Who Touches The Mountains by Deborah Raney

Who Touches the Mountains by Deborah Raney
Series: The God Who, book 1 of 2
Publisher: self published (November 23, 2024)

REVIEW BY GWEN M. PLANO

Liesl Bachman drives into the North Carolina mountains to write her next travel guide. Her destination is The Inn at Rosebud Lane. The proprietor, Zach Freylan, is a widower who shoulders a terrible sorrow. Two years prior, his wife died in a mysterious one-car crash. Liesl and Zach slowly become friends, and their lives change. This moderately paced story unfolds with themes of hope, forgiveness, and second chances. It is a lovely Christian romance, with a reminder that miracles are sometimes just around the next bend.

Author Deborah Raney begins her book with a prayer:

“I pray that you know, personally, the God who touches the mountains, who names the stars, who measures the oceans, and who stirs up the sea. Since I met Him and gave my life to His son, Jesus Christ, I am forever changed for the good.”

-Deborah Raney, Who Touches the Mountains

Her prayer reverberates throughout the book as the characters begin to see the blessings of life:

“… she saw the silver threads that tied everything in Creation together. Nothing had been created without reason and purpose, and it all worked together in perfect symmetry. Perfect harmony. The spring flowers brought joy for their beauty alone, but more importantly, they provided nectar for the hummingbirds and bees, who in turn created sweet honey that she enjoyed on her morning toast.”

-Deborah Raney, Who Touches the Mountains

And, slowly, the characters begin to trust:

“God’s forgiveness…might not change the consequences, but it completely changes what happens in the future.”

-Deborah Raney, Who Touches the Mountains

This novel is a sweet love story, perfect for an evening read. The characters, especially Liesl and Zach, are well-developed and relatable.  They struggle with common life burdens and face those challenges with courage and determination. Always present and inviting is the setting — the North Carolina mountains.

I give Who Touches the Mountains four and a half lively fish.

I read the Kindle version of Who Touches the Mountains.