Tabitha: Girls from the Mountain, Book 1

I positively enjoyed Tabitha. Vikki Kestell spins a story that scoops up the reader and transports them into action, romance and a godly frame of mind. Yes, this story has guts and heart as well as the depth and excitement necessary to satisfy any romance reader's palate in a God frame of mind. "There is so much more that makes this story spectacular. It is filled with intense drama, deception, treachery, and romance. The detail of the characters and surroundings, pull in the reader from the beginning until the end, from the farm, to the city, across the ocean to France and off to War and back home again. The secondary players add great finesse to the storyline. I have to admit it was completely hard to put this book down. Ms. Kestell creates an enthralling read that surrounds with anticipation that continues to build, leaving this reader spellbound, hooks you from the start and reels you in for the duration. She delivers well rounded scenario's launching this story into the eye of the storm, breaking it down, throwing it into a tailspin with astonishing impacts and pulling it out again with an awesome sigh. Mastering the ups and downs, weaving a cocoon so intricately and tight, drawing you deeper into this tangled web until everything else ceases to exist. The chemistry is intense, off the mayhem and explosive. The characters are authentic, genuine and realistic with depth and qualities that blend into diverse personalities. The scenes are so vividly detailed and descriptive it gives the illusion you were right there in the middle of ground zero with them. Remarkable job Vikki, thanks for sharing.

This is actually one of my favorite stories but I would like to condense Part 1 into one paragraph. It's necessary, I suppose, to know what happened to Tabitha as a young woman, and what a horror her life had been; in order to fully appreciate the amazing woman and leader that she became later on.This is a story of triumph because of the work of Christ in a broken woman. And Part 1 does communicate how bad human trafficking truly is. But this part of the story is very difficult, and I skim over it when I re-read the book.Part 2 is about Tabitha's growth as a woman and as a Christian. She encountered trial after trial, but God helped her through all of it. She truly became a woman that I would like to know in real life: a mature, godly, gracious and lovely Christian woman. The character development in part 2 is absolutely beautiful. Very well-written, with a sweet ending.

A prolific reader, I've never liked historical fiction series (other than mysteries), but I was bored one afternoon while recovering from knee surgery and decided to read a free download of one of Vikki Kestell's books in her Prairie Heritage series. Within just a few pages, I was hooked, and since then I've read almost all of Kestell's novels. Like the others "Tabitha" is an outstanding read in every regard.First, the plot of the novel is complex enough to hold the reader's attention, but not so complex that it is difficult to follow or that it is implausible. Additionally, the two strands -- Tabitha's life and the historical elements elements of the story-- are carefully and subtly woven to create a narrative that is historically accurate and very balanced, something that is often missing in historical fiction.The characters are well-crafted as well. Kestell has, once again, created characters that don't seem like characters. Rather, they are multi-dimensional, believable men and women who come alive on the pages of this novel.Just as I had never liked historical fiction series until reading another of Kestell's novels, I had never cared much for Christian fiction. The reasons varied with the books. Some were Biblically unsound; some were heavy-handed, preachy; in others, the Christian element seemed to be "tacked-on" awkwardly, with the Christian element not smoothly integrated into the story. Kestell, on the other hand, weaves the Christian element into her story just as it should be woven into a Christian's life -- it's not a separate part tacked on; rather, it's simply an integral part of the character's life that is shown (not "shouted") in the way the characters go about their daily lives. Yes, there are times that the Christian element comes to the forefront and is the focus of the narrative, but that is true in real life as well.In short, "Tabitha" is a fantastic book!Because I want to be very fair to any reader who is considering purchasing this book (and I hope they/you will), there is one issue that popped up sporadically in the e-reader version of this book. Several times, particularly early in the book, the perspective of the story changes from one character to another without any "white space" or indication that the perspective is changing. In one sentence the reader is with Tabitha and her fellow students, and in the very next sentence/paragraph a different character in a different place is speaking. This is a bit disconcerting at first, but it doesn't affect the quality of the novel and doesn't, therefore, affect my rating.If you have never been a fan of historical fiction or if you've never cared for Christian fiction, "Tabitha" might well be the novel that changes your mind. I urge you to give it a try!

This was a long story that crossed many years. In it, the hand of God is shown using a broken life for good. No experience from the past was wasted. There was redemption and second chances. Very nice. That said, the beginning chapter introduced so many people with references to a back story that I've checked the title of the book several times as I read it. Am I really reading the first book in a series? Yup, it says, "Book 1" in the title. But I don't get all the references to previous stories when the characters don't play all that much of a role I this book, and why introduce a plot about kidnapped child being searched for when it's not really a part of the story? Is there a happy ending there? That sounds like a previous story, yet I am on Book 1. Anyway, if you like history, you'll love this. If you just like the heart of the stories, this might be too much history. The first part of the book was very difficult to read as her suffering was described. Perhaps we need to be jolted from our safe life to consider the trafficking issues today. I was a bit stressed to see how she was almost always sleep-deprived and over-worked. She seemed to b a super-woman beyond normal. And why she put up with that mean nursing head is beyond me. I see how she got character from it, but I don't see being a doormat to be picked on is a godly trait. In spite of a few things I wonder about, there were things in this story to inspire faith that were very good. The family- like support system was very good and uplifting.

Kept me up late because I couldn’t put it down!

What an awesome read. I choose to give this book a worthy five stars. From the get go, i was gripped by the storyline as well as the characters. I just could not put it down.The story flowed beautifully and touched all of my emotions,all of my senses. Almost felt like i was in every turn, every twist, every heartache, every joy the characters encountered. Throughout the story i was gripped and touched by the themes and messages. My faith and hope in our Lord was deepened. Thank you Vikki. I highly recommend this book

Tabitha was raised on a farm in Texas she was a wilful child. She thought her self in love with a young man who had gold in his eyes and told her he would marry her after he found gold. She went against her parents and left with Clayton. They traveled to Arizona where he purchased a claim. He set up a tent and there they stayed. Low on water and food he leaves her behind. She journey is difficult but she makes it into town and a woman helps her from being attacked on the streets. The woman takes her in and feeds her gives her a nice bath then drugs her, sells her to men. There her nightmares became worse.She escapes and is taken to Denver, Colorado. She pulled her self together and seeks God. From there she goes to school to become a nurse.She meets Mason Carpenter and feels she can’t marry him after her school is complete. So he joins the war in England and teaches young men to fight as a pilot. She goes to nurse the wounded.I personally didn’t think that I would enjoy this book. But I was completely wrong. I did. Great book!

Superbly written book. Enjoyed reading Tabitha's story. How GOD alone redeems us and sets us free of our life of sin and transforms us into something beautiful. Very touched by Tabs faithfulness and obedience to GOD'S call on her life

Loved the story! Tabitha over come so many hurdles in her life to be the wonderful, caring person that she was. Leaving her parents with a boyfriend to search for gold, being left alone by him only to end up as a call girl for many years before escaping that life. Struggles in becoming a nurse of great distinction. Highly recommend this book!