My Loving Vigil Keeping by Carla Kelly

Della's giving up all the comforts of bustling Salt Lake City to teach school in a rural coal mining camp. Little does she know, she may soon be giving up her heart as well. But when tragedy strikes in the Scofield Mine, Della's life will be changed forever. Based on true events, this thrilling new romance from award-winning and bestselling author Carla Kelly is a must-read!

I'm happy to be a part of this Cedar Fort blog tour for Carla Kelly's new book.  I've read other books by Carla Kelly and there is no doubt that she has a talent for writing.  I've enjoyed her books but I think that I liked this book even better than the rest.

There were so many little things that made this book for me.  The setting of this book is at the top of the list though.  I love books that are based on historical events because they give me a sort of education while still feeding my love of a good fictional story.  This book is set in Winter Quarters which is a mining town.  I had heard of the tragedy of the Scofield Mines before but I really didn't know very much about it or the life of people there.  Such hard working, dedicated people and such a tragedy dealt to them.  I always appreciate a bit of explanation and "real" facts at the end of historical based books.  They help solidify the real life event.  Carla Kelly did this for me (yes, just for me) in this book and I loved reading it.

Some other little things that I loved were the Welsh words and songs, the broomstick that kept getting shorter, the wooden letters and the singing.  You'll have to read the book to find out what I'm talking about.  :)

Della is a strong woman.  She has endured much heartache and we watch her step out on her own, determined to make a new life for herself.  Carla Kelly always seems to write these no nonsense, strong female leads for her book and this was no exception.

The romance is VERY slow moving but also VERY sweet.

Oh, and one of my favorite scenes from the book.  "Inside the house, she slammed the door to her room.  It wasn't loud enough so she opened it and slammed it again then threw herself on the bed."  Just a little tantrum that I MIGHT be able to relate to.  ahem.  :)

This book will be released in August.  Here is a link to Amazon where you can find pre-order information.