Heed the Wind

This was such a refreshing book. The writing was beautifully done. And the setting was perfect. I loved this book so much and would highly recommend this book.

The book is a compilation of sadness and happiness I was way too curious to know the end the mystery which was in the book couldn't have been written better
Lastly I hope the author continues the series with stories of the brothers next and I get to read it first

Loved reading the enthralling and engaging story. After Staletta Burns loses her two brothers, she tries to survive on the streets playing her violin for money handouts, but when Staletta is arrested, Daniel comes to her rescue. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and a must read riveting and captivating story. Can't to read the next story in the series!

Realta Burns started out her journey in life by singing to scare away birds and trying to cheer up her family during the Irish Famine in 1846. But her family was dying of starvation so her dad sent Realta and three of her brothers to England where the youngest, Seamus, died on the voyage.
Seamus was lucky. Realta and her brothers were three of thousands of needy Irish who converged on English shores - one of her brothers, Peadar killed a rat and Pol made a fire and they ate it.
Eleven years later, Staletta, (Realta ) is playing a violin and singing in bars and on the street for a living. The crowds call her "The North Star", and she is seen to give her money to the poor and needy. As she gives her money to a sick boys' mother, she bumps into a man and woman who will change her life, Daniel and Claire.

The next day a policeman tries to steal Starletta' s violin and she is thrown to the ground, and that same night Staletta is attacked by a man, Daniel yells at the man and stops him, and then Staletta arrested for prostitution, even though she was almost raped!

Daniel picks up Staletta's broken violin, takes it to his workshop , and works out a plan. He goes to the prison, and tells Staletta about a rehabilitation program that she can go to instead of prison, but she has to get a job and show that she is reformed.

She reluctantly agrees,Daniel takes her to get a bite to eat and introduces her to the Winches who will be supervising her.

Staletta does not know that her life is about to change.....

I was intrigued by the cover of this book so I decided to read it. Being as Wendy Dolch is a new author, I have not read any of her books before. I am conflicted about Heed the Wind. On the one hand I was totally engrossed in the book and I could not put it down. But on the other hand the imagery in the book was a little bit too graphic. The story line is rivating. It is like riding a roller coaster with all of its ups and downs. You just have to hang on and wonder what comes next. This book is an inspirational book and it does offer Spiritual guidance, but it is weighed down by "sinful" scenes. The graphic scenes may keep me from reading more books by this author even though I enjoyed the overall story.

This book was not what I expected, in a good way. It pulled me in from the start and I wanted to keep reading to find out what would happen to Staletta, then what would happen to Daniel, and then what would happen to Bobs. There were many tough subjects tackled and the rough parts of life were written in a truthful yet tactful way. A great faith-filled story, with hard life lessons and some difficult subjects written in a redemptive and strong way. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Wendy Dolch does a great job in writing this opening chapter to the Heed the Wind series. It had everything that I was expecting and enjoyed the historical fiction element. I enjoyed the battle for redemption overall and how good the characters were. It left me excited to read more in this series.

I really enjoyed this book it was beautifully written and full of descriptions that were so visceral, especially of the setting that I felt I was there

A compelling read, that was both encouraging and heartbreaking. A reminder to follow what God has placed in your hearts and be the witness for him to those around you. A very real encounter with harsh realities of life.

Potato famine, homeless kids in London, horrendous factory conditions are all encompassed in Wendy Dolch's Heed the Wind. Some rather graphic scenes resulted in lower than a 5-star rating. Excellent character development. A review was provided for my review, but all opinions are my own.

What a turnaround at the end!
I love the story and the characters

It was fun reading and i'm waiting for the next book.

This is a story filled with the struggles we all, as humans, can relate to....the shame and trouble accepting grace and forgiveness...as well as the gospel weaved in such a way that it brought me near tears. There was a part incorporated that I didn't like in the story (not sharing for spoilers) that was a visual representation of of the enemy's attacks on our mind and heart. I thought it would impact my review because I came close to not finishing the book because of the vividness of it. As I sit and reflect on the book and write the review I am realizing how powerful that word picture was to the overall story. If you find that part of the book difficult, PUSH THROUGH! It definitely worth it! I can't wait to dig into the next book in the series.

This was my first time reading a book written by Wendy Dolch. I have to say it was hard to put down and kept me reading well into the night. It's a story of loss, redemption, forgiveness and healing. It had a lot of twist in it and that is probably why I could not put it down. The author has a way of writing that makes you feel like you are in the story yourself. There were a few graphic descriptions in the story, but I think the author wanted to portray the reality of what the main character went through, Overall a good read! I would like to read more books by this author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I want to thank Netgalley for an advanced ARC of this book

This book is beautifully written I think, showing the life of a poor young lady who's had a hard life and finds it hard to connect as well as feel that she deserves anything, the main character star has had such a bad life that she is haunted by it and clings on to the only thing she knows death and lose.... the complexities of her as a character is she expects death or worse to come to anyone she connects with making her to come off as rude and being willfully disobedient to the ones around her helping her and many see her as mysterious and a project but then come to realise their is so much more to this girl that she has hidden for years and taking a glimpse into what she has had to suffer for years makes everyone think she is made but she is not because trauma cannot be formed in one way and we all have different ways to deal.

It's a heart touching story I would gladly read again

It was beautifully written, the pace was good, I loved the world-building era, I loved the characters, it was a really gripping story. thank you Netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me an advance copy in exchange of my honest review. 4 ★

Thank you NetGalley and author Wendy Dolch for the copy in exchange of my honest review.

"She lost her entire family, he destroyed his. Now the battle for redemption begins.

After her family and friends have all been lost, 18-year-old Staletta Burns struggles to survive on the streets of Victorian London. Her violin is her only tether to a world that has failed her. She finds work in a textile factory under the ownership of a cruel man known for beating his workers to the very brink of death. Upon first sight of him, she knows she has met this man before, and if he recognizes her, he will surely kill her. Fighting her fear of him, she must confront him. But when she does so, she realizes they are not so different. Both have fallen farther than they would have liked. Can either find redemption in this unforgiving world?"

It is a quick and easy read. I felt a roller coaster of emotions reading this. I devoured this in one sitting.

Sadness, regret, joy....and redemption.

I would say this is written in a language and writing style for a target age of younger readers. Even so, I found it to be an enjoyable read, as well as a tear-jerker. And I am a sucker for books that evoke strong emotions - maybe because sometimes I just need an excuse to cry instead of holding it all in.

This book deals very tackfully with some heavy and weighty things that are common to the human experience - I think that is why it worked.

I am hoping to see more of each character - let us see their stories as well. Looking forward to more.

Thank you NetGalley and author Wendy Dolch for the copy in exchange of my honest review.

Extremely fast-paced book that I found was not a good one to read just before bed as I would want to keep reading! And since my love has always been my violin, I was even more interested in reading it. The characters are engaging and I was drawn into them. I did feel bogged down emotionally at times and felt that it was pretty dark in sections. Still, the author is an excellent storyteller and especially since I believe this might be her first book. I will be keeping an eye out for future books of hers to consider.