One of my favorite narrators: Stephanie Cozart! I always enjoy hearing her narrate a book. So gifted!

It was lovely seeing the leading lady learning to humble herself in order to truly, genuinely serve her community.

The theme of helping the least of society, as Jesus taught, was exquisitely done. I especially enjoyed that the focus was largely on helping soiled doves get fresh starts. Beautiful mission!

The theme of prostitution was heartbreaking but well written.

The theme (yes, another one!) of seeking God’s will for one’s life was beautiful. Loved it!

A couple of favorite themes showed up: books and libraries! Happy sigh!

I was highly disappointed that the leading lady let loose a curse word—while calling out another person for their sin, no less! What a hypocrite! And, of course, her own sin of cursing was not called out, though it should have been.

Content: alcohol, saloons, gambling, drunkenness, suicide, profane phrase, replacement expletives, expletives, mythology, tobacco

Melissa Jagears books are always a win! YOu will love the characters or hate a few. LOL. there is always reality mixed in with the fiction when it comes to emotions and feelings and situations. The conflict between what we imagine and what is real. The challenge of the plans God has for us not matching the plans we expect. This novel shows how no one is perfect. We all have weaknesses and strengths.

It was just an absolutely delightful novel!

A Heart Most Certain by Melissa Jagears is in the Teaville Moral Society series and is published by Bethany House. I’ve enjoyed previous books by this author because of her sense of humor, so I was looking forward to this book.



I have mixed reactions to this book. For one, the hero greatly challenged and encouraged the heroine in her faith and acts of service, which is something that I personally think makes a hero attractive. However, I’ve read other books with similar plots–two people unfriendly towards each other, need to help each other out for common and mutual benefit, fall in love–but with those other books, the dialogue between the hero and heroine was much more witty and fun to read. Thus, the hero of this book seemed more dull and empty. So on one hand, he sharpened and refined the heroine’s strengths, but on the other hand, he wasn’t very interesting–and I personally believe that he had the potential to be both.



I still flew through reading this book, but it was slightly tedious in parts because there was no dialogue that kept me entertained while still promoting the message. All in all, I think that this book did have a good message and was thought provoking, and I would recommend it.



Thank you so much to Net Galley and Bethany House publishers for providing me with an electronic copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own and were not required to be positive.

Melissa Jagears has done it again. A Heart Most Certain is one book you will love for years to come.

A Heart Most Certain book one in the Teaville Moral Society by Melissa Jagears is delightful and fantastic read. Jagears creates charming characters that readers will immediately love. The story is about a young woman interested in helping the poor, but is on the verge of ending up in the poorhouse herself. It is her struggle to find a way to financially support her family. It also brings to light the struggles of women in the red light district and how some of them want to break free. And it has a bit of a love triangle that readers will thoroughly enjoy as well. I would recommend this story to readers that enjoy stories with struggles, heartache, in addition to romance.

Series: Teaville Moral Society
Genre: historical, romance, Christian
Publisher: Bethany House
Publication date: August 2, 2016
Number of pages: 391​

Other books in the series:
2-So True a Love
3-A Chance at Forever (coming March 2018)

Award-winning author Melissa Jagears pens another historical fiction novel, this one set in Kansas during the early 1900s.
In A Heart Most Certain, Lydia King finds herself courted by Sebastian Little, an inspiring politician in Teaville. Lydia’s mother is getting sicker by the week, and her father’s debts are piling up. Marriage to Sebastian will secure her future, setting her dying mother’s mind at ease.
However, when Sebastian’s mother asks her to obtain a donation for the Teaville Moral Society from Nicholas Lowe–the wealthiest man in town–things begin to fall apart. At first Nicholas refuses, and then he agrees, as long as Lydia will agree to his own conditions. As they work together, they uncover Little family secrets that require them to expose the Littles’ involvement in corruption. Can they stand firm in their beliefs, even when it costs them that which they hold dear?
Jagears’ novel has excellent character development, a clear faith element (without being preachy), and solid historical detail. The relationship between Lydia and Nicholas builds slowly, as each grapples with their response to God’s leading them to confront the corruption of local politicians. The book’s focus is on rescuing those caught in the net of prostitution and helping them to build a new life in Christ. The reactions of the townspeople as Nicholas and Lydia try to help the former prostitutes mirror how the reader might react to anyone upsetting one’s comfortable setting, whether in church or elsewhere. Confronting evil and taking a stand takes courage, the kind that Lydia and Nicholas display.