Historical Fiction

The Fury by Shane Gericke

TLC Book Tours

The Fury by Shane Gericke was an amazing book.  If I am being honest I only picked this book because it was a thriller so I went in more blind than I usually do when it comes to books that I review.  I am so glad that I decided to review this book because I loved everything about it.  As most of you know I love thrillers and this book didn’t let me down.  It kept me reading right up until the end because I had to know what happened and how it ended.  I loved all the characters in this book and the setting was also something that I really enjoyed.  This was one of those books that once you get to the end of it you can’t stop thinking about it and I usually have to take a day off between books because I can’t stop thinking about the book I just finished.  If you love thriller books I would add this one to your must read list and trust me you won’t regret it.

The Fury by Shane Gericke

About The Book

The Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico washes a cache of doomsday weapons onto a Mexican beach: bombs filled with VX nerve gas mixed with anthrax, invented by the Nazis during World War II and perfected by the United States to use in the Cold War. The bombs soon fall into the wrong hands and create an unstoppable opponent. Only one Chicago Police detective has a chance of preventing those bombs from being used on American soil.

Reeling from the recent murder of her husband as well as allegations of police misconduct, Detective Superstition “Sue” Davis is thrown into an undercover assignment. She must infiltrate the Mexican narcotics cartel responsible for the death of her husband in order to get close to the cartel’s sociopathic enforcer, Jiminez “Jimmy” Garcia.

But when the entire Garcia family is killed in Mexico by a U.S. Special Forces raid gone wrong, Garcia will stop at nothing to get vengeance, including triggering newly acquired bombs on American soil. Superstition’s assignment quickly becomes more dangerous than planned as the threat of a terrorist attack looms closer.

Shane Gericke

About The Author

Bestselling novelist Shane Gericke is the author of Torn Apart, which was short-listed for the prestigious Thriller Award and named a Book of the Year by Suspense magazine. Shane spent twenty-five years as a newspaper editor, most prominently at the Chicago Sun-Times, before jumping into fiction. He lives in the Chicago suburb of Naperville. Visit him at shanegericke.com.

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2015 Margaret Margaret

Irish Meadows by Susan Anne Mason

Book Review

Irish Meadows by Susan Anne Mason was a great historical fiction book to read.  I have hard time believing that this was her first historical fiction book because it is amazing.  I have really been enjoying historical fictions books lately and this one didn’t let me down.  I loved Brianna throughout the whole book because she was the character I felt like I could relate to the most.  I didn’t like Colleen at all and even towards the end of the book I still didn’t like her and her personality.  I really loved Gil & Bree because of their personalities and how they acted.  This author does a great job of helping you understand the time period and also why the characters act as them do.  If you love historical romance novels that this one is for you!

Irish Meadows by Susan Anne Mason

About The Book

Irish Meadows (Bethany House, July 2015)

Faced with an uncertain future, sometimes all you have left is the courage to dream.

Brianna and Colleen O’Leary know their Irish immigrant father expects them to marry well. Recently he’s put even more pressure on them, insinuating that the very future of their Long Island horse farm, Irish Meadows, rests in their ability to land prosperous husbands. Both girls, however, have different visions for their futures.

Brianna, a quiet girl with a quick mind, dreams of attending college. Vivacious Colleen, meanwhile, is happy to marry—as long as her father’s choice meets her exacting standards of the ideal groom. When former stable hand Gilbert Whelan returns from business school and distant relative Rylan Montgomery visits Long Island during his seminary training, the two men
quickly complicate everyone’s plans.

As the farm slips ever closer to ruin, James O’Leary grows more desperate. It will take every ounce of courage for both sisters to avoid being pawns in their father’s machinations and instead follow their hearts. And even if they do, will they inevitably find their dreams too distant to reach?

Susan Anne Mason

About The Author

Susan Anne Mason’s debut historical novel, Irish Meadows, won the Fiction from the Heartland contest from the Mid-American Romance Authors Chapter of RWA. A member of ACFW, as well, she lives outside of Toronto, Ontario, with her husband and two children.

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2015 Margaret Margaret

The Lemoncholy Life Of Annie Aster by Scott Wilbanks

Book Review

The Lemoncholy Life Of Annie Aster by Scott Wilbanks was a unique story.  When I started this book I knew it was either going to be a great book or a book that I didn’t like at all.  It has such a unique storyline and because of that I ended up loving this story.  I can’t even say what made me fall in love but I did and I can’t wait to check out other  books by this author.  I loved Elsbeth because parts of her personality reminded me of my grandma who is my best friend.  I love when I find “crazy” old women in my books because I always think of my grandma and smile.  Anyway I love reading what was happening and I had to finish the book super quick because I had to know how it ended.  I have always wondered if things like this do happen because it could be something that I would see happening.  If you love different books that don’t follow any set patterns than you need to read this book.  If you are tired of every book you read following the same type of pattern than I know you will love this book.  Heck if are looking for something different to read than for sure check this book out!

The Lemoncholy Life Of Annie Aster by Scott Wilbanks

About The Book

Annabelle Aster has discovered a curious thing behind her home in San Francisco–a letterbox perched atop a picket fence.  The note inside is blunt—trespass is dealt with at the business end of a shotgun in these parts!—spurring some lively correspondence between the Bay Area orphan and her new neighbor, a feisty widow living in nineteenth-century Kansas.

The source of mischief is an antique door Annie installed at the rear of her house.  The man who made the door—a famed Victorian illusionist—died under mysterious circumstances.

Annie and her new neighbor, with the help of friends and strangers alike, must solve the mystery of what connects them before one of them is convicted of a murder that has yet to happen…and somehow already did.

Scott Wilbanks

About The Author

Scott Wilbanks graduated summa cum laude from The University of Oklahoma and went on to garner several national titles in the sport of gymnastics. Scott’s husband, Mike, is a New Zealander by birth, and the two split their time between the two countries while Scott is at work on his next standalone novel.

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2015 Margaret Margaret

A Heart’s Home by Colleen Coble

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from 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.

Book Review

A Heart’s Home by Colleen Coble is the last book in the series.  I loved this book because I think the characters in this book are my favorite which is why I loved this book so much.  I was sad to see this series come to an end because I really did love everything about this  series.  I am going to have a post up in a couple of weeks where I will link all the reviews so you will be able to check them all out if you want to read any of them.  I felt so bad for Emmie because of the promise that she made to her friend because I can’t even imagine what it would feel like knowing that you may have to marry a man who you don’t love because of a promise you made before your friend died.  I love how everything worked and how everyone ended up happy.  If you love books by Colleen Coble than I would for sure check out this series of books.

A Hearts Home by Colleen Coble

About The Book

A Heart’s Home (Thomas Nelson, August 2015)

Emmie’s hope for a life with Isaac is overshadowed by a tragic loss at Fort Phil Kearny.

Isaac Liddle is keen to marry Emmie, and she knows she shouldn’t hide her pregnancy from him any longer. But before she can tell him her secret, a widower friend asks the impossible of Emmie: Will she honor her promise to his dead wife by marrying him to care for the orphaned baby?

With the Sioux Wars threatening outside the fort, Emmie’s solemn vow threatens her happiness from within. Will she honor a promise sure to break her heart—and Isaac’s? Or is there another way to find a home for her heart?

CCoble-110

About The Author

Colleen Coble has sold over 2 million novels worldwide.Seagrass Pier, the third installment in her acclaimed Hope Beach series, marks a new highpoint for emotion and complexity in Coble’s addictive brand of romantic suspense.

 

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2015 Margaret Margaret

Through Waters Deep by Sarah Sundin

Book Review

Through Waters Deep by Sarah Sundin was another great book.  I have read another series by this author so this book had big shoes to fill and it lived up to everything that I hoped it would.  I also love this book because it is my favorite type of historical fiction to read.  I love pretty much everything that takes place during WWII.  Anyway let’s get back to the review of this book.  Loved following along as Mary tries to figure out who is behind all the crazy things that are going on and I also loved following along as Mary & Jim spend so much time together and start to fall in love.  I can’t say enough good things about this  book and this author.  She does an amazing job writing these stories and making you feel like you are there with the characters.  If you love historical fiction than make sure you don’t miss this story.

Through Waters Deep by Sarah Sundin

About The Book

Through Waters Deep (Revell, August 2015)

It is 1941 and America teeters on the brink of war.

Outgoing naval officer Ensign Jim Avery escorts British convoys across the North Atlantic in a brand-new destroyer, the USS Atwood. Back on shore, Boston Navy Yard secretary Mary Stirling does her work quietly and efficiently, happy to be out of the limelight. Yet, despite her reserved nature, she never could back down from a challenge. When evidence of sabotage on the Atwood is found, Jim and Mary must work together to uncover the culprit. A bewildering maze of suspects emerges, and Mary is dismayed to find that even someone close to her is under suspicion. With the increasing pressure, Jim and Mary find that many new challenges—and dangers—await them.

Sarah Sundin takes readers to the tense months before the US entered WWII. Readers will encounter German U-boats and torpedoes, along with the explosive power of true love, in this hopeful and romantic story.

Sarah Sundin

About The Author

Sarah Sundin is the author of With Every Letter, On Distant Shores, In Perfect Time, and the Wings of Glory series. In 2014,On Distant Shores was a finalist for the Golden Scroll Awards from both AWSA and the Christian Authors Network. In 2011, Sarah received the Writer of the Year Award at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference. A graduate of UC San Francisco School of Pharmacy, she works on call as a hospital pharmacist. During WWII, her grandfather served as a pharmacist’s mate (medic) in the Navy and her great-uncle flew with the US Eighth Air Force in England. Sarah lives in California with her husband and three children.

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2015-2016 Margaret Margaret

Journeys of the Heart: An Anthology by Camille Elliot, Winnie Griggs, and Erica Vetsch

Book Review

Journeys of the Heart was another great book filled with 3 short stories.  I did a review on a book similar to this one a week or so ago so if you missed that review you can click here to  check it out.  Like I said in that review that I love books like this because I can read one of the stories in one sitting and then walk away and pick it up later and not have to remember what happened because the stories don’t have to go in order.  Unlike the other one there is no way that I could pick which story that I liked the most out of this book. I loved all the stories and I can’t wait until I have the time to read books by each of these authors.  If you love historical fiction that I would sure recommend this book for you.

Journeys of The Heart

About The Book

From merry old England to the wilds of Texas, take a delightful journey into adventure and romance alongside a feisty spinster, an English lord, a trail boss, a determined widow, and an unusual train companion—a parrot!

The Gentleman’s Quest by USA Today bestselling author Camille Elliot
When a man’s body is found in the stables of Heathcliffe Manor, all evidence points to Christopher Creager as the culprit. The only one who can help him is the woman he hasn’t let himself go near: Honoria Dunbar. But when he enlists her help he discovers Honoria is facing a life-sentence of her own…

The Road Home by Winnie Griggs
Anisha’s life is just beginning, and Wyatt feels like his is over. How can a displaced, exotic beauty and former surgeon help two grieving orphans find a forever home?

The Trail Boss’s Bride by NY Times bestselling author Erica Vetsch
Trail boss Steve Ketchum hates river crossings, but before he can get his cattle started across he’s got to move an abandoned wagon out of the ford. He goes to haul it away–and discovers the last thing he ever expected. The wagon contains a newly-minted widow—and she’s expecting, too.

About The Authors

Camille Elliot

From merry old England to the wilds of Texas, take a delightful journey into adventure and romance alongside a feisty spinster, an English lord, a trail boss, a determined widow, and an unusual train companion—a parrot!

The Gentleman’s Quest by USA Today bestselling author Camille Elliot
When a man’s body is found in the stables of Heathcliffe Manor, all evidence points to Christopher Creager as the culprit. The only one who can help him is the woman he hasn’t let himself go near: Honoria Dunbar. But when he enlists her help he discovers Honoria is facing a life-sentence of her own…

The Road Home by Winnie Griggs
Anisha’s life is just beginning, and Wyatt feels like his is over. How can a displaced, exotic beauty and former surgeon help two grieving orphans find a forever home?

The Trail Boss’s Bride by NY Times bestselling author Erica Vetsch
Trail boss Steve Ketchum hates river crossings, but before he can get his cattle started across he’s got to move an abandoned wagon out of the ford. He goes to haul it away–and discovers the last thing he ever expected. The wagon contains a newly-minted widow—and she’s expecting, too.

Winnie Griggs

Winnie Griggs grew up in south Louisiana in an undeveloped area her friends thought of as the very back of beyond. With her two younger siblings and another family of two siblings for playmates, she spent many an hour exploring the overgrown land around her home, cutting jungle trails, building forts and frontier camps, and looking for pirate ships on the nearby bayou.

Once she ‘grew up’ she found other outlets for dealing with all those wonderful, adventurous imaginary friends by filling notebooks with their stories. And somewhere along the way, those scribblings gave way to full length stories.

Eventually she found her own Prince Charming, a rancher whose white steed takes the form of a tractor and whose kingdom is situated in a small rural community that she loves to call home, and together they’ve built their own storybook happily-ever-after. Their lives together expanded to include four now grown children who share Winnie’s vivid imagination and her husband’s steadier influences and are now out in the world pursuing their own adventures.

Winnie shares her stories with readers through her writings for Love Inspired and Love Inspired Historical books. You can learn more about Winnie at http://www.winniegriggs.com

Erica Vetsch

Even though Erica Vetsch has set aside her career teaching history to high school students in order to homeschool her own children, but her love of history hasn’t faded. Erica’s favorite books are historical novels and history books, and one of her greatest thrills is stumbling across some obscure historical factoid that makes her imagination leap. She’s continually amazed at how God has allowed her to use her passion for history, romance, and daydreaming to craft historical romances that entertain readers and glorify Him. Whenever she’s not following flights of fancy in her fictional world, Erica is the company bookkeeper for her family’s lumber business, a mother of two terrific teens, wife to a man who is her total opposite and yet her soul mate, and an avid museum patron.

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2015 Margaret Margaret