Historical Fiction

The Elusive Miss Ellison by Carolyn Miller

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

The Elusive Miss Ellison by Carolyn Miller was a rich historical fiction book.  This is the first book I have ever read by this author, and I was surprised by how much I liked this book. On the back of the book they compare this author’s writing to Julie Klassen, and if I had to pick between this author and Julie, I would choose this author.  I was interested in this book right from the first page right up until the end of the book.  I liked both Livvie and Nicholas from the outset because they seemed like they were people who were alive at one point.  I love when I find that characters in historical books seem like they were alive at some time because it means I was able to feel like I was part of the book and that doesn’t often happen when I am reading historical romance.  If you are looking for a great book to read I would one hundred percent recommend this book.  I also think that this book would be a great book for some who is looking to start reading historical fiction.

About The Book

Handsome appearance counts for naught unless matched by good character and actions.

That’s the firm opinion of not-so-meek minister’s daughter Lavinia Ellison. So even though all the other villagers of St. Hampton Heath are swooning over the newly returned seventh Earl of Hawkesbury, she is not impressed. If a man won’t take his responsibilities seriously and help those who are supposed to be able to depend on him, he deserves no respect from her. In Lavinia’s pretty, gray eyes, Nicholas Stamford is just as arrogant and reckless as his brother-who stole the most important person in Livvie’s world.

Nicholas is weighed down by his own guilt and responsibility, by the pain his careless brother caused, and by the legacy of war, he’s just left. This quick visit home to St. Hampton Heath will be just long enough to ease a small part of that burden. Asking him to bother with the lives of the villagers when there’s already a bailiff on the job is simply too much to expect.
That is, until the hoydenish, intelligent, and very opinionated Miss Ellison challenges him to see past his pain and pride. With her angelic voice in his head, he may even be beginning to care. But his isn’t the only heart that needs to change.

These two lonely hearts may each have something the other needs. But with society’s opposition, ancestral obligations, and a shocking family secret, there may be too many obstacles in their way.

Fans of Georgette Heyer, Lori Wick, and Julie Klassen will enjoy the spirited exchanges between the bluestocking minister’s daughter and the bruised war hero as they move past pride and presumption to a humbled appreciation of God’s grace and the true strength of love.

About The Author

Carolyn Miller lives in New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and four children. A longtime lover of Regency romance, Carolyn’s novels have won a number of RWA and ACFW contests. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Australasian Christian Writers.

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Grace and the Preacher by Kim Vogel Sawyer

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Blogging For Books in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Grace and the Preacher by Kim Vogel Sawyer was a sweet story.  I don’t read many historical books anymore because I find that I get bored with them and I do have a hard time getting into them.  This is the third book that I have read by this author, and I am starting to think that she can’t write a book that I won’t enjoy.  This book was a slow start for me, but by the third chapter I was hooked, and I ended up staying up way too late because I didn’t want to put the book down.  I didn’t like Theo throughout the entire book, and I am not sure why I didn’t like him.  I did, however, love Grace right from the start of the book.  If you are looking for a new historical fiction book to read I would recommend this one to you.

About The Book

The Kansas community of Fairland anticipates the arrival of their new minister, and in recent months, late in 1882, postmistress Grace Cristler has communicated with Reverend Dille via letters, answering his questions about the little town, and developing affection for the man who pens thoughtful missives.

Theophil Garrison grew up under the loving influence of his saintly grandmother but was roped into his cousins’ train-robbing plan. When they fail and are apprehended, Theo fled the scene, evading jail time. Now an angry cousin is out to avenge Theo’s duplicity, and he’s on the run. He encounters a fatally ill traveler–a minister. Seeing a way to keep hidden, Theo trades identities with the man, dons his fine black suit, carries a Bible, and prays that he’ll be accepted as Rufus Dille.

Once in Fairland, if Theo’s true identity is uncovered, what will be left of the world he has built for himself, Grace, and those in the town who have come to love and accept him?

From the Trade Paperback edition.

About The Author

Kim Vogel Sawyer is the author of fifteen novels, including several CBA and ECPA bestsellers. Her books have won the ACFW Book of the Year Award, the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, and the Inspirational Readers Choice Award. Kim is active in her church, where she leads women’s fellowship and participates in both voice and bell choirs. In her spare time, she enjoys drama, quilting, and calligraphy. Kim and her husband, Don, reside in central Kansas and have three daughters and six grandchildren. She invites you to visit her Web site at http://www.kimvogelsawyer.com for more information.”

Kim’s father is author Ralph Vogel

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Stars in the Grass by Ann Marie Stewart

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Stars in the Grass by Ann Marie Stewart was another book that I like right from the start.  Like the book that I reviewed yesterday, this is the first book I have read by this author, and I am so glad that I got the chance to read this book.  I really loved the author’s style of writing and how reading her book was so easy.  It just flowed so well that I was able to get through this book quickly.  She put just the right amount of details into the book which I also loved because I got everything I needed but it didn’t have so much in it that I got bogged down or lost in all the details.  I loved watching how the characters grew and changed throughout the book.  If you love books that tackle real life problems than I know you will enjoy this book as much as I did.

About The Book

The idyllic world of nine-year-old Abby McAndrews is transformed when a tragedy tears her family apart. Before the accident, her dad, Reverend John McAndrews, had all the answers, but now his questions and guilt threaten to destroy his family. Abby’s fifteen-year-old brother, Matt, begins an angry descent as he acts out in dangerous ways. Her mother tries to hold her grieving family together, but when Abby’s dad refuses to move on, the family is at a crossroads. Set in a small Midwestern town in 1970, Abby’s heartbreaking remembrances are balanced by humor and nostalgia as her family struggles with—and ultimately celebrates—an authentic story of faith and life after loss.

About The Author

I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t writing stories, putting on plays, or belting songs. Ever since grade school when my dad substituted me in for his turn at the Toastmaster podium and I held a captive audience with my speech, I’ve loved making people laugh and cry.

I originated AMG’s Preparing My Heart series, write the column “Ann’s Lovin’ Ewe” for The Country Register and blog for Mentoring Moments. My first novel, Stars in the Grass comes out February 2017.

When I’m not writing, I’m waving my arms directing musicals, teaching middle schoolers, or watching UVA Basketball or Madam Secretary. In my free time I hang out with my husband, raising two lovely daughters and a whole flock of fuzzy sheep on Skye Moor Farm, in Virginia–where unscripted drama provides plenty of entertaining material.

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The Mark of the King by Jocelyn Green

 

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

The Mark of the King by Jocelyn Green was an okay book.  At times I did find myself getting bored with this book and I also felt like from time to time I got lost because I had a hard time focusing on this book.  For some reason, I just could get into this book.  I am not usually a huge fan of historical fiction books, but I had a hard time stay engaged with this book.   This is the first book I have read this book and because I had such a hard time staying interested in this book I don’t think I will read her books in the future.  I think I am going to hang on to this book for a few years and see if when I try and read it again if I don’t enjoy it more next time.  If you enjoy historical fiction books, I would say to read an excerpt of this book before you buy it or see if your local library has a copy of it that way if you don’t enjoy it you would be out any money.

About The Book

Sweeping Historical Fiction Set at the Edge of the Continent
After being imprisoned and branded for the death of her client, twenty-five-year-old midwife Julianne Chevalier trades her life sentence for exile to the fledgling 1720s French colony of Louisiana, where she hopes to be reunited with her brother, serving there as a soldier. To make the journey, though, women must be married, and Julianne is forced to wed a fellow convict.
When they arrive in New Orleans, there is no news of Benjamin, Julianne’s brother, and searching for answers proves dangerous. What is behind the mystery, and does military officer Marc-Paul Girard know more than he is letting on?
With her dreams of a new life shattered, Julianne must find her way in this dangerous, rugged land, despite never being able to escape the king’s mark on her shoulder that brands her a criminal beyond redemption.

About The Author

Jocelyn Green inspires faith and courage as the award-winning author of ten books to date, including Wedded to War, a Christy Award finalist in 2013; Widow of Gettysburg; Yankee in Atlanta; and The 5 Love Languages Military Edition, which she coauthored with bestselling author Dr. Gary Chapman. A former military wife herself, her passion for military families informs all of her writing as well as her numerous speaking opportunities. Jocelyn graduated from Taylor University with a BA in English and now lives with her husband and two children in Iowa.

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The Pattern Artist by Nancy Moser

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

The Pattern Artist by Nancy Moser was an okay book.  I honestly don’t remember much about this book because I read it at the end of last year and I don’t remember much about it.  That being said I do remember liking this book, but it was very memorable to me.  I know that this happened before with other books and it always tends to be historical fiction books.  I usually enjoy the books but after I move on to another book I forget the one that I read last.  If you like historical fiction than I would sure tell you to check out this book.

About The Book

English housemaid Annie Wood arrives in New York in 1911. On her own for the first time working as a Macy’s sewing department clerk, Annie catches the eye of a salesman at the Butterick Pattern Company. Through determination, hard work, and God’s leading, Annie discovers a hidden gift: she is a talented fashion designer—an artist of the highest degree. As she runs from ghosts of the past and focuses on the future, Annie enters a creative world that takes her to the fashion houses of Paris and into a life of adventure, purpose, and love.

About The Author


Nancy Moser is the award-winning author of twenty-nine inspirational novels that focus on discovering our unique purpose. Her genres include both contemporary and historical stories.

Her latest historical novels are the Downton Abbey-inspired Manor House Series:”Love of the Summerfields”, “Bride of the Summerfields”, and “Rise of the Summerfields.”

Also new is “The Pattern Artist” about Macy’s and the Butterick Pattern company.

Her historical bio-novels allow real women-of-history to share their life stories:”Just Jane” (Jane Austen), “Mozart’s Sister” (Nannerl Mozart), “Washington’s Lady” (Martha Washington) and “How Do I Love Thee?” (Elizabeth Barrett Browning.)

“An Unlikely Suitor” was named to Booklist’s Top 100 Romance Novels of the last decade.

Nancy’s time-travel novel, “Time Lottery”, won a Christy Award, and “Washington’s Lady” was a finalist.

Her contemporary books are known for their big-casts and intricate plotting. Some titles are “The Invitation”, “John 3: 16”, “Weave of the World”, “The Sister Circle”, “The Seat Beside Me”, and “The Good Nearby”.

Nancy and her husband live in the Midwest. She’s earned a degree in architecture, traveled extensively in Europe, and has performed in numerous theaters, symphonies, and choirs. She knits voraciously, kills all her houseplants, and can wire an electrical fixture without getting shocked. She is a fan of anything antique–humans included.

Find out more: nancymoser.com.

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The Big House On Adams Street by Alberta Sparks

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from BookLook in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

The Big House On Adams Street by Alberta Sparks turned out to be a book that I ended up not liking it at all.  This book was super hard for to me finish because to me the entire book seemed rushed and I wasn’t a huge fan of any of the characters in this book.  The book moved at a pace that made it hard to get to know the characters and things like that.  I wished that the author would have taken more time for us to get to know the characters better.  I also wish that more time would have been taken with setting up the story because I am sure I would have liked it if it had more details and more time was taken.

About The Book

Fritz, a young, wealthy German, immigrates to America and experiences a shipboard romance on the way. His dream is to use his riches to help needy people, providing housing and hopefully developing a community of one accord. His family joins him after a big house has been built in Cincinnati, Ohio. In a variety of totally unexpected episodes, the beautiful, spacious house begins to bring together many unlikely people into a community. The transformation of lives is assisted by an elderly chaplain who is bilingual and has a great store of wisdom

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2017 Margaret Margaret