About the Book

Book: Over the Horizon

Author: Penny Zeller

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: July 18, 2023

A most unusual proposal…

Alone in 1870s Idaho Territory, Paisley Abbott has nowhere to turn. With no other options, she finds herself consenting to an unconventional, but mutually beneficial agreement.

During an unplanned return to his family’s farm, prodigal Tyler Shepherdson inherits three orphans. When Tyler finds a woman hiding in the back of his wagon, an idea begins to form and he makes a rash decision that results in perhaps one of the most spontaneous marriages of convenience ever.

Despite an unorthodox beginning to their marriage, will Paisley and Tyler trust God as they forge ahead to create a home for three children? Will love arise from a desperate situation?

In the first book in the Horizon Series, travel to the late 1800s to the town of Horizon in the Idaho Territory with a cast of unforgettable characters, journeys of faith, and abundant humor.

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My Thoughts:

Paisley Abbott and Tyler Shepherdson are thrown together in a most unconventional way. Paisley, after losing her parents in a tragic accident, runs away from an evil, ambitious man who not only wants her land, but her as well for his wife. Paisley knows not only will she not be happy with him, but probably not safe either. So, she runs from him and hides away in a stranger's wagon.

That stranger is Tyler whose life has also taken a drastic turn as well. He also has lost his parents due to sickness and now he is responsible for his three younger adopted siblings. They need a lot of love, care, and patience. Not only that, but Tyler is carrying a load of guilt on his shoulders, so he wants to keep his promises to his late mother.

So, Tyler and Paisley have an interesting first meeting that only cements their continual relationship. And when Tyler sees a marriage of convenience as the only way out of their troubles, Paisley agrees.

We get a front row seat of both Tyler and Paisley's thoughts and feelings concerning their very short courtship, a marriage to a stranger, a family of many broken hearts, and the difficulties of farm life. In fact, life in general can be hard without the past and its dangers coming flooding back. This marriage and little family will need to learn to stand together to survive and to love.

I was provided a copy of this novel from the author. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

About the Author

Penny Zeller is known for her heartfelt stories of faith, love, and humor and her passion to impact lives for Christ through fiction. While she has had a love for writing since childhood, she began her adult writing career penning articles for national and regional publications on a wide variety of topics and is now the author of nearly two dozen books. Penny is also a fitness instructor and resides with her husband and two daughters in small-town America.

More from Penny

When I was a child growing up in a small farming community, one of our highlights was cramming into my aunt’s “White Machine”, her old, white, 1980s Mercury Monarch that sunk low in the back and higher in the front—all six, sometimes seven, of us, along with my mom and aunt. It was a crowded affair, with those of us who were oldest (me included) on the bottom, and the youngers piled on top, sometimes stacked three-high so we could all fit. My two siblings, along with my three, sometimes four, cousins looked forward to this event. We didn’t have a lot of money in those days, so scraping up the necessary funds proved challenging at times.

We’d cruise up to the local fast-food restaurant, and for twenty cents, my mom and aunt would treat us to ice cream cones, and they would order Tab sodas. The woman at the drive-thru had it memorized so she knew exactly what flavors and how many of each.

I was always one of the vanillas. The three boys (my brother and two cousins) had eating, or rather, inhaling contests, to see who could eat their ice cream the fastest, along with a brain freeze included at no extra charge.

Ice cream makes an appearance in Over the Horizon. My novel takes place in the 1870s in the Idaho Territory, and during my research, I discovered that a man named J. Easley owned an “Ice Cream Saloon and Confectionery Shop” in Idaho City in 1868. His advertisement provided inspiration for the fictional O’Dell’s Soda Fountain and Confectionery in the book.

Some other things I recently discovered about ice cream:

Ronald Reagan signed into effect National Ice Cream Day.

According to the International Dairy Foods Association, the top three favorite types of ice cream are chocolate, cookies n’ cream, and vanilla.

Most folks enjoy pizza and ice cream, but they may not like the combined flavors. Yes, there is pizza-flavored ice cream.

The ice cream cone was invented in 1904 by Syrian, Ernest E. Hamwi.

Over the Horizon includes a memorable cast of characters, all with their own distinct personalities. As such, it was fun to create a short character quiz, featured below, that includes a question about ice cream. I’d love to hear from you about which character you are most like, so be sure to take the quiz and let me know in the comments!