Healing Hearts⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️by Sarah M. Eden

Dr. Gideon MacNamara decides to seek out a matchmaking service. He is looking for wife that also has nursing experience. The day his future bride steps off the train she is swept away to the alter as Miriam realizes she is suppose to marry the doctor she halts the wedding and runs from the church. When the Doctor finds her she explains she was here for the nursing job not marriage. Gideon being a forward thinking man asks her to stay on as his nurse. Of course, the town is angered by her treatment of their beloved doctor but soon realize what a wonderful nurse and person she turns out to be.

Miriam hides something from the doctor about her health. Miriam suffers from seizures which is at this time in medical science are quite the mystery. This illness is hardly a sidebar in the story and very informative of the way mental illness was treated in this time period. Parts of this books are very concerning and sad but overall I thought this story very good and enlightening.

Sarah Eden knocked it out of the park with this one! I absolutely adored Gideon and Miriam's story! From the mistaken mail-order bride, to Miriam's medical issues, to Gideon's compassion. This was a well-rounded love story addressing the lack of rights women had during that time frame. Every member of the town in Savage Wells is lovely and I admire the small town coming together to protect one of their own from a horrendous villain. Beautiful, beautiful story.

Thank you to Shadow Mountain Publishing and NetGalley for an early eARC.

Books by Sarah M. Eden never disappoint! Although her Jonquil series continues to be my favorite, I really enjoyed this addition to her Savage Wells series...and I loved catching up with characters from the first book in the series! Miriam and Gideon are incredibly likable and sympathetic characters...I loved the unique angles of Miriam's illness and past experience with an asylum. Definitely a great addition to my ever-growing library of Sarah. M Eden books!

Gideon MacNamara is a doctor in Salvage Wells. He is limited in the amount of women to pick for a bride so he sends for a mail order bride. He picks one that is a Nurse so she can help him in his overwhelming practice. When Miriam arrives by stagecoach not knowing she is to be a bride . When she meets Gideon and the wedding starts she runs off. This is the second time Gideon"s wedding plans do not go off. The town is upset with her but Gideon hires her to be his Nurse anyway. Miriam ran away from her last town holding a secret and is afraid that he may find out and get rid of her. This is a great book with a lot of interesting turns. This is the first book I read of this Author and I will be looking for more. Thanks NetGalley.

Well, I personally couldn’t be happier that Sarah Eden took us back to Savage Wells! ‘Sheriffs’ was a story full of spunk, fun with that added tender element concerning Paisley’s father, and dementia. It was the first time I’d been able to complete a book that touched on this subject. I lost my mum in her mid 60s, to this terrible disease, and usually I can’t bear reading about it in a novel. I appreciated so much the sensitivity in which Sarah writes. In fact if you are an avid reader of hers, you will know that she approaches these things just right.

This second time around in Savage Wells is no different. Again, she tackles the real issues of the day with an disease that Little was known about, yet treated in such horrific ways. I’ve read a few books now that centre around Asylums, and the sense of being trapped that many of those living there felt. Women sent there for all kinds of reasons and always their pleas and denials taken by the doctors as a sure sign of their madness. I cannot even abide the thought of how that must have felt to someone with depression, or another ailment that didn’t need to be treated in that manner. It seems to be society’s scapegoat for these illnesses and disabilities no one understood. Trying to keep that ‘perfect’ image.

This story is about two people, one physically running from the past and another mentally running from his past. Everything about the way this beautiful story progresses and is enriched by all the other wonderful characters was just such a joy to read. So many moments, leaving you on the edge of your seat. Feeling empathy for Miriam’s plight. Hope that she will see the good in Gideon. The concern for the town later on in the story, and the continuing tale of Andrew & Mr Bell. So much goodness in the people of this town and I love the way they all rallied together at the end. Fantastic story, that I could not put down! Please write a story for Hawk! His character is so much fun, and I loved the way he so gracefully bowed out.

I received this complimentary eARC from Netgalley & Shadow Mountain. This is my honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was hard to put down and I found myself thinking about it when I wasn’t reading it.

We revisit Savage Wells in “Healingn Hearts, “ following Gideon MacNamara and Miriam Bricks. Gideon sent for a mail order bride to act as a nurse for his medical practice. Miriam arrived only aware of the nurse position. They find a way to work together but it quickly becomes apparent that Miriam has secrets she isn’t telling.

I enjoyed reading this book. Sarah Eden does a great job finding interesting tidbits of history and weaving them into her stories seamlessly.

The characters came alive in this book. I would HIGHLY recommend you read the “Sheriffs of Savage Wells” before you read this book. Many of the characters from that book feature prominently in this book and it would be helpful to know their backgrounds. I will say those characters are much more caricatures in “Sheriffs.” In “Healing Hearts” they are more realisitc. I actually think this is interesting-when we initially meet someone we tend to notice one or two things about them and characterize them as such. As we come to know them better they become deeper and multi-faceted. I don’t know if this was part of Eden’s purpose or not, but I enjoyed getting to better know the depth of the characters.

I had read one of Sarah Eden’s regency collections books but never had read one of her westerns. I was not dissapointed. This book had me glued to it from start to finish and by the end I was in happy tears. This story was so moving. I knew little about doctors in the Wild West, let alone asylums or mental illness. Although the story touched some very sad issues like lack of patient rights and misdiagnosis problems, the book overall was delightful. It was full of hope, kindness, and love. Also I appreciated that this was a clean book with no swearing or sex.
This story about Gideon and Miriam is an example of mail order bride/ job placement agency error. It’s humorous how the story unfolds. There is definitely chemistry between the two and I love the dry humor they shared. After she had dashed their dear doctors hopes of marriage to her on her arrival the town did not look kindly on her. It took an epidemic for the town to embrace her. I love how the story unfolded. It was truly a delight to read. I can’t wait to read more stories about this cute town and the people who live there.

Healing Hearts by Sarah M. Eden
Spoiler Alert – if you don’t want to know more about the secret revealed in the book don’t read this one. Read the book to find out towards the end.
This book was a very interesting read! It was set in the old west, Wyoming Territory 1876 in the town of Savage Wells. It has so much information in the story line of how they treated illnesses back in the day, what some of the doctors were like, how mental illness was often something to be afraid of or a social stigma if your child had it. Many with epilepsy were put away in institutions and couldn’t legally leave if their family signed them in. Laws were different back then. This book was a very compelling read, one you won’t want to lie down and walk away from. You’ll find yourself carrying this one around your home with you in order to see what is going to happen next. I really liked the main characters of this book and the story line. It was very well researched and very well written. You won’t be disappointed if you pick this one up!
I received this book from the Net Galley through their book launch program. I did receive it in a kindle format. #HEALINGHEARTS #NETGALLEY
Wyoming Territory, 1876

As the only doctor in the frontier town of Savage Wells, Gideon MacNamara knows his prospects for a bride are limited. The womenfolk in town are either too young, too old, or already spoken for. So, being a practical man, he decides to take advantage of the matchmaking service of the day—mail-order brides—and sends away for a woman with nursing experience.

When Miriam steps off the stagecoach in Savage Wells, she sees a bright future in front of her. But when the town—and Gideon—meets her, ready for a wedding, her excitement quickly turns to horror. Somehow Dr. MacNamara's message had gotten turned around. He didn’t want a nurse, he wanted a wife. When she refuses to marry him, she finds herself stranded in Savage Wells with some very unhappy townspeople.

But Gideon is not like the other men Miriam has met. Embarrassed by the misunderstanding, he offers her a job, and the two begin an awkward—and often humorous—dance of getting to know each other as they work to care for the people of their town. Romance blossoms between the two, but when a former medical associate of Miriam’s arrives in town, Gideon and the other townsfolk must rally around Miriam to protect her from a dangerous fate. Gideon and Miriam must decide if they are willing to risk their hearts for each other even as buried secrets are brought to light.

When I saw this takes place in Savage Wells I had to grab it. I really enjoyed The Sheriffs of Savage Wells and was eager to return to this charming western town. As always, Ms. Eden has created memorable characters, a fun and unique plot and a well developed story.

I thought this was well written, the pacing was good.I loved the town of Savage Wells and the people there. They were a little too hard on Miriam at first, but they definitely come around in a great way. The romance was sweet and realistic and you can't help rooting for things to work out. I stayed up waaaay to late to see how everything plays out, but I just couldn't put it down. I'm sure the lack of sleep with catch up with me later, but it was worth it.

Title: Healing Hearts
Author: Sarh M Eden
Format: Kindle ARC
Tissue warning: no
HEA: yes
Triggers: talk of insanity and mania
Narrative: 3rd person, following Mariam and Gideon, but mostly Miriam
My reviewer rating: 4 of 5
Published: 2019, February 5th
Preorder through Amazon: http://a.co/93yvayl

Thank you so much, Netgalley and the publisher, for allowing me this ARC of Healing Hearts in exchange for my honest-to-goodness review.

I do recommend this sweet tale of a nurse who has escaped a scandalous history in search of a proper occupation in a small western town. Little does she know that on her arrival to her new job, she is to marry, sight-unseen, the town's doctor. Miriam does what any respectable woman would do.
She runs.
Gideon, the town's wonderful and quick-witted doctor, actually forgives her, because he needs a nurse like he needs oxygen.
We follow Gideon and Miriam through their trials of getting the town to accept Miriam as a permanent member of their society, though she has jilted their favorite doctor at the altar, and she's got more secrets than a little bit.
The topics this historical novel represent are not commonly found in the romance genre; although, they should be more normalized due to their frequent and unfortunate diagnoses at that time.

I absolutely could not put this book down. I loved every chapter. I usually read Regency books set in England, but i am very glad i decided to venture into this territory. The heroine was a genuinely good person who suffered because of the medical views and practices of the time period. She did not let this turn her bitter, it turned her into an advocate for others who suffered also. The hero was just a good guy. Strong, trustworthy and very caring. The town folks were great too. I hope the author continues and tells the stories of Hawk, Tansy and Andrew also. Loved it. I have to go and find the first book about Paisley and Cade. This book is long but never boring. This story is about good people coming together and helping each other even after a rocky first impression. Great characters altogether.
Thanks netgalley for the advanced copy from the publisher for my reading pleasure. This is my opinion freely given. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes clean, historically accurate stories.

I have to admit that I haven’t read a historical romance in years. I cant ever remember reading one set in the Midwest during the late 1800’s. I figured I needed a little change. Sarah Eden’s Healing Hearts reminded me that there were times in the United States where people didn’t know a lot about epilepsy or dementia or a number of other diseases. Instead they sadly chose to place people with certain illnesses in mental asylums. I really loved the character of Miriam. She was such a wonderful person. She had the biggest heart and I am glad that she found a family that loved her in the end. Gideon and the entire town fought for her and stood behind her when she needed it most. I definitely recommend the book. The only reason I am giving it a 4 is because I kept having to re-read sections so I could remember who’s who in the town.

Thank you net galley for the advance read copy of this novel. I love this author and series and the second book regarding Savage Wells did not disappoint. Miriam and Gideon 's relationship got off to a very rocky start but eventually turned very sweet. I appreciated this very clean romance. The historical treatment of mental health patients that this book touched on was well done. I am hoping Ms. Eden writes a third installment regarding US Marshal Hawk would definitely welcome!!!!! I will continue to read and recommend anything by this author!!!!

This is a wonderful, heartwarming story about strength and perseverance amidst injustice and cruelty. This historical romance is set at a time where medical problems like epilepsy were seen as a form of madness and the people were institutionalized. There are so many endearing characters in this book. I hope that many of them will get their own stories. It is also the story of a town coming together to stand by one of their own. I truly enjoyed this captivating story and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys a great storyline and wonderful characters, This book is definitely a 'must read'.