A gem of a book from my keeper shelf.

Every now and then I shun my TBR pile and yank off a title from my keeper shelf. Here's one of them…The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn holds a special place in my heart because it was my introduction to the awesome writing of Lori Benton. Her turns of phrases and knowledge of the Colonial era is spectacular. Plus she pens a heart-throbbing romance and knows how to ramp up the tension so that you're forced to turn the page.

Here's a blurb:

Frontier dangers cannot hold a candle to the risks one woman takes by falling in love.
 
In an act of brave defiance, Tamsen Littlejohn escapes the life her harsh stepfather has forced upon her. Forsaking security and an arranged marriage, she enlists frontiersman Jesse Bird to guide her to the Watauga settlement in western North Carolina. But shedding her old life doesn’t come without cost. As the two cross a vast mountain wilderness, Tamsen faces hardships that test the limits of her faith and endurance.  
 
Convinced that Tamsen has been kidnapped, wealthy suitor Ambrose Kincaid follows after her, in company with her equally determined stepfather. With trouble in pursuit, Tamsen and Jesse find themselves thrust into the conflict of a divided community of Overmountain settlers. The State of Franklin has been declared, but many remain loyal to North Carolina. With one life left behind and chaos on the horizon, Tamsen struggles to adapt to a life for which she was never prepared. But could this challenging frontier life be what her soul has longed for, what God has been leading her toward? As pursuit draws ever nearer, will her faith see her through the greatest danger of all—loving a man who has risked everything for her?