For the rest of June, Mailbox Monday will be hosted right here at Burton Book Review.

Welcome to Mailbox Monday, the weekly meme created by Marcia from A girl and her books (formerly The Printed Page) where book lovers share the titles they received for review, purchased, or otherwise obtained over the past week. Mailbox Monday is now on tour, and June's Host is www.BurtonBookReview.com

June 2012

Glamorous Illusion: A Novel  (Grand Tour #1) by Lisa T. Bergren
I was so thrilled to get this for free via Kindle, the reviews have been great. If you want this one, enter for the Goodreads giveaway!
When Cora Kensington learns she is the illegitimate daughter of a copper king, her life changes forever. Even as she explores Europe with her new family, she discovers that the most valuable journey is within. The first book in the Grand Tour series takes you from the farms of Montana through England and France on an adventure of forgiveness, spiritual awakening, and self-discovery.


I recently loved and read Elizabeth Musser's first two books in the Secrets of the Cross trilogy, and here is book three on my doorstep for which I am so appreciative of:

September 2012

{I have to add that when I received the first two books a few months ago, I was wary. Very wary. And then I started reading them. Wow. These are keepers. Sadly, review has to hold over till Historical Novel Society publication in August.}

Book Three is set some thirty years later:
Two Destinies: A Novel

June 2012

 Hope Springs by Kim Cash Tate
Hope Springs is the epitome of small-town life-a place filled with quiet streets where families have been friends for generations, a place where not a lot changes . . . until now.
Janelle Evans hasn't gone back to Hope Springs for family reunions since losing her husband. But when she arrives for Christmas and learns that her grandmother is gravely ill, she decides to extend the stay. It isn't long before she runs into her first love, and feelings that have been dormant for more than a decade are reawakened.
Becca Anderson is finally on the trajectory she's longed for. Having been in the ministry trenches for years, she's been recruited as the newest speaker of a large Christian women's conference. But her husband feels called to become the pastor of his late father's church in Hope Springs. Will small-town living affect her big ministry dreams?
Stephanie London is married to a doctor in St. Louis and living an ideal life. When her cousin Janelle volunteers to stay in Hope Springs and care for their grandmother, she feels compelled to do the same. It's a decision that will forever change her.
As these women come together, they soon recognize that healing is needed in their hearts, their families, and their churches that have long been divided along racial lines. God's plan for them in Hope Springs-and for Hope Springs itself-is bigger than they ever imagined.

April 2011

Noble Cause: A Civil War Novel of Love and War by Jessica James
This is the tale of Colonel Alexander Hunter, a dauntless and daring Confederate cavalry officer, who, with his band of intrepid outcasts, becomes a legend in the rolling hills of northern Virginia. Inspired by love of country and guided by a sense of duty and honor, Hunter must make a desperate choice when he discovers the woman he promised his dying brother he would protect is the Union spy he vowed to his men he would destroy. Readers will discover the fine line between friends and enemies when the paths of these two tenacious foes cross by the fates of war and their destinies become entwined forever.

July 2012

This one just landed in my driveway one day.
The Elusive Mr. McCoy by Brenda L. Baker
Lesley McCoy works in a day-care center, and she is planning to start a family of her own. Her husband, David, is a homebody whose job as a wilderness guide takes him away for long periods—but when he’s home, he’s the best partner Lesley could imagine.

Kendra McCoy is a successful businesswoman whose husband, Eric, is an analyst who specializes in Middle Eastern politics. He supports her enthusiasm and drive to succeed, and is the perfect partner—when he’s home between assignments.

While trying to identify a man who collapses in a Portland, Oregon, coffee shop, two wallets are found: one belonging to David McCoy, the other to Eric McCoy.

Devastated by their comatose husband’s betrayal, Kendra and Lesley reluctantly join forces in an attempt to piece together a true picture of the man they both fell in love with. Instead, they uncover a vast web of deceit as they learn their husband lived a third life neither of them suspected.


From Sourcebook for review, I was totally hooked by this storyline:

September  2012

The Ruins of Lace by Iris Anthony
Lace is a thing like hope.
It is beauty; it is grace.
It was never meant to destroy so many lives .

The mad passion for forbidden lace has infiltrated France,
pulling soldier and courtier alike into its web. For those who want the best, Flemish lace is the only choice, an exquisite perfection of thread and air. For those who want something they don’t have, Flemish lace can buy almost anything––or anyone.

For Lisette, lace begins her downfall, and the only way to atone for her sins is to outwit the noble who now demands the impossible. To fail means certain destruction. But for Katharina, lace is her salvation. It is who she is; it is what she does. If she cannot make this stunning tempest of threads, a dreaded fate awaits.

The most lucrative contraband in Europe, with its intricate patterns and ephemeral hope, threatens to cost them everything. Lace may be the deliverance for which they all pray...or it may bring the ruin and imprisonment they all fear.

And I bought these two at HalfPrice Books:

Originally published 1992, this is a chunkster at 846 pages!

 Glastonbury by Donna Fletcher Crow
It was a sanctuary from the world--and a silent witness to it all
As the legacy of faith passed from generation to generation, each era of believers found refuge in Glastonbury. In its story you will experience the faith that gave Joseph of Arimathea and his family courage to claim new land for Christ. Relive the persecution of St. George and St. Patrick during their captivity under the Roman Empire. Ride along with King Arthur on his historic adventures and discover the spiritual fortitude that enabled him to become the greatest leader of his time. Witness the rekindling of Christianity with St. Augustine of Canterbury. Be inspired by the faith of the remnant in the midst of the Dark Ages. Watch the upheaval under the rule of Henry VIII that led to the Reformation. And as Christianity triumphs over the darkest moments of its history, you may even find your own spiritual roots.
An epic novel of the history of the faith.



The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer
Walking home at dawn, Sir Richard Wyndham encounters heiress Penelope Creed climbing out her window, running away from a dreaded marriage. Sir Richard can't allow her to careen about the countryside unchaperoned, so he pretends to be her tutor and takes her on a fine adventure.


Enter your Mailbox Monday Post in the linky below, if it is not showing up just enter in comments:

Today's topic at Armchair BEA is the Ask The Experts. But I wanted to tie in the other feature posting on the Armchair BEA blog, the future of book blogging, which is a great post in itself. I started this blog in 2008, and there were blogs out there but they were not as respected as they are today. I remember some rants going on about the definition of a book blog versus book critic and how the critic was professional and book bloggers were all just a bunch of morons wanting free books. I see the whole industry of Book Bloggers as proving ourselves worthy of praise, and I would love to remember who those critics were four years ago so I can see where they are now. Because, ya know, some of them were pretty mean.

Please warmly welcome Susan Higginbotham, (since she put up with a eye roll of a topic suggestion) during her blog tour for her new release,

For a Guest Post topic suggestion, I really put Susan to the test. Here was my post suggestion:

 I would love it if Susan could explore more about the character of Edward VI and the actual what-if he lived and was able to gain his majority and rule as King as his father did. Which families would still be in power if he was healthy enough to marry? Who would he have married? And if King Edward was able to live out to at least his thirties, and have his own heirs to the throne, what does Susan see becoming of his sisters Mary and Elizabeth?

And now, the test.. You are hereby ordered to keep a straight face, not even a grin is allowed, or off with your head!!












~~~~~~~~~
There you have it folks. Now please tell me you kept a straight face. By the time I got to the book of riddles a stupid grin was stuck on my face, but then I'll admit to something close to cackling when I read of Amy Robsart's death: "The five hundred guests who witnessed the fall were in no doubt that it was a tragic accident"..
And Frances Grey's book on child-rearing forced a strange sound.. and poor Anne Seymour...

Brava, Susan! Thanks for indulging us!

Review post for Her Highness, The Traitor

Her Highness, The Traitor by Susan Higginbotham
Sourcebooks Landmark; June 1, 2012
Historical fiction
Review copy provided by the publisher, thank you!
Excerpt
Burton Book Review Rating:

Frances Grey harbored no dream of her children taking the throne. Cousin of the king, she knew the pitfalls of royalty and privilege. Better to marry them off, marry them well, perhaps to a clan like the Dudleys. Jane Dudley knew her husband was creeping closer to the throne, but someone had to take charge, for the good of the country. She couldn't see the twisted path they all would follow. The never–before–told story of the women behind the crowning of Jane Grey, this novel is a captivating peek at ambition gone awry, and the damage left in its wake.

In Her Highness, The Traitor Susan Higginbotham writes of the famous Tudor era during Edward VI's short reign, and the struggle for the crown that followed King Edward's death in 1553. Although the story is not a new one for Tudor fans, the author chose two intriguing figures of the time to narrate the story: Frances Grey, a niece of the old King Henry VIII, and Jane (Guildford) Dudley, who was married to John Dudley, father of the now famous Elizabethan courtier, Robert Dudley. The Tudor era is fraught with similar names (Robert, Henry, Edward) and nobles who's titles can come and go on a king's whim, which makes for confusing reading in any Tudor novel.

Higginbotham attempts to stay true to the story of the women she features, without too many detailed accounts that were going on behind the scenes. Frances Grey is popularly known as the witchy mother of the nine-day queen Lady Jane Grey and is rarely shown in a sympathetic light. If the author strove to right that wrong opinion of Frances, she succeeded. I loved the character of Frances from the beginning: she was stubborn, realistic, and not too fanciful as one may expect born with royal blood.

Jane Dudley's story is similar to Frances' as they each have children caught in the tangled web their husbands created. Frances' daughter was put on the throne of England, attempting to bypass the Lady Mary. Bloody Mary did not get the moniker for nothing, as the novel will demonstrate. Frances and Jane each become Duchesses due to the political prowess of their husbands, but the titles end up having a high price.

The story is told in alternating first person point of views by the two duchesses, which caused me to think twice each time a new chapter began. I felt it may flowed better had the two narratives been told in third person, but eventually I took it all in stride. The author's own witty sense of humor starts off quickly with the novel, with small joking statements being made which at times seemed out of place, knowing the subject matter to be would include a few deaths of family members, but the serious situations when they occurred were handled with due decorum and were quite emotive at times.

I enjoyed reading about the behind the scenes dynamics of the families of the two women, but felt there may have been a bit left out, but at 336 pages this was not meant to be a hefty historical. The reason for putting Lady Jane Grey on the throne seemed vague, the people who supported this decision were few, and a lot of the goings-on and would-be-drama simply seemed glazed over considering the myriads of upheaval that the women experienced during the reign of Edward VI, Jane Grey, and then Bloody Mary. The men in the main protagonists' lives seemed to be represented well enough as characters in a novel and not much else, but I did get entrenched in the storyline enough that I wound up wishing for a happier outcome for the families despite what the history books tell us.

Yet, Higginbotham has a firm grip on her details and tells the story as close to fact as she can, adding in the personal details of the courtiers in such a way that they would be proud of. The traits of each of them could be imagined to the fullest, and Higginbotham presents a plausible and pleasurable historical account that all Tudor fiction fans would enjoy. Susan Higginbotham is one of the best accessible historical fiction authors out there and will soon be well known for very enjoyable and well-researched novels.

"For Day 3, we want you to share your positive experiences of using your blog to get involved in your community.  This can involve partnerships with the local literary scene, attending author events and signings, or getting together with bloggers in your area.  We want to hear it all!"

I don't have a positive experience, but I didn't want to ignore this post because of that, that wouldn't be fair.
So consider this a Public Service Announcement to potential authors or even bookstore owners or librarians who work with the humble blogger.

Here's my experience:
Once upon a time, in August of 2009, I was really into the blogging aspect of  my little book blog. Nowadays, I have simply been immersed in my review schedule rather than thinking of ways to network outside the norm. Working full-time, raising two kids, (youngest is starting Kindergarten in August!!), reviewing for the Historical Novel Society all has me pretty busy. When am I supposed to cook and do laundry?

So, networking in the community has been zilch.

But.. I tried. I really tried. I really feel like I went over, above and beyond to feature a local author in my little area of Texas. I recorded a speech she did at our local library, and I uploaded it to my blog in three separate posts. "So You Wanna Get Published" part one, two and three.

She spoke of her Publishing, Writing and Marketing Journey, a fabulous tool for newbie writers. And she promoted the workshops that she spearheaded and charged money for, etc. And I recorded all her person advertisements and uploaded it to my blog, free of charge for her.

I feel like I spent a lot of time on this series, and I felt like it was an awesome promotion opportunity for the author. I stayed up late trying to get the posts just right.. you get the point.

I worked hard on it.

And I barely got a thank you from the author.

And this author is very very very very socially online. So she had lots of opportunity to add a link here and there to the videos I created of HER. To the posts I did spotlighting HER. And nothing, zilch, zero, slap in my face.

Once bitten twice shy, they say.

And well, now the videos wherever I uploaded them to are gone off into cyberspace never to be seen again. Because they were too big to go to YouTube, they were long videos and I didn't want to have to separate out the posts into a zillion little videos, and I used a now obsolete service. At this point, I see YouTube would have been the way to go. Live and learn.

As you can see, three years later, it still hurts that I didn't get the recognition I felt I deserved for the free promotion for this author. So, if you are an author faced with an opportunity to work with a blogger who is promoting your image for free, please be nice and say thank you. And ya know, a free book would be nice, too. (We see you have piles of them there on the table as we record you.)

Speaking of FREEE BOOOKSSSS .. YES! Please see my giveaway post, because I am giving away tons of them. Hurry, because it is an Armchair BEA Giveaway, and ends soon!

And hey, bloggers... Thank you. You're awesome. Keep up the good work.

Her Highness, The Traitor by Susan Higginbotham,  cover from Sourcebooks Landmark

This post was originally supposed to be where I posted my review of Her Highness, The Traitor, but instead I have decided to separate it from the review of the actual writing. I do this in an effort to not fault the author because of this cover that I dislike so much that it made me not want to read the book half the time.


The cover is just ...blah.... and this cover 50% influenced my reading experience. I was put off originally because of the back of the lady's head. The two main protagonists are two married women, and it is my impression that married Tudor women were supposed to keep their hair hidden under headdress. And the model chosen definitely has striped highlights in her hair. If only they had that back of her head covered in a headdress I probably would have been able to move past my dislike for the cover, but instead I found myself picking apart everything and hating it.

 For the ARC, it pretty much matches the one above, minus the tagline. Then I saw the tag line (The Tudor Story You Don't Know) for the finished version and quite frankly it is just cheesy. Who are they to assume we don't know the story of the Dudley and the Greys?




Final brighter version?

 When I looked at Barnes & Noble for the final cover it seemed even worse with the brighter coloring they switched to. The one thing that was acceptable with the cover above was the earthy darker tones, but they even took that away with the lavender colored box around the title.

And the cover found on B&N (and Sourcebooks) doesn't even put the comma in after Her Highness. Is there a comma or not?

Then they decided to go a bit more juvenile with the tag line and not capitalize the words as first suggested in prior pic uploads.

Last year I had some fun with the Armchair BEA and did a scavenger giveaway with my favorite fellow Historical Fiction bloggers.. and this year I wanted to still do a giveaway but offer up some of the other genres that I've collected this year as well as my favorite Royal Themed Historical Fiction.

First up in the choice pool...
A contemporary women's fiction, with a bit of a Christian theme thrown in..
Need You Now by Beth Wiseman (a used finished copy)
Read my review


A historical Christian fiction To Have and To Hold by Tracie Peterson and Judith Miller (a used finished copy)
Read my review


More Christian Fiction, Bees in the Butterfly Garden by Maureen Lang:

This will be a used ARC copy (review is pending Historical Novel Review publication)

A New Release! Wildflowers from Winter by Katie Ganshert

Used Finished copy, review set to go next week

Next up for lucky followers to choose from..
Tudor Historical Fiction At The King's Pleasure by Kate Emerson  (new finished copy and a new ARC, 2 separate possible winners)
Read my review




More Tudor Historical Fiction, In A Treacherous Court by Michelle Diener

New finished copy

Historical Fiction based on Claude Monet's life and love, Claude and Camille by Stephanie Cowell (a used ARC)
Read my review

It's Day One of the Getting to the other Bloggers participating in Armchair BEA.. and I welcome newcomers to my home on the web!

Instead of interviews this year, we answer a few questions about us with a networking blog hop.

Pasted from the main site:
"All we ask is that you answer five of them and spend the rest of the time meeting others. After all, getting to know one another is the most important part of this process! Here are the possible questions:

1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging?
2. What are you currently reading, or what is your favorite book you have read so far in 2012?
3. Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you.
4. What is your favorite feature on your blog (i.e. author interviews, memes, something specific to your blog)?
5. Where do you see your blog in five years?
6. Which is your favorite post that you have written that you want everyone to read?
7. If you could eat dinner with any author or character, who would it be and why?
8. What literary location would you most like to visit? Why?
9. What is your favorite part about the book blogging community? Is there anything that you would like to see change in the coming years?
10. Have your reading tastes changed since you started blogging? How?"

1.  ABOUT ME
Hello! I'm married with two kiddos and I work full-time. In my precious spare time I love to read, of course! I read historical fiction and it's sub-genres such as Christian Historical Fiction. I review for the Historical Novel Society but my main goal is to get caught up with review books so that I can read some of the books I've collected over the past almost four years of blogging/reviewing.

2. FAVE BOOK OF 2012
I have read some fabulous books so far! Sneak peeks of my Best of 2012 list would include The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen (upstairs/downstairs/Austen-feel) and Where Lilacs Still Bloom by Jane Kirkpatrick (an unexpected fabulous story of a woman, family, faith, and flowers). A surprise favorite would be Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein.

5. BLOG IN 5 YEARS?
At the currrent pace, I would guess that my blog in five years would be linked to about 500 of my historical book reviews!! I have about 198 right now, a master list of them linked to the reviews can be found here. I would still see myself still reading primarily historical fiction, but perhaps with a bit more Christian Historical than what I started with. I have wanted to branch out of England a bit and read more French Revolution and American Revolution reads, we'll see if I can make that happen.

8. LITERARY LOCATION
I read a lot of historical fiction set in England. The Wars of the Roses with the Plantagenets who came before Henry VIII (The Tudors) are one of my favorite topics, as well as the Medieval Era. I would love to go on a literary tour that followed along some of the important families of British history, such as the Nevilles, the Beauforts and Montforts; and of course Henry II and his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine. A summer abroad researching all these families sounds like heaven.

9. FAVE PART OF BLOGGING & CHANGES
I love how bloggers are not afraid of speaking their opinions, and they do it in the nicest of ways! (Most of them, anyway, I'll ignore the trolls for now). The community of bloggers is vast among the different genres, and I love taking a peek inside some of the young adult reviewers' communities because they have so much enthusiasm. There are so many bloggers out there, and I cannot keep up as much as I would like to since I have limited free time. It is so different than what it was four years ago, though, with the ease of creating blogs there are quite a few book bloggers now.
And now with Twitter and Facebook, it is so much easier to connect with author and publishers, in ways that I never thought possible.

Another fave part of blogging are the guest posts or interviews that I get to do with favorite authors. Those are a lot of fun to do when it is about a historical topic that I am passionate about.

As far as changes go, I would love to see more book conferences being held closer to Dallas, TX. I'm sure there are other bloggers who live in places where bookish events do not normally reach them, and they would agree that more bookish events held locally would be awesome.

I would like to see publishers making the effort to reach their readers with conferences other than New York or California. How about somewhere in the middle?! As far as BEA, why is it always New York? I understand the publishers' corporate offices are located there, but it seems every now and then they can spread the love.

And I'll be spreading the love tomorrow, with book giveaways! Be sure to stop back in to enter, the giveaways are located here! I will be following along my fellow Armchair BEA bloggers, so I will see you on the web!


And if you are a newbie to my blog, I give you easy access to follow here...
or check out the left sidebar for more subscribing options.

Welcome to Mailbox Monday, the weekly meme created by Marcia from A girl and her books (formerly The Printed Page) where book lovers share the titles they received for review, purchased, or otherwise obtained over the past week. Mailbox Monday is now on tour, and June's Host has been rescheduled to BE ME! www.BurtonBookReview.com

(This is a last minute change, as of 11:30 AM Monday, so the linky will go up next week, but feel free to leave your links at the original Mailbox Monday Blog with a new linky just set up.)

(I am posting this a bit early so I can free up the week for Armchair BEA posts. Be sure to follow the blog to be informed of the Giveaways I am holding starting Tuesday! And you'll need a few days to read this massive post anyway!)

Still working on the Mother's Day gift card for HalfPrice books, so I purchased:
Taking the photos from the top, folks..

Within My Heart (Timber Ridge Reflections #3) by Tamera Alexander
Sometimes the greatest step of faith is taken neck-deep in feat.

Determined to fulfill her late husband’s dream, Rachel Boyd struggles to keep her ranch afloat with the help of her two young sons. But some days it feels as though her every effort is sabotaged. When faced with a loss she cannot afford, she’s forced to trust Rand Brookston, the one man in Timber Ridge she wishes to avoid. And with good reason. He’s a physician, just like her father, which tells her everything she needs to know about him. Or so she thinks...

Dr. Rand Brookston ventured west with the dream of bringing modern medicine to the wilds of the Colorado Rockies, but the townspeople have been slow to trust him. Just as slow in coming is Rand’s dream to build the town a proper clinic. When a patient’s life is threatened, Rand makes a choice—one that sends ripples through the town of Timber Ridge. And through Rachel Boyd’s stubborn heart.
{Christy Awards Nominee 2010}


From A Distance  (Timber Ridge Reflections #1) by Tamera Alexander
What happens when the realization of a dream isn't what you imagined... and the secret you've spent a lifetime guarding is finally laid bare?

Determined to become one of the country's premier newspaper photographers, Elizabeth Westbrook travels to the Colorado Territory to capture the grandeur of the mountains surrounding the remote town of Timber Ridge. She hopes, too, that the cool, dry air of Colorado, and its renowned hot springs, will cure the mysterious illness that threatens her career, and her life.

Daniel Ranslett is a man shackled by his Confederate past, and he'll do anything to protect his land, and his solitude. When an outspoken Yankee photographer captures an image that appears key to solving a murder, putting herself in danger, Daniel is called upon to repay a debt. He's a man of his word, but repaying that debt could reveal secrets from his past he would prefer remain buried.

Forced on a perilous journey together, Daniel and Elizabeth's lives intertwine in ways neither could have imagined when first they met from a distance.
{WINNER Christy Award for Historical Romance (2009)}

Halos by Kristen Heitzmann

A Name of Her Own (Tender Ties #1) by Jane Kirkpatrick
{after reading and LOVING Kirkpatrick's latest, my mission is to own all of her work.}
Based on the life of Marie Dorion, the first mother to cross the Rocky Mountains and remain in the Northwest, A Name of Her Own is the fictionalized adventure account of a real woman’s fight to settle in a new landscape, survive in a nation at war, protect her sons and raise them well and, despite an abusive, alcoholic husband, keep her marriage together.

With two rambunctious young sons to raise, Marie Dorion refuses to be left behind in St. Louis when her husband heads West with the Wilson Hunt Astoria expedition of 1811. Faced with hostile landscapes, an untried expedition leader, and her volatile husband, Marie finds that the daring act she hoped would bind her family together may in the end tear them apart.

On the journey, Marie meets up with the famous Lewis and Clark interpreter, Sacagawea. Both are Indian women married to mixed-blood men of French Canadian and Indian descent, both are pregnant, both traveled with expeditions led by white men, and both are raising sons in a white world.

Together, the women forge a friendship that will strengthen and uphold Marie long after they part, even as she faces the greatest crisis of her life, and as she fights for her family’s very survival with the courage and gritty determination that can only be fueled by a mother’s love.

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley
History has all but forgotten...In the spring of 1708, an invading Jacobite fleet of French and Scottish soldiers nearly succeeded in landing the exiled James Stewart in Scotland to reclaim his crown.
Now, Carrie McClelland hopes to turn that story into her next bestselling novel. Settling herself in the shadow of Slains Castle, she creates a heroine named for one of her own ancestors and starts to write.
But when she discovers her novel is more fact than fiction, Carrie wonders if she might be dealing with ancestral memory, making her the only living person who knows the truth-the ultimate betrayal-that happened all those years ago, and that knowledge comes very close to destroying her...

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers {this one comes highly recommended, and is on some fellow bloggers' Fave of All Time lists, so I've gotta check this out!}
California's gold country, 1850. A time when men sold their souls for a bag of gold and women sold their bodies for a place to sleep.

Angel expects nothing from men but betrayal. Sold into prostitution as a child she survives by keeping her hatred alive. And what she hates most are the men who use her, leaving her empty and dead inside.

Then she meets Michael Hosea. A man who seeks his Father's heart in everything, Michael obeys God's call to marry Angel and to love her unconditionally. Slowly, day by day, he defies Angel's every bitter expectation, until despite her resistance, her frozen heart begins to thaw.

But with her unexpected softening come overwhelming feelings of unworthiness and fear. And so Angel runs. Back to the darkness, away from her husband's pursuing love, terrified of the truth she no longer can deny: Her final healing must come from the One who loves her even more than Michael does ... the One who will never let her go.



And I made a second trip.. so from the top folks..
Cousin Kate by Georgette Heyer, Sourcebooks reissue of her 1968 novel
Enjoy one of only two Heyer Gothic Regency romances.

Kate, in dire circumstances, is surprised to receive an invitation to live with a distant aunt. Her aunt, uncle, and cousin welcome her to their estate, buy her new clothes, and provide all the amenities a Young lady of quality should have. Slowly, however, as strange events unfold, Kate begins to realize that her aunt's apparent benevolence hides an ulterior motive. To assure succession of the title, her aunt intends Kate to marry her cousin Torquil, until his increasingly bizarre behavior culminates in violence and tragedy. A compelling tale exploring mental illness in the Regency period.

Lady in the Mist by Laurie Alice Eakes (Midwives Series Book 1) February 2011
I really enjoyed Eakes' second stand-alone novel in this series, so I had my eyes peeled for this one.. yay!
By virtue of her profession as a midwife, Tabitha Eckles is the keeper of many secrets: the names of fathers of illegitimate children, the level of love and harmony within many a marriage, and now the identity of a man who may have caused his wife's death. Dominick Cherrett is a man with his own secret to keep: namely, what he, a British nobleman, is doing on American soil working as a bondsman in the home of Mayor Kendall, a Southern gentleman with his eye on a higher office.

By chance one morning before the dawn has broken, Tabitha and Dominick cross paths on a misty beachhead, leading them on a twisted path through kidnappings, death threats, public disgrace, and . . . love? Can Tabitha trust Dominick? What might he be hiding? And can either of them find true love in a world that seems set against them?

With stirring writing that puts readers directly into the story, Lady in the Mist expertly explores themes of identity, misperception, and love's discovery.

Rekindled by Tamera Alexander (Fountain Creek Chronicles #1) March 2006
Comes highly recommended by fellow blogger Farrah at http://tbfreviews.net/
At a different time, in a different place, under different circumstances... could two people fall in love once again?

Ten years ago Kathryn Jennings made a vow. For better or worse. And that promise still holds true, even though her marriage has not turned out as she expected. When her husband fails to return home one stormy winter night, she struggles to keep their ranch, but her efforts are blocked at every turn. After a shocking glimpse into her husband's past, Kathryn uncovers a hidden truth. What she wouldn't give to turn back time and be able to love her husband for the man that he was, not for the man she always wanted him to be.

Larson Jennings has spent his entire life running from a broken past, unable to trust, reluctant to try again. One fateful night, his life takes an unexpected twist, and soon he is forced to make a choice. Whatever he chooses, his decision may cost him his life.

Deep in the Heart by Gilbert Morris (Lone Star Legacy #1) November 2003
 (I also downloaded a few eBooks of his, I am ASTONISHED at how prolific this author is!)

The lame synopsis on Goodreads and Amazon is: The Texas Frontier provides for riveting adventure and inspiring characters as this historical fiction series draws readers into the struggle for freedom.

But here is the back cover, and so I sent this to Audra to see if she can update it on Goodreads:

They came to Texas to make their family whole. They fought for the land they'd come to love. An unforgettable saga of faith, love and loyalty that will find its place deep in your heart.

In the days when Texas was the northern edge of Mexico, when Bowie and Houston and Crockett were men and not yet legends, when the Alamo was still a scruffy mission on the banks of the San Antonio River, this unorthodox family struggled to make a wild but beautiful land their own.

This is the tale of Jerusalem Ann, who is willing to take whatever life dishes out in order to make a life for her family. It's the story of Clay, who finds himself protecting another man's family - and in love with another man's wife. It's about Jake, who loves two women and can't do right by either... and Julie, who'd rather be free than respectable... and Bowie, who can handle war but might not survive his first love. It's the story of Comanches and fiestas, hunting parties and courting parties, of battles and massacres and beautiful calm nights under a canopy of stars.
Wide as the prairies, warm as a San Antonia breeze, spiced with adventure and romance, this Texas-sized saga of faith from a beloved storyteller will quickly find its place deep in your heart.. and never let you go.

A Distant Melody by Sarah Sundin (Wings of Glory #1) March 2010, a bit of a chunkster at 421 pages
I read book three, follows the family of brothers, but separated stories enough that it will be fine for me to go backwards!

Another short synopsis (le sigh)
In this World War II-era romance, Allie is promised to a man she doesn't love. When a furloughed B-17 bomber pilot captures her heart, will she honor her family's wishes or take a chance on true love?

Back cover:
Will a chance meeting in a time of war change her life forever?

Never pretty enough to please her gorgeous mother, Allie will do anything to gain her approval - even marry a man she doesn't love. While Allie has nearly resigned herself to that fate, Lt. Walter Novak - fearless in the cockpit but hopeless with women - takes his last furlough at home in California before being shipped overseas.

Walt and Allie meet and begin a correspondence that will change their lives. As letters fly between Walt's muddy bomber base in England and Allie's mansion in an orange grove, their friendship binds them together. But can they untangle the secrets, commitments, and expectations that keep them apart?
Book 1 in the Wings of Glory series, A Distant Melody is an exciting and tender story of love, courage, and sacrifice during World War II.


 And then I won this eBook from the author:

After the Fog by Kathleen Shoop  (May 8, 2012)
The sins of the mother...
In the steel mill town of Donora, Pennsylvania, site of the infamous 1948 "killing smog," headstrong nurse Rose Pavlesic tends to her family and neighbors. Controlling and demanding, she's created a life that reflects everything she missed growing up as an orphan. She's even managed to keep her painful secrets hidden from her loving husband, dutiful children, and large extended family.
When a stagnant weather pattern traps poisonous mill gasses in the valley, neighbors grow sicker and Rose's nursing obligations thrust her into conflict she never could have fathomed. Consequences from her past collide with her present life, making her once clear decisions as gray as the suffocating smog. As pressure mounts, Rose finds she's not the only one harboring lies. When the deadly fog finally clears, the loss of trust and faith leaves the Pavlesic family-and the whole town-splintered and shocked. With her new perspective, can Rose finally forgive herself and let her family's healing begin?

And another Kindle read .. (someday I'll buy a kindle..) I couldn't resist the $2.99 deal on this one, since I LOVED her first novel:

The House of Velvet and Glass  (April 2012) by Katherine Howe
Katherine Howe, author of the phenomenal New York Times bestseller The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, returns with an entrancing historical novel set in Boston in 1915, where a young woman stands on the cusp of a new century, torn between loss and love, driven to seek answers in the depths of a crystal ball.

Still reeling from the deaths of her mother and sister on the Titanic, Sibyl Allston is living a life of quiet desperation with her taciturn father and scandal-plagued brother in an elegant town house in Boston’s Back Bay. Trapped in a world over which she has no control, Sibyl flees for solace to the parlor of a table-turning medium.

But when her brother is suddenly kicked out of Harvard under mysterious circumstances and falls under the sway of a strange young woman, Sibyl turns for help to psychology professor Benton Derby, despite the unspoken tensions of their shared past. As Benton and Sibyl work together to solve a harrowing mystery, their long-simmering spark flares to life, and they realize that there may be something even more magical between them than a medium’s scrying glass.

From the opium dens of Boston’s Chinatown to the opulent salons of high society, from the back alleys of colonial Shanghai to the decks of the Titanic, The House of Velvet and Glass weaves together meticulous period detail, intoxicating romance, and a final shocking twist that will leave readers breathless.

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