Historical Fiction

A Bride in Store by Melissa Jagears

November 25, 2014 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

Mail-order bride Eliza Cantrell intends to surprise her future husband by arriving a week early. She gets her own unpleasant surprise when her train is robbed and the thieves steal all of her inheritance—money she told Axel Langston she had to help him with his store. When she arrives in Kansas with a cut on her cheek given to her by one of the train robbers, William Stanton is called in to patch her up. The attractions Will feels toward Eliza is almost immediate so when he learns she’s his business partner and best friend’s intended, he knows he needs to stay away from her. When she comes into their store with no money, no place to stay, and no help, Will decides to help her. Sparks fly between the two of them until Axel returns and the real trouble begins. Both Eliza and Will have dreams that will take them in different directions—Will wants to become a doctor and Eliza wants to run a successful store. Will they follow the dreams they’ve been chasing or will they find a new dream together?

I have read both the novella and the Melissa Jagear’s other book in this series and this one was by far my favorite (you do not need to read the others to read this one. The few things you might need to know from the previous works are explained in this one). Both of the main characters were well written and endearing in different ways. Will is a tenderhearted man who wants to do what’s best for everyone. You grieve his losses with him. Eliza is a confident woman who’s not afraid of a little work and she is determined to prove her worth. I didn’t want to put the book down once I started. Definitely worth the read.

***Bethany House Publishers provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

The Covered Deep by Brandy Vallance

November 16, 2014 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

Bianca Marshal feels trapped. Her twenty fifth birthday is around the corner and, according to the book she is reading, her prospects of marriage are about to decrease thirty four percent. With that weighing on her mind, when Bianca’s father shows her an advertisement for contest that will include a trip out of Ohio and across an ocean to London and then on to the Holy Land, she decides to enter. When Bianca arrives in London, she meets Paul Emerson, a local historian, and is immediately captivated by him. Emerson feels the same way about Bianca but some mistakes from his past keep dragging him down and making him believe he’s not worthy of Bianca–the perfect woman for him. Adrian Hartwith has chosen his travel companions carefully for his own dangerous game. How much will they endure until their faith is shaken? Will Paul Emerson’s faith crumble when he loses the one thing he desires most but can’t have?

Brandy Vallance’s debut novel is intriguing and the concept is an interest twist. Filled with adventure, danger, romance, and hope, The Covered Deep keeps the reader immersed in the story. Bianca is naïve but likeable and there are some laugh-out-loud moments in the book. There are also some heart-wrenching moments and still others where you want to wring someone’s neck. The ending felt somewhat rushed as I would have liked to hear what became of a couple of the other characters we’d traveled with throughout the book (what happened to Adrian Hartwith? Did he have a change of heart? Is he still playing with people’s emotions and lives?) and more about Bianca’s change of heart toward Paul at the end, but overall, the story was worth the read.

***Worthy publishing provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

Full Steam Ahead by Karen Witemeyer

June 16, 2014 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

Nicole Renard is on a mission for her father. She is determined not to fail. She must find an heir for her father’s shipping business. Before she leaves on her journey from Galveston, Texas to New Orleans, her plans go awry. She improvises quickly and ends up in the small town of Liberty, Texas with too little money to continue on to New Orleans. Her search for a job leads her to the eccentric Darius Thornton.

Darius needs a secretary, someone to help him get organized. He’s too busy working on his boiler experiments to spend the time to decipher his notes. When someone finally applies for the secretary position, he’s ready to hire the man. He’s shocked when a woman enters his home to interview for the position. She proves herself intelligent and capable from the get-go.

As Nicole and Darius spend more time together, they both grow to admire the other person and their attraction begins to grow. Darius is determined not to let anything, not even the beautiful, intelligent Nicole, take him from his experiments. Nicole’s promise to her father keeps her from being able to give her heart to a man she is beginning to care deeply for.

Karen Witemeyer’s historical fiction is touching and engaging. Nicole is spirited and feisty, she speaks her mind, and makes no apology for who she is. Darius is tortured and in need of someone to take care of him. Both of the characters have some flaws and at times, as a reader, I wanted ring their necks, but that made them more human. The story was engaging, entertaining, and even a little educational.

****Bethany House Publishers provided me with a free eCopy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. I was not compensated in any way for either a negative or a positive review.

Historic Nashville Romance

April 1, 2014 by Suzie Waltner 1 Comment

Like many others who live in the area, I am a transplant to Nashville, TN. I have lived here sixteen years this summer but never attended elementary or secondary school here so, while I am familiar with many of the historic sites around the area, I don’t actually know a lot of the history. I feel like I learned a little more about my new home (and Belmont Mansion) when I read Tamera Alexander’s second stand alone novel in her Belmont Mansion series, A Beauty So Rare.

Eleanor Braddock’s world is changing. Her father’s illness has caused her to make some hard decisions, including how best to care for him, and relying on her aunt, Adelicia Acklen Cheatham, to support her. Eleanor has not disillusioned about her future, she knows she is not beautiful, and at thirty, will not find a husband. But Eleanor has a dream that she would like her aunt to help her with. That dream morphs into something much bigger than Eleanor, or her aunt for that matter, could ever imagine. Marcus Geoffrey is a man who wants to escape his past, and his heritage, a man who wants to make his own way. Marcus is a very handsome man who is used to women falling over themselves to be near him, but has never had a friendship with a woman. He is intrigued by Adelicia’s niece who is not taken in by his looks upon their first meeting.

Eleanor Braddock is most definitely someone the reader cheers for. You ache for her as she is dealing with her father, and love her for serving those less fortunate, you want her to find true happiness. Her dislike of pink and her forthrightness make her that much more loveable.

Alexander does a terrific job of weaving fiction with history in A Beauty So Rare (absolutely love the title of this book, by the way) and I was quickly engrossed in the story. Once I met Eleanor and Marcus I didn’t want to put the book down until I found out how their stories ended. And now that I’ve finished the book, I keep thinking about them, and want to go back and re-read parts of their story. That is always a sign of a good book for me. Stay tuned this month for more exclusive content from the author of A Beauty So Rare

****Bethany House Publishers provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. I was not compensated in any way for either a negative or a positive review.