I cannot believe how quickly the time has gone by
since I signed the contract with Abingdon Press for this series in 2010. So
many of my readers have been in touch with me about this next book, expressing
their anticipation to find out what happens next and how I conclude the series.
Beyond the Valley is my
favorite out of the three. Sarah seemed to resonate with me on so many levels.
She is a wife and expectant mother, a loyal friend, a grieving widow. Her faith
is shown in a way relevant to the times she lived in, not just a Sunday
Christian, but a virtuous woman whose daily walk with God required ultimate
trust, though her trials cause her to question.
I hope for those who have read
books 1 and 2 in the series will read Beyond
the Valley to discover how Sarah came to River Run and the many trials she
faced and the love she finds in a compassionate physician, Alex Hutton.
Here is a little bit about the story—
When Sarah’s husband Jamie drowns, her young life if
shattered and takes a turn that she never expected. Pregnant and now widowed,
she reaches out to Jamie’s family for help but they are unwilling. Instead they
devise a plan to have her kidnapped and taken to the Colonies to live a life of
servitude for seven years.
She is deceived and taken aboard a ship headed for
the Colonies to be sold, bound to unspeakable hardship and forced into the same
world she left.
Caught in the talons of servitude, she falls in love
with a young conscientious doctor, Alex Hutton, who has arrived in Virginia to
care for his widowed sister in law and two young nieces. Called back to serve
in Washington’s army, he promises he will return for her, gain her freedom and
wed her. Other plans were made for Sarah when her owner finds himself bankrupt
and sells her the first chance he gets. She’s taken out into the frontier,
captured by Indians, and faces unbearable hardship.
When the mistress of River Run along the Potomac
encounters Sarah’s plight after she has escaped, Eliza Morgan pities her, and a
way is made for Sarah to remain with her and care for Eliza’s young daughter,
Darcy. Revolution has ignited in America, and together they endure many
hardships which bring them together in friendship. But when Sarah learns that
Zachary Halston, a local landowner, has seduced Eliza, she is troubled about
what to do.
Grateful for Eliza’s kindness, Sarah is forever
bound to keep silent. She promises Eliza to never reveal the secret that Ilene
is Eliza’s child, even at the risk of living a life in shame if her master
should ever discover the truth upon his return.
Trapped in Eliza and Hayward’s troubled lives, Sarah
flees River Run. Will she make her way back to Alex and freedom as he searches
the wilderness for her? Or will her hopes be crushed at the hands of the man
who deceived her long ago in Cornwall when she faced destitution?
‘Praise
for 'Beyond the Valley'
Beyond
the Valley is a delightful escape of adventure and romance and
a sweeping saga of tragedy and hope that you won’t want to miss! (5 Stars)
MaryLu Tyndall, author of the Surrender to
Destiny Series
Creating characters with intense realism and
compassion is one of Gerlach's gifts. Her books typically involve dramatic
situations, giving her characters a chance to rise above their adversity. Beyond the Valley is a shining example
of that, reminding us that we are never forsaken. This is the third in the
Daughters of the Potomac series. Sarah's character was introduced in the first
novel, Before the Scarlet Dawn, and now she has her own heart-wrenching story
that takes us from England to Virginia and Maryland. The historic setting is vividly
descriptive, bringing the story to life, almost becoming a character unto
itself.
You may shed some tears, but you'll come away with deep contentment and
satisfaction of a story well told. (Review in RT (Romantic Times) Book Reviews
Magazine - 4 stars)
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Actors
Rita would choose if BEYOND THE VALLEY was
made into a movie…or her dream of a Masterpiece Theater Series.
Settings for 'Beyond the Valley'
Bassets Cove in Cornwall, England
Westmorland County, Virginia at the mouth of the Potomac River
Great Falls, Potomac River
Potomac River
BEYOND THE VALLEY is
available in both ebook and paperback in bookstores everywhere.
