Showing posts with label Virginia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Virginia. Show all posts

Monday, July 22, 2024

Trail of Promises by Susan F. Craft

 

1753 along the Great Wagon Road that ran from Philadelphia, PA to Georgia. A broken wheel delays Tessa and the wagon following them while the rest of the wagon train moves on. From there great tragedy and trials as they continue on unfold in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Their recovery and perseverance as they travel on, situations and people they encounter are skillfully brought to life and greatly enrich the story. Hard to put down, great read every minute of the way.

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

#TrailOfPromises #SusanFCraft #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #CelebrateLit #ChristianHistoricalFiction #WildHeartBooks


About the Book

Book: Trail of Promises

Author: Susan F. Craft

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: June 25, 2024

A marriage of convenience will protect her reputation on the long trail ahead, but he’s barely more than a stranger…

Tessa Harris is a woman without options. When she’s stranded nearly two hundred miles from her destination, her only companions are a former British Cavalry officer and his two young brothers. Society dictates they cannot travel without a chaperone, but can she trust this handsome stranger to protect her if they choose to marry? And if so, should she show her feelings or guard her heart? She’s learned the hard way how painful it is to love a man who doesn’t reciprocate.

Stephen Griffith has enough responsibility caring for his young brothers, and now he shoulders the massive responsibility of keeping his new wife safe as they cross the wilderness toward a new life. And though he tries to keep her at arm’s length, reminding himself their marriage may only be a temporary arrangement, he cannot seem to shake the feelings growing for her.

When they fall into the hands of outlaws, Tessa and Stephen must overcome their hardest obstacle yet. Only God can bring them safely to the end of the trail where enduring love awaits. 

Click here to get your copy! 

About the Author

Susan F. Craft retired after a 45-year career in writing, editing, and communicating in business settings.

She authored the historical romantic suspense trilogy Women of the American Revolution—The Chamomile, Laurel, and Cassia. The Chamomile and Cassia received national Illumination Silver Awards. The Chamomile was named by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance as an Okra Pick and was nominated for a Christy Award.

She collaborated with the International Long Riders’ Guild Academic Foundation to compile An Equestrian Writer’s Guide (www.lrgaf.org), including almost everything you’d ever want to know about horses.

An admitted history nerd, she enjoys painting, singing, listening to music, and sitting on her porch watching geese eat her daylilies. She most recently took up the ukulele.

More from Susan

Tessa Harris and her father, Thomas, are portrait artists, limners, who travel from town to town seeking commissions.

Limners were among the first to record glimpses of life in colonial America. By the early 1700s, wealthy colonists hired limners to paint portraits of their families. These limners, mostly self-taught, generally unknown by name, turned out naive portraits in the Elizabethan style, the Dutch baroque style, or the English baroque court style, depending upon the European background of both artist and patron.

Rather than a true portrait, the paintings were most often idealistic and did not give a true representation of the personality of the sitter and were often two dimensional. Artists focused on the material wealth of the subject, giving much attention to their clothing and accessories. Some artists painted only the faces of their subjects, explaining that they need not bother with tedious sittings and that they would paint the bodies and clothing later. They would show their subjects English and French prints from which to choose whatever costumes and backgrounds they preferred.

Like most artisans of their time who found it difficult to support themselves with paintings only, limners also worked in pewter, silver, glass, or textiles or took jobs doing ornamental paintings of clocks, furniture, signs, and carriages. Many painted miniatures—tiny watercolor portraits—on pieces of ivory, often oval-shaped and commonly worn as jewelry. Limners also painted on paper and canvas and earned, on average, $15 per portrait.

Limners Samuel McIntire and Duncan Phyfe became celebrated painters of furniture. Famous colonial portrait artists included Joseph Blackburn, Peter Pelham, John Smibert, John Singleton Copley, John Trumbull and Charles Wilson Peale. An American artist, Benjamin West, became painter to the king and president of the Royal Academy in London. American artists flocked to his studio to learn under his tutelage, including Gilbert Stuart, who painted a famous portrait of George Washington.

In 1754 in British colonial New York, an artist took out the following ad in the Gazette and the Weekly Post: Lawrence Kilburn, Limner, just arrived from London with Capt. Miller, hereby acquaints all Gentlemen and Ladies inclined to favour him in having their pictures drawn, that he don’t doubt of pleasing them in taking a true Likeness, and finishing the Drapery in a proper Manner, as also in the Choice of Attitudes, suitable to each Person’s Age and Sex, and giving agreeable Satisfaction, as he has heretofore done to Gentlemen and Ladies in London. He may at present be apply’d to at his Lodgings, at Mr. Bogart’s near the New Printing-Office in Beaver-Street.

I pray that my Great Wagon Road series honors the Lord and the gifts He has given me and that you will love my characters as much as I do. Soli Deo Gloria.

Blog Stops

Giveaway



To celebrate her tour, Susan is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/2ca3e/trail-of-promises-celebration-tour-giveaway 





My reviews



Tuesday, January 2, 2024

The Seamstress of Acadie by Laura Frantz

 



I so loved this book.

Incredible journey. The British tried to wipe out the very existence of the Acadia people, nearly did. This story of a rare survivor is anguishing, touching, tense, endearing and very hard to put down. So easy to become immersed in the story. Fabulous characters, including big, strong, cunning fighting backwoods men who travel their own hard paths. Such an excellent read (have I said that enough?). Much as I wanted to see what happened, I didn't want it to end. 

I'm filing this under "places I'd like to live" and "characters I'd like to meet".

I received this book free from the author, Revell Reads and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

#TheSeamstressOfAcadie #NetGalley #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #Revell #ChristianHistoricalFiction #LauraFrantz

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Friday, August 20, 2021

Tidewater Bride Paperback by Laura Frantz

 




1634 Christian Historical. Jamestown, Virginia area, during a highly volatile, dangerous period in American early history. As usual Laura Frantz weaves a story that is completely spellbinding and very real. Selah is the daughter of a Cape Merchant, helping him to run his store. The relationship they have with the Native Indians is still at a delicate balance, where it could tip into war easily. At this time an Indian chief suggests a temporary exchange of children to learn each other's ways and promote better relationships. Xander had been married to the Chief's daughter, now widowed and raising her son. A deep telling of this time, where problems within the English settlement are as dangerous as the Indian situation, and tensions run high. There is also a deep appreciation of the beauty, bounty and possibilities of the area. Thoroughly engrossing!

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.

#TidewaterBride #NetGalley.

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Thursday, June 6, 2019

The King's Mercy by Lori Benton

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41886311-the-king-s-mercy?ac=1&from_search=truehttps://www.amazon.com/Kings-Mercy-Novel-Lori-Benton/dp/1601429967/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=The+King%27s+Mercy+by+Lori+Benton&qid=1559669190&s=gateway&sr=8-1https://www.christianbook.com/the-kings-mercy-a-novel/lori-benton/9781601429964/pd/429964?event=ESRCGhttps://www.powells.com/book/-9781601429964https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-kings-mercy-lori-benton/1129508506?ean=9781601429964

Deep.
1747. Alex fought for Prince Charles Edward Stuart in his Jacobite Army. When they were defeated, he was taken prisoner by the English. A tall, handsome Scottish warrior and a born leader with a big heart. This story is SO skillfully told. A fairly long read, thoroughly told from Scotland to England to a Carolina plantation to Virginia. One of those books you fall into and fall in love with. The backstory slowly unfolds while you're fully absorbed with the relationships, especially between Alex and Joanna the daughter of the plantation owner. Alex was released from prison by the Kings Mercy as an indentured servant. The plantation is run with slavery. These topics are as thoroughly felt out as the main plot(s).  Add in some of the Cherokee American Indian way of life. Wonderful story, wonderfully told with biblical situations that could be taken from the Apostle Paul's writings. A fabulous journey as you get lost in this story. Thoroughly enjoyable to the very end.

". . .go in confidence. As you go, pray. Listen. He’ll guide you— deliver you, need be. Shut every door you aren’t meant to pass through. He’s practical, our God. But you’ll never know what good may come if you don’t take the first step of faith.”

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.”
#TheKingsMercy  #NetGalley  #LoriBenton  #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout

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Saturday, April 6, 2019

Daughters of Northern Shores by Joanne Bischof

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/daughters-of-northern-shores-joanne-bischof/1128930042?ean=9780718099121#/https://www.christianbook.com/daughters-of-northern-shores-ebook/joanne-bischof/9780718099138/pd/97585EB?event=ESRCGhttps://www.powells.com/book/-9780718099121https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40590294-daughters-of-northern-shores?from_search=true

". . . a washing that only grief could do. One that cleansed away a fragile sort of rest so that what remained was the courage to seek joy and peace in the arms of the Lord amid a storm."

1894-95 Virginia.  The second book of the series. You can enjoy this story without reading the first book, but you won't get the true depth of the feelings and really understand the why of it all. The men's heritage is Norway, and they're proud of Norse bloodlines. The girls come from different areas (Aven is from Ireland). Haakan, one of the brothers, has been away after the explosive exit he made in the previous book. He is tortured by what had happened, and looks for relief in different outlets. Addiction runs in some members of this family. He has been a sailor, sailing to many different countries, but loving the land of their heritage the most. He decides to go back home to Virginia and try to make things right with his family, only to learn that his brother Thor is seriously ill. The struggle to rid themselves of the feuding neighbors, fighting for their very lives, combined with the stress of the previous happenings is told with such a great depth. The author describes what it is like for a deaf person and addiction so thoroughly, in such detail, that it tears you apart. But lessons in faith and how God uses even the dark places in our lives for good weave throughout this book. I love this series. It will make a wonderful addition to any library!

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.”
#DaughtersofNorthernShores #JoanneBischof #NetGalley #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout

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Thursday, August 31, 2017

Searching for Irene by Marlene Bateman

http://www.covenant-lds.com/?s=searching+for+irene&post_type=product
https://www.amazon.com/Searching-Irene-Marlene-Bateman-ebook/dp/B073C9MSS5/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1504181151&sr=8-2&keywords=searching+for+irenehttps://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/searching-for-irene-marlene-bateman/1126650390?ean=9781524404086https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35498121-searching-for-irene?ac=1&from_search=truehttp://www.booksamillion.com/p/Searching-Irene/Marlene-Bateman/9781524402655?id=7011643889686

I thought the cover for this book was great. Yes, too often the cover is what draws me to the book. This sets the right scene for a murder mystery -  Anna is searching, through fog it seems, where it is somewhat dark and there is a man looming in the background.  The story is well told – you get to know the main character very well, but all of the other characters are kept in shadow so that you never know who did it until the end. It’s also about a “working woman” who goes to a house of the wealthy to work (it just happens to be like a castle) and she gradually is brought into the family, able to go to dances and ride their horses around the vast estate in beautiful Virginia. It’s on that estate that Anna goes searching for Irene, the girl that she replaced, who disappeared one day. Irene had made quite an impression with the family and servants, and it’s quite a challenge to get honest or consistent information. As Anna gets closer to one of the sons, she also makes an obvious enemy of his intended, who makes no secret that she wants Anna to back off. But the more she learns, the more she is determined to know what happened to Irene. And the longer she stays, the more likely it is that she will be next. Good read right to the end! I hadn't read anything by this Author before - I'm now a fan.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Covenant Communications and the 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.”

From the Publisher:
Anna Coughlin is a modern 1920s woman armed with a college education and a partiality for numbers. Now, within the walls of a fantastic castle-like mansion in the hills of Virginia, her skill will be tested as never before. Hired to serve as financial advisor to wealthy Lawrence Richardson, Anna finds the welcome she receives anything but warm. Lawrence's handsome but antagonistic son Tyler wants nothing more than to send her packing. The household staff isn't much better, but who can blame them, considering the way Lawrence's last advisor, Irene, disappeared . . .
Convinced that one of the enigmatic members of the household had something to do with Irene's disappearance, Anna doesn't dare trust anyone—not even temperamental Tyler Richardson, who, despite her best intentions, is beginning to steal her heart.
A series of frightening incidents ensnare Anna in a maze of intrigue, putting her life in peril. But even as Anna begins uncovering the secrets hidden within the mansion's stone walls, she harbors a secret of her own. Now, the only question that remains is whether she will disappear as mysteriously as Irene. . .

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Wednesday, September 9, 2015

The Mistress of Tall Acre by Laura Frantz

http://www.amazon.com/Mistress-Tall-Acre-Novel-ebook/dp/B00XNJGKVS/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1441826233&sr=1-1&keywords=mistress+of+tall+acrehttp://www.christianbook.com/the-mistress-tall-acre-novel-ebook/laura-frantz/9781441228185/pd/76700EB?product_redirect=1&Ntt=76700EB&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCPhttp://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-mistress-of-tall-acre-laura-frantz/1121241107?ean=9780800720445http://www.deepershopping.com/item/frantz-laura/mistress-of-tall-acre/6539121.html
http://www.lifeway.com/Product/the-mistress-of-tall-acre-P005768154http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Mistress-Tall-Acre/Laura-Frantz/9780800720445?id=6163396555110https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-mistress-of-tall-acre/9780800720445-item.html?ikwid=the+mistress+of+tall+acres&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0http://www.powells.com/biblio/62-9781410483980-2

She's a daughter of the American Revolution, but her Father is on the wrong side and has returned to Scotland. Her brother fought alongside their neighbor, the General, but hasn't returned even though the General has. Sophie's seen the General's lovely little daughter and instantly made friends. She had been there at her birth, as her mother was the midwife and she was there to help. But the former Mistress has passed away now and the little girl is so lonely. Sophie's not popular in the town because of her Father - people don't seem to regard her brother's service. Their Estate is falling further into disrepair and they've gone too much without because the townspeople won't allow her to sell or trade.

Seamus, despite being a returning war hero, has a legal battle to keep his daughter because his departed wife left her with relatives while he was at war. He needs a wife to help make his case stronger. He's felt a strong pull to Sophie, so she seems a good choice.

"If she wed Seamus, she must keep her love hidden at all times." (Sophie)

This is so well written and the characters became so beloved that I found myself thinking about them long after I put the book down each time - wondering what they would be doing next - imagining my own scenarios.  Another Laura Frantz book that you just don't want to end. There's lots to keep you constantly entertained, from running the Estate to kidnapping and mystery - and lots to pull on your heartstrings. Prepare yourself because you won't want to put this book down!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the Baker Publishing Group, Revell Reads - 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 Endorsementsand Testimonials in Advertising”. 
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From the book:
There can be only one mistress of Tall Acre . . .

The American Revolution is finally over, and Sophie Menzies is starved for good news. When her nearest neighbor, General Seamus Ogilvy, finally comes home to Tall Acre, she hopes it is a sign of better days to come. But the general is now a widower with a small daughter in desperate need of a mother. Nearly destitute, Sophie agrees to marry Seamus and become the mistress of Tall Acre in what seems a safe, sensible arrangement. But when a woman from the general's past returns without warning, the ties that bind this fledgling family together will be strained to the utmost. When all is said and done, who will be the rightful mistress of Tall Acre?

Triumph and tragedy, loyalty and betrayal--you will find it all in the rich pages of this newest novel from the talented pen of Laura Frantz.
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