Earthly Vows (Millwood Hollow Series #4) [Paperback]

Patricia Hickman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 16, 2006

The award-winning author of Fallen Angels, Nazareth's Song, and Whisper Town delivers the final novel in the acclaimed Millwood Hollow Series of role reversals, strange bedfellows, and ultimate redemption. Jeb Nubey and Fern Coulter are finally setting a wedding date, but their plans are derailed when a trip to Oklahoma to visit Fern's family catapults them into Fern's past'the past she would prefer remained buried. Additionally, the challenges and perks that come with the wealthy community church Jeb is called to lead give him food for growth; however, this new found enlightenment appears arrogant in light of Fern's insecurities. In the midst of their struggles, Jeb and Fern must also deal with the disappearance of Angel'Jeb' s adopted daughter. He must retrieve her from the dangerous young man who has played on her vulnerabilities and lured her away promising to fill the emptiness she feels. EARTHLY VOWS takes a look at how easily those we think we know so well can fall into behaviors and make decisions we would never expect. Through this, Hickman shows how broken circles can be redeemed and how we can find beauty in life's flaws.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hickman's final installment in the Millwood Hollow quartet delivers what fans have come to expect—a satisfying and well-told tale of family and survival during the Great Depression—while delving a bit deeper into the murkier places in the human heart. Rev. Jeb Nubey is engaged to the hard-won Fern Coulter, but in her distance and his blame-filled lack of understanding, Hickman shows readers just how much individuals can hurt one another even when they are in love. Jeb's foster daughter, Angel, also has an awakening of sorts when she finds that the long-awaited reunion with her biological family isn't all sweetness and light. Hickman skillfully weaves a dust bowl drought into the story, making its heat and apparently never-ending dryness an apt metaphor for her characters' spiritual and emotional isolation. She hits a strong note with the 1930s historical setting, which is well-researched and authentic but not obtrusive. Fans will enjoy and be subtly challenged by this conclusion to the series, though newcomers should be warned to start with the first novel (Fallen Angels) lest they be overwhelmed by the dizzying cast of characters. (Nov. 16)
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About the Author

Patricia Hickman is an award-winning novelist, a part-time speaker, a pastor's wife, and a mother. She currently resides in Huntersville, NC.

Product Details

• Paperback: 309 pages
• Publisher: FaithWords (November 16, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446692352
• ISBN-13: 978-0446692359
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.9 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,372,266 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Patricia Hickman, M.F.A., is an award-winning author of fiction and non-fiction whose work has been praised by critics and readers alike. Patricia first studied creative writing at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and then went on to do graduate studies in creative writing at Queens University. She writes for major publishers and is currently at work on her eighteen book, a novel set in the North Carolina Piedmont. Her next novel,The Pirate Queen, will release Summer 2010, a story that takes readers journeying from suburban Lake Norman, NC to the sailing villages of the Outer Banks. She has served as a writing professor at UNCC and taught in writing workshops across the country offering her popular "Creating Characters-Giving Story People Life" workshops and courses on fiction.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Page turner!, June 15, 2009

By 

Dinah "Okie Girl" (Duncan, OK) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Earthly Vows (Millwood Hollow) (Kindle Edition)

As with the other Hickman books in this series, it is a page turner. I didn't want to see it end.
It wraps up the story of Jeb & the Welby's well, but I would love to see another book letting us know what happens to the Welby's as they mature, what happened to Claudia, and especially her children, and it would also be fun to see what else happens with Jeb and Fern (do they have children of their own, take in more children, etc.)
I guess all good things must come to an end. The entire series is written well, and Ms. Hickman has woven a beautiful story.

On a side note, this was a book I read on my Kindle. I must say the editing in this book, and the previous (Whisper Town) was much, much better than the first two.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fantastic End to an Awesome Series!, October 29, 2007

By 

Cheryl A. Clay "Cheri Clay freelance book rev... (Obetz, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Earthly Vows (Millwood Hollow Series #4) (Paperback)

Jeb Nubey is the pastor of the Church in the Dell, in Nazareth, Arkansas, raising the 3 Welby children Angel, Willie and Ida May abandoned by their parents. Fern Coulter is Jeb's fiancée. Our story opens with Fern, Jeb and the Welby children are in Ardmore, Oklahoma for Jeb to meet Fern's family and to announce their engagement. While there Philemon Gracie who is the former pastor of Church in the Dell has arranged for Jeb to meet Jonathan Flauvent, the dean of the Bible College in Oklahoma City. He offers Jeb a pastorate at the First Community Church in Oklahoma City. Jeb is taken by surprise as he really hadn't taken Garcie's letter, setting up the meeting, seriously and hadn't even mentioned it to Fern. Jeb looks at this as an opportunity of a lifetime. Fern sees it as going back to the high society life she left behind when she moved to Nazareth.

In Ardmore the Welby children are reunited with their sister Claudia, who lives in Norman, Oklahoma. She has 2 small children and has been abandoned by her husband. Feeling pushed to leave the only family she has known, seventeen year old Angel goes with Claudia to take care of the children and to begin a life that is not of her choosing.

Jeb decides for Fern's sake not to take the position in Oklahoma but finds out Gracie worked this out so he could return to Church in the Dell. Realizing God's hand is involved Jeb and the Welby children move to Oklahoma City and Fern moves to her mother's in Ardmore till the wedding in December.

Back in Ardmore Fern must face the past she left behind. While with Claudia circumstances force Angel to run off with an older man with a questionable job. Frantically Jeb and Fern search for Angel as they realize the police and the FBI are searching for the man Angel has ran off with.

Can Jeb find Angel and bring her home? What of this man she has run off with? What has happened in Fern's past to cause her to have to face? Will the First Community Church and Oklahoma City be the life they are dreaming of?

This is truly an awesome book. With all the twists and turns this book is really a page turner. From beginning to end this novel keeps you on your toes waiting to see what happens next. This is truly a book of fiction and romance and history as it takes place during the Depression. Women of all ages from teen up will thoroughly enjoy the story as it unfolds. As you read "Earthly Vows" don't worry if you have not read the rest of the series as each book stands alone. But very seldom does a series of books come along that is written so well and keeps you wanting more but the author Patricia Hickman has done just that. Not only does each book stand alone as a story unto its self, but as a series is phenomenal. The author has really done an awesome job with The Millwood Hollow Series but especially "Earthly Vows" which is the icing on the cake. Sadly this is the 4th and final book in the series. Sadly that we must leave the Nubeys and the Welbys behind but what is read and learned within its pages will stay with you for a long time.

5.0 out of 5 stars A novel full of suspense, January 22, 2007

By 

Reader Views "Reviews, by readers, for readers" (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Earthly Vows (Millwood Hollow Series #4) (Paperback)

Reviewed by Regan Windsor for Reader Views (1/07)

"Earthly Vows" is the fourth and final book of The Millwood Hollow Series. As with the other three books in the series ("Fallen Angels," "Nazareth's Song," and "Whisper Town") this is a novel you won't want to put down! Patricia Hickman has a wonderful way of capturing the reader, transforming you into the world of the Depression, and subtly showing you how worlds collide and lessons are learned.

"Earthly Vows" takes Jeb Nubey, the local con man turned preacher, to Oklahoma where an opportunity exists at a large wealthy community church. For Jeb the church represents a fresh start; a break from his rocky history and the struggles he has encountered at Church of the Dell. For Fern, his fiancé, it reawakens ghosts of the past and her discomfort begins to strain their relationship. Jeb is torn between a dream of wealth and new beginnings and the possibility of risking a relationship he has spent years nourishing.

Meanwhile, during their stay, Fern's mother has managed to locate Angel's sister in a town nearby. She is down on her luck, as was the way of the Depression, with two small kids to feed and a husband who abandoned all responsibility. It is determined that Angel will go and stay with her, help her get back on her feet, and then send for Willie and Ida May. While Jeb feels this may set things right by Fern, whom he doesn't want to burden with the responsibility of the three children he inherited in his days on the run, he can't help but feel this may not have been the best decision.

As Fern begins to face her past and Jeb is forced to take a hard look at the implications of his decisions, Angel too faces a situation she is struggling to deal with. Unable to locate Jeb, feeling abandoned and desperate when her situation turns bad, she runs away what seems her only option - a sweet talking young man who offers her freedom, pretty clothes, and a life on the run.

"Earthly Vows" does a fabulous job of bringing closure to the Millwood Hollow Series. It brings the story full circle, closing the loop on the understanding of family, the meaning of love, and the desperation we feel when we may have lost either one. Patricia Hickman has once again developed a novel full of suspense and intrigue that will have the reader racing to devour the pages, while at the same time feeling the hesitation to reach the end.

Received book free of charge.