My Heart Belongs in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Clarissa's Conflict by Murray Pura

Wow. A beautiful love story during a time of underground railroad and the civil war. Intricate and detailed life of a young woman who was a conductor helping slaves and passionate about life and the war. She reminded me at first a bit like Anne of Green Gables, with her red hair and high spirit. She is a deeply feeling girl. Finding the love of her life was not a simple thing, but deeply romantic. Much of the dialogue was deeply romantic, read like the thoughts of a poet. All that you could want in a historical romance that also gives life to the small town of Gettysburg and also the highly important battle that took place there.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Barbour Publishing, Inc 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.
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Woman of Courage by Wanda E. Brunstetter

Get lost in the wilderness of North America!
Many lessons of faith and Christianity throughout this story of a young woman who travels from Dansville, N.Y. to Oregon/Idaho (about 3,000 miles, mostly wilderness) to teach the Nez pierce Indians about Jesus. Strength, determination and perseverance, pushing on when most would give up. A journey even the experienced would find difficult, but she has no experience to draw on. When everything is taken from her, she still has her faith and doesn't turn back. I'm sure, like me, that you will find something within that ministers and strengthens you. She believes strongly in her mission to bring people to Jesus, and has a long and difficult travel. But God uses adversity in many ways.  I've done some woods camping so I can appreciate what she went through, but not nearly to the extent. Let alone the threats she encountered. You know you will love a story of Wanda's! A fabulous story to get lost in.

Also included in the Collectors's Edition - Woman Of Hope - about her adopted Indian daughter, Little Fawn, who wants to be a missionary to other Indians at a Rendezvous but her mother won't attend or let her go for reasons of her own. When the girl tries to go by herself she is captured and abused,  but meaning is brought and God shines through. A wonderful story of deep and abiding faith throughout.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Barbour Publishing, Inc 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.

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Description from the Publisher:
A Woman of Courage Makes an Epic Journey
Take a three-thousand mile journey with Amanda Pearson as she leaves the disgrace of a broken engagement and joins the work at a Quaker mission in the western wilds. The trip is fraught with danger, and Amanda is near death before reaching her destination. Among those she meets are an Indian woman who becomes her first convert and a half-Indian trapper who seems to be her biggest critic. But love follows her into the wilderness and will determine the course of her future. You are sure to enjoy this historical romance adventure from New York Times bestselling author Wanda E. Brunstetter.

Included is the newly-written sequel, Woman of Hope, with Little Fawn’s story. Raised as an orphan by a loving white couple, Little Fawn always felt something was missing from her life. She longs to take the news of Jesus to the Nez Perce Indians, but despite being a missionary herself, Little Fawn’s mother forbids it. Will White Wolf, her intended, support Little Fawn’s decision when she abruptly follows the tribe’s migration onto the Plains?

In Times Gone By by Tracie Peterson

This continues the story of three young women who met on a train to San Francisco, each with their own agenda. They are at different levels of faith. All of the books teach a full understanding of Christian faith, and the characters all grow in their lives through that faith. Its during a time of great corruption within the city, which they are fighting to keep their businesses and homes. This story happens during the big earthquake. Even with the struggles they have personally, they reach out to the displaced and provide shelter and food. Each girl has a man in the story, and each has a degree of wealth. However they also encounter difficulties being without wealth. Mix in love, danger, struggles in figuring out where their path goes, and desires to be part of a family - which they form by their closeness and support of one another.  Tracie Peterson's stories never disappoint! A full, rich story that you'll be glad you spent the time with. Isn't that the most gorgeous cover?

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the 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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The Making of Mrs Hale by Carolyn Miller

Her husband disappeared just after they ran away to get married. The place, let alone the elopement scandalous and against her family's wishes. But she can't make it alone and has to go back home to her family. She sold everything she could to survive and he hadn't returned. It's not easy for her to face her family and she misses her husband. She doesn't know that he's been imprisoned with his men. It's a difficult journey for both of them and their families, and difficult to stay together, with people on both sides keeping them apart. They both learn a lesson in faith and forgiveness. Excellent read - one to get lost in!

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.”
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Jerusalem's Queen by Angela Hunt

Beautiful enriching story. So much more than what you can find in Wikipedia!  A very well written story of Salome Alexandria, based more on the writing of Josephus. The characters come to life and illuminate a time a generation before our Messiah. It helps so much to envision this part of the old testament and history. Told in first person through the eyes if Salome and her servant who came from Egypt. Salome doesn't think she is good enough compared to her sister, but God knows she will change lives and be remembered throughout time.  Excellent teaching of the Jewish civilization.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the 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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From the Publisher:
Born in the small village of Modein, a town made famous by the warrior Maccabees, Salome Alexandra knows better than to harbor grand dreams for her future. She pales in comparison to her beautiful older sister, and though she learns to read at an early age, girls are not valued for their intellectual ability. But when her father and sister are killed, John Hyrcanus, a distant relative, invites Salome and her mother to live with his family in Jerusalem, where her thirst for knowledge is noticed and indulged.
When her guardian betroths her to a pagan prince, she questions HaShem's plan. When Hyrcanus finally marries her to a boy half her age, she questions her guardian's sanity. But though Salome spends much of her life as a pawn ordered about by powerful men, she learns that a woman committed to HaShem can change the world.

Sons Of Blackbird Mountain by Joanne Bischof

I fell in love.

Thor is a big Norwegian sweetheart and stole my heart right away. He is deaf, so things are different for him, and the author tells the story with that perspective and reality. The other two brothers are sweet too, but all three are pretty rough around the edges. Aven, an Irish girl, is widowed by one of their cousins and comes to them at the request of their Aunt. There are many misunderstandings throughout the story, starting right from the beginning. I like the detail - they own a huge apple orchard with varieties I've never heard of but would now like to try. A complex story about discrimination, addiction and rehabilitation. Mystery, danger and lots of love.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the Thomas Nelson--FICTION - 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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From the Publisher:
A Tale of Family, Brotherhood, and the Healing Power of Love
After the tragic death of her husband, Aven Norgaard is beckoned to give up her life in Norway to become a housekeeper in the rugged hills of Nineteenth-Century Appalachia. Upon arrival, she finds herself in the home of her late husband’s cousins—three brothers who make a living by brewing hard cider on their three-hundred acre farm. Yet even as a stranger in a foreign land, Aven has hope to build a new life in this tight-knit family.
But her unassuming beauty disrupts the bond between the brothers. The youngest two both desire her hand, and Aven is caught in the middle, unsure where—and whether—to offer her affection. While Haakon is bold and passionate, it is Thor who casts the greatest spell upon her. Though Deaf, mute, and dependent on hard drink to cope with his silent pain, Thor possesses a sobering strength.
As autumn ushers in the apple harvest, the rift between Thor and Haakon deepens and Aven faces a choice that risks hearts. Will two brothers’ longing for her quiet spirit tear apart a family? Can she find a tender belonging in this remote, rugged, and unfamiliar world?
A haunting tale of struggle and redemption, Sons of Blackbird Mountain is a portrait of grace in a world where the broken may find new life through the healing mercy of love.

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