The Ransom (The Legacy of the King's Pirates #4) by MaryLu Tyndall
Christian Historical Romance
Published February 27, 2014
Kindle edition $5.99
Review copy provided by the author
Burton Book Review Rating: 4.5 stars

(Read my previous reviews of some of MaryLu Tyndall's books here)

Port Royal, Jamaica 1692

Living in a city deemed the wickedest in the world is no easy task for Miss Juliana Dutton. To make matters worse, with an ailing father and a drunken fool for a brother, she is forced to take over the running of the family business in order to survive. When a meddlesome suitor threatens to discover her secret and cast them all onto the streets, she agrees to a spurious engagement with the town buffoon, Lord Munthrope. She only hopes the man is trustworthy.

Alexander Hyde, son of the infamous Captain Edmund Merrick Hyde, is the most feared pirate in Port Royal. Disillusioned with the religion of his parents and the pleasures of the world, Alex staves off his emptiness by leading a dual life as both the pretentious dandy, Lord Munthrope, and the feared Pirate Earl.
A long-time enemy is out to destroy Alex and take Juliana for his own. Yet could their problems be a Divine hand leading them down a path of escape? Or when an earthquake strikes, will they be doomed with the rest of Port Royal to be swallowed up by the sea?

Even though I have not had the pleasure of reading the previous pirate-themed novels in this series, I was more than eager to review this fourth installment as I had already thoroughly enjoyed some of MaryLu Tyndall's other works. And I was so pleased that I could jump right into the story line and not be confused as this is book number four. Definitely easily read as a stand alone, I am looking forward to reading the previous novels, too! There are some mentions here and there that would refer to those previous events which helped intrigue me about their own stories.

For now, we focus on Alexander Hyde and his disguise as a silly leapin' lord, and on his better days, as a Robin Hood-style Pirate Earl. Yes, that's two identities to our Alexander, but which one is the real Alexander? And are sexy pirates to be trusted? He certainly seems more attractive than the over-the-top eccentric patch-wearing Lord Munthrope! Our leading lady Juliana comes across Munny and then comes across Pirate Earl and then betroths herself to one of them in order to fend off another suitor, but will Juliana fall in love with the wrong persona? She has no choice but to see what lays ahead as circumstances fly far beyond her control as she realizes her good-for-nothing brother is gambling away all the family cash as their father lay dying. She could try and run her father's shipping company, but she has to do it without anyone knowing, since a woman doing anything other than looking pretty is a huge no-no in their fancy Port Royal society.

Alexander wants nothing more but to shed either one of his alter-egos, but he has taken his wicked schemes too far and there is no turning back. He hasn't made a lot of enemies as Lord Munthrope, but he is certainly making no friends as a Pirate. And if Juliana finds out he is behind the looting of her own father's ships, all hope will be lost for both of them.

The novel is action packed and full of adventures both on and off the sea and features well-developed characters. Alexander and Juliana remain true to form throughout and the supporting characters helped create the tension and atmosphere of both frollicking and fear as things start to get serious when Juliana's previous suitor is determined to have her at any cost. I loved the intertwining themes of piracy and redemption, love and grief, and always with Tyndall's works is the undercurrent of spirituality. I recommend this to historical romance lovers who would enjoy a hunky pirate in their midst!

The second installment to the Escape to Paradise trilogy focuses on Magnolia Scott and Hayden Gale who we met during Forsaken Dreams (my review can be found here). The first novel featured the background to the travelers on the journey to Brazil and should be read first. I was looking forward to continuing this story of a new colony of Southerners eager to make a fresh start close to a jungle far from home, and far from the damages of the Civil War.

While Forsaken Dreams focused on rebuilding a Southern Utopia, this novel seemed to focus more on the characters' interactions with each other with a major focus on the love blossoming between the opposites attract angle between Magnolia and Hayden. Deep down they weren't very opposite as they were both self serving and difficult to get along with, which made their relationship that much more fun to watch develop.

The intriguing twist to this romance was the ominous shadow that had that supernatural quivering tingle underneath the main plot line, and it wasn't until the end that we get to that climatic conclusion... but it wasn't a conclusion except more of a cliffhanger which will again entice MaryLu's readers to pick up her next novel. It was well-written with just the right dose of faith-based discovery, with characters that really help flesh out this intriguing setting. Definitely not to be read as a stand-alone though, as newcomers will lose the sense of the story if they start here.

Faith during stormy seas - will it provide?

Forsaken Dreams by MaryLu Tyndall
Christian Historical Fiction
Barbour Books March 1, 2013
Review copy provided by the author, thank you!

They Left Everything Behind to Build a New Southern Utopia

Colonel Blake Wallace has seen enough death to last a lifetime. Weary and disillusioned, he slumps beneath the weight of defeat and loss. With his entire family murdered by the North and his name appearing on a list of officers wanted for war crimes, Blake organizes a shipload of southerners who, like him, long to escape the horrors of war and start a new life in a verdant land called Brazil.

Eliza Crawford can barely remember the days of her youth spent in opulence and comfort at her Georgian home. She can't help but wonder how different her life would be had she not met her late husband, Stanton Watts, a general in the Northern army. Now a war widow, Eliza is rejected by both North and South. Desperate to keep her marriage a secret and escape her past and pain, she longs to start over again in Brazil.

But once the voyage begins, troubles abound. Dangers at sea and enemies from within threaten to keep Blake and Eliza from the new life—and love—they long for.

Forsaken Dreams is an intriguing blend of romance and adventure but it is very character driven. Eliza and Blake are very easy to like, and I loved the historical atmosphere of how they were all struggling with the aftermath of the Civil War. It's written very realistically and the voyage was both literal and spiritual. Although Brazil is mentioned as the ultimate utopia - and readers may think 'Brazil? I am not interested in Brazil' this is not a novel about Brazil. It is about survival on the seas, and survival from the effects of a war which stripped faith from those on this journey (and perhaps utopia could mean wherever God is..).

Blake's entire family was wiped out by Union soldiers, and just like many other Southerners after the Civil War, he seeks some peace of mind and peace of soul. The only way he can do that is to travel far away from the country who wronged him. Several travelers join in on his journey to Brazil, including Eliza, and former slaves. Eliza was a Southerner through and through - until she married a man from Pennsylvania. Even though that was before the war, no one can forgive Eliza, even after her Yankee husband is dead. No one wants to be around Eliza, and she attempts to keep her true identity a secret as she seeks new life in Brazil.

The fellow passengers on the ship New Hope have secrets as well, and they unravel slowly during the voyage. Each character lends to a bit of a truth to the atrocities of the war, and puts a face to those who suffered, even the former slaves. Tyndall boldly portrays the story as historically accurate as possible with regards to how the Southerners relate to having the former slaves sharing their space with them, and I felt it was told with as much truth as possible. Slavery was a way of life that was an integral element to the Southern plantations, and after the war there was little hope of carrying on with those plantations without help.

It is these former slaves and southerners - with pasts littered with transgressions such as thievery, alcoholism and prostitution - that make up this hopeful voyage as they yearn for a new beginning. The struggle with faith is a leading factor of this story as Eliza and Blake desperately try to make their peace with each other and with what God has thrown at them. Deftly portrayed, we can feel empathy even for the worst voyagers on the ship, though we really would like to know their secrets. There are some creepy and frightening moments aboard New Hope, and I can only imagine what is going to happen in Brazil. The minor complaint with this novel was the time shifts in the very beginning, but soon enough things evened out and I was able to invest myself fully in the story.

Forsaken Dreams is the perfect novel for those who are interested in seeing if romance can survive very extreme circumstances - and for those ready for a voyage with some intriguing characters! This is book one in a series, so there will be some things left unsaid which will make you want to read book two, just as I am eager to. I enjoyed this story for not being a predictable 'boy meets girl and sees the light' type of christian historical, as the author offers a plausible, well written drama that kept me intrigued throughout the novel. Even as we are left longing for book two, my fellow readers will come away with knowledge of the hopeful message of faith that satisfies any Christian reader.

Here's a sneak peek of the next title in the series, Elusive Hope (coming November 1, 2013):

On the shores of Brazil, their Confederate friends are seeking a Southern utopia. But Hayden Gale and Magnolia Scott have different plans. Hayden is out for revenge and vows to keep pursuing his father—at any cost—whom he blames for his mother’s death. Magnolia is looking for a way out. . .and a way back home after her father insists their family escape the South following the Civil War. As the fledgling colony of New Hope struggles to survive, they both seek to use the other for their own purposes. Falling in love was never part of their plans. . . . 

Read my review of the author's previous release, Veil of Pearls and Central Park Rendezvous which Tyndall co-authored.

Mailbox Monday is a meme originally from Marcia's Mailbox and is being hosted by Caitlin @ chaotic compendiums. The Story Siren also hosts IMM, so we can find some cool YA titles there as well.

The What Are You Reading meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey where we keep track of what we are currently reading and plan to read.

In the Mail:

I did a write up this week on some books that I have gotten in the mail. The Plantagenet series is shown above by Juliet Dymoke and the synopses can be found here. All six of the titles shown are part of the Plantaganet series, and they each focus on a different set of characters.


Also received the William Marshal series of historical romances by Mary Pershall. They do look like bodice rippers, so these sound like a good hot summer read if I can ever get myself in the mood for those again =) The write up on their descriptions can be found here.

I bought:
The Redemption (Legacy of the King's Pirates #1) by MaryLu Tyndall
Lady Charlisse Bristol sets off on a voyage in search of a father she never knew, only to find herself shipwrecked on a desert island. Near starvation, she is rescued by a band of pirates and their fiercely handsome leader, Edmund Merrick. Will Clarisse win her struggle against the seductive lure of this pirate captain? While battling his attraction to this winsome lady, Edmund offers to help Charlisse on her quest-until he discovers her father is none other than Edward the Terror, the cruelest pirate on the Caribbean. Can Edmund win this lady's love while shielding her from his lecherous crew and working to bring her father to justice?

For Review:

March 2013

Elizabeth Graver’s fourth novel, The End of the Point, is a family saga in a summer community on Buzzard’s Bay from 1942 to 1999. I am really aching to have some fantastic mesmerizing saga epic story telling... Of the new book, her publisher writes:

For the Porter family, summers at Ashaunt Point – a mile and a half long finger of land on Buzzards Bay in Massachusetts – have anchored life, providing sanctuary for generations. But in 1942, everything abruptly changes when the U.S. Army sets up a base on the Point. The two older girls – teenagers Dossie and Helen – run wild. Their Scottish nanny, Bea, falls in love. And the youngest daughter, Jane, is involved in an incident that cuts the summer short, unsettling notions of safety and home. As decades pass, first Helen and then her son Charlie return to the Point, seeking refuge in rapidly changing times. But Ashaunt proves to be a space at once protected and contested – geographically remote, but never entirely removed from the events of history unfolding beyond its borders. Neither Charlie nor his mother – nor any other family member – can escape the long shadow of the Vietnam War, the bitterly disputed development of the land around them, economic misfortune, and illness, both psychological and physical.

A powerful portrait of one family’s journey through the second half of the twentieth century, The End of the Point artfully traces the hairline fractures that lie beneath the surface of our lives, even after they’ve been reassembled by time, place, and one another. The result is a layered exploration of the complex legacy of place, and of family – what we are born into, what we pass down to the next generation, and what we must preserve, cast off, or willingly set free.

March 2013

Forsaken Dreams by MaryLu Tyndall (Escape to Paradise Book 1)
Embark on a seafaring adventure in a brand-new series from bestselling author MaryLu Tyndall. After witnessing the death and destruction caused by the Civil War, Colonel Blake Wallace is eager to leave his once precious Southern homeland for the pristine shores of Brazil and the prospect of a new Utopian community. Widow Eliza Crawford seeks passage on Wallace’s ship harboring a dirty secret—and a blossoming hope for a fresh start. But will dangers from the sea and from man keep them from the peace and love they long for?

Currently Reading:

I got tired of the old green button for book journey's Monday Meme, so I used my iPhone and my personal library and quickly created the image above. You are welcome to take it also, just don't edit it yourself, and remember to link it to BookJourney.

This past week I finished reading the debut Tudor novel from Elizabeth Fremantle, Queen's Gambit. It was an intriguing view on Katherine Parr which started from her marriage to Lord Latimer to the King and then to Thomas Seymour. It doesn't release until June, so the review will be held over till later, but it was a 3.5 star read for me as opposed to some of those were all over giddy about it on Goodreads.

That's ME! Oh and Sweetie. And Tyndall's new book.

I then started Forsaken Dreams by MaryLu Tyndall shown above. Remember a few weeks ago I was all agog about Daphne du Maurier's Frenchman's Creek and the pirate adventures? Well, this one will be some more voyaging as opposed to gothic I imagine, but I am looking forward to the journey. Of course, my cat wants to come along too, she's a nosy thing. Here is my intro post to Forsaken Dreams.

It's been a very long week, and I didn't feel very relaxed in order to.. relax.. and read.
I've been hooked on Foster Dad John's livestream page. New kittens arrived on Friday!

I also had a Mini Blog Breakdown; the folks at cutest blog on the block had designed my background, my swirly images etc that are linked to their accounts, and one day I came to my blog and I had all big ugly "this picture cannot be found" all over site. Panic. I wiggled my way around and way able to sort of fix it on my own, but I am a little perturbed at those folks who took my money and pretty much left me hanging. Yes, it's been several years, but I did pay them over $60 for them to host the images. So anyway. Things still need to be tweaked but I don't have the patience. But - let this be a warning - back up your stuff. Save your Images that are an integral part of your blog, and don't count on cyberspace to back you up. I also backup my reviews to a secondary site at wordpress, so in case blogger explodes I will have those posts as well.

I wanted to say to my loyal followers a quick thank you, but a heartfelt one. I have breached the 200,000 mark on the blog's pageviews. I had set my sights on hitting it sometime in March, and I hit it in mid-February, so I thank you. It's the little things I strive for! It would be nice to have a zillion followers, but I seem to have thresh-holded around 500 (508) and it hovers there for the last year or so. Others just use the Email Subscriber function, which I found is more helpful myself as I read other blogs, but then those folks who just read/delete the emails and don't click over to the actual blog don't register on my page count hit. So, please come and comment every now and then so I know you're listening, and I thank you! =) My blog was born on 12/31/2008, and it's been an interesting evolution for me. But it's always been historically minded, which surprises even me since I get bored with stuff easy. Looking forward to the next four years!

First in a brand-new series from bestselling author MaryLu Tyndall, Forsaken Dreams launches readers on a romantic adventure as Colonel Blake Wallace leaves the war-torn South behind to build a utopian society in Brazil. But will unexpected dangers on the ship and the secret of one captivating lady keep him from beginning anew?

Forsaken Dreams, available March 1, 2013

Visit author MaryLu Tyndall's blog, Cross and Cutlass, to follow her tour for her new book Forsaken Dreams.


I am currently reading this one now, and it is a wonderful blend of romance and adventure, with a dash of faith mixed in! The characters of Eliza and Blake are very easy to like, and I love the historical atmosphere of how they are all struggling with the aftermath of the Civil War. It's written very realistically thus far, and the voyage has been eventful!!!! I loved Tyndall's Veil of Pearls, and I've been collecting her works ever since.

Mailbox Monday is a meme originally from Marcia's Mailbox and is being hosted by the Amazing Audra @ Unabridged Chick this February. The Story Siren also hosts IMM, so we can find some cool YA titles there as well.

The What Are You Reading meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey where we keep track of what we are currently reading and plan to read.


I went to Half-Price books and was eager to drop a load of money especially since I had a 20% off coupon, but it seems I already own most of the used books that are circulating Rockwall (that I want to own). So I only found these few worthy enough to come home with me:
Winter King by Thomas Penn (I was slightly geeked out when I found this hardcover for $7.99, I have wanted this ever since I had heard about it last year - & of course my personal assistant/daughter dropped it on its' head so I made her go get another)
It was 1501. England had been ravaged for decades by conspiracy, violence, murders, coups and countercoups. Through luck, guile and ruthlessness, Henry VII, the first of the Tudor kings, had clambered to the top of the heap--a fugitive with a flimsy claim to England's throne. For many he remained a usurper, a false king.

But Henry had a crucial asset: his queen and their children, the living embodiment of his hoped-for dynasty. Queen Elizabeth was a member of the House of York. Henry himself was from the House of Lancaster, so between them they united the warring parties that had fought the bloody century-long War of the Roses. Now their older son, Arthur, was about to marry a Spanish princess. On a cold November day sixteen-year-old Catherine of Aragon arrived in London for a wedding that would mark a triumphal moment in Henry's reign.

In this remarkable book, Thomas Penn re-creates the story of the tragic, magnetic Henry VII--a controlling, paranoid, avaricious monarch who was entering the most perilous years of his long reign.

Rich with drama and insight, Winter King is an astonishing story of pageantry, treachery, intrigue and incident--and the fraught, dangerous birth of Tudor England.

I am going on a MaryLu Tyndall collecting spree, so I found this one:
The Reliance (Legacy of the King's Pirates #2) by MaryLu Tyndall
Tormented by his wife's apparent demise, Edmund Merrick sails away to drown his sorrows--only to find himself trapped in the dark world of a demented Frenchman. When his mind clears from its rum-induced haze, will Edmund find the will to escape? Seemingly abandoned by her husband, Charlisse is thrown into the clutches of the vengeful pirate Kent. Will she be swept away by the undertow of treachery and despair? Can Edmund and Charlisse steer their way to the faith-filled haven they so desperately seek, or will they ultimately lose their love and lives to the sea?

Daughters of Lancaster County omnibus by Wanda Brunstetter which includes The Storekeeper's Daughter/The Quilter's Daughter/The Bishop's Daughter (Daughters of Lancaster County 1-3).
I am curious to see how I feel about this one, even though the average Goodreads rating is 4.29, actual reviews are kinda all over the place on this one. But I got it for $3 so it's worth a chance.

The riveting story of a kidnapped Amish child is told through three bestselling novels set in Lancaster, Pennsylvania's Amish country. From the beginning, Naomi Fisher blames herself for the family's tragedy and journeys away from home to find a purpose for living. Abby Miller leaves her successful Ohio quilt shop to help the Fisher family, but how long can she continue to put her dreams on hold? Leona Weaver is dedicated to her family and community, but when she falls in love with an outsider, could this friendship bring the haunting tale of a kidnapped boy full circle?

I found a very cool pop up book that I absolutely LOVE:

In the Beginning: The Art of Genesis: A Pop-Up Book by Chuck Fischer

There are great images that are fantastic fun for the five year old, yet there is text hidden amongst the folds that is suitable for the older reader like my eleven year old daughter.

An ingenious series of three-dimensional spreads with fold-outs and narrative booklets, IN THE BEGINNING shows how the timeless narratives of the Book of Genesis have inspired artists for thousands of years and continue to do so today. This spectacular gift book features Fischer's original artwork on intricate pop-ups created in collaboration with paper engineer Bruce Foster, which represent the classic stories from the first chapter of the Bible. With spreads that range from a medieval-inspired Garden of Eden to an stunningly tall tower of Babel to a magnificent diorama depicting Jacob's dream of a stairway to Heaven, IN THE BEGINNING is destined to become a treasured keepsake and perennial favorite on every family's shelf.

From Paperbackswap I received:
The untold story of the extraordinary queen who championed Joan of Arc.
Politically astute, ambitious, and beautiful, Yolande of Aragon, queen of Sicily, was one of the most powerful women of the Middle Ages. Caught in the complex dynastic battle of the Hundred Years War, Yolande championed the dauphin's cause against the forces of England and Burgundy, drawing on her savvy, her statecraft, and her intimate network of spies. But the enemy seemed invincible. Just as French hopes dimmed, an astonishingly courageous young woman named Joan of Arc arrived from the farthest recesses of the kingdom, claiming she carried a divine message-a message that would change the course of history and ultimately lead to the coronation of Charles VII and the triumph of France.

Now, on the six hundredth anniversary of the birth of Joan of Arc, this fascinating book explores the relationship between these two remarkable women, and deepens our understanding of this dramatic period in history. How did an illiterate peasant girl gain access to the future king of France, earn his trust, and ultimately lead his forces into battle? Was it only the hand of God that moved Joan of Arc-or was it also Yolande of Aragon?
Do you pray as often and as boldly as you want to? There is a way to experience a deeper, more passionate, persistent, and intimate prayer life. Drawing from forty days of true stories, Mark Batterson applies the principles of his New York Times bestselling book The Circle Maker to teach us a new way to pray. As thousands of readers quickly became many tens of thousands, true stories of miraculous and inspiring answers to prayer began to pour in, and as those stories were shared, others were bolstered in their faith to pray with even more boldness. In Draw the Circle, through forty true, faith-building stories of God's answers to prayer, daily scriptures and prayer prompts, Batterson inspires you to pray and keep praying like never before. Begin a lifetime of watching God work. Believe in the God who can do all things. Experience the power of bold prayer and even bolder faith in Draw the Circle.

And check out this great looking title I got for review later on this spring:

Wildish: A Story Concerning Different Kinds of Love by Robert Parry
I read Parry's last title, The Arrow Chest, (read my review!) which was a wonderful story and so I am eagerly awaiting this one!
England 1745. Matthew Wildish, poet and Master Wig-maker to the great and the good of London society, is a self-confessed libertine whose ambition is to enjoy life to the full. Yet already events beyond his control have begun to impinge upon his dissolute life. The heart of the nation is beating to the drums of war, and thousands of vengeful Jacobite soldiers from Scotland and France are about to converge upon the capital.

There is also the presence of Johanna: mysterious, enigmatic and vulnerable, a woman unlike any other he has ever known, and the inconvenient and yet increasingly agreeable sensation that he might be falling in love for the very first time.

A magical journey into the fabulous, libidinous world of Georgian England, in which reality and fantasy, romance and the occult combine in a story of epic intensity and poetic beauty.

My order from Amazon came in! Now, if I could just find the time to read them:

Love's Reckoning by Laura Frantz (I've wanted this ever since I first saw it, and entered at least a million contests to win one, but it just wasn't meant to be, so I just went ahead and bought the thing)
On a bitter December day in 1785, Silas Ballantyne arrives at the door of master blacksmith Liege Lee in York, Pennsylvania. Just months from becoming a master blacksmith himself, Silas is determined to finish his apprenticeship and move west. But Liege soon discovers that Silas is a prodigious worker and craftsman and endeavors to keep him in York. Silas becomes interested in both of Liege's daughters, the gentle and faith-filled Eden and the clever and high-spirited Elspeth. When he chooses one, will the other's jealousy destroy their love?

In this sweeping family saga set in western Pennsylvania, one man's choices in love and work, in friends and enemies, set the stage for generations to come. "Love's Reckoning" is the first entry in The Ballantyne Legacy, a rich, multi-layered historical quartet from talented writer Laura Frantz, beginning in the late 1700s and following the Ballantyne family through the end of the Civil War.

Forgive my photo editing/ funky filter fun =)

The top two titles in the image above are from Mary Lu Tyndall (for that collecting spree), the bottom two are of the Mercy Falls Series by Colleen Coble.

Charles Town Belles Trilogy/omnibus by MaryLu Tyndall
includes The Red Siren, The Blue Enchantress, and The Raven Saint
Follow the three Westcott sisters of Charles Towne, South Carolina, through adventures on land and sea. Faith has abandoned faith and tradition to earn her fortune and protect her sisters and herself from arranged marriages. Can a god-fearing captain in the Royal British Navy teach her about true love? Hope has chased what she thought was love all the way into the Caribbean, but will the sacrifices of a ship builder be enough to show her the truth about love? Grace has piously clung to her version of truth, but will a French mercenary have something to teach her about redemption and love?

Surrender the Heart by MaryLu Tyndall:
A mistrustful young lady desperate to save her family and a man burdened by guilt who longs to please his parents are both caught in the brink of a war that could change the course of history forever. Can they work together to bring liberty to their fledgling country?

The Lightkeeper's Daughter (Mercy Falls, #1) by Colleen Coble
With the lies of the past behind her, Addie finds love . . . and discovers her true Father.
Addie Sullivan leads a quiet life in a northern California lighthouse. She mourns the death of her father and endures her mother's bitterness, until the night a storm brings an injured stranger and a dark secret to her home. The man insists she is not who she thinks she is, but rather "Julia Eaton"-the child long lost and feared dead by her wealthy family. Seizing the chance to be reunited with the Eatons, Addie leaves her lighthouse home but decides to keep her true identity a secret until they can unravel the mystery.
Addie loves the Eatons' palatial home tucked away among the California redwood forests. She feels secure with the jovial family, adores the young boy who is her charge as governess, and finds romance with his father John, a young widower. But sinister shadows overtake Addie's joy. As dusty rooms and secret compartments give up their clues about her past, Addie finds a faith and a love she could never have guessed. To embrace this new world of promise is to risk her life; but to run away is to risk losing the greatest love she's ever known.

The Lightkeeper's Ball (Mercy Falls #3) by Colleen Coble
At the elegant Mercy Falls masquerade ball, Olivia's hidden identity will be revealed.
It is the dawn of a new century and Olivia Stewart is heiress to an empire. Her family numbers among the Four Hundred--those considered the wealthiest and most distinguished in America. Unfortunately their wealth has nearly disappeared, and now their security rests upon the Stewart daughters marrying well.

Olivia's sister, Eleanor, was engaged to Harrison Bennett, one of the nation's wealthiest men, but has since died. Now the pressure is on Olivia to take her place, despite her suspicions about Eleanor's fiance. Using her family's long-forgotten English title, Olivia travels to Mercy Falls, California, as Lady Devonworth, hoping to learn more before committing to marriage. There she finds that Eleanor's death was no accident. And Harrison is not the man she thought he would be.
When Mercy Falls holds a charity masquerade ball to raise funds for the new lighthouse, secrets--and truths long hidden--will be revealed. But can Harrison really love Olivia when he finds her true identity? Can she live with the repercussions of failing her family, or will she finally realize that nothing--not money, family, or romance--will ever compare to God's unconditional love?

Featured eBook download:
That Summer in Cornwall by Ciji Ware
That Summer in Cornwall is a contemporary, stand-alone sequel to Ciji Ware’s bestselling “time-slip” novel A Cottage by the Sea. WHICH I LOVED, here is my review so I snapped this kindle cheapie up the moment I saw it. .99¢!

A different latitude…a different world…
Meredith Champlin unexpectedly finds herself the legal guardian of a child she’s never met: Janet Barton Stowe, an unruly eleven-year-old “Beverly Hills brat,” whose mother – Meredith’s cousin-- has died in a private plane crash.

At the urging of the child’s Anglo-American aunt, Lady Blythe Barton-Teague, Meredith and her Welsh Corgi decamp from Wyoming to spend the summer at Barton Hall, a shabby-chic castle perched on the remote cliffs of Cornwall, England.

Taming the wild child proves a handful, but Meredith’s summer escape gets even more complicated when former British Army Lieutenant Sebastian Pryce, veteran of a bomb-sniffing K-9 squad in Afghanistan, proposes they establish the Barton Hall Canine Obedience Academy and that she join him on the Cornwall Search and Rescue Team. She wonders whether their instant attraction is an unexpected blessing or the prelude to another heartbreak like the one she left behind in the Rocky Mountains.
Even with an assist from a novice search dog named T-Rex, the odds seem long that three months in the land of Meredith’s Cornish ancestors can transform her troubled ward into a happier child, heal the wounds suffered by her soldier-turned-rescuer, and save the Barton-Teague estate from pending insolvency.
As a friend of Meredith’s confides, “It all sounds like a stretch, but we never rule out miracles.”



Last week I posted a review for Laurie Alice Eakes' latest in her Daughters of Bainbridge series, Flight of Fancy, which you can read here.

It was an enjoyable story and I love Eakes' writing style! I am definitely going to look for book three in the series, and I have collected several of Eakes' previous titles based on other books of hers that I have read. You ought to look her up, all of her Goodreads ratings are averaging four stars.

This past week I've been reading a literary fiction novel disguised as a historical novel (In Times of Fading Light: A Novel by Eugen Ruge from last week's mailbox), but it really wasn't as eventful as I'd expected it to be. It was more of an analyzing a family dynamic type thing which you really would have to be in the mood for, and since it was set in Germany against Socialism versus Democracy views I was just hoping for a bit more. Perhaps it was lost in translation, but yet.. I still enjoyed it for what it was, though I really do not think it was appropriate for the Historical Novel Society since so much of it was set in 1989, 1991 and 2001. So this makes book three in a row that I've been hoping for something more.

So after that one I took a mini break from literary anything other than prayers. And then I started reading Queen's Gambit by Elizabeth Fremantle because so many others are raving about it.. and a few pages in I was like, wow, I hope this tone keeps up with the rest of the book, because I was invested from page one.

This brilliant historical fiction debut takes you into the heart of the Tudor court and the life and loves of the clever, charismatic Katherine Parr, Henry VIII’s sixth and last wife. 

Widowed for the second time aged thirty-one, Katherine Parr finds she has fallen deeply for the dashing courtier Thomas Seymour and hopes at last to marry for love. However, obliged to return to court, she attracts the attentions of another: the ailing, egotistical and dangerously powerful monarch Henry VIII, who dispatches his love rival, Seymour, to the continent. No one is in a position to refuse a royal proposal so, haunted by the fates of his previous wives—two executions; two enforced annulments; one death in childbirth—Katherine is obliged to wed Henry Tudor and become his sixth queen.
Committed to religious reform, Katherine must draw upon all her instincts to navigate the treachery of the court, drawing a tight circle of women around her including her stepdaughter Meg, traumatized by events from their past that are shrouded in secrecy, and their loyal servant Dot, who knows and sees more than she understands. But with the Catholic faction on the rise once more, reformers being burned for heresy, and those close to the king vying for position in the new regime, Katherine’s survival seems unlikely. Yet as she treads the razor’s edge of court intrigue, she never quite gives up on love.

A must-read for fans of Philippa Gregory and Alison Weir, Queen’s Gambit brings to life the remarkable story of Katherine Parr as she battles with those intent on destroying her, but also with her own heart.

Yeah I know, it's Tudor and stick a fork in me, but this writing is starting off excellent.

And since I've been doing lots of bible reading that's pretty much where I am, as I am also reading the Draw the Circle prayer book mentioned above and doing some Lent devotions and extra church activities for Lent as well as preparing my daughter for first communion. And composing this huge blog post. I just received a huge box of goodies - bookish goodies, of course- so next week could be another HUGE post but I'm going to have to break it up a bit. It will certainly be worth spreading it out. I have already composed a post devoted to one of the authors, which go live later on this week.

Here's a funny that swamped book bloggers like me would appreciate, after they take a swig of their favorite liquor.. got this message in my goodreads box, the same one that says "Please don't contact me for review requests"..
Hi Marie, I'm psychic and I'll give you a free reading: you'll fall in love with my protagonist in my new novel...  (some novel I wouldn't touch) I would be honored if you would review my first novel
haha funny haha. Sorry I get cranky when people totally ignore the one request I make.



Fantastic Christian historical spanning generations

Central Park Rendezvous (Romancing America) by Kim Vogel Sawyer, Ronie Kendig, Dineen Miller, MaryLu Tyndall
Barbour Books, August 1, 2012
Historical Romance/Christian Fiction
Egalley via publisher, thank you!
Burton Book Review Rating: five stars for this great surprise

Worlds collide..will love survive prejudice and social custom?

Veil of Pearls by MaryLu Tyndall
Barbour Publishing July 1, 2012
Historical Romance
Paperback 320 pages
Review eBook via NetGalley
Burton Book Review Rating: 4.5 stars, LOVED this story!

Be swept away to Charleston of 1811, a city bustling with immigrants like Adalia, who is a runaway slave so light-skinned that no one guesses her past. Terrified her secret will be discovered, she settles into a quiet life making herbal remedies for a local doctor. But when Morgan, the handsome son of a prominent family, sweeps her into his glamorous world—a world in which the truth about Adalia’s heritage would ruin them both—suspicions and petty jealousies are aroused. What will Morgan do when he discovers that the woman he has fallen in love with is a runaway slave?

Veil of Pearls has a magnificent storyline with a bit of a Cinderella theme but is certainly more realistically told. It also tackles the plight of the slaves as our main protagonist is a runaway slave trying to hide her true identity in efforts to escape an abusive owner and begin a new life for herself. Adalia doesn't fit in right away in her new town of Charleston because high society has taken notice of her.. Morgan Rutledge in particular. He senses a kindred spirit and is immediately entranced by Adalia, much to the chagrin of his admirers. Adalia's fair skin gives no hint that she was once a slave, and the attitude of the day was that slaves were property and nothing more. It is because of the scorn of society that Adalia seeks to hide the very personal reasons behind her stand against slavery, but secrets have a way of coming out at the worst times.

Adalia knows in her heart that any courtship would lead to heartbreak or ridicule, and she spurns the wealthy Morgan Rutledge's many chivalrous advances. With each denial, Morgan becomes more and more determined. Meanwhile, the good Dr. Willaby whom Adalia is assisting tells Adalia to stay away from those Rutledges. True love, however, cannot be thwarted, and the two become closer despite the demands of high society.

Vicious slave owners, jealous women, sweet slave girls and jovial ship owners are all just a sampling of the mix of characters portrayed in Veil of Pearls. From romance at a ball to heroes of the sea, this is a story that begs the question if we should be shameful of our heritage or embrace it as a gift from God? All together it gives us an important story with purpose, as it teaches that God has a plan. I loved this story of opposite worlds colliding, and it was the first novel from the author that I had read. Based on the writing skill demonstrated here, it won't be my last. Highly recommended!