Masquerade by Nancy Moser
1886, New York City: Charlotte Gleason, a rich heiress from England, escapes a family crisis by traveling to America in order to marry the even wealthier Conrad Tremaine. She soon decides that an arranged marriage is not for her and persuades her maid, Dora, to take her place. What begins as the whim of a spoiled rich girl wanting adventure becomes a test of survival. As for Dora, she lives a fairy tale complete with gowns, jewels, and lavish mansions--yet is tormented by guilt and the presence of another love that will not die. Will their masquerade be discovered? Will one of them have second thoughts? Will love win out? There is no guarantee the switch will work. It's a risk. It's the chance of a lifetime.
A Flickering Light by Jane Kirkpatrick
(I am going to buy every single one of Jane Kirkpatrick's books, after reading her latest Where Lilacs Still Bloom)
This one was a Christy Award Nominee for Historical, 2010.
Returning to her Midwest roots, award-winning author Jane Kirkpatrick draws a page from her grandmother's photo album to capture the interplay between shadow and light, temptation and faith that marks a woman's pursuit of her dreams.She took exquisite photographs,
but her heart was the true image exposed.
Fifteen-year-old Jessie Ann Gaebele loves nothing more than capturing a gorgeous Minnesota landscape when the sunlight casts its most mesmerizing shadows. So when F.J. Bauer hires her in 1907 to assist in his studio and darkroom, her dreams for a career in photography appear to find root in reality.
With the infamous hazards of the explosive powder used for lighting and the toxic darkroom chemicals, photography is considered a man' s profession. Yet Jessie shows remarkable talent in both the artistry and business of running a studio. She proves less skillful, however, at managing her growing attraction to the very married Mr. Bauer.
This luminous coming-of-age tale deftly exposes the intricate shadows that play across every dream worth pursuing–and the irresistible light that beckons the dreamer on.
Gathering of Finches by Jane Kirkpatrick
Based on historical characters and events, A Gathering of Finches tells the story of a turn-of-the-century Oregon coastal couple and the consequences of their choices, as seen through the eyes of the wife, her sister, and her Indian maid. Along the way, the reader will discover reasons to trust that money and possessions can't buy happiness or forgiveness, nor permit us to escape the consequences of our choices. The story emphasizes the message that real meaning is found in the relationships we nurture and in living our lives in obedience to God.
United by blood, divided by time, will three orphan train siblings ever find one another again?
Orphaned in a tenement fire, three Irish-immigrant children are sent to Missouri to be adopted. Despite eight-year-old Maelle's desperate attempts to keep her siblings together, each child is taken by a different family. Yet Maelle vows that she will never stop searching for her brother and sister... and that they will be together one day in the future. Seventeen years later, Maelle is still searching. But the years have washed away her hope... and her memories. What are Mattie and Molly doing now? Where has life taken them? Will she ever see her brother and sister again?
Orphaned in a tenement fire, three Irish-immigrant children are sent to Missouri to be adopted. Despite eight-year-old Maelle's desperate attempts to keep her siblings together, each child is taken by a different family. Yet Maelle vows that she will never stop searching for her brother and sister... and that they will be together one day in the future. Seventeen years later, Maelle is still searching. But the years have washed away her hope... and her memories. What are Mattie and Molly doing now? Where has life taken them? Will she ever see her brother and sister again?
A Prisoner of Versailles by Golden Keyes Parson A Darkness to Light Novel, #2
I finally found this!! I have Book One but hate reading series books if I can't read the next one soon after! So now I can finally read In the Shadow of the Sun King!! (I've had it for over 3 years, smack my head).Lavish and Luxurious VersaillesKing Louis XIV's burgeoning palace is the place to be--and be seen. And the last place on earth Madeleine wants to be.
She's trapped there as a pampered prisoner. If she stays in France, she'll be forced to deny her faith. By escaping the King's long arm, she may find freedom--but it will cost her everything she holds dear.
Madeleine will need courage, hope, and total faith in God to outmaneuver the Sun King and reach her true destiny--and love--in another country.
From PaperbackSwap:
Lady Macbeth as you’ve never seen her . . .
Lady Gruadh, called Rue, is the last female descendant of Scotland’s most royal line. Married to a powerful northern lord, she is widowed while still carrying his child and forced to marry her husband’s murderer: a rising warlord named Macbeth. Encountering danger from Vikings, Saxons, and treacherous Scottish lords, Rue begins to respect the man she once despised–and then realizes that Macbeth’s complex ambitions extend beyond the borders of the vast northern region. Among the powerful warlords and their steel games, only Macbeth can unite Scotland–but his wife’s royal blood is the key to his ultimate success.
Determined to protect her son and a proud legacy of warrior kings and strong women, Rue invokes the ancient wisdom and secret practices of her female ancestors as she strives to hold her own in a warrior society. Finally, side by side as the last Celtic king and queen of Scotland, she and Macbeth must face the gathering storm brought on by their combined destiny.
From towering crags to misted moors and formidable fortresses, Lady Macbeth transports readers to the heart of eleventh-century Scotland, painting a bold, vivid portrait of a woman much maligned by history.
Last week, I watched a chat with a few Christian & historical fiction authors, such as Olivia Newport and Katie Ganshert~ I had recieved Wildflowers From Winter for review and I enjoyed learning of the messages behind their books. Very inspiring ladies. Here is Katie's debut novel, which has already gotten rave reviews; I am so glad to have received a chance to review this!
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| May 8 2012 |
Like the winter, grief has a season. Life returns with the spring.
A young architect at a prestigious Chicago firm, Bethany Quinn has built the life she dreamed of during her teen years in a trailer park. An unexpected interruption from her estranged mother reveals that tragedy has struck in her hometown and a reluctant Bethany is called back to rural Iowa.
Determined to pay her respects to her past while avoiding any emotional entanglements, she vows not to stay long. But the unexpected inheritance of five hundred acres of farmland and a startling turn of events in Chicago forces Bethany to come up with a new plan.
Handsome farmhand Evan Price has taken care of the Quinn farm for years. When Bethany is left the land, Evan must fight her decisions to realize his dreams. But even as he disagrees with Bethany’s vision, Evan feels drawn to her and the pain she keeps so carefully locked away.
For Bethany, making peace with her past and the God of her childhood doesn’t seem like the path to freedom. Is letting go the only way to new life, love and a peace that she’s not even sure exists?
And now a personal rant:
I have now accumulated a mass library of my own. Full of fabulously fantastic books that I know I will enjoy and love.. but yet I will NEVER get to because I keep accepting review books.
It is time to really .. for once and for all .. reconsider the whole reviewing for publishers/authors thing.
Somehow, I have to make myself ignore all the new books that are just so awesome that 'I just have to have'. I have to be even more selective in my reads, and make sure I limit myself for each month. For the past few years, I have been able to choose the reads that I know I will enjoy, but turns out I must be easy to please, or there are some fabulous writers out there!!
I need a 12 Step Program, fast.. because it is so disheartening having this review schedule and seeing my library expand and taunt me. I must stop doing this to myself with this packed review schedule. It's like a form of masochism, accepting more review books when I have 600+ books that I own that I cannot read. I must stop. I must stop. I must stop. I must stop.
I need a 12 Step Program, fast.. because it is so disheartening having this review schedule and seeing my library expand and taunt me. I must stop doing this to myself with this packed review schedule. It's like a form of masochism, accepting more review books when I have 600+ books that I own that I cannot read. I must stop. I must stop. I must stop. I must stop.
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