The Runaway Brides Collection

From  Maryland 1865 just after the civil war to Kentucky 1877 to New York 1898 to Ohio and Colorado1892 to Massachusetts 1892 to Ohio 1877 to Ireland 1877. I never used to really care for collections, mainly because they were too short. If I did feel that way, this is sure to change it, as I am quite endeared to it. Some were new authors to me, some I'd read their books before, now I'm a fan of all.

Usually as I go along I think of what I would like to say in my review, noting things that stand out. This book though, as I was reading I thought - I like this one best. Then I thought the same about the next story. And the next. So, they're all my favorites! The Groom She Thought She'd  Left Behind I couldn't put down and I swear that I held my breath till the end. Then the next story makes you laugh out loud. Misunderstandings and perfect understandings, rejection and acceptance. A girl can change her mind, can't she? I love that there's a Christian message and lessons too. This is a book that I can highly recommend to just about everyone. They are fabulous on their own, fantastic in this collection.

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.”

#TheRunawayBridesCollection #NetGalley #ChristianHistoricalRomance #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout

My Reviews:
Powells
Pinterest
Goodreads
Amazon
Twitter
Facebook
BookFun
ChristianBooks

The Erie Canal Brides Collection

You can feel the surge of excitement around the building of the canal and the changes it brought to the area and the people.
The Erie Canal was dug, by hand, across Upstate New York state and Ohio in the early 1800s. It brought a lot of people together, in many ways, because of the way it was made and the communities it went through. These 7 stories are an interesting and diverse look at the people whose lives were impacted by it. I live close to part of the canal, so it makes it a little more personal to me. Of course my favorite one is about the Irishman who worked digging the canal, my second favorite about the German village, since my heritage is both Irish and German. All the stories include interesting historical information about this vast area and the early days of the canal. It's easy to become thoroughly engrossed in each story. They're written with great depth. You can easily envision the characters and feel as keenly as they do what they are going through. Never a boring moment! Each also has a message of deep Christian faith which I feel competes any story.

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.”

#TheErieCanalBridesCollection #NetGalley #ChristianHistorical #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout







My Reviews:
Powells
Goodreads
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Amazon
BookFun
ChristianBooks

Far Side of the Sea by Kate Breslin

Spies. Mystery. War torn France and Britain in World War One. Christian historical fiction. Twists and turns leaving you wondering who to trust. After her mother dies during resistance fighting in Ireland, Jo searches in France for her father and the sister whom she had just learned about. Colin, a British soldier, had been wounded in France and was hidden and cared for by Jo's sister Jewel. Jo contacts Colin for help to find Jewel, knowing he had pledged to go back for her.

Colonizing a foreign country with enemy spies was an established practice (and is actually still done today). In this story Jo and Jewel's father was a notorious spy for Germany while living in France. The story wraps and folds around these facts, with help from British and American agents. It keeps you off kilter, while the growing relationship of trust between Jo and Colin keeps you rooting for them.

An interesting facet added to the story is the use of carrier pigeons for intelligence communication. Numerous accounts of heroism have been linked to these little birds, as the author had researched. She wound them into the story, with a particular little hero's real story.  Christian historical that is incredibly real.

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.”

#FarSideOfTheSea #KateBreslin #NetGalley #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout

My Reviews:
Amazon
Powells
Goodreads
BookBub
BookFun
Twitter
Pinterest
Facebook
Instagram
ChristianBook

From the Publisher:
In spring 1918, Lieutenant Colin Mabry, a British soldier working with MI8 after suffering injuries on the front, receives a message by carrier pigeon. It is from Jewel Reyer, the woman he once loved and who saved his life--a woman he believed to be dead. Traveling to France to answer her urgent summons, he desperately hopes this mission will ease his guilt and restore the courage he lost on the battlefield.

Colin is stunned, however, to discover the message came from Jewel's half sister, Johanna. Johanna, who works at a dovecote for French Army Intelligence, found Jewel's diary and believes her sister is alive in the custody of a German agent. With spies everywhere, Colin is skeptical of Johanna, but as they travel across France and Spain, a tentative trust begins to grow between them.

When their pursuit leads them straight into the midst of a treacherous plot, danger and deception turn their search for answers into a battle for their lives.

Not By Sight by Kate Breslin

Christian Historical. Living during WW2 wasn't easy. Grace was trying to disgrace men who were conscientious objectors and did not fight in the War by giving them a white feather. What she failed to realize was that there was more than one way to fight, and she singled out Jack unfairly. But it fit his cover story perfectly, since he was actually working as a spy. After she targeted him at the ball, things fell apart - for both of them. Banished from society, Grace joins the WFC as a volunteer. Even though being a volunteer was noble, her place in society wasn't appreciated and didn't set well with some of the other WFC girls, who set out to make her life miserable. The WFC did very hard physical work and Grace was struggling to find work she could do, bungling everything. Circumstances bring Grace and Jack back together, their story woven throughout with spies and subterfuge. It's an interesting, intricate story that holds all your interest, keeping you wondering what will unfold next.  Highly recommended - you won't be bored!

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.”

#NotBySight #NetGalley #KateBreslin #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout

My Reviews:
Goodreads
BookFun
Twitter
Pinterest
Amazon
ChristianBook

High as the Heavens by Kate Breslin

Beautiful, rich story. An author you'll love.
Christian historical. A novel of spies and underground fighters in WW2. It amazes me that with all the war stories, there are still so many more.This is intricate. The author strove to show the hardships of those who lived in occupied countries like Belgium and France, and to share the remarkable people of the Great War who worked behind enemy lines. You'll become completely engrossed as the characters come fully to life, full of grief and pain, and very little hope, yet doing their best to fight back in ways they could. And what they did was significant. People were so incredibly smart and resourceful even when they seemed completely dominated, yet they contributed to the fall of the German army. Excellent story 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.”

#HighAsTheHeavens #KateBreslin #NetGalley

My Reviews:
Goodreads
BookFun
Pinterest
Twitter
Facebook
ChristianBook
Amazon

With This Pledge by Tamera Alexander

Deeply moving.

It's November 30, 1864, Carnton Plantation in Franklin, Tennessee. Lizzie is the Governess to two children there. They look out and see an army forming between their house and the neighbors. The southern army here, federal army drenched in there. Around 20,000 men. The battle was fought over 2 1/2 miles, with nearly 10,000 killed, wounded or taken prisoner. Read that last sentence again. Can you really imagine it?

Their house quickly fills up with wounded. They tear up all the cloth they have - clothes, bed linens, towels, even underwear and Lizzies wedding dress, for bandages. She has skills learned from her father who is a pharmacist, and is able to help the surgeon. She learns that her fiancé is somewhere on the battlefield and goes to look for him - getting an even bigger shock of her life. The hem of her dress is soaked 6 inches with the blood. (Yet just a fraction of what Armageddon will be.) It literally came to their doorstep. Even the children join in helping the wounded in the house. The depth of sorrow and pain, and the eventual joy and love of the living.

Roland was one of the soldiers who had been battered, both legs and much of a hand. He and Lizzie have a special bond that grows through the story, as they both learn how to live with all the changes to their world, their lives. Since they lost the battle there, all of the soldiers on the losing side are supposed to go to Federal prison. They are given permission to stay until better healed, in the care of the McGavocks and local Catholic Sisters. Their mending is difficult, and gives them all a chance to know each other better. Relationships are forged between them all, including two black slaves. An incredible story telling from different angles of those involved. Well done, illustrating an incredible number of people.

#WithThisPledge #TameraAlexander #NetGalley #ChristianHistoricalFiction

Quotes
"Odd how war had a way of leveling out life. Of making what once seemed so important— such as propriety and decorum in conversation—not quite so significant. And in turn, it made what truly mattered— people, taking care of one another, life—of utmost urgency."

“For those who are in Christ Jesus, the best is always yet to come. Believe that.” 

My Reviews:
Goodreads
Powells
Amazon
Instagram
Pinterest
Twitter
BookFun
ChristianBook

The Seamstress by Allison Pittman

Wow what a powerful story. A step into history. 

It's set in France 1788 just before, then during the French revolution. There is a place not far from where I live that was constructed with the hope that Marie Antoinette would find asylum there, but sadly she never made it. Going there, seeing how it was made ready for her, I wished I could have made or helped to make some of the things for her. In particular I remember a quilt made from velvet pieces with beautiful embroidery around each piece. My grandmother made one similar and the women in our family all stitched on it. It enhances my feeling about Marie, the war and a seamstress she might have had.

Renee is a poor girl taken in as an orphan with her cousin by a man, not that much older than them, who runs a farm that's been in his family for generations. They don't have much but she delights in small things and loves her new family, growing in a Christian way. They have a friend who believes in eliminating the royalty from France. Near their house a carriage overturns and Renee mends the gown of a woman who was within. The mending is quite clever and fashionable. The woman is close to the queen, and decides to take Renee with her.

Renee, though quite young, finds a new life at the palace, and her skills make her a favorite. I delight in reading about the fabrics and thread as the story describes how she uses them. And in the beauty of the palace. The author skillfully tells several sides of the struggle at this time and I found it very difficult to put down. It's hard not to feel strongly for the characters, and its not a very happy time overall for any of them. I like the depiction of Marie Antoinette as a good person who tried to help the poor. A get-lost-in-it book for me. Huge depths of emotion.

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.”
#TheSeamstress #AllisonPittman #NetGalley #ChristianHistoricalFiction

Quotes from the book:
"The rain hits steadily, like whispers, and my ear strains to the occasional heavy droplet. To think, being in such a small space, every drop of it is splashing only inches above our heads."

"The people are their own god now. Their desires, law."

My Reviews:
Goodreads
Powells
Amazon
BookFun
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram