Tag Archives: Historical romance

#BookReview: The Artisan’s Wife by Judith Miller

25 Aug

The Artisan's Wife

The Artisan’s Wife by Judith Miller

Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/2bch98a

Ainslee McKay’s world is shaken when she discovers her twin sister has not only eloped with a man she barely knows but now Ainslee must fulfill their obligation at a tile works in Weston, West Virginia. Ainslee must learn the ropes and, if she can keep the tile works profitable, her brother will help her sell the business.

When Levi Judson arrives and shows Ainslee his designs for new tiles, she’s impressed by his skill and passion for the business. But he’s hiding his true reason for coming to Weston. And Ainslee knows he’d be crushed to learn his plans for a long career at McKay Tile Works are in vain since she intends to sell. Can the growing feelings between them survive if the truth comes to light–or is a future together as untenable as the future of the tile works itself?

 

My thoughts:

Alive with imagery and emotion, The Artisan’s Wife captured my attention from beginning to end! It was such a pleasure to revisit the McKay family, and I delighted in the history and romance of Ainslee’s story. I also enjoyed learning about the tile making process and the artistry involved in creating mosaic tiles. Judith Miller never fails to charm me with her characters and their stories, and I look forward to reading more from this wonderful author!

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All thoughts expressed are my own.

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#BookReview: River Rest by Susan Page Davis

4 Aug

River Rest

River Rest by Susan Page Davis

Purchase a copy:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble

In rural Maine in 1918, Judith Chadbourne gives up her teaching job after her mother’s death to help her father with her five siblings. But when her father sinks into deep depression and her brother Joel is drafted, the household chores and farm work may overwhelm her. Neighbor Ben Thayer offers to buy their farm, shocking Judith and angering her father. An outsider from New York, Ben seems rich and mysterious, but his heart aches from his own loss. Judith accidentally breaks the antique crystal Christmas ornament her mother loved. The splintering star echoes her family’s shattering. Ben’s efforts to help make Judith suspicious, but when Joel falls critically ill at the army camp, Ben’s aid brings the beginnings of trust. After the armistice, and the community and family start to recover from the strain of the war, but Judith learns independence is lonely. When Ben is injured, she is the only one who can help him. Can love take her beyond the frozen Maine winter?

My thoughts:

As I opened the pages of River Rest, I quickly became enamored with the story, its setting, and its characters. Susan Page Davis is a wonderful storyteller who deftly transports readers to another time and place!

With her father in the throes of depression, Judith Chadbourne struggles to maintain the family farm and oversee the household. When her mysterious neighbor offers assistance, Judith is leery and resists his efforts. The story that unfolds is an engaging and heartfelt tale that captivated me from beginning to end!

After reading the note at the end of the book, I delighted in the story even more, as it was partly inspired by diary entries from Davis’s great-aunt. I loved River Rest and highly recommended this story to fans of historical fiction!

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All thoughts expressed are my own.

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#BookReview: A Beauty Refined | Precious Gems #Giveaway

2 Aug

A Beauty Refined

A Beauty Refined by Tracie Peterson

Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/29Sh70o

What does it take to reveal the true beauty of a hidden gem?

Phoebe Von Bergen, the daughter of a German count, is excited to visit America for the first time while her father purchases sapphires in Helena, Montana. Little does she know, however, that her father’s intentions—both for her and the gemstones—are not what she thinks.

Ian Harper, a lapidary working in Helena, finds the dignified young woman staying at the Broadwater Hotel more than a little intriguing. Yet the more he gets to know her, the more he realizes that her family story is based on a lie—a lie she has no knowledge of. And Ian believes he knows the only path that will lead her to freedom.

Meeting Ian has changed everything for Phoebe, and she begins to consider staying in America, regardless of her father’s plans. But she may not be prepared for the unexpected danger that results when her family’s deception begins to unravel.

 

My thoughts:

A Beauty Refined is an intriguing tale of danger, deception, and romance! When Phoebe Von Bergen arrives in Montana with her father, she is shocked by several unexpected discoveries.

I was quickly captivated by Phoebe’s story, not putting the book down until the last page had been turned. I delighted in the historical details included in the narrative, as well as the threads of suspense and romance. Tracie Peterson transports readers to the past with her beautiful storytelling, and I can’t wait to read more of her stories!

 

Join Tracie in celebrating the release of A Beauty Refined by entering to win her Precious Gems Giveaway (details below) and by attending her author chat party on August 9!

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One grand prize winner will receive:

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on 8/9. The winner will be announced at A Beauty Refined Facebook party. RSVP for a chance to connect with Tracie and fellow fans of historical fiction, as well as for a chance to win other prizes!

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RSVP today and spread the word—tell your friends about the giveaway via FACEBOOK, TWITTER, or PINTEREST and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 9th!

 

Tracie Peterson

Tracie Peterson is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than one hundred books. Tracie also teaches writing workshops at a variety of conferences on subjects such as inspirational romance and historical research. She and her family live in Montana.

 

 

 

A Beauty Refined

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All thoughts expressed are my own.  Click here to read what other bloggers are saying about A Beauty Refined.

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#BookReview: Honor Redeemed by Christine Johnson

27 Jul

Honor Redeemed- cover

Honor Redeemed by Christine Johnson

Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/2abnLnY

Her future–and her heart–hang in the balance.

Two years ago, Prosperity Jones waved farewell to her beloved David as the army sent him to faraway Key West. Now with her parents gone, she has but one prospect for the future: make the dangerous journey from Nantucket to Key West to reunite with David and secure a happier life.

But when Prosperity arrives penniless in the South, she is dismayed to find David has not been eagerly awaiting their reunion. In fact, he is married to someone else. Scrambling to survive and nursing a broken heart, Prosperity gains the friendship–and the affection–of a kind doctor. Could he be the answer to her loneliness? Or will her life be upended by circumstance yet again?

 

My thoughts:

Honor Redeemed is a beautiful and stirring story! Christine Johnson swept me away to historic Key West, and her imagery brought the island setting to life. I loved the complexity of the characters and was captivated by their dramatic stories. Prosperity and David’s story is a wonderful tale of “honor lost, honor redeemed, and a love forged in adversity.”

Although it is the second book in the Keys of Promise series, Honor Redeemed can be enjoyed as a stand-alone story. However, those who have read Love’s Rescue are sure to delight in the opportunity to revisit Rourke and Elizabeth O’Malley.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All thoughts expressed are my own.

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#BookReview: To Follow Her Heart by Rebecca DeMarino

25 Jul

To Follow Her Heart- cover

To Follow Her Heart by Rebecca DeMarino

Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/2aupKzf

Duty and love are powerful forces. Only one has the power to make her life complete.

In 1664 Patience Terry is devastated to learn that Captain Jeremy Horton’s ship has been shipwrecked off the coast of Barbados. There were no survivors. She had hoped that Jeremy would someday give up the sea and settle down with her in Southold, Long Island.

Unaware his memorial service is being planned, Jeremy sails aboard a British warship with secret orders to attack New Amsterdam and claim it for the British Crown. When he makes his surprise return to Southold—and to an overjoyed Patience—it’s not quite the happily-ever-after his beloved had hoped for.

 

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My thoughts:

To Follow Her Heart is a lovely conclusion to the Southold Chronicles! While this story can stand alone, I recommend reading the series in order for a greater understanding of the characters and their stories.

Patience Terry and Jeremy Horton are wonderful characters and their journey is fraught with drama, danger, and romance. My heart ached for Patience, and I found her strength and resilience inspiring. As her dearest friend reminded her, “You must be stronger than your fears because you have God with you every step of the way.”

Based on her own heritage, Rebecca DeMarino’s authenticity of story and setting adds a beautiful richness to the Southold Chronicles. I have enjoyed each of these novels and recommend them to fans of historical fiction.

 

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REBECCA DEMARINO inherited her love of baking and gardening from her mother; a love of horses, reading, and writing from her dad—and the wanderlust gene from both parents. Her new novel, TO FOLLOW HER HEART releases this month from Revell. She is the author of A PLACE IN HIS HEART and TO CAPTURE HER HEART, books one and two of The Southold Chronicles.

Connect with Rebecca on her Website, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

 

 

To Follow Her Heart- cover

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All thoughts expressed are my own.

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#BookReview: A Flight of Arrows by Lori Benton

7 Jul

A Flight of Arrows

A Flight of Arrows by Lori Benton

Click here to purchase a copy or learn more about A Flight of Arrows.

October 1776–August 1777

It is said that what a man sows he will reap–and for such a harvest there is no set season. No one connected to Reginald Aubrey is untouched by the crime he committed twenty years ago.

Not William, the Oneida child Reginald stole and raised as his own. Identity shattered, enlisted in the British army, William trains with Loyalist refugees eager to annihilate the rebels who forced them into exile. Coming to terms with who and what he is proves impossible, but if he breaks his Loyalist oath, he’ll be no better than the man who constructed his life of lies.

Not Anna, Reginald’s adopted daughter, nor Two Hawks, William’s twin, both who long for Reginald to accept their love despite the challenges they will face, building a marriage that bridges two cultures.

Not Good Voice and Stone Thrower, freed of bitterness by a courageous act of forgiveness, but still yearning for their firstborn son and fearful for the future of their Oneida people.

As the British prepare to attack frontier New York and Patriot regiments rally to defend it, two families separated by culture, united by love, will do all in their power to reclaim the son marching toward them in the ranks of their enemies.

 

My thoughts:

A Flight of Arrows is a story that completely consumes the reader! Told across two books, this sweeping saga continues the story that began in Book 1, The Wood’s Edge. Lori Benton is a master storyteller, immersing readers in the rich and well-told history of the time and bringing her characters to life on the page. Brimming with poignancy and emotion, A Flight of Arrows is a beautiful story that will linger in your mind long after the last page has been turned!

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All thoughts expressed are my own.

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#BookReview: The Ringmaster’s Wife by Kristy Cambron

30 Jun

The Ringmaster's Wife

The Ringmaster’s Wife by Kristy Cambron

Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/28JxcaK

An ounce of courage. A split-second leap of faith. Together, they propel two young women to chase a new life—one that’s reimagined from what they might have become.

In turn-of-the-century America, a young girl dreams of a world that stretches beyond the confines of a quiet life on the family farm. With little more than her wit and a cigar box of treasures to call her own, Mable steps away from all she knows, seeking the limitless marvels of the Chicago World’s Fair. There, a chance encounter triggers her destiny—a life with a famed showman by the name of John Ringling.

A quarter of a century later, Lady Rosamund Easling of Yorkshire, England, boards a ship to America as a last adventure before her life is planned out for her. There, the twenties are roaring, and the rich and famous gather at opulent, Gatsby-esque parties in the grandest ballrooms the country has to offer. The Jazz Age has arrived, and with it, the golden era of the American circus, whose queen is none other than the enigmatic Mable Ringling.

When Rosamund’s path crosses with Mable’s and the Ringlings’ glittering world, she makes the life-altering decision to leave behind a comfortable future of estates and propriety, instead choosing the nomadic life of a trick rider in the Ringling Brothers’ circus.

 

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My thoughts:

The Ringmaster’s Wife is an absorbing tale! Masterfully intertwining dual story lines, Kristy Cambron paints a rich, vivid picture with her words. I was completely captivated by the fascinating history, both real and imagined, and each turn of the page drew me deeper into the big-top world.

I absolutely loved Mable and Rose and the culmination of their stories! These compelling characters stepped from the pages and into my heart, and they continue to plague my thoughts. Beautifully rendered, The Ringmaster’s Wife is a story not soon to be forgotten!

 

K Cambron

Kristy Cambron fancies life as a vintage-inspired storyteller. Her second novel, A Sparrow in Terezin, was named Library Journal Reviews’ “Pick of the Month (Christian Fiction)” for February 2015.

Cambron is an art/design manager at TheGROVEstory.com storytelling ministry. She holds a degree in art history from Indiana University and has nearly 15 years of experience in instructional design and communications for a Fortune-100 company. She lives in Indiana with her husband and three football-loving sons, where she can probably be bribed with a coconut mocha latte and a good Christian fiction read.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

 

The Ringmaster's Wife

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.  All thoughts expressed are my own.  Click here to read what other bloggers are saying about The Ringmaster’s Wife.

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$1.99 Sale- Be Still My Soul

20 Jun

Be Still My Soul by Joanne Bischof is only $1.99 for a limited time!
Don’t miss this beautiful story!

Sale- Be Still My Soul

Purchase links:
Kindle | Nook

 

Be Still My Soul

Night’s chill tickled her skin. Lonnie pressed her hands together and glanced up. He was even more handsome up close. Having grown up the shy, awkward daughter of Joel Sawyer, she’d hardly spoken to any boy, let alone the one who had mothers whispering warnings in their daughter’s ears and fathers loading shotguns.

Pretty Lonnie Sawyer is shy and innocent, used to fading into the background within her family, and among the creeks and hollows of the Appalachian hills. Though her family is poor and her father abusive, she clings to a quiet faith. But when handsome ladies’ man and bluegrass musician Gideon O’Riley steals a kiss, that one action seals her fate.

Her father forces her into a hasty marriage with Gideon—a man she barely knows and does not love. Equally frustrated and confused by his new responsibilities, Gideon yearns for a fresh start, forcing Lonnie on an arduous journey away from her home in Rocky Knob.

Her distant groom can’t seem to surrender his rage at the injustice of the forced matrimony or give Lonnie any claim in his life. What will it take for Gideon to give up his past, embrace Lonnie’s God, and discover a hope that can heal their two fractured hearts?

Gideon only ever cared about himself. Now that Lonnie is his wife, will he ever be worthy of her heart?

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#BookReview: No Other Will Do by Karen Witemeyer

16 Jun

No Other Will Do No Other Will Do by Karen Witemeyer

Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/1VZZeBb

Men are optional. That’s the credo Emma Chandler’s suffragette aunts preached and why she started a successful women’s colony in Harper’s Station, Texas. But when an unknown assailant tries repeatedly to drive them out, Emma admits they might need a man after all. A man who can fight–and she knows just the one.

Malachi Shaw finally earned the respect he craved by becoming an explosives expert for the railroad. Yet when Emma’s plea arrives, he bolts to Harper’s Station to repay the girl who once saved his life. Only she’s not a girl any longer. She’s a woman with a mind of her own and a smile that makes a man imagine a future he doesn’t deserve.

As the danger intensifies, old feelings grow and deepen, but Emma and Mal will need more than love to survive.

 

My thoughts:

I loved this delightful story! Boasting a unique story line, mystery and danger, and swoon-worthy romance, this Texas tale captivated me from beginning to end!

Karen Witemeyer brings Harper’s Station and its residents to life with her signature humor and charm.  Emma Chandler and her aunts are strong characters, presiding over the women’s colony they founded. When trouble comes calling, Emma reaches out to a man she knows she can trust, Malachi Shaw, and the story that unfolds is engaging and entertaining and one I highly recommend!

With memorable characters and a community you’ll want to visit again and again, No Other Will Do is one for the keeper shelf!

 

karen-witemeyer

Christy Award finalist and winner the ACFW Carol Award, HOLT Medallion, and Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award, CBA bestselling author Karen Witemeyer writes Christian historical romance for Bethany House, believing the world needs more happily-ever-afters. She is an avid cross-stitcher and makes her home in Abilene, TX with her husband and three children.  To learn more about Karen and her books, please visit her website.  

 

 

No Other Will Do

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All thoughts expressed are my own.

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#BookReview: Forever Safe | Goodreads #Giveaway

10 Jun

Forever Safe

Forever Safe by Jody Hedlund

Purchase a copy: http://amzn.to/1thi1MY

Heiress to a vast fortune, Victoria Cole has everything she wants, including the perfect fiancé. Having left two other men at the altar, Victoria is sure that now she’s found her true love and will finally live happily ever after. As her wedding draws near, however, Victoria’s life is threatened. To keep her safe, Victoria’s father hires a bodyguard.

Tom Cushman’s number one priority is protecting his clients, which means no personal entanglements. But he’s never guarded someone as beautiful and winsome as Victoria. After a near-kidnapping, the wedding is cancelled, and Tom hides Victoria at Cape Cod’s Race Point Lighthouse until her attacker can be found. Appointed as assistant light keeper with Victoria posing as his wife, Tom believes the isolation of the lighthouse will keep her safe.

As Victoria struggles to live without familiar luxuries, her heart betrays her with growing feelings for her protector. Determined to help Tom stop fleeing from his haunted past, can the runaway bride learn to face her own fears? With the attacker closing in, will both of them ever be able to stop running and find the safety they long for?

 

Graphic- Forever Safe by Jody Hedlund

My thoughts:

I loved this enthralling story! Jody Hedlund masterfully weaves history, mystery, and romance, creating a tender tale that is not to be missed!

Victoria Cole and Tom Cushman are wounded characters who share a beautiful and inspiring journey. Both running from past hurts and fears, I really appreciated their emotional and spiritual growth, and I loved the development of their relationship. I also delighted in Tom’s parents, James and Zelma. The wit and wisdom they offered Tom and Victoria was such a wonderful part of the narrative.

I have loved each Beacons of Hope novel, and I believe Forever Safe is my favorite of the series! I do hope Jody Hedlund will continue sharing these beautiful novels set among our nation’s lighthouses!

Enter the Goodreads giveaway now to win 1 of 5 copies of Forever Safe!

 

Jody Hedlund bio pic

Jody Hedlund is a best-selling and award-winning author who loves history and happily-ever-afters. She makes her home in Midland, MI with her husband and five children. When she’s not writing another of her page-turning stories, you can usually find her sipping coffee, eating chocolate, and reading.

Connect with Jody:
Website | Facebook | Twitter |Pinterest| Instagram

 

Forever Safe

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.  All thoughts expressed are my own.

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