Litfuse Review:A Heartbeat Away by:S. Dionne Moore

 About the Book:
 When a band of runaway slaves brings Union-loyal Beth Bumgartner a wounded Confederate soldier named Joe, it is the catalyst that pushes her to defy her pacifist parents and become a nurse during the Battle of Antietam. Her mother's mysterious goodbye gift is filled with quilt blocks that bring comfort to Beth during the hard days and lonely nights, but as she sews each block, she realizes there is a hidden message of faith within the pattern that encourages and sustains her. Reunited with Joe, Beth learns his secret and puts the quilt's message to its greatest test but can betrayal be forgiven?
 
About the Author:
 S. Dionne Moore resides in South Central PA with her family. She is a weekly contributor to The Borrowed Book (http://www.theborrowedbook.blogspot.com) where she posts tips on the writing life, recipes, and teaches on various writing-related subjects. In addition to writing the LaTisha Barnhart Mysteries trilogy, beginning with Murder on the Ol ' Bunions and followed by Polly Dent Loses Grip, a 2010 Carol Award Finalist, and Your Goose is Cooked, all now available as ebooks.

 Sandra pens historical romances that bring strong focus to locales within her region of Pennsylvania. Promise of Tomorrow and now Promise of Time are both Carol Award Finalists for 2011 and 2012, respectively. Both books are two of the three found in Promise Brides. http://www.sdionnemoore.com. In 2012 look for more romances featured in the Cattle Baron days of Wyoming in A Shepherd's Song, The Cattle Baron's Daughter, and Valley of the Heart. View the book trailer here.

My Review:
 This novel is set during the Civil War. The heroine in this novel is Beth Bumgartner and her dream for as long as she could remember was to be a nurse and to work alongside Clara Barton during wartime.She goes to stay with her grandmother to receive her training. And before long she is faced with a decision that she is basically forced to make. Pretty soon they are both caring for the Confederate side which will not sit well with their family or anyone else for that matter.

 Joe is brought to Grandmother Gerta's home by a group of runaway slaves to be cared for because he was wounded. The runaway slaves said that Joe and his brother Ben saved their lives and it was the least that they could do. Soon Beth realizes that even though Joe is on the wrong side of the war she doesn't want him to die. This is a heartwarming story that causes you to see compassion and generosity in a whole new light.

**Disclosure** This book was sent to me free of charge for my honest review from Litfuse.