Charles E. Mercer

Literally a ground-level view of life in Philadelphia during the Revolutionary war. A fictional tale of Micah Heath as a young adult fighting and searching for freedom and the real meaning of freedom. It is a literal view when you realize that most soldiers of the American force did not have shoes or some kind of protection for their feet even during the winters.

The beauty of a fictional novel is the escape from the politically correct statements of today. Charles Mercer takes us into the lives of the farmer, the soldier, the maiden, the wives, and the criminal elements of 1776. Mr. Mercer paints a vivid image the seasons down to the sounds of the animals and the smells of trees and flowers. You will be amazed at the gathering of information when the only communications were made by the newspaper, in person, or letter.

History buffs should read this fictional tale for a different view of history that we do not get in our school lessons.… (mere)

Rachel Cade is a heartwarming and often intense story of one woman’s strength and determination to survive more than a few battles against the odds in the heart of darkest Africa. Transporting herself from small town America in the late 1930’s to the center of the East Congo region of Africa as a missionary with plans to build a hospital in a small village, Rachel Cade appears to be a strong-willed stubborn woman in need of drowning her fears of the past by bringing medicine and the Christian faith to the Congo people. The daily struggles of lack of supplies and the need of a talented surgeon who could save the lives of a dying people, have Rachel exhausting her resources and close to admitting defeat to her plans of helping her African friends that are desperately in need of medical assistance.

When an airplane plummets from the sky deep into the African bush, Rachel rescues the sole survivor of the crash only to learn that the man is an American surgeon working with the RAF. Nursing Paul Wilton back to health brings Rachel the much-needed physician the village needs, and a love affair that will both torment and excite Rachel’s need for a partner in more ways than one. When Paul is called back to the war effort in Europe, our heroine is now torn between love and loss, and the anguish of raising their illegitimate son alone in the African bush country as she waits patiently for the war to end.

Mercer’s ability to evoke the true nature of what daily life in a small African village is really like, will be both exquisite and exciting to the reader as he transports us to a foreign world of the unknown deep into a land of wild animals, vast panoramic vistas, and to an uncivilized yet cherished land before the war. Rachel’s battle of modern healthcare versus the magic of village medicine men full of ritual and the beliefs of their ancestors, her inner turmoil over a tragic past and her unforeseeable future, along with her love of two men that brings difficult choices, all make for a thought provoking tale of love, loss and survival for a distressed woman whose only need is love and contentment in a country she can’t leave and now calls home. An exotic landscape, strong character development, and an adventurous plot full of mystery and wonder, make this historical novel a winner.… (mere)