After a decade of abusiveness, Tabitha is able to reinvent herself. Tabitha enabled her sister to be married to her true love when she married a man her father wanted her to. After being a spoiled, manipulative debutant, she didn't realize what she would have to go through. It's a shock as things her husband had done before he died are revealed, and she's put into another trap. The changes in her are dramatic as she adjusts and learns to be a frontier woman. Very interesting story with her being caught up in fighting between Loyalists and Patriots, at times trying to walk both sides. She receives help from an unexpected Patriot soldier, which deeply weaves through the story. Good longish read keeps you involved as its very well written.
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.
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Book: A Calculated Betrothal
Author: Denise Weimer
Genre: Christian Historical Romance
Release date: November 12, 2024
A Patriot scout, a Loyalist widow, and a desperate fight to save what matters most.
The death of her titled husband means that not only is Tabitha Gage no longer a lady—but she’s also abandoned on an isolated Southern Georgia plantation on the eve of revolution. With the fine house and fields sold to a neighbor, she’s left with a log cabin on unsettled timber land. Rather than marry the neighbor’s son, Tabitha determines to make her own way—and never again be shackled to a man she doesn’t love.
Sergeant Edmond Lassiter is one assignment away from promotion when he comes to the aid of a red-haired beauty fending off cattle rustlers. Thrown together during an attack at a nearby fort, the Patriot scout and Loyalist widow are surprised by the values they share—including honesty, loyalty, and equality. When Edmond learns the same man who ruined his family is after what little Tabitha has left, he convinces her they should work together to make her land profitable—all while fighting off the British from East Florida and her greedy neighbor, who sabotages their every effort to succeed. Their work together will be a business arrangement…nothing more. But as a British invasion threatens, the truth soon becomes clear—continuing the connection between them will risk far more than their hearts.
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North Georgia native Denise Weimer has authored around twenty traditionally published novels and novellas–historical and contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and time slip. As a freelance editor and Acquisitions & Editorial Liaison for Wild Heart Books, she’s helped other authors reach their publishing dreams. The mother of two wonderful young adult daughters, Denise always pauses for coffee, chocolate, and old houses.
There were only going to be four books in my Scouts of the Georgia Frontier Series. But have you ever had a character take over a story? That’s what happened for books four and five.
Temperance Scott, the shy but principled heroine of A Conflicted Betrothal who started her own Daughter of Liberty group during Savannah’s 1765 Stamp Act Protests, had a feisty twin sister named Tabitha. Tabitha kept marching all over the page in her bright silk gowns, making Temperance feel pale by comparison, jockeying to maintain her position as Daddy’s favorite, and plotting to steal Temperance’s beau. When that failed, she stole the end of the novel instead, saving her sister from authorities tracking down the spy who wrote the Townsman Letters that accused prominent Loyalists of supporting the Stamp Act. Then she wed her father’s choice for her, the much older Henry Gage, Lord Riley, and sailed away on his sloop to avoid punishment. As the book closed, Temperance got to marry her Royal Ranger-turned-Patriot, Ansel Adams, while Tabitha was left to an unknown fate in swampy South Georgia. I kept wondering whatever became of the Savannah belle down there with the snakes and gators.
When I learned that Fort Barrington on the Altamaha River changed hands several times during the American Revolution, becoming Fort Howe while under Patriot control, I had to write book five, A Calculated Betrothal. Fast forward ten years, and Tabitha is newly a widow. The intervening years have not been kind, as her husband marginalized her when it became clear she would not provide him with the heir he desired. Their finances have dwindled as he continually sent money to his wastrel brother-in-law in England. Upon his death, she discovers the fine rice plantation has been sold to their greedy neighbors, Loyalist father and son Hugh and Julian Jackson. Julian has an alternate plan in mind, but Tabitha has no intention of yoking herself to another man she doesn’t love—particularly a cruel slave owner and womanizer. She takes her maid-slash-best-friend Dulcie and flees to the cabin Dulcie’s husband occupies on the south side of the river. This land, at least, is still hers…even though it offers only undeveloped timberland and swampland, free range for the Spanish cattle Dulcie’s husband herds.
But there’s an enemy more dangerous than the snakes and gators, and maybe even than the Jacksons…the British-allied East Florida Rangers that raid into South Georgia—burning, stealing, and rustling cattle. A confrontation with their vengeful colonel puts Tabitha at the top of their list. With enemies all around, how will Tabitha establish her independence? Enter Fort Howe’s Sergeant Edmond Lassiter, a man determined to settle his own score with the Jacksons. He offers the help Tabitha needs, but with their hidden wounds and differing backgrounds, can they learn to trust each other enough to defeat their common enemies?
To celebrate her tour, Denise is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf5498
Absolutely wonderful characters that tie you in pieces all the way through. This takes place in the earliest time of our country's patriotism, with conflict and in-depth reasoning against the loyalist stance. Tense build up right to the very end. Parlor intrigue and the history behind the Stamp Act riots in Georgia make it quite interesting. The lessons of being true to oneself and one’s own convictions, and determining the point at which it is not only appropriate but imperative that we speak out are carried throughout. You have to love them, even the nasty twin sister.
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.
#AConflictedBetrothal #DeniseWeimer #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #CelebrateLit #ChristianHistoricalFiction #WildHeartBooks
Book: A Conflicted Betrothal
Author: Denise Weimer
Genre: Christian Historical Romance
Release date: June 11, 2024
A King’s Ranger, a secret patriot, and a love that calls everything into question.
As a King’s Ranger on Georgia’s frontier, Ansel Anderson loves his independent life. But he’s also a second son, which means he’ll need the favor of someone influential to secure a land grant to settle his future. What better way to win support than by marrying the daughter of a member of the Governor’s Council? Yet Ansel’s straightforward plan is complicated by Miss Scott’s aloofness and his own growing sympathy for the passionate cause of the Liberty Boys.
As drawn to the enigmatic Ansel Anderson as Temperance Scott might be, he’d be more of a match for her feisty twin sister—who is all too happy to oblige. Not only would timid, nearsighted Temperance make a poor wife for a man trained for life on the frontier, but anyone she allows close to her must share her secret patriot ideals.
When Savannah erupts into riots and intrigue following the passage of the Stamp Act, Ansel is tasked with identifying a spy passing sensitive information to the Liberty Boys and the author of anonymous letters threatening those loyal to the governor. And as suspicions focus on the Scott family, which is he prepared to sacrifice—love or loyalty?
Click here to get your copy!
North Georgia native Denise Weimer has authored over a dozen traditionally published novels and a number of novellas—historical and contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and time slip. As a freelance editor and Acquisitions & Editorial Liaison for Wild Heart Books, she’s helped other authors reach their publishing dreams. A mother of two daughters, Denise always pauses for coffee, chocolate, and old houses.
The American Revolution That Almost Happened a Decade Earlier:
The Setting for A Conflicted Betrothal
Savannah, Georgia, 1765. Sedition, secret letters, spies, and Sons of Liberty. An absolutely irresistible combination for an author of historical romance! All this intrigue centered around the passage and implementation of the Stamp Act.
The crowning grievance after a series of increasingly repressive acts levying taxes for Britain, the act required an imprint on official papers or a small blue paper affixed with tin foil to a document, including bills, calendars, warrants, deeds, court documents, commercial papers, degrees, newspapers, pamphlets, ads, almanacs, indentures, appointments, and even cards and dice. Anyone breaking the Stamp Act would be tried in admiralty court in Novia Scotia. Colonists objected to not having a local trial by their peers and because English parliament, not the local upper and lower colonial houses, set the tax.
Savannah seethed with discontent while awaiting the appointment of a stamp master and the arrival of the stamps.
Then a sensational article in the Georgia Gazette revealed that four local citizens had received letters signed by “the Townsman” accusing them of being the stamp master or having stamped papers in their possession. The men were instructed to publicly advertise their innocence or risk grievous results.
When protest and riots speared by the fledgling Liberty Boys repeatedly erupted, the governor called out his Royal Rangers to quell the potential rebellion. But the rangers and the militia were riddled with secret patriots, many of whom were the sons of prominent loyalists. Imagine being in the position where you are sworn to serve and protect—only, you suspect you may be on the wrong side.
That’s what happens to my hero in A Conflicted Betrothal. Georgia Royal Ranger Ansel Anderson is summoned from his frontier post to provide intelligence to his father’s friend, a loyalist judge. To obtain the land grant he needs, he’s also to court the man’s daughter, an ardent patriot. Patience Scott has no intention of letting herself fall for a sworn King’s Man…until anonymous letters threatening those loyal to the governor corner her into agreeing to a betrothal. But will their attraction to each other survive their conflicting loyalties?
To celebrate her tour, Denise 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/2c80b/a-conflicted-betrothal-celebration-tour-giveaway
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A powerful story! Survivors of an Indian massacre, Elspeth and her father, a preacher, forgave them and are missionaries to the Cherokee in the area where they live. Alex is a Patriot soldier and doesn't recall the details of when he and Elspeth attacked even though he bears the scars. A story of love, forgiveness and redemption as well as a story of America. Very real, I found myself wanting to tell my husband when things happened in the story, and could clearly hear their Scottish brogues, nearly slipping and speaking that way myself. Excellent story with strong Christian lessons and faith, beautifully applied. Bravo Alex! I only wish there was a bit more to their tale, that the story had lasted longer.
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.
#ACherishedBetrothal #DeniseWeimer #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #CelebrateLit #ChristianHistoricalFiction #FiveStarNovel
Book: A Cherished Betrothal
Author: Denise Weimer
Genre: Christian Historical Romance
Release Date: January 23, 2024
He rescued her once, but a chance at love will require the ultimate sacrifice.
Alexander Morris bears the childhood scars of the Long Canes massacre that killed his brother and father. Forced by his dark past into the lonely life of Georgia Ranger, Alexander joins the bordering South Carolina Rangers in their revolt against the Crown. When he’s posted to the fort erected to defend the community once decimated by the massacre, duty demands he court the loyalty of his sworn enemies, the fierce Cherokee warriors.
Elspeth Lawrence never forgot the boy who sacrificed himself for her at Long Canes—any more than she forgot the younger sister taken captive. She’s learned not only to forgive, but also to help minister to the Cherokees at her father’s mission. When Alex Morris arrives at nearby Fort Charlotte, Elspeth finds her memories—and her emotions—stirred. He doesn’t even remember her…or the long-ago attack. But the bitterness that simmers just beneath his stoic exterior—as well as her courtship by a local landowner—challenge their undeniable bond.
When Alex uncovers a long-held secret and a plot to sabotage patriot talks with the Cherokees, he must choose between his desire for revenge and his love for the girl he rescued long ago.
Click here to get your copy!
North Georgia native Denise Weimer has authored over a dozen traditionally published novels and a number of novellas—historical and contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and time slip. As a freelance editor and Acquisitions & Editorial Liaison for Wild Heart Books, she’s helped other authors reach their publishing dreams. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise always pauses for coffee, chocolate, and old houses.
That Event That Changed You Forever: The Backstory Catalyst of A Cherished Betrothal
Most of us can pinpoint it—a moment in time that forever altered us and the course of our lives. Maybe it was a place. Or a person. For good or bad, we can never go back to who we used to be. The good or bad depends on how we react to that moment, place, or person, doesn’t it? Whether we allow God to make us more like Him because of it.
Both the hero and heroine of my third novel in the Scouts of the Georgia Frontier, A Cherished Betrothal, live with such a moment. Experts in book plotting say our characters should have a dark moment in their backstory. For Alex Morris and Elspeth Lawrence, the Long Canes Massacre of 1760 is that dark moment. Together, they survived the attack of around a hundred Cherokee braves on a group of settlers fleeing across the South Carolina border into Georgia. Alex lost his father and brother, Elspeth her mother while her younger sister was taken captive. With the resilience of the Scots-Irish who formed a barrier between the colonies and the Native Americans, the Long Canes settlers returned to the border of South Carolina later that same year.
A Cherished Betrothal actually begins in 1775, with the South Carolina backcountry on the brink of revolution. Since the childhood attack, Alex has lost his sense of home. He draws his identity from his service as a Georgia and South Carolina Ranger (yes, this tale veers over the border into South Carolina and the fascinating history around the town of Ninety Six) and waits for the opportunity for revenge. He keeps his anger carefully banked, just as Elspeth hides her fear—especially when she has to face warriors who visit the mission for Cherokee children she runs with her minister father. She’s forgiven her enemies, but she can no more prevent her knees knocking upon sight of the braves than she can forget the boy who saved her life fifteen years ago.
It seems God has answered her prayers when Alex shows up at nearby Fort Charlotte. Only…he doesn’t remember her…or the dark moment that shaped both of their histories. Between Elspeth’s not-so-gentle pressure, a Cherokee boy Alex can’t shake as a shadow, and his commanders’ determination to court the Cherokees as allies for the Patriot cause, Alex is forced to look his past in the eye.
Pivoting between Fort Charlotte, the mission school, and the town of Ninety Six where Elspeth’s wealthy Loyalist admirer helps stir conflict, including the first battle of the Revolution in South Carolina, A Counterfeit Betrothal is a tale of unshakeable love and soul-deep healing. I loved this story so much when I was writing it, I wanted to move into Colonial Ninety Six. I hope you will too!
To celebrate her tour, Denise 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/2a0cd/a-cherished-betrothal-celebration-tour-giveaway
Book: A Fallen Sparrow
Author: Lynne Basham Tagawa
Genre: Christian Historical Fiction
Release date: August 13, 2022
Ruth Haynes uses the pen name Honorius when she writes for her father’s newspaper. Boston has changed beyond recognition, and her Loyalist views soon get her in trouble. With war looming, what will their family do?
Jonathan Russell hides a guilty secret. The Battle of Bunker’s Hill sweeps him and his Shenandoah Valley family into the war. The unthinkable happens, and he’s forced to deal with both his grief—and his guilt.
Lieutenant Robert Shirley is summoned by his godmother and introduced to the Earl of Dartmouth, who charges him to gather intelligence in Boston. He is horrified but must obey.
Gritty, realistic, and rich with scriptural truth, this story features Dr. Joseph Warren, Major John André, Henry Knox, and Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton.
Click here to get your copy!
Lynne Tagawa is an educator and author with four sons and five grandchildren. She is the author of a narrative Texas History curriculum, Sam Houston’s Republic, and enjoys writing historical fiction. She lives with her husband in South Texas.
When writing my books, I study all sorts of things: soapmaking, rifles and muskets, and horses. What breeds come to mind when you think of horses?
Here in Texas today, quarter horses are quite common, although you will find a plethora of other types: Arabians, Tennessee Walking horses, Morgans, even Friesens! Interestingly, in the 18th century, the quarter horse did not exist. Thoroughbreds (“hunters”) were fairly common as well as carriage / early draft horses: Cleveland Bays and Canadians. Narragansett pacers were popular as riding horses; George Washington was partial to pacers, and their descendants include the Tennessee Walker. Ponies and mules thrived in the backcountry.
Exotic breeds were imported as well. I included a Friesen stallion in A Fallen Sparrow because—well, because I could. Friesens were part of the ancestry of one of the very first American breeds: the Morgan.
In my stories, the horses all have names and personalities. I hope you enjoy these characters as well as my human ones!
To celebrate her tour, Lynne is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card, a signed copy of the book, and handcrafted soap based on the soap a character makes!!
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/22674/a-fallen-sparrow-celebration-tour-giveaway
Link to purchase book: https://amzn.to/3M5tXLM
What I thought:
#CelebrateLit #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #LynneBashamTagawa #HistoricalFiction @celebrate_lit
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February 1815 Rocky Mountains, Rupert’s Land (Canada)
It's just after the Revolutionary War ended. Levi, a Brit, followed a former enemy back home, where he claimed there was a large deposit of a mineral that would win a war. Levi had to be sure how or if it might be used. When he's spotted outside the village, he's quickly taken captive, with his fate to be decided by these people. The people live within the mountain in a large cave that they carved apartments out inside. Interesting read with very believable characters. In depth story line of Audrey as a healer for Levi after a series of events. They spend a great deal of time together in another cave after Audrey helps Levi to escape, and he's injured. Good 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.
#AHealersPromise #NetGalley #MistyMBeller #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout
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