Good morning, Faith. Welcome to Character Cafe! I am so excited to have you here today since your novel contains one of my favorite tropes — woman disguised as man. Tell us why you had to become “Frank” for a time.

My sisters and I made a promise to my father that we’d return a blue crystal necklace to an elderly native American woman who had saved his life. That was over two years ago, but now that my sisters have settled in at our ranch and have met the loves of their lives and started families, they don’t seem to remember the vow we made. Finally, I gave up nagging them and decided to join a party of trappers who were traveling through the area where Steps Right is reported to be hiding for her life in a cave behind a waterfall.

Oh, so you had to become a man so you’d be safe amongst the trappers. Still, weren’t you afraid they’d find out and do terrible things to you?

I would have been afraid, but one of the men joining the party of trappers is a man named Grant who I’d met prior. He actually saved me just as I was about to fall into a waterfall I’d already investigated.

Oh my goodness! That scene had me cringing at the pain you must have felt when you fell onto that boulder on your rear and then began to slide off it. Weren’t you afraid that Grant would recognize you since he’d seen you wearing a skirt and with your hair down when he rescued you?

Yes. Of course. Thankfully I’m not that curvy so I can pull off the disguise as long as my hair is under my hat and I rub some dirt on my face to look scruffy. But he caught on anyway.

I’m glad he knows to keep an eye on you. He certainly seems like a wise and kind guy. Is he a believer?

That’s the strange thing. He doesn’t seem to have faith for himself, but he seems to want me to believe. Once he looked deep into my eyes and said “What your sisters have is real. It can be real for you too. I don’t know how to find it, but I think if your heart is open… if you ask Him, God will be there. He’ll answer you. It might not be in ways you expect, but it will be Him answering you.

Hmm. Sounds to me like he was a believer but something happened to make him feel like he isn’t worthy of a relationship with God.

Or worthy to have a relationship with a woman. We shared this incredible kiss. My first kiss, actually. To me, it was magical, and he seemed to feel something strongly too. But he keeps distancing himself.

At least he is being a gentleman. I doubt if there are too many honorable men in the Rockies during your era of history. Trappers and miners were notoriously rough and reckless with women — and in general. It was quite a lawless place.

Grant is a gentleman. He’s a good listener too. Why, I even opened up to him about some of my toughest memories, like when my precious horse Frances had to be put down and my mama helped me cover her body with stones so wolves wouldn’t come and eat her in the night.

Well, I hope that you will listen to Grant — whether he believes what he told you or not, it’s true that God will be with you no matter what happens. I have a feeling you are going to face some serious dangers before your Rocky Mountain Journey is over. You are going to need to rely on God to give you strength.

[Nods solemnly.] Thank you for that advice and warning, Amy.

Changing the subject, why don’t you take a look at our menu. You’ve been eating an awful lot of trail food — beans, cornmeal, dried meat… Even some beaver stew — no offense, but yuck! I’m sure you wouldn’t mind some comfort food before you get back to your mission.

Oh, thank you! Why, I’d love to have some of your Rocky Mountain Huckleberry Tea. https://www.faire.com/product/p_pz4frrdmrd

Oh, you’ll love it. Such a great flavor. I’m going to suggest a dessert that pairs well with huckleberry — if you’re like me and you like something spicy paired with something fruity. This Rocky Mountain Cake is so good! https://oneperfectbite.blogspot.com/2014/06/rocky-mountain-cake-old-fashioned-treat.html

Readers, I hope you enjoyed meeting Faith. Be sure to purchase Rocky Mountain Journey so that you can meet the handsome Grant and many other fabulous characters. I enjoyed the character of Faith, and how she grew from being self-reliant to knowing she needed God. She was certainly a headstrong young lady, but I love that she was willing to put herself in danger to fulfill a vow. I have been a fan of Misty Beller’s books for a while now, and I often listen to her audiobooks at night. She does an amazing job portraying the Old West, adding angsty situations, and making the reader feel like a pioneer.

About the Book

Book: Rocky Mountain Journey (Sisters of the Rockies: Book 3)

Author: Misty M. Beller

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: June 18, 2024

Masquerading as a man, Faith Collins embarks on a perilous journey through the untamed wilderness of the Rocky Mountains in search of the Peigan Blackfoot woman who once saved her father’s life. She joins a group of trappers who may be able to lead her to the place the woman is hiding, but keeping Faith’s identity a secret proves more difficult than she imagined.

Grant Allen is searching for his younger brother, who was separated from him when their parents died many years ago. After receiving word that his brother went west to the Rockies, he unites with a group of trappers, hoping they can lead him to his brother’s location. Soon Grant realizes there’s a woman hiding among the men, and he’s determined to find out who she is, what she’s hiding, and how he can keep her safe in this country of wild animals and even wilder men.

In this rousing conclusion to her Sisters of the Rockies series, Misty M. Beller embarks on an adventurous journey where loyalty, love, and sacrifice intertwine amid the unforgiving frontier.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Misty M. Beller is a USA Today bestselling author of romantic mountain stories, set on the 1800s frontier and woven with the truth of God’s love.

Raised on a farm and surrounded by family, Misty developed her love for horses, history, and adventure. These days, her husband and children provide fresh adventure every day, keeping her both grounded and crazy.

Misty’s passion is to create inspiring Christian fiction infused with the grandeur of the mountains, writing historical romance that displays God’s abundant love through the twists and turns in the lives of her characters.

Sharing her stories with readers is a dream come true for Misty. She writes from her country home in South Carolina and escapes to the mountains any chance she gets.

More from Misty

A HEROINE DISGUISED AS A MAN

I love a heroine in disguise! It’s one of my favorite tropes, but I don’t often get to write stories with that plot. It adds so many fun and funny moments to the storyline. J

In Rocky Mountain Journey our heroine goes undercover as a “man” to travel with a group of trappers so she can reach her destination safely. Numbers meant a better chance of survival back in those days. I love that Grant, our hero, was the only man in the trapper group who looked close enough at the young “man” riding with them to realize things weren’t what they seemed at first glance.

One challenge that definitely arises in a story where the heroine is pretending to be a man is the development of the romance between her and the hero. In this case, Faith was pretending to be her (fictitious) brother Frank. Grant had met Faith in an earlier chapter before she took on the disguise, and he immediately noticed the resemblance between “Frank” and the woman whose memory still lingered with him, even days later. Every time he looks at “Frank” while they’re traveling with the trappers, he recalls the memory of Faith by the waterfall…and the attraction to that woman grows a little more every time. What a shocking surprise when he discovered she’s riding just ahead of him on the trail the entire time!

I pray you love Faith’s stint “in disguise” in Rocky Mountain Journey! J

Blessings!

Misty

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, June 18

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, June 18

Life, Love, Writing, June 19

Book Looks by Lisa, June 19

Wishful Endings, June 20

Lighthouse Academy Blog, June 20 (Guest Review from Marilyn Ridgway)

Texas Book-aholic, June 21

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 22

Devoted To Hope, June 22

Locks, Hooks and Books, June 23

Happily Managing a Houeshold of Boys, June 23

Betti Mace, June 24

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 24

lakesidelivingsite, June 25

Books You Can Feel Good About, June 26

Mornings at Character Cafe, June 26

Life on Chickadee Lane, June 27

Tell Tale Book Reviews, June 27

Cover Lover Book Review, June 28

For Him and My Family, June 29

Jeanette’s Thoughts, June 29

Holly’s Book Corner, June 30

Blossoms and Blessings, June 30

Lily’s Corner, July 1

Pause for Tales, July 1

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Misty is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/2c068/rocky-mountain-journey-celebration-tour-giveaway