Trudy Yoder shares a passion for birding with Micah Weaver–and she has an even greater passion for Micah. Their friendship is finally turning romantic when Micah abruptly grows cold. Worse still, he wants to leave Stoney Ridge.
Micah Weaver thought he was over Trudy’s older sister. A year and a half ago, Shelley had broken his heart when she ran away from Stoney Ridge to pursue a singing career in Nashville. Then, out of the blue, she’s started to leave distressing phone messages for him.
When the bishop asks for volunteers to scout out a possible church relocation in Tennessee, Micah is the first to raise his hand. Despite scant details, he’s confident he can find Shelley. After all, his reputation as a field guide is based on finding birds that don’t want to be found.
What Micah doesn’t know is that what you’re looking for isn’t always what you find.
About the Author
Suzanne Woods Fisher loves stories worth telling about people worth remembering. With over a million copies of her book sold worldwide, this bestselling, award-winning author of more than 30 books is always on the lookout for the unsung hero with an untold story.
“We’re all on a spectrum of our own perceptions.” While this thought belongs to David Stoltzfus, the more I think about it, the more I think it sums up all the different characters in this wonderful book, Lost and Found, by Suzanne Woods Fisher.
Many families are leaving the Stoney Ridge district so their children don’t join more the more permissive Beachy Amish, which has recently moved into area. With church and school attendance down, Bishop David Stoltzfus has to decide how to handle to crisis for his Old Order district.
Just as Trudy believes she and Micah are becoming close, a voice from the past threatens to undo any developing relationship. And speaking of developing, a big development may change life for many. Can it be stopped?
So much to love about this story! Trudy, the patient, plain girl is about to snag her dream man. Or so it seems. Micah is finally coming to his senses, until… ( you’ll have to read to find out!) And the birds!! I had my bird app and Google open as I read and really enjoyed all the different bird references(wow!) I have always loved seeing how carefully and lovingly David Stoltzfus handles his flock in this series. I even wished I could get a glimpse or listen of loud, obnoxious Hank Lapp who brightens each book. Not so long ago, an author asked what book we’d like to live in. This one for me! To be able to interact with all these great characters and take a birding tour with Micah, besides!
I received a copy of this book from Revell Reads through NetGalley. Plus I bought my own paperback for the keeper shelf. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“When you’re Amish, family was everything.”
“The future of this church hinges on how you lead everyone, how you hold it all together. You know how that old saying goes. Aller Mann fer sich un der Deiwel fer die Iwwriche. “Everyone for himself and the Devil takes the rest.”
“What the Englisch referred to as nature, like it was all happenstance, Jesus knew only as creation, a work of God. Even better, the Bible described the entire cosmos as a temple, full of the glory of God. An unending outdoor cathedral. That was why he loved his work. It felt like holy work.”
“Jesus noticed the sparrows. And the widow’s mite. And the lilies in the fields. He welcomed little children that the disciples shooed away. Nothing was too insignificant for Jesus. So why shouldn’t we take every concern to him?”
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Magnificent! I loved my time spent with the folk of Stoney Ridge! Another Fisher masterpiece!!
Immerse yourself in the “what if” questions related to the Lost Colony of Roanoke when a native princess meets an English widower.
Born the daughter of a Powhatan chieftain and a woman of unknown origins, Matoaka enjoys a carefree life. When strange men from across the eastern waters appear near her home, she regards them at first as a mere curiosity. Soon, though, she finds herself torn between friendship with one of their leaders and the opinions and politics of her elders. Drawn to a young Englishman, John Rolfe, who has lost a wife and baby daughter, she shares his griefs. . .and perhaps something more. Could she have a future among the English of Jamestown, accepting their ways and even changing her name? Could her fate be a part of the lasting legacy of the Lost Colony of Roanoke?
Author Shannon McNear portrays history with vivid authenticity.
Transplanted to North Dakota after more than two decades in Charleston, South Carolina, Shannon McNear loves losing herself in local history. She’s a military wife, mom of eight, mother-in-law of three, grammie of two, and a member of ACFW and RWA. Her first novella, Defending Truth in A Pioneer Christmas Collection, was a 2014 RITA® finalist. When she’s not sewing, researching, or leaking story from her fingertips, she enjoys being outdoors, basking in the beauty of the northern prairies. Connect with her at www.shannonmcnear.com, or on Facebook and Goodreads.
More from Shannon
Daughters of the Lost Colony—how are we at book 3 already? I’m both excited and nervous about this one, which features Pocahontas and the original Jamestown. Why did I choose her, and this place, when the overall series is about the Lost Colony?
Among their various other aims, the Jamestown colonists were charged with finding the Roanoke Colony. John Smith’s own reports reference this, and one can sense his discouragement and frustration over their inability to find answers on the fate of those who came to the New World before them. William Strachey, early secretary to the colony, stated that Powhatan (that is, the paramount chieftain often called by the same name as his people group) had slain the last known survivors of the Roanoke Colony. But nowhere is that claim substantiated.
There were no solid historical connections between the Lost Colony and Pocahontas—so I created a plausible fictional one in the form of Emme Merrimoth, a historically documented member of the Roanoke Colony who in book 1, Elinor, experienced the fictional adventure of being carried captive to the Powhatan nation. Where Strachey lists the names of the paramount chieftain’s favored wives, I put Emme in the place of the real-life Winganuske.
I knew the research would be challenging on this one. What I didn’t expect was to find Emme’s aspect of this story so compelling—or to fall in love with Wahunsenecawh, the great Powhatan himself. The name alone is intimidating, but you can find sound clips of how to pronounce it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Q_10PYf_0U and here: https://www.nameslook.com/wahunsenacawh/ (ignore the weird stuff and click on the little red arrows for different voices). There are at least five or six documented ways to spell it, and the one I picked is probably the most obscure. I had a year to get used to saying it, but repeat after me, slowly: wah-HUN-senacoh. Or wah-HOON-senacah, depending upon which rule you use for the U in Algonquian pronunciation, and how you interpret that “wh” at the end.
Names overall were an issue with this story. A few reviewers have already mentioned this difficulty. The thing is, in Native culture, especially what we know of the Eastern Algonquian-speaking peoples, a name wasn’t simply a casual identifier—it defined a person’s entire identity. We don’t know what most of the names recorded from that time meant, but we can be sure they weren’t chosen lightly, and they were valued by those who held them. Indeed, a change of name often accompanied a change of purpose. It has even been suggested that if the English had been paying attention, they’d have realized when Opechancanough changed his name shortly before the great attack of 1622, it signaled a critical shift in his attitude toward them.
So when you read this story, you may find it helpful to keep a finger in the cast list—or to place a bookmark on that page if you’re reading the Kindle version. Thank you so much, again, for taking this journey with me!
My Impressions
Rebecca, by Shannon McNear, is a very intellectual and scholarly novel of Pocahuntas, daughter of the highest Powhatan chief. McNear ties Rebecca to Roanoke and her Daughters of the Lost Colony by a rather surprising, seemingly unlikely, but possible connection. This book can be read as a stand-alone, but I am glad to have read Elinor and Mary first.
I found reading this novel challenging, but I was glad I persevered! The overall thought and story arc are beautiful! I must admit, McNear includes so many Native American names that are difficult to pronounce. The John Smith segment especially felt like reading a textbook rather than a novel. However, like assigned high school Shakespeare, one feels enlightened and much better informed afterwards. I was eager to find out the resolution to Pocahuntas’s decisions and the how relationship between the colony and the Natives would evolve.
I did appreciate how McNear alternates between the English POV and the Native POV. She does a great job making the reader feel sympathetic and understanding towards one way of thinking, than showing the reasonableness of the other view. Neither nation appeared totally good or bad, but rather as two opposing people grappling to find their way as they are suddenly in the same land.
The author notes before and after are extremely important to the understanding of this novel. Please don’t skip them!
The story of Jesus and His sacrifice is told very clearly and slowly as part of Pocahuntas’s religious education at Bermuda Hundred. It flowed very naturally as part of the story. I love Pocahuntas’s ( Rebecca’s) proclamation: “I have seen the spirits, but I have also seen your Christ, presenting Himself as the greatest of the spirits.”
Indeed, Rebecca realizes this is more than just a history of two nations sorting out ownership of a land. “Of a certainty, as she had suspected, this was more than one people sailing across yapám and making towns upon Tsenacomoco. It was one god supplanting another in a land where all had been settled for time out of mind.”
I received a copy of the book from Celebrate Lit via NetGalley. I also bought my own paperback copy for the keeper shelf. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“Her real name—she had shared her real name with him. He knew the significance of such a thing.”
“It is my wish—my hope—to bring word of your Christ to my people, so they may also know. And perhaps it was for that very thing I was born and chosen.
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Great!! It took quite a while to get into, but McNear has given me a much better understanding of the people of this time.
“Another sparkling feel-good romance, brimming with perfect doses of heart and heat!”– Bethany Turner, award-winning author of The Do-Over
Gemma Bennett is the leading lady of her own life, and her true love is writing screenplays. With her trusty pink notebook in hand, she signs up for the Citizen’s Safety Academy to research her newest blockbuster hope, a rom-com with a police officer as the hero. And the fact that the handsome and heroic Lieutenant Karson Zellner is the one leading the training? Well, who can blame her for wanting to spend evenings with the man she swooned over months ago when he responded to a call at her apartment?
Karson already has his fair share of problems before Gemma shows up, and he’s not exactly a fan of the ditzy blonde who can’t seem to stay out of trouble. The last thing he needs is a damsel in distress to rescue; there are plenty of people in real need of his help. The fact that she seems to think his job makes him a superhero is just one more strike against her. This isn’t a movie, and he feels like the furthest thing from a leading man.
Gemma can’t seem to stop doing the worst, most embarrassing things at just the wrong time. And as time goes on, Gemma begins to realize that the scripts for a perfect screenplay and a real-life happily-ever-after are two very different things. Can she step out of her own way to find the hero her story needs?
Angela Ruth Strong sold her first romance novel in 2009, and her books have since earned TOP PICK in Romantic Times, been a finalist for the Christy, won the Cascade Award, and become Amazon bestsellers. Her book Finding Love in Big Sky released as a movie in 2022. To help aspiring authors, she started IDAhope Writers where she lives in Idaho, and she blogs for Inspy Romance and My Book Therapy. Get to know her even better at http://www.angelaruthstrong.com.
My Impressions
“He’d become my hero when he came to my house to protect me…Is what brought him to me also going to separate us?”
Strong knocks it out of the park with Hero Debut!! The sequel to her popular rom-com Husband Auditions, this novel tells the tale of Barbie-like Gemma Bennet. Gemma enters Citizen’s Safety Academy looking for her screenplay hero, but she learns a lot in her disappointing search. Will her hero eventually emerge? Will she be prepared, or will they both cling to baggage of their perceived emotional pasts that threatens to draw the curtain early? I loved the title with its double entendre.
Written in 1st person POV, alternating mostly between Gemma and Karson Zellner, we traipse through a few weeks in the happy, but incident-prone life of Gemma. You’ll laugh uproariously all the way through this faith-based rom-com that delivers serious truths. You will benefit from the lessons, whether single or married for many years.
I loved that Strong shows us that even the protagonists we are rooting for, are not perfect. Perceptions of the past affect relationships, and two people going through the same event can experience it differently. Bravo for pointing that out!
Gemma’s roommates Kai and Charlie are present as a great foil, as are some special children. Then there’s Karson’s jovial former partner, Drew Harris. “He’s his own spotlight.”
Chock-full of quotes I will remember for a long time and pop references aplenty, I appreciated Strong’s outlook on life and even the rom-com category. She set the bar high for herself, then exceeded it, “Because the best romantic comedies have depth and meaning that make the humor poignant.”
I can’t wait for Charlie’s story, coming next as Fiancé Finale!
I received an ARC copy of this book from the publisher. I also received an ebook copy via NetGalley. Plus I pre-ordered my own copy to give away. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“If you’re going to write about police, don’t romanticize our job. We give out tickets, we arrest people, and we use our firearms when needed. We’re the ones who show up after a crime has been committed. Nobody wants to see us. Though we risk our lives to protect the public, they often attack us for doing our jobs.”
“We find what we look for… And I prefer to look for the beauty and joy in life. It’s out there.”
“There are three types of people in this world. Sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs.”
“Her eyes are on me, scratching the itch of my heart.”
“Nobody is a hero all the time. We’re just all in training.”
“I don’t know if you believe in God, but His love is the only perfect love. It’s the kind that redeems when the love we’d hoped to get from other people lets us down.”
“I’ve never been in this much trouble before. I make Ramona the Pest look good.”
“I really like this thing called gratefulness. It not only helps us endure situations we never would have planned for ourselves, but it enables us to turn our sorrows into joy.”
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Such an excellent, fun rom-com! Strong writes some of the best!!
Will uncovering the truth set them free or destroy what they hold most dear?
Wisconsin, 1930—With her health in shambles and her archaeological career on the line, Cora Davis retreats to Crow’s Nest and the home of her great aunt to heal. She doesn’t think much of the missing memories from between the earthquake that caused her dizzy spells and her trip home. Until she begins remembering the danger that sent her fleeing her last dig and the person responsible.
After a decade as a ranch hand, Silas Ward returned to Crow’s Nest to provide for the women in his life. That same protective instinct propels him to Cora’s aid. But when finances dwindle, the lies and greed of others threaten to ruin his family. Unless Silas can walk the thin line of compromise. A choice that might cost him Cora’s affection.
As winter’s chill threatens, will Crow’s Nest prove a refuge, or will both Cora and Silas have no choice but to sacrifice their chance at happiness to save those they love?
Danielle Grandinetti writes both historical romantic suspense and contemporary sweet romance. She is an avid reader and her writing has won the University of Northwestern Distinguished Faith in Writing Award. Originally from the Chicagoland area, she now lives along Lake Michigan’s Wisconsin shoreline with her husband and their two young sons. Find her online at daniellegrandinetti.com.
My Impressions
“Digging in holes, looking for someone’s story was her life. But this time, she was searching for her own story.”
I always look forward to Danielle Grandinetti’s next book. Book II in the Harbored in Crow’s Nest series, Refuge for the Archaeologist, is so fantastic! It is helpful to have read book I, Confessions to a Stranger, first.
In 1930, a time when men dominated the archaeology field, Cora Davis enjoys her position as an archaeologist in the Middle East. Then an accident and amnesia bring her home to Crow’s Nest, Wisconsin. She doesn’t remember, but someone does… and danger lurks, threatening not only Cora, but anyone close to her.
Silas Ward is a young, former ranch hand who has left his dreams in the West and returned home to care for his family. He can’t fathom a young lady not wanting to be domesticated and settle down with a family or protect what people she has. How can these two work together to protect their loved ones and themselves from an unknown evil? Can they put aside their assumptions of each other and get to know each other? Or will their bickering keep them off balance and unwilling to see another view?
Cora is itching to recover her memory, her balance, and her former life. That means leaving Wisconsin, any friends or relatives, and returning to the dig. Silas challenges Cora’s concern for things over people. “They aren’t just things.“ The muscle along Cora’s jaw clenched. “They are part of our world’s history. Stories of people who lived centuries or millennia ago. Stories of real people. People who have voices that need to be heard. Finding what they left behind helps me tell their story. Gives them back their voice.”
Besides thoughts of Cora running rampant in his mind, Silas has deep problems in his household. On the verge of losing everything he’s fought to protect, he doubts that he can be the provider in every way that he wants to be. “But am I enough?”
“God is enough.” Cora encourages him. I enjoyed seeing how these two built each other up in the faith at crucial times, learning to really listen to each other, and be present for each other. “Eloquence isn’t as important as presence…especially for someone who has a hole in her heart from a missing loved one.” This quote touches my life where I’m at.
I highly recommend this book to history and archaeology lovers, plus Indiana Jones fans. I was gifted a copy from the author, plus I bought an ecopy and a pb for my keeper shelf. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“Staying away means remembering life as it was, not how it is.”
“I guess that’s why you don’t approve of me. You sacrificed everything to take care of your family and think I should have done the same.”
“And you’re a treasure worth more than the rarest artifact.”
“He bowed his head, tried to pray, but he didn’t trust God to answer in the way he wanted Him to.”
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Magnificent!! Ready for the next book!! And I’m pretty sure Buck has a story somewhere!!
“The world seems full of good men—even if there are monsters in it.”
–Bram Stoker, Dracula
England, 1890
Vampires are alive and well in North Yorkshire, leastwise in the minds of the uneducated. Librarian Rosa Edwards intends to drive a stake through the heart of such superstitions. But gossip flies when the mysterious Sir James Morgan returns to his shadowy manor. The townsfolk say he is cursed.
James hates everything about England. The weather. The rumours. The scorn. Yet he must stay. His mother is dying of a disease for which he’s desperately trying to find a cure—an illness that will eventually take his own life.
When Rosa sets out to prove the dark gossip about James is wrong, she discovers more questions than answers. How can she accept what she can’t explain—especially the strong allure of the enigmatic man? James must battle a town steeped in fear as well as the unsettling attraction he feels for the no-nonsense librarian.
Can love prevail in a town filled with fear and doubt?
Michelle Griep’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. She is the Christy Award-winning author of historical romances: A Tale of Two Hearts, The Captured Bride, The Innkeeper’s Daughter, 12 Days at Bleakly Manor, The Captive Heart, Brentwood’s Ward, A Heart Deceived, and Gallimore, but also leaped the historical fence into the realm of contemporary with the zany romantic mystery Out of the Frying Pan. If you’d like to keep up with her escapades, find her at http://www.michellegriep.com or stalk her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
And guess what? She loves to hear from readers! Feel free to drop her a note at michellegriep@gmail.com.
More from Michelle
A Visit to Whitby
Every time I skip across the pond, I make it a point to visit Whitby. What’s the draw? This northern Yorkshire town is steeped in history and is every bit as magical today as it was back in Bram Stoker’s day…when he went to visit and was inspired to set much of his Dracula tale there. In fact, that is exactly where he got the inspiration for the name Dracula when he visited the library and did a bit of research.
Sound interesting? Then come along with me on a virtual visit with pictures from my last trip.
When walking the windy, narrow roads of Whitby, you can’t help but let your imagination wander because it’s as if you’re there in the nineteenth century. Can’t you just see a long-gowned heroine glancing over her shoulder at you as she flees down this lane?
And overlooking these lanes is the infamous abbey ruins, an eerie sentinel that sits atop the cliffs. It is rumoured a ghostly woman appears in the window, but I didn’t see her.
Still in operation today is this old coaching inn, which of course I had to use in one of my scenes.
There are still fishermen who ply these waters for trade, but this harbor isn’t nearly as active as it was centuries ago.
Twice I’ve made the coastal hike from Whitby to Robinhood’s Bay. This is where I imagined librarian Rosa Edwards riding her bicycle delivering books.
And yes, indeed, the sea mists are a very real thing, sometimes so thick it’s disorienting.
So, see what I mean? Whitby is a magical place, well worth the effort to get to if you ever venture over to England. And if that doesn’t quite fit into your budget or schedule, never fear.
My Impressions
“I am an outsider. I have always seen things differently, and it puts people on edge. Makes them nervous when their long-held beliefs are challenged.”
“How do I love thee? Let count the ways.” No, I am not talking about the relationship between the heroine, Rosa Edwards, and either of the possible love interests, Sir James Morgan or Albin Mallow. Rather, I speak of the wonder of the novel that is Man of Shadow and Mist by Michelle Griep. Spooky, inviting cover!! Spell-binding. Mesmerizing. Unpredictable. Full of true faith. Great Quotes. Masterful. Griep is a Wordsmith Extraordinaire. ( ie: “A few more word grenades launched from Mallow and the situation would explode Miss Edwards’s reputation to shreds.” or
“Morgrave Manor was as pleasant as a cold slap to the cheek.” (Can’t you just feel that one?!! ) And so many other great visual word pictures I want to share but will save for you to discover!!
How can two solitary individuals fight ugly, local superstitions and rumors that villanize a rich, transplanted family? As evil happenings increase and coincide with either the appearance of Sir James Morgan or ill weather, gossip runs rampant and feelings get out of hand.
I loved that Rosa Edwards is brave enough to stand against public opinion and defend her new friend against ridiculous, unfounded claims. I also love to see that while her parents are eager to marry her off, she maintains a special connection and understanding with her father. This is not true in most books in the time of arranged marriages.
Sir James is tall, good looking, and underneath all his frightening demeanor, the kindest, most thoughtful, caring man I’d ever want to meet. With an amazing faith that doesn’t require God to answer prayers in his favor.
The parson and Mrs. Hawkins are both secondary characters whose influence is greatly needed and freely bestowed, without being judgmental. Will James and Rosa take their timely words to heart?
I love how Griep inserts Bram Stoker himself and his manuscript into the novel. Talk about an Easter egg. This has got to be a Fabergé! Each chapter begins with quote from Dracula by Bram Stoker.
I recommend this extraordinary novel for historical fiction lovers, faith quote lovers, possibly Jaime Jo Wright readers, and Dracula lovers.
I received a complimentary copy from the author through Barbour Books, and also through Celebrate Lit via NetGalley. I also bought a 3rd copy to give away. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“Lady Dorina hails from Transylvania, the historical birthplace of such monsters.” Mrs. Edwards sniffed. “My family roots tie back to Ireland, sir, but that doesn’t make me a leprechaun.”
“If God wor so small tha’ thou could understan’ ‘im, ‘e would not be good enuff ta stand wi’ thou in all that ye face. Every one of us needs a God who is bigger than we credit, else ‘e ‘ood not be God.”
“Expect the good Lord ta give thou a glass o’ water when yer parched, ta grant thou rest when weary, ta gi’ miracles ‘n mercy ‘n a regular dose o’ comfort when thou needs. But the one thin’ thou shouldn’t expect—ever—is for ‘im ta show up lookin’ like thou might imagine.”
‘Tis the moment thou lets go of thy expectations tha’ God can fettle wi’ ye. ‘Til then, ye’ve not surrendered, thou see?”
“It’s not what goes into the body that makes one an infidel, but what comes out of the heart.”
“Ye can trust that God will grow each of His true children into His likeness in His own time and in His own way.”
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Magnificent!! I’ve never been disappointed by a Griep novel!! I love all of them!!
Dreams of adventure send him across the country. She prefers to keep her feet firmly planted in Ohio.
Rennie Hill has no illusions about the hardships in life, which is why it’s so important her beau, John Welch, keeps his secure job with the newspaper. Though he hopes to write fiction, the unsteady pay would mean an end to their plans, wouldn’t it?
John Welch dreams of adventure worthy of storybooks, like Mark Twain, and when two of his short stories are published, he sees it as a sign of future success. But while he’s dreaming big with his head in the clouds, his girl has her feet firmly planted, and he can’t help wondering if she really believes in him.
When Rennie must escort a little girl to her parents’ home in San Francisco, John is forced to alter his plans to travel across the country with them. But the journey proves far more adventurous than either of them expect.
Sandra Merville Hart, award-winning and Amazon bestselling author of inspirational historical romances, loves to discover little-known yet fascinating facts from American history to include in her stories. Her desire is to transport her readers back in time. She is also a blogger, speaker, and conference teacher. Connect with Sandra on her blog, https://sandramervillehart.wordpress.com/.
More from Sandra
It was fun to invite readers on this book’s journey!
To those who lived in the 1880s, venturing into this newly-settled and largely-unsettled West had become much safer—though not without danger—with the system of railroads already in place. I enjoyed taking readers to Chicago, Omaha, Oakland, Ogden, and Sacramento, as well as frontier towns along the journey such as Cheyenne.
Our heroine is a telegraph operator. She temporarily leaves her job to escort a little girl to her ailing mother in San Francisco.
My research about telegraph jobs taught me quite a bit of terminology.
For example, a clatter arises when another operator “calls.” The call begins with something like “B m—X n”, which means the B m is the station receiving the call and X n is the caller.
B m must signal a reply that she’s ready to receive the call.
The Sounder receives sounds of the alphabet in dots and dashes. Some operators sent messages too rapidly to understand. When this occurs, the receiving operating asks for it again with a Break (she opens her “key” to break the circuit) and interrupts with “Please repeat.”
“G.A. the—” means “Go ahead” and “the” was the last word she understood.
Operators end every message with his/her own private “call” as well as the office’s call and “O.K.” at the end of each message.
Wired Love, which was written by telegraph operator Ella Cheever Thayer in 1879, provided many insights about the job’s daily tasks.
One of them was the lack of privacy on the lines. She can hear the messages sent to other wires but only offices on the same wire. In Wired Love, operators heard messages sent to and from twenty offices.
By the way, the public grew so fascinated with the role of women in telegraphy that it became the topic of romance novels and short stories, creating a new genre called “telegraphic romance” in the latter 1800s. That’s a little-known fun fact for you!
I enjoyed writing this series. I invite you to read the whole “Second Chances” series beginning with A Not So Convenient Marriage, Book 1, A Not So Persistent Suitor, Book 2, and A Not So Peaceful Journey, Book 3.
My Impressions
“Her feet were firmly planted on the ground. John’s head was nearer to those stars lighting the sky.”
The third book in her Second Chances series, Sandra Merville Hart captured my attention with A Not So Peaceful Journey. While set in the late 1800s, this fictional book was so real to me because of the struggle the heroine and hero go through. This novel is great for those who have been married many years and will understand the struggle, and great for soon-to-be-married or recently married who want a fun look at the harmony and understanding necessary for a couple to last.
Rennie Hill is practical, solid, and down-to-earth. She’s also very frugal with her money and has her life mapped out. Her beau, John Welch, quits his dependable job to become a writer. “If you don’t work at a job that fulfills you, every day can be drudgery.” In order to fulfill that dream, John wants to travel West.
Afraid for the future of their relationship, Rennie does everything possible to convince John to stay in Ohio. Then Rennie herself has a chance to travel West with her sister and a little girl. John decides to accompany the three, but no one could have imagined a journey like theirs.
I loved this book for the beauty of it. The cover itself is intriguing, but it is the descriptions of the land, the hotels, depots, and towns, plus the varied countryside that paints pictures in one’s mind.
Mostly, though, I loved the beauty of the growth of both Rennie and John. At the book’s beginning, their goals and aspirations are so different. This book will make you think. How different can two parts of a couple be? While no two people can be, nor should be, exactly alike, can the unity of the couple survive such differences? What part does God play in Rennie and John’s journey emotionally or any couple’s successful journey? I highly recommend this book, which can be a stand-alone.
I was gifted a copy of the book through Celebrate Lit. I also bought my own ebook. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“We have to trust God because some things we just can’t control.”
“Rennie didn’t understand that part of him—his creative side—would die first if he wasn’t able to express himself on paper.”
“The world won’t miss what it doesn’t have.” “Then give it to them.”
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Magnificent!! Should be fun, required, pre-marital counseling reading!!
“The world seems full of good men—even if there are monsters in it.” –Bram Stoker, Dracula
England, 1890
Vampires are alive and well in North Yorkshire, leastwise in the minds of the uneducated. Librarian Rosa Edwards intends to drive a stake through the heart of such superstitions. But gossip flies when the mysterious Sir James Morgan returns to his shadowy manor. The townsfolk say he is cursed.
James hates everything about England. The weather. The rumours. The scorn. Yet he must stay. His mother is dying of a disease for which he’s desperately trying to find a cure—an illness that will eventually take his own life.
When Rosa sets out to prove the dark gossip about James is wrong, she discovers more questions than answers. How can she accept what she can’t explain—especially the strong allure of the enigmatic man? James must battle a town steeped in fear as well as the unsettling attraction he feels for the no-nonsense librarian.
Can love prevail in a town filled with fear and doubt?
About the Author
I hear voices. Loud. Incessant. And very real. Which basically gives me two options: choke back massive amounts of Prozac or write fiction. I’ve been writing since I discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. I seek to glorify God in all that I write–except for that graffiti phase I went through as teenager.
My Impressions
“I am an outsider. I have always seen things differently, and it puts people on edge. Makes them nervous when their long-held beliefs are challenged.”
“How do I love thee? Let count the ways.” No, I am not talking about the relationship between the heroine, Rosa Edwards, and either of the possible love interests, Sir James Morgan or Albin Mallow. Rather, I speak of the wonder of the novel that is Man of Shadow and Mist by Michelle Griep. The spooky, inviting cover!! Spell-binding. Mesmerizing. Unpredictable. Full of true faith. Great Quotes. Masterful. Griep is a Wordsmith extraordinaire. ( ie: “A few more word grenades launched from Mallow and the situation would explode Miss Edwards’s reputation to shreds.” or
“Morgrave Manor was as pleasant as a cold slap to the cheek.” (Can’t you just feel that one?!! ) And so many other great visual word pictures I want to share but will save for you to discover!!
How can two solitary individuals fight ugly, local superstitions and rumors that villanize a rich, transplanted family? As evil happenings increase and coincide with either the appearance of Sir James Morgan or ill weather, gossip runs rampant and feelings get out of hand.
I loved that Rosa Edwards is brave enough to stand against public opinion and defend her new friend against ridiculous, unfounded claims. I also love to see that while her parents are eager to marry her off, she maintains a special connection and understanding with her father. This is not true in most books in the time of arranged marriages.
Sir James is tall, good looking, and underneath all his frightening demeanor, the kindest, most thoughtful, caring man I’d ever want to meet. With an amazing faith that doesn’t require God to answer prayers in his favor.
The parson and Mrs. Hawkins are both secondary characters whose influence is greatly needed and freely bestowed, without being judgmental. Will James and Rosa take their timely words to heart?
I love how Griep inserts Bram Stoker himself and his manuscript into the novel. Talk about an Easter egg. This has got to be a Fabergé! Each chapter begins with quote from Dracula by Bram Stoker.
I recommend this extraordinary novel for historical fiction lovers, faith quote lovers, possibly Jaime Jo Wright readers, and Dracula lovers.
I received complimentary copy from the author through Barbour Books, and also through Cekebrate Lit via NetGalley. I also bought a 3rd copy to give away. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“Lady Dorina hails from Transylvania, the historical birthplace of such monsters.” Mrs. Edwards sniffed. “My family roots tie back to Ireland, sir, but that doesn’t make me a leprechaun.”
“If God wor so small tha’ thou could understan’ ‘im, ‘e would not be good enuff ta stand wi’ thou in all that ye face. Every one of us needs a God who is bigger than we credit, else ‘e ‘ood not be God.”
“Expect the good Lord ta give thou a glass o’ water when yer parched, ta grant thou rest when weary, ta gi’ miracles ‘n mercy ‘n a regular dose o’ comfort when thou needs. But the one thin’ thou shouldn’t expect—ever—is for ‘im ta show up lookin’ like thou might imagine.”
‘Tis the moment thou lets go of thy expectations tha’ God can fettle wi’ ye. ‘Til then, ye’ve not surrendered, thou see?”
“It’s not what goes into the body that makes one an infidel, but what comes out of the heart.”
“Ye can trust that God will grow each of His true children into His likeness in His own time and in His own way.”
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Magnificent!! I love how Griep can take the Gothic and make it thrilling, full of word candy, faith-filled, and logical as well!!
Giveaway
This first post of Man of Shadow and Mist is a personal giveaway. I am giving away one paperback copy of Man of Shadow and Mist. Unfortunately, this copy arrived with a crease in the cover. Leave your name and email if you want to be in the drawing, which I will conduct on Tuesday, June 6th. I will email the winner on June 7th.
A haunting legend. An ominous curse. A search for a secret buried deep within the castle walls.
In 1870, orphaned Daisy François takes a position as housemaid at a Wisconsin castle to escape the horrors of her past life. There she finds a reclusive and eccentric Gothic authoress who hides tales more harrowing than the ones in her novels. As women disappear from the area and the eerie circumstances seem to parallel a local legend, Daisy is thrust into a web that could ultimately steal her sanity, if not her life.
In the present day, Cleo Clemmons is hired by the grandson of an American aristocratic family to help his grandmother face her hoarding in the dilapidated Castle Moreau. But when Cleo uncovers more than just the woman’s stash of collectibles, a century-old mystery and the dust of the old castle’s curse threaten to rise again . . . this time to leave no one alive to tell the sordid tale.
Award-winning author Jaime Jo Wright seamlessly weaves a dual-time tale of two women who must do all they can to seek the light amid the darkness shrouding Castle Moreau.
Jaime Jo Wright, multi award-winning author–including the Christy and Daphne du Maurier awards–is a coffee-fueled and cat-fancier extraordinaire. She has entwined her life with the legendary Captain Hook, residing serenely in Wisconsin’s rural woodlands. Her literary vocation involves penning chilling Gothic tales, a baffling change from that of Austenites, with a strong preference to the master of dark, Edgar Allan Poe. Two mischievous urchins adorn their family, who keep their mother on her toes – providing an exhilarating amount chaos.
“…fear was, and would always be, her closest companion.”
“Welcome to the Hotel California! …You can check out, but you can never leave!” (The Eagles) I heard that song playing over and over in my mind as I read Jaime Jo Wright’s newest Gothic suspense book, The Vanishing at Castle Moreau. What an incredible book! I laughed a lot at Wright’s wicked sense of humor. I was tempted to count the numerous references she inserted to pop culture and literature. (A challenge?) A dual-timeline, the two, possibly three stories tied together well, contrasting and paralleling each other. 2 different young women, in different centuries, answer the call for caretaker to an elderly grandmother who is sequestered in Castle Moreau. For both, it is an escape. But soon, both Daisy and Cleo find there is no escaping the hold of Castle Moreau. Spooky, haunting, yet filled with rays of Hope from faith breaking through, Wright eventually brings her novel to a satisfying non-paranormal conclusion. You don’t want to miss this suspenseful novel with its amazing conclusion from Jaime Jo Wright and Bethany House.
I received a copy of the book from NetGalley. I also bought my own ecopy and pb copy for my keeper shelf. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“Are you mad? Will you become what you hate?”
“Beauty is found in walls of stone, beauty where love begins.”
“…the castle called with an addictive element. Beckoning. It reached into the deep places in one’s soul and began to expose them for what they were. Broken pieces. Pieces only God could heal, and only others could help rescue if they simply had kindness in their hearts.”
The simple truth was that genetics ran deep, generations didn’t escape the curses of those who came before, and sins were likely destined to repeat themselves.
Protect. Save. Run. Her mantra in life.
“…fear was, and would always be, her closest companion.”
“It is in the dark corners, in the places we avert our eyes from, where truth lingers. Truth is not palatable. In fact, most cannotmanage the truth.”
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Magnificent to the Max!! Only Jaime Jo Wright could write a story this humorous and spooky, and yet have it end with solid Hope!
Clue meets Indiana Jones with a fiction-loving twist only Grace Percy can provide.
Newlyweds Lord and Lady Astley have already experienced their fair-share of suspense, but when a honeymoon trip takes a detour to the mystical land of Egypt, not even Grace with her fiction-loving mind is prepared for the dangers in store. From an assortment of untrustworthy adventure-seekers to a newly discovered tomb with a murderous secret, Frederick and Grace must lean on each other to navigate their dangerous surroundings. As the suspects mount in an antiquities’ heist of ancient proportions, will Frederick and Grace’s attempts to solve the mystery lead to another death among the sands?
Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance peppered with grace and humor with southern Appalachian flair. Both her historical and contemporary novels have garnered recognition in the Grace Awards, Inspys, and ACFW Carol Awards. Her historical romance, The Thorn Healer, was a finalist in the 2018 RT Awards. Her historical romance novels, My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge and The Red Ribbon, and her contemporary novels, the Mitchell’s Crossroads and Pleasant Gap series, showcase her Appalachian heritage, as well as her love for humor and family. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of Asheville, NC where she is the mom of five great kids, a speech-language pathologist to about fifty more, and a lover of chocolate, jazz, hats, and Jesus.
You can learn more about Pepper at her website http://www.pepperdbasham.com or connect with her on FB, IG, or Twitter
Read an Excerpt from the Book!
February 1914, Havensbrook
Gunfire erupted from outside, sending Frederick Percy, Earl of Astley, leaping from his chair. The seat crashed against the floor behind him in time with another shot. What on earth! He grabbed the first weapon-like item he could find—his grandfather’s cane—and dashed toward the sound, nearly colliding with his butler moving in the same direction.
“Did you hear the gunfire, Brandon?”
The older gentleman’s brows rose as high as they could go without becoming part of his snowy hairline. “Indeed, my lord. From the south garden, if I guess correctly, sir.”
“My thoughts exactly.” Frederick tapped the cane against the floor and took a step in the direction of the garden door. Then stopped, a sudden sense of dread forming a lump in his stomach. His butler’s response was much too cavalier for an emergency. “Have you seen Lady Astley of late, Brandon?”
“Not since after breakfast, sir.”
“Well, then.” Frederick returned to his office for his own pistol and prayed whatever inspired a gunshot near his home would prove more benign than dangerous. After surviving several near-death experiences over the past Christmas season, Frederick was quite finished with drama for a while. Though drama seemed to follow his new bride in spades.
He met the butler back in the hallway.
“Might I offer an insight, sir?”
Frederick pivoted in his approach to the door and turned back to Brandon. “Insight?”
“Yes, sir.” The man released a deep sigh which pulled his pristine posture into a slight slump. He then sent Frederick a look which somehow inspired a grimace before Frederick even heard the man’s words. “Her ladyship was speaking with Mr. Blake after breakfast, sir.”
“Mr. Blake?” Frederick rolled his gaze heavenward, the tension in his jaw uncoiling into a slight annoyance that manifested in an ache over his right eyebrow. He loved his cousin. There was no man Frederick trusted more. But for some reason, the idea of Blake and Grace together followed by the sound of gunfire did not bode well.
For anyone.
“About pistols, my lord.”
And the answers emerged, along with an increased throbbing in Frederick’s head. “Thank you, Brandon.”
Setting a slower pace, he moved toward the south side of his manor house, another shot reverberating nearer. Within a month since Christmas, his American wife had learned how to drive the car and throw knives, two skills she appeared to excel in more than knowing the fashion of the season or how to address the complicated hierarchy of the aristocracy. His lips almost split into a grin as he recalled her stumbling over addressing the Duke of Westonbridge two weeks ago by calling him “Your Honorable Lord” and then in quick correction, “Your Grace, or at least I hope you are since I fumbled your title so atrociously.”
Of course the duke had fallen under Grace’s spell within five minutes, as everyone else who met her seemed to do since she’d moved to his crumbling Derbyshire estate two months earlier. Well, everyone except the villainess who’d tried to kill them just before Christmas. But that was hopefully a distant story, and their next chapter would be a lovely, peaceful belated honeymoon—he increased his steps at the idea—with a little surprise tagged on for his lovely Lady Astley.
Frederick nodded a good afternoon to the police officer inconspicuously posted near the house so that Frederick’s mother could work out her sentence of house arrest in connection with his father and brother’s deaths. He released a sigh. No, she was no murderess, unless glares and harsh words counted, but she’d harbored information that could have protected others. The law had been gracious with her due to her age and status, merely revoking her freedoms from leaving Havensbrook, so his mother’s life stayed very much as it had since Frederick’s father’s death; however, the added blemish of “criminal” to her reputation ensured she spent her days away from the public eye.
And if the police officer appeared in no great distress over the gunfire, Frederick knew all too well what must be happening.
Just around the edge of the house, a large garden opened to the south, its walls still well intact, though ivy-grown and tangled. Another shot reverberated through the damp air, followed quickly by laughter and his wife’s exuberant exclamation of “I hit it.”
Frederick’s lips pinched into a frown. Why he ever expected his cousin Blake to mind Frederick’s subtle requests was beyond him! The garden gate stood open, welcoming him forward into an even more tangled array of vines and twined greenery, the winter roses, a remnant of the garden’s healthier days, sleeping until spring.
He hadn’t had the means to make things right with Havensbrook before but, with Grace’s wealth and her generous heart, he could now. Another way to make amends for the past, he hoped, though
God had already bestowed on him much more than he deserved.
His cousin stood to the right, hands on the hips of his gray suit jacket, but Frederick’s gaze followed Blake’s focus to the woman in the center of the garden. Her bright auburn hair was twisted up beneath a deep purple hat that matched her coat, both in contrast to her pale skin. Her laughter echoed toward him, so filled with joy and hope. Two things he’d thought lost forever before he’d met her.
Yes, God had given him much more than he deserved, and sometimes, he wondered if God had given him more than he could manage.
My Impressions
Thank you, Pepper Basham! How else can I start a review of The Cairo Curse, a book that flew to the top of my faves for 2023?
What surprised me about this is, that I was not a super fan of the Mistletoe Countess, the first book of the series. But The Cairo Curse? It blew me away, like the sandstorms that would sweep across the desert, covering ancient tombs.
Speaking of ancient tombs, Basham’s book sees plenty of malfeasance and disaster at the Egyptian pyramids, where Grace and Frederick have gone to visit his cousin, Georgia, whose husband is financing a dig. One of the guests of Georgia and her husband is a tipsy fortune teller, who predicts that the group will incur the wrath of the gods for interfering with the pharaoh’s burial grounds.
I loved Grace. She loves her husband with all her heart, she loves God and puts her faith in Him when times are bad. Grace is adventurous (which lands her in trouble- some hilarious and some not!) and always ready to sleuth. She is no wall flower. “Lady of Fire.” “Lady of Fire?” “Yes, Sitt.” Akeem patted his head. “You have fire hair and fire spirit.” Grace is also very optimistic. As Zahra says, “She paints sunshine with her words.”
My fave secondary characters are Zahra, the street urchin that Grace rescues and Frederick’s butler, Elliot. Both are testimony to the fact that God and love can change anyone, and everyone deserves a second chance.
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit and Net Galley. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“The wrong marriage can make all the difference in the world to a person’s life and demeanor.”
“…it all reminded Grace how people carried darkness with them. They rarely needed to go in search of it.”
“Everyone needs a second chance. You are no exception.”
“Bitterness has a tendency to speak in a loud voice.”
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Magnificent!! Historical CF, Romance, Faith, Great Humor, & a Trouble-prone Spouse!! Lead me on, Pepper Basham!!
In 1715, Lady Blythe Hedley’s father is declared an enemy of the British crown because of his Jacobite sympathies, forcing her to flee her home in northern England. Secreted to the tower of Wedderburn Castle in Scotland, Lady Blythe awaits who will ultimately be crowned king. But in a house with seven sons and numerous servants, her presence soon becomes known.
No sooner has Everard Hume lost his father, Lord Wedderburn, than Lady Hedley arrives with the clothes on her back and her mistress in tow. He has his own problems–a volatile brother with dangerous political leanings, an estate to manage, and a very young brother in need of comfort and direction in the wake of losing his father. It would be best for everyone if he could send this misfit heiress on her way as soon as possible.
Drawn into a whirlwind of intrigue, shifting alliances, and ambitions, Lady Blythe must be careful whom she trusts. Her fortune, her future, and her very life are at stake. Those who appear to be adversaries may turn out to be allies–and those who pretend friendship may be enemies.
My Impressions
“Silk and fire dinna mix well.”
“Neither do we, milord.”
“Good things come to those who wait.” This summarizes my thoughts on The Rose and the Thistle by Laura Frantz.
First of all, I (and many other Frantz fans) have been waiting over a year for this latest offering from Frantz, a highly skilled author who writes excellent, authentic historical romantic fiction.
I had to wait in another regard. This is one of the few Frantz novels that I have not been enamored with from the start. However, as I kept reading, I eventually got so caught up in the intrigue of the divided loyalties and the beauty of the impossible romance that I give this book five stars. I tend to rate books by how completely sated my reading soul is when I finish. Let me say, I am well-satisfied with the faith factor, enemies-to-lovers romance and political suspense. Don’t forget the appeal of a child!!
Which brings me to my last point. Frantz, through Lady Blythe Hedley and Lord Everard Hume, teaches me several things through Scripture and its application. I used one quote last night in my own life. “Prayer may be the best weapon we have.” What an immense relief as I relax my own troubled mind and realize “God’s got this” as I pray for my personal heartache. God is indeed in control. Thank you for the reminder, Ms. Frantz!!
And as I talked to a person dear to me today, I referred to another quote. “Tell me something good about her…Surely there are praiseworthy things about her, as she was made in the Lord’s image.” Sometimes we can only see the negatives in another person, and yet, even the worst person is made in God’s image. If we look hard enough, we can find good in almost all people.
I received a copy of the book from the publisher, plus I bought a couple of copies to share. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Magnificent!! Good things may come to Everard and Blythe for waiting, and they came to me! The Scriptures and quotes spoke directly to my heart and life!
About the Author
Christy Award-winning author, Laura Frantz, is passionate about all things historical, particularly the 18th-century, and writes her manuscripts in longhand first. Her stories often incorporate Scottish themes that reflect her family heritage. She is a direct descendant of George Hume, Wedderburn Castle, Berwickshire, Scotland, who was exiled to the American colonies for his role in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715, settled in Virginia, and is credited with teaching George Washington surveying in the years 1748-1750. Proud of her heritage, she is also a Daughter of the American Revolution. When not at home in Kentucky, she and her husband live in Washington State.
According to Publishers Weekly, “Frantz has done her historical homework.” With her signature attention to historical detail and emotional depth, she is represented by Janet Kobobel Grant, Literary Agent & Founder, Books & Such Literary Agency of Santa Rosa, California. Foreign language editions include French, Dutch, Spanish, Slovakian, German & Polish.
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Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions 