The Undertaker's Assistant by Amanda Skenandore

"Her past was all around her, yet still beyond her reach."

Wow, This would make a good movie. Become immersed right away and continue to be so throughout. Interesting, unpredictable story. Effie is 7 years old, running into a Union camp during the Civil war, taken in by a doctor. She assists him through the War and he takes her up North with him after the North wins. Even though freedom from slavery is won, the progress those of her race have made is resented.  Eleven years later she goes back South to New Orleans to try to remember and find some kind of connection with her early life.
The doctor who raised her taught her to be his assistant as an embalmer, and she is good at it. She's very bright, knowing the entire anatomy, German, Latin. Her Northern accent is not appreciated though. As she learns more about her past, she grows with the relationships she forms along the way, and finds her own strength and personal freedom. Overall a clean read, with some mild sexual references, such as what the slave traders did to her even though she was a little girl. Brings to light some of the very cruel treatment of African Americans. The violence and intimidation depicted in the story are based on historical fact.

"Even the chains and shackles would someday rust and crumble. Then who could say it happened at all?"

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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The Farmer's Daughter Romance Collection

5 Historical Romances Homegrown in the American Heartland
by Mary Davis, Kelly Eileen Hake, Tracie Peterson, Jill Stengl, Susan May Warren

"Lord, I can see I’m coming to the right place for help.’ Tis gonna take nothing short of a miracle."

God filled. Each story holds lessons of God's love for us and how to live our lives. A book you won't want to put down; a book you won't want to end.
A nice long read each. Some collections I've read tell a good story but get through it all too quickly.   These are great, and have a Christian message as well. There's a lot of detail, depth and expert storytelling.

  1887 A real tomboy of the wild west that will steal your heart, and you'll feel her pain and struggle in this effort to keep custody of her nieces.
  1874 Ireland shows Ewan coming to America and meets an Irish family while working for the railroad.  Deeply Christian values on how to live with honor and treat others.
  Then There's Tracy's gentle story of pioneers in Kansas who are visited by a young circuit preacher, graced by inciteful preaching. Words to live by. She really poured her heart and soul into this story with such blessing and wisdom.
  1881 Wisconsin A circus performer turned farmhand, hiding from his wealthy family. He meets his boss's daughter and learns about life and living in God's plan. Trials and struggle blessed this couple. Wonderful teaching of how lives should be led in God's light.
"She hadn’t considered that a foreigner, especially a German, would know the same God she did."
  1918 South Dakota Two girls race to meet a train and send letters to their beaus overseas. A German immigrant is working in an indentured contract at a ranch nearby. I particularly loved this because of my German heritage. Immigrants before the war, but I always wondered how they were really treated here after the war started. If they had to be on the offensive. This is a beautiful story of finding God's plan for our lives. A story of true love.

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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The Express Bride by Kimberly Woodhouse

Daughters of the Mayflower series

"It takes a lot of people and horses to carry a letter across the country at such a speed.”

1860 Carson Sink station (in modern-day Nevada - the Utah Territory at the time) Christian Historical

Have you ever thought the pony express was interesting? This story makes it real. The wild west and how the mail was delivered at that time come to life. Kimberly is an excellent writer. I've never read anything she wrote and didn't like it.  It won't take you long to get lost in this story.I was hooked in the first few pages. With good reason, Anna fled her wealthy husband with their baby daughter, hoping never to be found. 26 years later many things have changed. Jacqueline's father has never stopped looking for her, this time sending a trusted partner out on a lead to find her. His health has been failing, and he feels he's running out of time. She however was raised by another man, not knowing that he wasn't her father. Intricately woven story of love and family, even when it's messy. Add in danger and intrigue - it will keep you glued. Excellent read!

"But thankfully, God dealt with ugly all the time and loved humanity anyway."

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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Preorder Jody Hedlund's new books

Pre-order Always (novella) and Evermore and get ready to meet the lost princesses in

@jodyhedlund

's new YA medieval romance series! Always: (link: https://buff.ly/2OcAPN8) buff.ly/2OcAPN8 Evermore: (link: https://buff.ly/2ObzRR4) buff.ly/2ObzRR4 #thelostprincesses #medievalromance #YALit #preorder

The Orphan's Song by Lauren Kate

"she wanted love - real love, or no love at all. This longing infected her like a disease. She knew no cure."

Venice 1725 Historical Adult Romance. Two five year old orphans, Violetta and Milo, are growing up at an orphanage, wishing they had families. But not just any orphanage. The Hospital of the Incurables was a revered music school. The girls sang at the most famous house of worship in Venice. Violetta could sing well and she was taught, raised to sing at Mass, behind a grate. She became a famous "coro", and was made to sign an oath never to sing beyond its church doors. In the city at this time, the people were required to wear masks.

The orphanage was very strict, but these two snuck out to the roof to watch other people and escape the feeling of being imprisoned. She had seen Milo's mother when she brought him to the orphanage and left him there - he was asleep. Milo growing up there found a broken violin and repaired it, then taught himself to play. Something that he was not supposed to do, but it became his passion. The background unknown to Milo, the two children shared the song that his mother had sung when she dropped him off. It was a bond between them. The journey of their lives is complicated and not easy, with many struggles for freedom and security. The story unfolds and intertwines, not always in the expected way. It's also interesting to learn about Venice and the way of life there at that time. Keeps you engaged to the end. Passion, heartbreak, betrayal and the need that we all have to be loved. Mild sexual content.

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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The Bride of Ivy Green by Julie Klassen

 

Christian Historical Romance, England 1821. As good as it gets! This is one of those books where you find the characters to be so dear, you don't want the book to end. If you're like me and read the previous books, you remember everything instantly and jump eagerly into this book, savoring every bit since this is the conclusion to the series. If you didn't read the previous books, do yourself a favor and do so. You can still enjoy this book if you don't but it's so nice to have "the rest of the story". Relationships are so important, and these characters have grown as the story has evolved. Love has grown, personal feelings and situations have been weighed, nothing is easy. Very satisfying 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.”
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No Ocean Too Wide A Novel by Carrie Turansky

It's hard not to read ahead. 1909 England. Excruciating story of a poor family from London. The father had died and the mother got sick. The oldest girl was in service some distance away. When the rent wasn't paid on time and they didn't have enough to eat, the boy tried to steal some bread to feed them and was caught, starting an avalanche of problems. The three were put into a children's home, then sent to Canada, thinking their mother had died and their older sister didn't care. The story is written with great detail and each character comes fully to life. 

Great injustice and bright light shown on the holes in the system of removing children from England. Between the 1860s and the 1930s, more than one hundred eighteen thousand poor and orphaned children were sent to Canada as British Home Children. Much good was done when good people were involved, but so much cruelty took place for many unfortunate children, and no good system was in place to put it in check. This story also tells of two good men who were sent to investigate the system, and how they became involved. And the relationship of Laura, the oldest daughter and Andrew a wealthy lawyer who helped them all. Excellent read that will keep you on edge throughout. If not for the underlying story of God's grace and love, it would be so much harder yet to read. You feel a relationship with each of the characters as their story is brought to light.

"If she found Jesus in the pages of that Bible, she would have a friend who would never leave her side . . . and that was what she needed most for the journey ahead."

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.”
#NoOceanTooWide #CarrieTuransky #NetGalley #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout

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