Showing posts with label Historical Romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Historical Romance. Show all posts

Monday, December 12, 2022

The Preacher's Unexpected Bride - Walton Valley Series: Book 2

 


1868 Kansas

Next in the series after Eliza and her sister run away from their uncle and join a wagon train. New people enter their lives whom they learn they can love and depend on, and their lives become richer for it. And more complicated. Hannah has a hard time trusting men after what her uncle had done to her. An interesting twist of things makes the town people force Hanah and Luke to marry. They get to know one another in some of the most difficult ways. Good story, good read.

#BookSirens #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #CatherineKennedy #HistoricalFiction

Quotes 
Was it possible that God had the perfect plan for her future before she had even known what she needed herself?

Hannah’s family was from the English aristocracy. His were about as far removed from that level of society as it was possible to be.

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Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Jilting Jory

 



Historical romance. Wonderful story about Anna, a high society girl who met Jory in his hometown of Cornwall and fell in love. He was out of her class, but just what she needed. She had never had a loving relationship though and wasn't sure that Jory's love would last once he was around her more...so she chickened out and didn't show up when she was supposed to run off with him. Instead, she went back home to her fancy life without love, agreeing to marry two others but running away from the wedding each time. After the second one, she ran away from home to Jory's hometown to see if he had married yet. Her family shunned her, so she was without money had to work in a saloon for one of Jory's many cousins to earn her room and board. The cousins were hard on her, but she was determined, working hard at all tasks, and little by little they all loved her and rooted for her to reunite with Jory. But Jory was leery of her...and so the story is told. Excellent, heartwarming read with a bunch of people who are very close to one another and very endearing. Loved it!

I received this book free from the publisher and Book Sirens book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
#BookSirens #JiltingJory #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #HistoricalRomance

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Sunday, January 2, 2022

The Red Ribbon

 




1911 Apalachin mountains of Virginia. I just love mountain wisdom. Seems to cut right through to the most simple, basic truth.  This book starts each chapter with a piece of that wisdom.
Ava is a young girl who lost all of her family except her Grandmother. Jeremiah has been her friend and loved her all her life. This blossoming love story is set in the midst of a true happening, a great massacre in a courthouse. One that drew national attention. Excellent read.

I received this book free from the publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 
#TheRedRibbon #NetGalley.

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Monday, July 22, 2019

The Orphan's Song by Lauren Kate

https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=The+Orphan%27s+Song+by+Lauren+Katehttps://www.amazon.com/Orphans-Song-Lauren-Kate-ebook/dp/B07JYCTYY2/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=The+Orphan%27s+Song+by+Lauren+Kate&qid=1563845453&s=gateway&sr=8-1https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-orphans-song-lauren-kate/1129791614?ean=9780735212572#/https://www.powells.com/book/-9780593104309


"she wanted love - real love, or no love at all. This longing infected her like a disease. She knew no cure."

Venice 1725 Historical Adult Romance. Two five year old orphans, Violetta and Milo, are growing up at an orphanage, wishing they had families. But not just any orphanage. The Hospital of the Incurables was a revered music school. The girls sang at the most famous house of worship in Venice. Violetta could sing well and she was taught, raised to sing at Mass, behind a grate. She became a famous "coro", and was made to sign an oath never to sing beyond its church doors. In the city at this time, the people were required to wear masks.

The orphanage was very strict, but these two snuck out to the roof to watch other people and escape the feeling of being imprisoned. She had seen Milo's mother when she brought him to the orphanage and left him there - he was asleep. Milo growing up there found a broken violin and repaired it, then taught himself to play. Something that he was not supposed to do, but it became his passion. The background unknown to Milo, the two children shared the song that his mother had sung when she dropped him off. It was a bond between them. The journey of their lives is complicated and not easy, with many struggles for freedom and security. The story unfolds and intertwines, not always in the expected way. It's also interesting to learn about Venice and the way of life there at that time. Keeps you engaged to the end. Passion, heartbreak, betrayal and the need that we all have to be loved. Mild sexual content.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
#TheOrphansSong #LaurenKate #NetGalley #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout

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Friday, January 16, 2015

The Bracelet by Dorothy Love

http://www.amazon.com/Bracelet-Dorothy-Love-ebook/dp/B00KQ2G7D6/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1421347978&sr=1-1&keywords=the+bracelethttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21556053-the-bracelet?ac=1http://www.christianbook.com/the-bracelet-dorothy-love/9781401687601/pd/687601?product_redirect=1&Ntt=687601&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCPhttp://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-bracelet-dorothy-love/1119140411?ean=9781401687601http://www.parable.com/i.The-Bracelet-Love-Dorothy.9781401687601

http://www.powells.com/biblio/61-9781401687601-0http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Bracelet/Dorothy-Love/Q321697075?id=6163396555110http://www.familychristian.com/catalog/product/view/id/285070/http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/the-bracelet/9781401687601-item.html?ikwid=the+bracelet&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=4http://store.faithgateway.com/the-bracelet

Death, mystery and possible murder. Secrets kept, waiting to be revealed.

This is a highly suspenseful  historical romance set in Savannah, Georgia 1858. It's loosely based on true events about a prominent family from that time. There are two sisters, one who married well, the other married in desperation as a second choice. Both of the sisters died at a young age. This story is about their two daughters, raised together, and how they turned out - one with the love of her father, the other without her father but cared for by her Uncle.  It's best read by adults.

It's a little confusing at first, with a flashback that I honestly forgot about once I got into the book. Both from wealthy families, Celia and Sutton have been best friends since childhood. Celia truly hopes to marry him and that he'll ask now that he's returned after two years away. Ivy is her cousin who came to live with them 15 years ago when she lost her parents.  Celia remembers very little from that time, but a newspaper reporter is trying to dig up the circumstances about Ivy's parents. He's written an article that came out in the paper, but he's sure there's a more sensational story yet to be revealed and is driven to find out all the dirty details at nearly any expense to the girls.

This is a good book that is well written, but still something is missing.  It's well worth the time to read, but it's not one that I'd call a keeper.  It's one of those stories where you're kept in somewhat of a fog until the end.  You almost need to read it to find out what's going on, then go back and re-read so that it makes more sense. There is a very slight Christian message, but it's not central to the story. I like the cover on this book - it helps to set the tone and mood. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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Friday, November 7, 2014

Surprised By Love by Julie Lessman

http://www.deepershopping.com/item/lessman-julie/surprised-by-love-heart-of-san-francisco-v3/6145601.htmlhttp://www.amazon.com/Surprised-Love-Heart-Francisco-Book-ebook/dp/B00KDN83JE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415416349&sr=8-1&keywords=surprised+by+love+julie+lessmanhttp://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/surprised-by-love-julie-lessman/1118611201?ean=9780800721657https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20665230-surprised-by-love?ac=1http://www.christianbook.com/surprised-love-heart-of-san-francisco/julie-lessman/9780800721657/pd/721657?product_redirect=1&Ntt=721657&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP

 Heartbreaking romance from beginning to end!

Another hit from Julie Lessman.  Honestly, you cannot go wrong with one of her books! This is book three in The Heart of San Francisco series, set during San Francisco's Gilded Age. I had not read the previous two books, but was able to grasp the story line and enjoy it without a problem. I had read the Daughters of Boston series and this is in some ways similar in that it involves a large Irish family,  yet with entirely different people.  And I do mean people as these are more than characters to you even part way through the book.

Meg is a young woman who as a child was overweight and made fun of.  She's just come home from Paris, all grown up, with a new figure and new look that will melt the boys - and silence anyone who ever ridiculed her before.  She's still a sweet girl on the inside though, and most of all wants to see Bram, who acted as a protective older brother to her before.  Meg is granted an internship to be a lawyer, and she has interests in the medical field as well.  She is thrust into an office with Devlin, the one person who tore her apart relentlessly in the past. He cannot see her in the same way anymore, and falls head over heels for her now.  He's a Christian and sincerely apologizes for what he did to her in the past,  so he becomes more appealing to Meg, especially since Bram denies his love for her.

Bram is so glad to see Meg again and to know that she has thrived while away. He's pretty surprised though at the beautiful young woman she's become, and is drawn to her in a different way now.  But he has some secrets that have never come to light before, and because of his guilt agrees to marry another girl to help his father and his business.

Threaded all through this is another back story between Meg's mother and Bram's boss. The whole story comes together with the biblical story of Abraham, who accepted whatever God wanted from him no matter the cost to himself.  There are lessens to be learned by all as this is applied to the characters in the book.  It's a tale of intense romance, conflict and passion, corruption, deception and revelation.   You'll be pulled along and if you're like me will end up in tears at the end!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher from the Baker Publishing Group Bethany - Netgalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html


ISBN: 0800721659
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Saturday, October 25, 2014

To Everything a Season by Lauraine Snelling

http://www.amazon.com/Everything-Season-Book-Song-Blessing-ebook/dp/B00GHXRSFY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414286855&sr=8-1&keywords=to+everything+a+season http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/to-everything-a-season-lauraine-snelling/1117107069?ean=9780764211041https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18652804-to-everything-a-seasonhttp://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/to-everything-a-season-lauraine-snelling/1117107069?ean=9780764211041http://www.deepershopping.com/item/snelling-lauraine/to-everything-a-season-song-of-blessing-v1/5980063.htmlhttp://www.christianbook.com/to-everything-season-song-of-blessing/lauraine-snelling/9780764211041/pd/211041?product_redirect=1&Ntt=211041&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP

Another addition to the series set in Blessing, ND in the 1900's, this is the first in a new series. If you haven't read the previous books about the Red River Valley, you will still enjoy this book. If you have read the original series, you'll be pleasantly pleased that the story of the people of Blessing is continuing.

Learning to know each character is enjoyable - they are all three dimensional and for the most part each is quite loveable. You get so involved with the entire community as the small town continues to grow. You want to know more about each of the original cast and their descendants as they live and love, have children and contribute to the town. 

Initially, the Bjorklund brothers bring their families from Norway to begin a new life on the land they will turn from prairie to fertile farms, and later into a thriving town. They bring other family over to join them with the promise of land - which is scarce in their homeland. The continuing story of Haaken and Ingeborg and all the family is heartbreaking and poignant.  But there is also a new romance that begins in this book between Trygve Knutson and Miriam Hastings.

Trygve has been traveling with a well drilling crew, which is a successful business for  his Uncle. Even though he enjoys traveling, something tells him it's time to stay home and work on the family farms again.

Miriam lives in Chicago and is going to nursing school. She has a very ill mother and also siblings that she is trying to care for and support by getting her nursing degree. She is such a gifted nurse that she is selected to travel to Blessing to continue her instruction - for a year.  It's excruciating to leave them, but her instructors make it possible for her to go. Once in Blessing, she falls in love with the area that is so very much different from the city.  The lifestyle is more like what her mother has talked about as how she grew up.

Through circumstances at the hospital and with the founding families, Trygve and Miriam go through a crisis that touches them both. It also shows the level of faith that each has and their perception of how God influences their lives. 

There is another new element brought to the town - a Catholic priest and the growing population in the town who follow that faith rather than the Protestant religion of the original founders.  Conflict builds as to whether or not they will allow this to happen.

I am a huge fan of Lauraine Snelling's work. This is a welcome opportunity to see how the residents of the Red River Valley handle life, their faith and their growing town.  I love that it's not a fast read, but instead is quite intricate. It's not really about the romance between just two people - it's about all the characters in the town and their relationships. The only thing that I was disappointed with in this book is the somewhat abrupt ending. I know that the series will continue the story about Trygve and Miriam, but I wasn't ready for this book to end yet.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher from Bethany House - Netgalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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