The Healing Season

by Ruth Axtell Morren

Book Overview

Though he'd found his life's calling ministering to London's underclass, Dr. Ian Russell hadn't yet found his life's mate. Then the former army surgeon encountered the enchanting stage actress Eleanor Neville. Ian's good works and strong faith set him apart from other men Eleanor knew. But despite his fascination with her glittering world, Eleanor feared her notorious past would end their future together before it had even begun. Could true love and...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0373785887
• ISBN13: 9780373785889
• Release Date: June 2007
• Publisher: Steeple Hill
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 0.49 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 4.2" x 6.6"

Customer Reviews

God's intervention!

I am very fond of romances. In fact, I read all kinds of them...to be honest. This one was my first Christian romance and it is simply marvelous! Ruth Axtell Morren is a very gifted author, indeed! In this story of an angel of a doctor treating the people of the worst parts of London in 1817 and a very talented and famous theater actress with a sad and violent past, Ms. Morren created a wonderful tale of love, faith, redemption, and also told us about the real conditions of medical care back in the beginning of 19th century. How did our hero Ian and heroine Eleanor meet for the very first time? You'll have to find out and read this book up to the very end. In this one, we really see that God exists and is at our side in the worst moments!

Travel In Time and Find Love

The Healing Season By: Ruth Axtell Morren Sit down with this book and travel into London in the early eighteen hundreds when society had distinct classes, notoriety was hard to overcome, and medicine advanced slowly. Within the pages you will find faith and betrayal and love. Stage actress Eleanor Neville dragged herself out of the mire of life into the world of acting, talent and success. With her career on an upswing, she was close to achieving all she ever wanted. The night she called on surgeon Ian Russell to save one of her fellow actresses from death, she had no way of knowing every aspect of life was about to change for her. Ian Russell, dedicated surgeon, excellent teacher and devout Christian lived his life serving those in London who could not afford his services. Many times his payment was in morsels of food, if at all. His single life was lonely, but he trusted God to bring his perfect mate to him. He would never have guessed the night he answered Mrs. Neville's call would change him forever. This book is a journey into history, into the hearts and souls of two people who are more lonely and lost than they would ever have discovered had they not met. As you read, you will hear the sounds of the streets, smell the dark corners and allies and touch a bit of history that, like any era, holds both beauty and horror. As you walk the streets with Ian, watch Eleanor on stage and meet the children of the mission don't be surprised if the God who heals them all places some healing balm upon your heart.

Don't read the back of the book!!

Reading the blurb on the back of the book isn't what encouraged me to buy this it. In fact, I passed it over several times BECAUSE of the back. But since I so enjoyed Wild Rose I thought, at 6.99, I might as well give it a chance. I'm so happy that I did! The back of the book says this: "But despite his fascination with her glittering world, Eleanor feared her notorious past would end their future together before it had even begun." I wasn't interested in a book where the hero was fascinated by the "hollywood" lifestyle. I didn't want to see another heroine hiding her innocent past because of shame. In fact, the hero of the book was NOT fascinated but rather disgusted by her "glittering world." And she was not worried at all about her offensive career. In fact, she was proud of her past! She was rather scornful to him because of his purity and wanted to cause him to fall. For awhile, she isn't the heroine but the villain! This book was wonderfully written and very enjoyable. It had an interesting plot with wonderful main characters- characters that grow more likeable as their journey moves along- and secondary characters alike. Almost a Hosea story... almost!

Inspirational romance at its best

Ruth Axtell Morren has crafted an engaging and romantic story that will draw you into Regency London and keep you there. Beautiful and self-sufficient, actress Eleanor Neville doesn't need a man in her life. But when a dear friend nearly dies of trauma, she calls on surgeon Ian Russell, a man with a reputation of helping people, including those who can't afford to pay him. Ian is different than any other man Eleanor has known, but can she trust him? Ian has a thriving medical practice helping London's needy, gives weekly lectures, plus helps out at the local mission. He is a godly man who doesn't need complications in his life, but he wouldn't mind a wife, if God would provide her. After meeting Eleanor, he is both entranced by her beauty and disgusted by the past she shares with him--a past full of sinful mistakes. When Eleanor has an accident during a performance, Ian is there to rescue her. He helps with her recovery, and to his own chagrin, begins to have feelings for her. Will he act on those feelings or reject the woman he loves? Is God's love strong enough to turn Eleanor from a life of fame to a life for Him? Morren has a masterful way with words. The reader is transported to another time and period and won't be able to put the book down until the end. This is a well-written historical, a bit longer than the usual trade paperback, but Morren uses every page to her full advantage. The reader will be able to identify with real characters that have real flaws and fragile emotions. As the love story unfolds between hero and heroine, you'll feel each conflict and each pain. This is a beautiful romance handled deftly by a master storyteller. The inspirational aspect of this book is handled well, without being overdone. Morren allows her characters to question their faith and then ultimately come to a decision point where they must choose God, but never preaches to the reader. Armchair Interviews says: Highly recommended inspirational romance.

A love story of God's grace

It wasn't until I neared the end that I realized this book is a retelling of Hosea and Gomer, albeit with a twist. Thoroughly engaging in story and style, Morren transports her readers to London in the early 1800s. Credible emotions and prejudices color both Ian's and Eleanor's lives, creating wonderful conflict and tension. The Healing Season doesn't have the predictability of formula romance; rather it's a beautiful love story of God's grace. A definite recommendation for your bookshelf.