Thirsty Hearts. Steady Rain.

Call in the Canyons

Written by Kathleen Denly

Series: Chaparral Heaths, Book 6

Published by Wild Heart Books

Release Date: 06.03.25

Genre: Christian Historical Romance Christian Westerns

4.25 Stars! Some wounds don’t bleed. They harden into suspicion, into bitterness, into the belief that no one can be trusted. Not even God.

Virginia Baker has good reasons for the walls she’s built, but Call in the Canyons reminds us that God isn’t intimidated by the canyons we carve in our hearts. Through dust, danger, and one determined sheriff, this story became a picture of how Jesus whispers into the wounds we won’t name out loud.

“Trusting God with her worries hadn’t erased them, but it had given Ginny a peace like she’d never known existed … She’d always thought of peace as the absence of problems, but now she knew God’s peace existed alongside the problems.”  This quote is sticking with me because sometimes I expect peace to come after the pain. But God’s peace shows up in the midst of the ache … quiet, steady, and unearned.

Heath Monroe was a standout for me. He was brave, reliable, humble, and God-honoring. A man willing to confront his mistakes and still lead with integrity. He lives out his faith, he doesn’t just say the right things.

“If I didn’t forgive those who’ve hurt me and repented but expected those same people—or even God—to forgive my mistakes, what kind of person would that make me?” This story pulses with hard-fought forgiveness. The kind that costs something. The kind that only makes sense if we believe Jesus is exactly who He says He is.

There’s suspense, bandits, betrayal, ambushes, and more! What lingers the most with me? The healing. The way God guides two hurting people until His call echoes through the canyons of their hearts – steady, piercing, and impossible to ignore – drawing them into a redemption deeper than their pain, and more healing than they thought possible. The whispers of God calling and protecting Ginny. Ginny’s faith didn’t rush in like a flood – it came in steady drops, each one softening the ground until she could finally receive the whole truth that God has been whispering all along.

Call in the Canyons is a testimony! One that settled over me like dust after the wind dies down. It stirred places I thought had long gone quiet, then wrapped them in the steady, unmistakable presence of Jesus. He’s still calling. Still healing. Still meeting hearts exactly where they ache … in the hush that follows surrender, where grace settles in like rain on thirsty ground.

I received a digital ARC and a paperback edition of this book from the author and publisher. I am not required to write a positive review nor paid to do so. This is my honest and unbiased review. My thoughts and opinions expressed in this book review are my own. My review focuses on the great writing and the story’s wonderful content, ensuring transparency and reliability.