shows the traces of hope God leaves in my reader’s own hearts and lives. I pray God will ignite passions as He reveals himself one small sentence at a time through His word.
 

My Review

 
An auspicious start to the Vestige in Time series by Sara Blackard, “Vestige of Hope” is a twist on the time traveler trope. Opening in the present day with Hunter, a US Army Delta Force officer on compulsory time off after a tragic outcome on a mission, his storyline very quickly merges with that of Viola Thomas and her sisters in 1877. The Thomases are anxiously awaiting the inexplicably-prolonged return of their father from the winter trapping season. When their paths merge, sparks fly in more ways than one.

I am not typically a fan of time travel stories or books that feature them, but I was pleasantly surprised by “Vestige of Hope.” Blackard manages to achieve the suspension of disbelief necessary for readers to enjoy this novel, while maintaining a realism that anchors her work firmly on the foundation of faith. Hunter begins this story with “his own demons of failure stalking just over his shoulder”, and as his faith matures he slowly comes to see beyond his failures to the realization that he is not meant to carry his burdens alone. Viola struggles to keep a positive outlook in her own situation, and having David stumble into her story opens her eyes and her heart to the beauty of miracles. She tells David, “I know God will bless you wherever He takes you, Hunter.” As the two grapple with their own obstacles to unashamed faith, God’s grace and mercy become ever more apparent. The lesson remains true for all of us: God is faithful, and He will take us through the storms of life, no matter how upending, in order to bring us closer to Him.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Celebrate Lit and was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own.

Blog Stops

 

Texas Book-aholic, February 26

For the Love of Literature, February 27

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 28

Betti Mace, February 29

Artistic Nobody, March 1 (Author Interview)

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, March 2

Inklings and notions, March 3

For Him and My Family, March 4

Vicky Sluiter, March 5 (Author Interview)

deb’s Book Review, March 5

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 6

Pause for Tales , March 7

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 8

My Devotional Thoughts, March 9 (Author Interview)

A Good Book and Cup of Tea, March 10

 

Giveaway

 

To celebrate her tour. Sara is giving away the grand prize package of a $30 Amazon Gift Card and a paperback copy of Vestige of Hope & Vestige of Legacy!!
 
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.