Her Secret Song

I just finished reading Ursula's story in Her Secret Song. Life and a toddler delayed me, but it was almost perfect timing, because as she was able to mentally leave her mountain and reach out to other people nearby, but not around her yet... so was I. As you may have seen when I was talking about, [b:Help, I'm Drowning: Weathering the Storms of Life with Grace and Hope 57070966 Help, I'm Drowning Weathering the Storms of Life with Grace and Hope Sally Clarkson https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1624825254l/57070966.SY75.jpg 89316791], it was the combination of those self told stories and this fiction that pushed me to come out of my cocoon, as well. Like her sisters Jo and Ilsa, Ursula had never left Hope Mountain. She knew of no one except a faint memory of her mother and father, and her paternal grandparents, and her little sisters which she practically raised. She raised them in the rural Colorado mountains, alone. Full of fear that was instilled by her grandparents and the mystery of the unknown. I went up to Hope Mountain in reading the story of Jo when I needed a reprieve from every day life. I was pulled onto a train with Ilsa when I wasn't ready to leave my post pandemic lifestyle. I have found a new church home, new groups of friends, and more people to love and cherish with similar veins of thought during Ursula's push to remove herself from some severe agoraphobia. I love reading Mary Connealy's stories. They always seem to hit my life at just the right moment and I often wonder if she could possibly be writing any of these stories for me. A great escapism from my everyday and worth every page. I started with a Netgalley eARC, continued with a copy thanks to Bethany House Publishers, and finished today while cross stitching a new adventure listening to an audiobook on Hoopla Digital.