A lifelong resident of the Volunteer
State of Tennessee, author Sandra
Robbins has always harbored a
desire to write about “the hardy
mountain people” who inhabit
Cades Cove, a remote valley in the
Smoky Mountains.
That’s precisely what she did with
Angel of the Cove (Harvest House),
the first novel in her Smoky
Mountain Dreams series. While
she’s tackled everything from
historical romance to romantic
suspense in the past, her foray
into Amish fiction is nothing
short of memorable, with the little
details of her home state bringing
this story to vivid life.
With the plot centering around
the families who call this isolated
valley “home” and their struggle
for survival in the harsh wilderness,
she highlights how this closeknit
society lived, loved
and worshipped in the
meantime. Told through
the ever-perceptive eyes
of young, idealistic Anna
Prentiss, who wants
nothing more than to
be a nurse, and Simon
Martin, a handsome
young minister who may
change her plans if he’s
got anything to say about
it, it’s yet another shining
example of how even the
best-laid plans can be
thwarted when God is writing the story.
“Both are bent on following their own dreams, but
they discover that true happiness lies in surrendering
one’s personal will to God and following where He
leads,” Sandra says. “It is my prayer that readers will
come to accept that truth in their lives and find the
peace that God offers them.”