Move Over, Mountains

In a continuation of Millie's story from Into the Free, Julie Cantrell brings a whole new set of characters to life and further develops Bump and Millie. When Mountains Move opens with Bump and Millie's wedding and follows them as they move to Colorado to work a ranch for Cauy Tucker. The most surprising event when they get to the ranch is to find it beyond dilapidated and in need of so much repair to make it habitable, Bump and Millie have to camp in the barn for a bit before they can live in the house. Bump also has to fix the fences, set the barn to rights, and get everything ready for the horses to arrive.

When Janine and Cauy arrive to see the condition of the ranch, they bring Oka, Millie's grandmother. Nothing gets by Oka and truly nothing surprises her. It is a neighbor, though, who alerts Millie to her enceinte condition, a neighbor who makes plays for Bump, leans on him, takes him away from Millie at any opportunity. A neighbor who is, to put it mildly, a piece of work.

Millie reacts with predictable jealousy, but Oka is the voice of reason and keeps Millie from over-doing her reaction. Oka is one character I dearly love--she puts her hand to any job that needs doing, she loves her family deeply, and she loves to cook. She shares her faith and her heritage as a Choctaw. One of the most important things Oka shares is that the Choctaw have several names--the birth name, the family name, and then the secret name that is never revealed to another soul.

It is through the trials of her pregnancy, the trials of keeping secrets from Bump, and the trials of unexpected guests that Millie finds her secret name--one she will never tell, and one will never be taken from her.

While I gave the pre-quel to this book only four stars, I give this one five stars, two thumbs up, and a secret name that no one will ever take from you.

My thanks to Thomas Nelson for allowing me to read and review this book. My only obligation was to share my honest opinion.