A Rush of Wings (A Rush of Wings Series #1)

by Kristen Heitzmann

Paperback, 2003

Barcode

3684

Call number

813.54 HEI

Status

Available

Call number

813.54 HEI

Pages

380

Description

Fiction. Romance. Christian Fiction. Historical Fiction. Abandoning her wealthy life, a young woman flees to a remote ranch. But is her impenetrable shell protecting her from imagined fears or true danger?

Local notes

AUTHOR IS A ST. PATRICK PARISHIONER

Publication

Bethany House Publishers (2003), 380 pages

ISBN

0764226061 / 9780764226069

Rating

½ (55 ratings; 3.8)

User reviews

LibraryThing member TammyPhillips
This book had several interesting twists, yet a little too much angst and heartache for my taste. I appreciated the integrity of the lead male character and the fight for self-actualization in the lead female character. All in all, another good story by Kristen Heitzmann.
LibraryThing member MRShemery
Overall, this book was a thoroughly enjoyable read. It is not mainly a love story, but there is love in it. I would say that this book is mainly about a young woman who has had traumatic experiences and ends up finding herself in a place that is in complete contrast with everything she knows. She
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matures emotionally and mentally and is finally able to create her own persona. By doing that, she has finally come to accept who she is, can now begin to work through what has happened to her and is stronger because of it.
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LibraryThing member jewelknits
We first meet Noelle at a bus terminal, fleeing from ... something ... she can't quite remember. The images are fragmented and broken, but it appears that her former fiancee Michael, her father's protege', has something to do with it.

Noelle eventually finds her way to a Colorado mountain town that
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appeals to her. She inquires at a local shop, and is told of two places that may have space to rent to her. The first is a rundown house. The second entails a hike up the mountain to a horse ranch, where she meets two brothers, Rick (the owner) and Morgan. Rick runs a Christian ranch, and his guests arrive by word-of-mouth. Unfortunately, the cottages are booked up for the season, but Morgan talks his brother into letting Noelle rent a room at the main house, which goes against Rick's policy of letting rooms to single female guests; however, for some reason, Rick feels that Noelle is in need of a safe place.

As Morgan attempts to woo Noelle, she welcomes his friendship, but rejects his advances. Afraid to use her credit cards or pull money from the bank for fear of being traced, Noelle finds a way to make her own way by selling her artwork at a local shop.

Michael Fallon, her ex-fiancee', is enraged that Noelle would leave. In his mind, he loves her, and what happened between them was an isolated incident. He sets one of his former clients to work tracking her.

William St. Claire, Noelle's father, is worried, but Noelle HAD left a message for him letting him know she was all right. He can't figure out why she was calling from a small town in Ohio, but she is twenty-three, and old enough to make up her own mind. He keeps this information to himself, as he puzzles over how much Michael had to do with her decision to leave. He has kept Noelle safe and sheltered since a frightening incident when she was five years old, but maybe it's time for her to spread her wings.

For me, this story was a bit saccharine, but that's just my own reading taste. Even understanding that Noelle had something bad happen to her didn't help me feel a lot of sympathy for a fragile personality that could so easily break apart because of one incident. Later on, with the understanding that the incident when she was five made her fragile to begin with, I understood a bit more, but I think I'm much more attracted to strong female characters.

There is some romance and suspense, and we finally gain an understanding of why Noelle is so set against God and religion in general.

QUOTES

Who was the real Noelle? What did Morgan hope to see? The person she had been? The helpless, pleasing, dutiful person others rules? She had left her behind as a snake sheds its skin, leaves it lying useless in the sand.

Now the last of her resistance melted and she surrendered to the incredible love. The sadness was still deep inside her and the knowledge that she might never recover what she'd lost as a five-year-old child. But she no longer faced it alone.
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LibraryThing member HisChild
A Rush of Wings by Kristen Heitzmann is a re-release of the book, originally published in 2003. The cover is new but the story is every bit as good as it was the first time I read it.

Noelle St. Clair is on the run. She has lost her memory and has no idea who or what she is fleeing from but she
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knows that there is danger and she must escape. In her flight, she leaves behind a loving but confused father and a frightened fiance. Her flight leads her from the pampered confines of a luxurious home, away from a doting father, and from an errant fiance to the small secluded horse ranch in the Rocky Mountains. It is here that she finds safety, respite, and refuge.
In her attempts to hide from a danger that she cannot identify, Noelle finds herself forming new relationships and friends of a totally different ilk than any she had ever known. Bit by bit, her memories return until the day that she is forced to face head-on the very source of her fears.

Kristen Heitzmann keeps the reader on pins and needles as she slowly reveals and unravels the tangled threads of Noelle's past. Just when you think you have it all figured out, another twist is revealed that makes you question all that you thought you knew and understood. Noelle slowly learns to trust, not only in her new-found friends, but she also learns to trust in a God who had been an utter stranger until Rick Spencer introduced Him to her through the Word.

I first read this book in April of 2004 and enjoyed it just as much when I read it again in December of 2010. Noelle's story is a story that tells of hope in the time of despair, peace in the time of turmoil, and safety in a time of peril. It was a pleasure to watch as Noelle grew from being afraid to trust anyone to learning to trust in both God and others. It was exciting to see how Noelle discovered the truths that are found in Psalms 91:2: "I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust," and also in Psalms 46:1: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." (KJV)

A copy of this book was provided to me by Bethany House Publishers for review purposes. I received no compensation for this review nor was I under any obligation to provide a favorable review. All comments are my own true and unsolicited observations.
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LibraryThing member judyg54
This story dealt with people you learned to love, even though they made mistakes, had problems and fought the truth. There is a tender romance story in this book, but it is to me, much more than a romantic fiction story , but a story of people searching for the truth, some searching in the wrong
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places and some searching in the right places, but who still fail to make the right desicions. But the encouraging part is that even when we fail or turn our backs on God, He is still faithful and will never turn His back on His own. I truly enjoyed the message behind this story, and how the author dealt with the age old question of why does God allow bad things to happen to good people.

Noelle St. Claire finds herself fleeing a danger that she can't quite remember all the details. She finds herself arriving at the Rocky Mountain horse ranch owned by Rick Spencer and his brother Morgan. Noelle is beautiful, very vulnerable and has secrets she just can't seem to trust anyone with. The two brothers, who are opposites in many ways, try to bring her out of her shell and help her, but Noelle has alot of fears and can't quite figure out if they are real or imagined. Both brothers have different ways of trying to help Noelle, but only one will truly win her heart. In the process though, will he also lose his "first love".

This was not one of those books that I couldn't put down until I read what would happen next. It wasn't a fast paced story, but by the end I realized how well this story was put together and how much I enjoyed growing along with these characters and when they felt their failures, I felt for them in a very real way. I look forward to reading more about one of the Spencer brothers in "The Still of Night".
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LibraryThing member wareagle78
A well-executed Christian romance novel. I was very taken with the novel's main characters - Noelle and brothers Rick and Morgan Spencer. Each was compelling and believable in their own ways. Not much of the novel was a surprise, but getting there was an enjoyable journey.
LibraryThing member Dawn772
This Christian story had just enough draw to keep my interest and the ending was great but she held her secrets too long and it was slow going at times such that I skimmed some. In a panic, Noelle flees NY and ends up at Rick's Rocky Mountain horse ranch.
LibraryThing member caslater83
Fairly good book.

I found it very hard to get into the book. To me, I just wasn't feeling that connection to the characters or the storyline. I know Kristen Heitzmann is a well-known author in the Christian community, but I doubt I will try any more of her books.
LibraryThing member KaylaLowe
As usual, Kristen Heitzmann did not disappoint. Another intriguing and romantic novel.

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