Showing posts with label scottish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label scottish. Show all posts

Monday, April 15, 2024

Love’s Winding Road by Susan F. Craft

 



A treasure! Greatly touching love story combined with tragedy, sorrow, danger, attacks. A wagon train that went from Philadelphia to Georgia in the early 1700s. I hadn't heard of this trail before even though we live a bit north of Phila. Such sweet and touching love scenes, they're exquisite. Irish, Scottish, English and Cherokee nationalities all come together in strength and love. There's something to learn from everyone. A dream location to live too. 

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.

#LovesWindingRoad #SusanFCraft #CelebrateLit #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #ChristianHistoricalFiction #WildHeartBooks 



About the Book

Book: Love’s Winding Road

Author: Susan F. Craft

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: February 27, 2024

They were forced into this marriage of convenience, but there’s more at stake than their hearts on this wagon train through the mountain wilderness.

When Rose Jackson and her Irish immigrant family join a wagon train headed for a new life in South Carolina, the last thing she expects is to fall for the half-Cherokee wagon scout along the way. But their journey takes a life-changing turn when Rose is kidnapped by Indians. Daniel comes to her rescue, but the effects mean their lives will be forever intertwined.

Daniel prides himself on his self-control—inner and outer—but can’t seem to get a handle on either when Rose is near. Now his life is bound to hers when the consequences of her rescue force them to marry. Now it’s even more critical he maintain that self-control to keep her safe.

When tragedy strikes at the heart of their strained marriage, they leave for Daniel’s home in the Blue Ridge Mountains. As they face the perils of the journey, Rose can’t help but wonder why her new husband guards his heart so strongly. Why does he resist his obvious attraction for her? And what life awaits them at the end of love’s winding road?

 

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

Colonial American medicine fascinates me. The shortage of doctors made it critical for women to maintain medicine kits that included remedies brought with them from Europe as well as those shared with them by Native Americans.

In Love’s Winding Road, my character Rose falls into river rapids and suffers serious scrapes and bruises. Daniel, the half-Cherokee scout of her wagon train, rescues her and makes witch hazel flowers into a paste.

With gentle movements, he spread the ointment on her arms, legs, and neck. When he dabbed some on several raw places on her scalp where her hair had been ripped out, Rose clenched her teeth until her face hurt. With her hand trembling, she reached up to touch her hair.

“Don’t worry. It will grow back. Just thank the good Lord, for though it may be distressing and painful to have lost some of your hair, the strands helped me keep track of you.”

Rose’s father suffers from arthritis in his hands, so he chews on the twigs of black willow trees (not weeping willows) and drinks the tea his wife prepares from the bark also used to treat back pain, headaches, and inflammatory conditions.

When a mountain lion attacks Daniel, Rose stitches the laceration. She cleans the area with whiskey and offers it to him as a painkiller.

She threaded her needle with her finest flax fiber, and holding her breath, she began the first tiny stitches. Think of it as cloth. Think of it as cloth. She repeated the words over and over in her head.

Sometimes doing research can be amusing.

The night before I was to see my doctor, I’d read a resource book, Indian Doctor – Nature’s method of curing and preventing disease according to the Indians. I showed my doctor the Indian cure for my problem.

What a hoot! We had such fun looking through the book. Seems as if every cure involved mixing something with wine, ale, beer, or liquor. We came to the conclusion that with enough alcohol, even if you still had the problem, you wouldn’t care anymore.

Two weeks later, I saw my doctor for an earache. Of course, we looked up the Indian cure. It involved lily onions, marsh mallows, oil of violet—all taken with wine. And then, bleeding.

I’ll stick with antibiotics.

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

Locks, Hooks and Books, April 3
Simple Harvest Reads, April 3 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)
lakesidelivingsite, April 4
Pause for Tales, April 4
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 5
For Him and My Family, April 5
Lighthouse Academy Blog, April 6 (Guest Review from Marilyn Ridgway)
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 7
The Lofty Pages, April 7
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, April 8
Bizwings Book Blog, April 9
Life on Chickadee Lane, April 9
Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, April 10
Texas Book-aholic, April 11
Connie’s History Classroom , April 11
Cover Lover Book Review, April 12
Batya’s Bits, April 13
Holly’s Book Corner, April 13
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, April 14
Books You Can Feel Good About, April 15
Blossoms and Blessings, April 15
Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, April 16 (Author Interview)
Mary Hake, April 16

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/2ac74/love-s-winding-road-celebration-tour-giveaway





My reviews

Saturday, November 11, 2023

A Courageous Betrothal by Denise Weimer

 


Wow what a story. Early Colonists from Georgia in the Revolutionary War. Jenny and her family had a fort. Her character is loosely modeled on a real woman from that time, incredibly strong and courageous, known as the War Woman. And Caylan is a Scottish Highlander turned rebel. Fabulous, fabulous story that was hard to put down and went way too fast. 

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.

#ACourageousBetrothal #DeniseWeimer #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #CelebrateLit #ChristianHistoricalFiction #FiveStarNovel 


About the Book

 

Book: A Courageous Betrothal

Author: Denise Weimer

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: November 7, 2023

A wounded lieutenant, a woman fierce enough to protect her family, and an American Revolution with everything at stake.

Red-haired, freckle-faced and almost six feet tall, Jenny White has resigned herself to fame over love. Possessing the courage and wits to guard her younger siblings against nature, natives, and loyalists in Georgia’s “Hornet’s Nest” gives life meaning until she meets scout, Caylan McIntosh.

From the time Jenny nurses the young lieutenant back to health after the Battle of Kettle Creek, she can’t deny her attraction to the vexing Highlander, who seems determined to dismantle her emotional armor. But when Georgia falls to the British and Caylan returns to guide Jenny’s family on a harrowing exodus into the North Carolina mountains, will his secrets prove stronger than his devotion? Or will their love be courageous enough to carry them through the battles ahead.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

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.

 

 

 

 

More from Denise

Welcome to the Hornet’s Nest…the setting for A Courageous Betrothal. In my Scouts of the Georgia Frontier Series, we started with my September release, A Counterfeit Betrothal, in 1813. We’ve moved backward in time to middle Georgia, where the conflict between Patriots, Loyalists, and Native Americans became so intense during the American Revolution the area was dubbed “the Hornet’s Nest.” Little is known about this portion of the war, but it’s not just the setting that makes A Courageous Betrothal unique.

If the story sounds faintly familiar, that’s because it was originally Across Three Autumns of Barbour’s Backcountry Brides (2018). That’s why it’s a short novella instead of a full-length novel. The story became a free agent just in time to join my Scouts of the Georgia Frontier. It was a perfect fit not only because of the subject matter but also because some of the real people and places show up in this story as well as the novels of the series.

Another thing that sets A Courageous Betrothal apart is its heroine. As authors, we occasionally create characters who take on life and burst off the page. That’s Jenny White. Maybe because she was based on a real person, Nancy Hart. Six feet tall, red-haired, pock-marked, and a crack shot, Nancy was called “Wahatche” or “War Woman” by local Indians. She spied for Colonel Elijah Clark and captured Loyalists and British soldiers on more than one occasion. Her exploits are echoed in Jenny’s.

So are her insecurities, which make her relatable. Jenny’s given up on the notion of finding love. Men always prefer women like her dainty younger sister. And then she meets Caylan McIntosh, a scout for Colonel Clark whose Highland heritage makes him an ardent admirer of Jenny’s strength. Her doubts—along with the shorter word count and the time needed for love to grow between wartime encounters—are a reason I chose to write the novella solely from Jenny’s POV.

By no means does Jenny outshine Caylan. He’s still probably the most swoon-worthy hero I’ve written. Here’s a little snippet of him persuading Jenny to dance.

 

The unseen fiddler took his cue. The notes anchored themselves inside Jenny’s chest, with invisible strings tugging her toward the sound. Caylan and presumably several other Scots started a jig. From his fancy footwork and agile leaps, the lieutenant appeared dead sober. She found herself propping the pitchfork against a wall and drifting closer in the shadows, her mother’s previous warning drowned out in the waterfall of lilting notes.

When the musician warbled into “Soldier’s Joy,” a woman faced off with her husband. As they greeted and turned, two frontiersmen leapt up to join them. Caylan looked around as though searching for a partner and noticed Jenny standing just outside the circle of light. He came toward her, hand outstretched.

“Come, lass, will ye dance with me? Ye know this one.”

Indeed, she did. She had seen settlers perform the steps on the Yadkin River. Before Jenny had time to think, Caylan whirled her into the circle, and a man dancing a female part grabbed her for a ladies’ chain. She caught a brief glimpse of Gabriel’s alarmed face as she whizzed past.

Delighted with the actual women who joined them, the men paid courtly attention that caused Jenny’s face to flame. But none more than the sensation of Caylan’s eyes, warm amber in the firelight, fixed on her every time they met. The roughened strength of his large hand made hers feel small.

When the song changed, Jenny gave an awkward curtsy and tried to back away, but her partner caught her arm. “’Tis just a Cumberland Reel.”

“I know no Cumberland Reel. Remember, we do not dance.”

“Oh. I did forget that.” But Caylan’s smirk hinted otherwise. “Seems to me Wahatchee would not grow lily-livered at a wee promenade. See, ’tis only a skip step, toe to heel?”

Jenny turned her lips down. “Wahatchee has a mother.”

Caylan threw his head back and laughed. “What? That slip of a woman has a Highland princess like you all a’cower?”

“I am English, sir.” She clasped her hands behind her petticoats.

“Well, pardon me, my lady,” he retorted with mock offense, “but yer regal bearing and coloring beg otherwise. I wager some hint of Celtic besmears the White family past…far back in the recesses of time, no doubt.”

The “regal coloring” went up in flames. Jenny repeated what she’d heard her mother proudly state many times. “We come from pure English stock.”

“Well, then, I dare ye to prove a proper English lady has no fear of a Cumberland Reel.”

“Those are break teeth words, McIntosh. If I chose, I could dance until daybreak, and still be dancing long after you collapse.” So saying, Jenny stalked to the tail of the reel and waited for the laughing Scotsman to follow her.

Just like firing a gun, riding a horse, clearing brush, and swimming, dancing provided no challenge. Jenny did all physical things well and with endurance. What she had not expected, however, was the way Caylan’s obvious approval made her feel. It answered a craving deep inside that she had attempted to discredit for years. Not to mention the brush of his fingertips, the pressure of his hand on her waist, spread the bonfire to her bones.

From that moment to Jenny nursing Caylan back to health after the Battle of Kettle Creek, through the climactic, real-life exodus of civilians from Georgia to the mountains of North Carolina, Caylan fights for Jenny’s trust with as much determination as he fights the British. I hope you’ll be swept away by their romance amid the dangers of the Hornet’s Nest. And if you like Scottish characters, stay tuned for book three of the Scouts Series, coming in January and set in 1775 on the border of Georgia and South Carolina.

Blog Stops

Giveaway


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/28d33/a-courageous-betrothal-celebration-tour-giveaway





My reviews

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

My reviews

Sunday, April 25, 2021

The Immigrant Brides Collection

 




One of the most diverse collections that I've read. English, German, Irish, Scottish, French, Chinese. All with things in their lives to overcome, strengthen their faith, and realize that the journey is better when shared. Discovering the right person to share their struggles and burdens with. Most with issues of unfair discrimination and fitting in. Excellent read. Never boring. Unusual twisting, realistic tales. 
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.
#TheImmigrantBridesRomanceCollection #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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Thursday, September 21, 2017

The Captive Brides Collection



https://www.amazon.com/Captive-Brides-Collection-Challenges-Overcome-ebook/dp/B0713T3FTG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1506008264&sr=8-1&keywords=the+captive+brides+collectionhttp://www.powells.com/book/the-captive-brides-collection-9781683223368/61-0https://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/easy_find?Ntt=the+captive+brides+collection&N=0&Ntk=keywords&action=Search&Ne=0&event=ESRCG&nav_search=1&cms=1https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-captive-brides-collection-jennifer-allee/1126718494?ean=9781683223368#/http://www.deepershopping.com/item/various/the-captive-brides-collection-9-in-1-oct/7052229.htmlhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34380830-the-captive-brides-collection?from_search=truehttp://www.booksamillion.com/p/Captive-Brides-Collection/Jennifer-AlLee/9781683223368?id=7011643889686https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-captive-brides-collection-9/9781683223368-item.html?ikwid=the+captive+brides+collection&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0

9 Stories of Great Challenges Overcome Through Great Love

by Jennifer AlLee, Angela Breidenbach, Susan Page Davis, Darlene Franklin, Patty Smith Hall, Cynthia Hickey, Carrie Fancett Pagels, Lucy Thompson, Gina Welborn


I’m starting to like “collections”. It’s good to have a story end then go right into another – in this case eight more times, entirely different. This is excellent Christian Historical romance with so much creativity, beautifully told by very talented authors. And they’re not the sappy predictable only-about-the-romance bridal story. Each has great depth and a Christian lesson as well as a fabulous romance. The main theme with all of these is that the women are captives – in other words slaves. I think it’s good to be reminded that there have been slaves who came from and went to many countries. The stories here include the Irish and Scottish. Men and women were sold, drugged, beaten and kidnapped into slavery. Some called it indentured service, but then tacked on additional years for repayment of food, clothing, shelter and medical services; in some cases they were never free. It’s not like they didn’t want to work hard or in the case with a contract to pay back their fair debt; many were worked to death and treated poorly. Many times women were forced into brothels. Each of these stories is uplifting despite the circumstances of the women starting out and are great stories of endurance and hope – and a reminder that there is good in the world as well as bad.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the Barbour Publishing - 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.” 

Description from the Publisher:
Love Brings Freedom in 9 Historical Romances

Journey along as nine historical women are about to make their escape from some of life’s greatest challenges. Can their captive hearts be freed to dream, to dare, to love?

Love’s Labour’s Found by Jennifer AlLee - Montserrat, West Indies, 1655
Temperance Simms only wanted a better life. Instead, she finds herself labeled a criminal and sold as an indentured servant. After a kind man saves her life, can Temperance trust that God will turn her sorrow into something beautiful?

His Indentured Bride by Angela Breidenbach - Pennsylvania, 1770-1775
Leaving Scotland for a short indenture with her betrothed, Maire Greer’s contract is sold when disaster strikes her kindly owner, and then extended through cruel circumstances. Can Kirk Lachlan’s service in the American Revolution save her or will she lose love and freedom forever?

The Suspect Bride by Susan Page Davis - Oregon, 1890s
Verity Ames cooks at the restaurant where shy lawyer Jack Whitwell eats lunch daily. As Jack works up courage to ask her for a date, the sheriff walks into the restaurant and arrests her for murder.

His Golden Treasure by Darlene Franklin - Barbary Coast, San Francisco, CA, 1873
Goldie Hatfield grows up on in the Barbary Coast until her guardian demands she pay the cost of her upbringing—or work at her brothel. How far will Pastor Joshua Kerr go to set Goldie free?

Through Stormy Waters by Patty Smith Hall - Atlantic Ocean, 1755
Deported to the British colonies for her father’s crimes, Charlotte Singleton helps Captain Andrew Randell when an epidemic breaks out on the ship. Can two battered hearts find love in the midst of a storm?

Moira’s Quest by Cynthia Hickey - New York, 1869
A quest for revenge ends in a marriage of convenience and a feisty Irish lass discovers that not everything is as it seems as family secrets are revealed. An Irish cop, bent on saving the fallen women of Five Points, New York, finds himself thrust into the role of husband with a woman determined to break down a notorious crime boss. Can these two pull together and find a love bigger than they are?

Love’s Escape by Carrie Fancett Pagels - Virginia, 1850
With her life in peril, Lettie seeks escape from slavery. When Nathan offers to “conduct” her North via an unusual segment on the Underground Railroad, will his efforts help or do them both harm?

Waltzing Matilda by Lucy Thompson - Sydney, Australia, 1821
Henry didn’t plan on a runaway convict masquerading as a shepherd. Or on the woman’s baby. Keeping them safe will cost him his freedom—or will it?

A Score to Settle by Gina Welborn - On the Missouri River, 1870
For JoJo the kiss was a means to an end—she wanted his wallet. For Cyrus her kiss changed everything. He vows to help her escape the snake oil salesman she works for, but exposing the man’s lies may mean settling a score at a cost neither JoJo nor Cyrus can pay.

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