In a Soldier's Arms

By Marin Thomas

Prejudice...Superstition... And A Soldier With A Magic Touch Determined to uncover the truth about her mysterious Appalachian past, Maggie O'Neil drives to Heather's Hollow in search of her granny, the only other surviving member of the O'Neil clan. Her grandmother's uncanny sixth sense and healing powers intrigue the emergency-room nurse when they meet, but what really fascinates her is her granny's neighbor, brooding ex-soldier Abram Devane. The secretive major pretends to like his solitude, but Maggie's gut feeling says he's not immune to her. And as all of Heather's Hollow knows, when the O'Neil women look into the future with their bewitching green eyes, whatever they see comes true. Herself in this soldier's arms forever is the sight before Maggie. Can Abram face down the demons in his past and allow himself to see the same thing?

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0373752040
• ISBN13: 9780373752041
• Release Date: February 2008
• Publisher: Harlequin American Romance
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 4.2" x 6.6"

Customer Reviews

Second Dose of Heart from the Hearts of Appalachia Author

This is Marin Thomas' second book in her Hearts of Appalachia mini-series. Just as she did in the first book, For the Children, the author transports her readers into the closely knit community of "the clan" in Heather's Hollow. First-time Marin Thomas readers will enjoy In a Soldier's Arms as a stand-alone book, while Thomas fans will be thrilled to discover that some of the previous book's characters are back and just as delightful the second time around. The people who live in Heather's Hollow, deep within the Appalachian Mountains, are Scotch-Irish clan members who are, for the most part, self-sufficient. They cling to the old ways and each other and shun the intrusion of governments, modern healthcare, and outsiders. It is the perfect place for someone who wants to escape life in general, which is exactly what Abram Devane needs. Or so he thinks. Devane, a wounded Iraq War veteran, moved to the Hollow with physical and emotional scars, but when Maggie O'Neil arrives, his efforts to forget the past become undone. Maggie, a nurse practitioner from Louisville, has been summoned to her mother's childhood home at the request of a woman she never knew--her grandmother, the clan's elder/healer--to collect her recently deceased mother's belongings. The result is a battle of wits, a clash of old and new, and the push-pull of people yearning for answers to long-standing questions. Granny and the clan folks of Heather's Hollow are quite content to let well enough alone. They don't need outsiders. They don't want outsiders. And, in many ways, the outsiders, who don't understand how people can live under such backward conditions, don't think they need or want the clan folks. The heart and soul of In a Soldier's Arms are these contrasting lifestyles and values and the way the characters work through their own prejudices, superstitions, mistrust, and defensiveness. Marin Thomas has created another delightfully poignant story. She has left this reviewer anxiously awaiting the third and final installment in the series. by Lee Ambrose for Story Circle Book Reviews reviewing books by, for, and about women

whimsical contemporary romance

The letter from her grandma came one month ago claiming that she Margaret O'Neal was emergency-room nurse Maggie O'Neal's last living maternal relative. Unable to resist she leaves Louisville to meet her late mom's kin in Heather's Hollow, Kentucky. She drives over and to a café she meets former soldier Abram Devane, who reluctantly shows her the way to Granny ONeal's place, next to his. Maggie is fascinated by granny's sixth sense gift and her healing skills so she decides to stay awhile and become better acquainted. She is also attracted to Abram, but though he seems to reciprocate at times; each advancing step leads to two steps in retreat as if he fears her love or perhaps his loving her. However, if he listened to either his heart or the natives he would know that when an O'Neal female sees the future, it always happens; Maggie sees herself in this soldier's arms forever. IN A SOLDIER'S ARMS is a whimsical contemporary romance starring two likable lead characters with commitment issues, a wonderful Appalachian support cast, and the show stealer Granny, who in some ways will remind readers of Granny Moses of the TV version of the Beverly Hillbillies. Whereas Margaret learns home is where the heart wants to be, which is with Granny and Abram. Abram suffers from PTSD, but feels bewitched by the two O'Neal women who enable him to somewhat forget the anguish from his military experience. Marin Thomas provides a warm old Kentucky home romance. Harriet Klausner