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Historical Romance

Historical Romance with Twists that will Make You Smile

January 13, 2016 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

What’s better than reading an entertaining story? How about four stories? In With This Ring?: A Novella Collection of Proposals Gone Awry, four beloved authors of historical fiction come together and share stories of unusual, often humorous, circumstances leading couples to find love.

With This Ring

In “The Husband Manuever,” readers of Karen Witemeyer’s newest full-length release (A Worthy Pursuit) will recognize Daniel Barrett and Marietta Hawkins. Daniel is about to leave his position as foreman on Marietta’s father’s ranch, and Marietta is desperate. If he leaves, he’ll never ask her to marry him. So, she decides to take matters into her own hands. But will it destroy their friendship in the process?

When the bridge leading to her property washes out and leaves Katie Ellen Hawkins alone with the one man she is determined to avoid, she’s disheartened when a menacing stranger refuses to leave her home. And appalled when Josiah Huckabee suggests they pretend to be husband and wife. Can she spent time with him and keep a hold on her heart? “The Husband Maneuver” by Regina Jennings is a fun and wild ride.

Mary Connealy’s “The Runaway Bride” finds Carrie Halsey feeling from an arranged marriage she will not enter into. Her older sister has hired a Texas Ranger named Big John Conroy to see her and her younger brother to safety but they don’t get far before people are hunting her down. Is the only way to escape the man she doesn’t want to marry to attach herself to another one?

And my personal favorite of the four…”Engaging the Competition” by Melissa Jaegers. Tomboy Charlotte “Charlie” Andrews is forced to help Harrison Gray when his glasses break, leaving him almost blind until a new pair can be ordered and delivered. Harrison has managed to avoid Charlie for years as if he wants nothing to do with her. Besides that little fact, how is her fiancé going to react to her spending time with another man—a very handsome man at that.

Each one of these novellas is approximately 100 pages. Dive right into the story and see how awkward and uncomfortable situations lead these characters to their future happily ever afters.

***Bethany House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Filed Under: Book Review Tagged With: Bethany House, Cowboys, Historical Romance, humorous fiction, novella, Texas Rangers

2 Things are Blind

August 20, 2015 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

At some point, I’m going to have to admit I enjoy historical fiction. Well, let me quantify that. At some point, I’m going to have to admit I enjoy historical romance. Let’s face it, while I won’t be picking up a history book anytime soon, I’ve always been a fan of Regency-era fiction. Over the past couple of years have read a couple historical romances I’ve enjoyed. A Lot. And the book I finished last night? LOVED, LOVED, LOVED!!!

not by sight

When Jack Benningham attends a masquerade ball in order to track a suspect, he is distracted by a vision in green. Grace Mabry’s purpose in sneaking into the ball is to shame those who don’t support the war her brother is fighting for the country, and Jack is too tempting a target–a known conscientious objector to the war, someone who will attract attention.

Months later, Grace does her part helping in the war with the Women’s Forage Corps. There she meets a few incredible women and after a rough start, she settles into life at Roxwood Manor. But her past comes to haunt her when she discovers Lord Roxwood is none other than Jack Benningham.

The man hides in the country manner after an accident left him blind and burned. When he hires Grace as his driver, she is confused and scared but she won’t back down. They begin to spend time together, and she begins to see the man behind the mask.

There is so much going on in this book, it was hard to put down. The relationships Grace forges with her co-workers reveal her kindness. But Grace has a stubborn streak that Jack Benningham is able to expose upon their first several meetings. His enjoyment at baiting her is evident.

And then there’s Jack’s dilemmas—coping with his blindness, his engagement to a woman he doesn’t love, his search for a spy, and his growing attraction to Grace who is pulling him out of hiding.

Truth be told, there are really three things that are blind in this novel: Jack, faith, and love.

Author Kate Breslin has been getting a little heat for the plot line in her debut novel, For Such a Time. I have not yet read the book so I won’t comment on that other than to say after reading Not by Sight, I want to read the first book. Not because of the controversy but because of the masterful storytelling.

***Bethany House provided me with a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and fair review. All opinions expressed are my own

Filed Under: Book Review Tagged With: aristocracy, Bethany House, England, Historical Romance, Kate Breslin, Netgalley, spies, war

A Heart’s Obsession by Colleen Coble

May 3, 2015 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

A Heart's Obsession

The second installment of Colleen Coble’s Journey of the Heart serial, A Heart’s Obsession finds Sarah Montgomery following the love of her life to Wyoming. But when she gets there, she finds that Rand Campbell is engaged to someone else two months after he left. Because she loves him, Sarah only wishes the best for Rand and strives to be friendly with his fiancée. Yet Sarah’s options are limited and she chooses to remain at Fort Laramie. Matters are complicated more when Sarah’s ex-fiancé shows up determined to marry her regardless of who he hurts on his way to that goal.

These short serial novels (about 100 pages each) are a fun way to read a book if you can remember what’s happening from book to book. Personally, I’ve never had a problem with that in series but I know a couple people who will not read a book series until it’s completed. The advantage of this serial series is that you don’t have to wait a year for the next one (just a month and the entire series will be available for purchase this fall). Coble does a great job of keeping the story going, slowly introducing new character and new trouble to the main characters.

***Booklook Bloggers provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Filed Under: Book Review Tagged With: Booklook Bloggers, Christian Fiction, Colleen Coble, Historical Romance, Serial Novel

The Hesitant Heiress by Dawn Crandall

March 14, 2015 by Suzie Waltner 1 Comment

For me, there are a couple of definite signs that a book is going to go on a favorites list. First, I want to know what happens to those characters after the book ends. Second, I immediately go back into the book and re-read parts of it. I found myself going back over many scenes in The Hesitant Heiress, the first book in The Everstone Chronicles by Dawn Crandall. And then there’s the little matter of not wanting to put the book down but you have to because you’ve got to work. Or sleep. Or care for you family. This new-to-me author blew me away with her first book and I cannot wait to read the other two she’s written thus far. Crandall immerses her readers in high society in the late 1800s and entertains from the opening page.

the hesistant heiress

Amaryllis Brigham is forced to leave the Boston Conservatory of Music and move in with her aunt. When she learns that she is the sole heir of her grandmother’s will (a grandmother who she had never met), she is met with a stipulations she knows she can’t meet. She must marry within one year after finishing school. The problem is that Amaryllis never plans to marry. Her dream is to start a music school in her beloved state of Washington. Enter Nathan Everstone. A man who is intent on making Amaryllis uncomfortable and uneasy. A man whose father hates her. A man who she is inexplicably attracted to but cannot become involved with.

As Nathan works to gain Amaryllis’s trust, she meets others in Boston society, some friends and some enemies. When she learns the truth of who caused her expulsion from school, all of her prejudices against the Everstone family are called into question. Could she be wrong about them? And if she’s wrong about them, is a future with Nathan a possibility?

I am usually partial to romances written in third person because it gives me as a reader perspective into both the male and female main character’s heads and hearts. Crandall does such an amazing job of telling a story from only the female character’s point of view in first person, I didn’t miss the other perspective. In fact, it made the story more intriguing. As a reader, I couldn’t help but sympathize and even empathize with Amaryllis as she tries to find herself in a society she doesn’t want to be a part of. The interactions between Amaryllis and Nathan are sometimes humorous, sometimes touching, and always has that bit of tension between the two that makes you want to shake them and yell, “Just say it already!” The story moves along at a fast pace and introduces a few characters that will be prominent in future books. (The Hesitant Heiress and The Bound Heart are available now and The Captive Imposter will be available April 1).

To learn more about Dawn Crandall and her books, visit her website.

Filed Under: Book Review Tagged With: 1890 Society, clean romance, CR4U, Dawn Crandall, Gilded Age, Historical Romance, Whitaker House

Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn by Lori Benton

May 11, 2014 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

tamsen littlejohn

Tamsen Littlejohn follows Jesse Bird into an unknown wilderness filled with treacherous terrain, threat of Indian attacks, and a looming war, but what Tamsen is running from is even darker. In order escape her stepfather’s plan to force her into an arranged marriage, Tamsen decides to escape. Jesse Bird has offered his assistance, and she is going to take it.

The first time Jesse Bird lays eyes on Tamsen Littlejohn, he is entranced. He feels like he knows this woman. When he finds her in a situation that is bound to get worse for her, he does the only thing he can think of and offers to take her away from it. As Jesse and Tamsen travel west, they are met with challenges from nature, humanity, and the stepfather and would-be husband who are giving chase. Tamsen is not prepared for this life, and Jesse knows it, but knows no other way to keep this woman safe, which he is determined to do.

Lori Benton weaves intrigue, history, and romance throughout The Pursuit of Tamsen Litlejohn. Readers will travel the country of North Carolina along with Tamsen and Jesse, feel the uncertainty of wars brewing between the state of North Carolina and the State of Franklin as well as the war brewing between the Indians and the white settlers, and long for the relationship between the two main characters to take root and grow. The supporting characters add depth and insight. Historical fiction isn’t usually my first choice when it comes to books I’d like to read, but this one was worth it.

****Waterbrook Multnomah 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 positive or a negative review.

Filed Under: Book Review Tagged With: Historical Romance, Lori Benton, North Carolina, Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn

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