by Crystal Caudill | Jan 2, 2024 | Book Reviews
Silver Dollar Duke
by Sally Britton
Review:
I’ve long been a fan of Sally Britton’s British-set novels, but it was a fun twist to bring a piece of Britain to the Wild West of the Arizona territory at the end of the 19th century. I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator did a fantastic job.
It was fun to watch this second-born son find his footing in the Wild West, learning that novels and reality didn’t always go together. Evan’s determination, heart, and gentlemanly ways won me over quickly. Dannie is a strong yet heartbroken woman who knows what it takes to make a life out of desert living. As a woman who has been left behind too often by the people she loves, knowing that Evan will be leaving means he’s not an option for her future. But her heart disagrees, no matter how much she fights it. Evan is honorable, and though he’s falling for Dannie, he wants to do the right thing by her. His duties will call him back to England and away from this life–and the woman–he’s quickly fallen in love with.
I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the stronger, yet not-overdone, faith element. The push-pull of the romance was enjoyable, and I loved getting to see ranch life from the perspective of a man who had a heart to prove himself with no idea of what he’s doing.
I recommend this story to those who love Westerns, British characters, fish-out-of-water stories, and romances that are sweet.
Genre: Western
Plot:
The last thing Dannie needs is a Victorian gentleman on her ranch, playing cowboy while she’s trying to save her family’s livelihood. Will high stakes and high emotions lead to heartbreak?
Evan Rounsevell, second son to the Marquess of Rothwell, is running as far from his family and responsibilities as he can. His fascination with cowboys takes him from English shores to the Arizona desert, but the days of showdowns are over, and Tombstone, Arizona, is a respectable town. With no funds left, and no desire to call on his affluent family for rescue, Evan seeks a position as a cowboy at a ranch on its last leg.
Daniella Bolton’s fiancé left when the drought of 1893 crippled the KB ranch, but that’s just fine by her. She doesn’t need a man to help her save her family’s land. Especially not an Englishman who looks down on her style of living, like Evan does. She loves her life on the ranch, and no outsider could ever understand what it means to be loyal to the land and her family’s way of life.
Being a cowboy is harder than Evan thought, but as he works to earn his place on the ranch, his heart opens up to the beauty of the desert… as well as that of Dannie Bolton. Watching Evan fight for the ranch she loves makes Dannie realize that not all men are afraid of hard work and troubled times, and loving Evan might be just the salve her wounded heart needs. But when Evan’s family summons him home right when Dannie needs him most, the feelings of betrayal from her former fiancé’s flight return tenfold.
Does Evan dare risk his tenuous relationship with Dannie to fulfill his family responsibilities? Or will leaving Arizona be the worst mistake of his life?
Author Website: https://www.authorsallybritton.com/
Purchase Link: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
What is the most recent book you’ve read? What did you like about it? Who would you recommend it to?
by Crystal Caudill | Dec 12, 2023 | Reading Challenge
As we close out another year of the Unlocking the Past Reading Challenge, I’m looking forward to a new year with new challenges. After taking suggestions from my Facebook Group, I’ve settled on the theme:
Unlocking the Past: Ecclesiastes 3
Just as Ecclesiastes has two opposites in each verse, most months will leave you with two options to choose from.
“For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.”
January Verse: A time to be born and a time to die.
Challenge Theme: A book with a Baby or End of Life character
February Verse: A time to plant and a time to harvest.
Challenge Theme: A book with a Rural Setting OR a Major Move/Life Change
March Verse: A time to kill and a time to heal.
Challenge Theme: A book with a serial killer or a character in the medical profession.
April Verse: A time to tear down and a time to build up.
Challenge Theme: A book with characters or plots related to construction, remodeling, demolition, or architecture.
May Verse: A time to cry and a time to laugh.
Challenge Theme: A RomCom or a book that makes you cry
June Verse: A time to grieve and a time to dance.
Challenge Theme: A book with a funeral or with a character who is a dancer.
July Verse: A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
Challenge Theme: Second Chance Romance or Family/Friend Reconciliation
August Verse: A time to search and a time to quit searching.
Challenge Theme: A mystery or a theme of someone searching for family
September Verse: A time to tear and a time to mend.
Challenge Theme: A Tailor/Seamstress character
October Verse: A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
Challenge Theme: A mute/deaf character or a character who advocates for others
November Verse: A time to love and a time to hate.
Challenge Theme: An enemies-to-lovers book
December Verse: A time for war and a time for peace.
Challenge Theme: A book set at the end of a war
Just as this year there was a monthly prize, there will continue to be a monthly prize with this reading challenge. You don’t have to participate every month to qualify. Participate in what months you can and skip the months where life gets in the way.
Now I need YOUR help. I want to create a page, as well as posts, with recommended reads for each month. So help me out and tell me what books you’d recommend. (Be sure to say which month 1, 2, 3, etc your recommendation goes with.)
Everyone who comments will be entered for a chance to win either a signed copy of one of my books (your choice) are a book off my prize shelf. (The winner will be randomly selected on December 19 and emailed.)
by Crystal Caudill | Dec 5, 2023 | Book Reviews
A Duchess for the Duke
by Sally Britton
Review:
This fun novella was a great kick-off to a series I look forward to reading. This marriage of convenience story-line is flirty, fun, and light-hearted. I love how the heroine, Cecilia is intelligent and not afraid to be straightforward. Though thrown into the role of being a duchess quite unexpectedly, she rises to the occasion and works hard to prove herself. She’s admirable, and I enjoyed watching her and Gregory learn to love and support each other.
I recommend this story for fans of Regency Romance, marriages of convenience, sweet romances, and those who like seeing some of the day-to-day life as a Duke or Dutchess.
Genre: Regency
Plot:
A young duke finds a practical duchess, neither of them suspecting that their match will lead to a legacy of love.
Gregory Dinard, a young and inexperienced duke, finds himself in need of a companion to help him navigate the intricacies of his new role. Uncertain of his abilities and unwilling to take a chance at love, he looks for a marriage of mutual benefit rather than a match of mutual affection.
A woman of grace and intelligence, Lady Cecilia never expects to catch a duke’s eye. Despite her surprise, she agrees to the arrangement when the duke proposes an alliance with her, knowing it would allow her the freedom and opportunity to explore her love of architecture.
As they embark on their new life together, Gregory discovers both an affection for and an undeniable attraction to his wife that he cannot ignore. But can a practical marriage become something more, or will he face a future of unrequited love for his duchess?
This is the prequel novella to the Clairvoir Castle Romances series, and can be enjoyed as a standalone, but will be most satisfying to those who have met the duke and duchess before.
Author Website: https://www.authorsallybritton.com/
Purchase Link: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
What is the most recent book you’ve read? What did you like about it? Who would you recommend it to?
by Crystal Caudill | Dec 1, 2023 | Book Reviews, Reading Challenge
It’s time for another month of the Unlocking the Past Reading Challenge: Unlock an Adventure. I’m so excited to join you on an adventure this year with guest reviews from our reading challenge participants. If you want to submit a review for upcoming months, feel free to sign up for a month here and use the Google form to submit your review. As my time has become too limited to do a suggestions post each month, I encourage you to jump over to the Unlocking the Past Reading Challenge page and ask for suggestions from there or from any of a number of amazing reader groups like Avid Readers of Christian Fiction or check out the Inspirational Historical Fiction Index.
*The list of prizes available from my prize shelf can be found here.*
November’s Theme: Archeologist or Paleontologist
December’s Theme: Christmas
Refuge for the Archaeologist
by Danielle Graninetti
I so wanted to be done with the book in time to write my own review. Alas, my life had allowed little time for reading, and I’m only halfway through (and definitely enjoying it). As a kindness to myself and y’all so I could get this post up, I’ve reached out to a fellow reviewer to ask if I could use their review of the book. Connie graciously said yes. 🙂 So without further ado, November’s Reading Challenge Review:
Review by: Connie Saunders – You can follow her on her Older & Smarter? Blog at https://connie-oldersmarter.blogspot.com/ or follow her on Instagram.
History, mystery, and romance! An introduction to intriguing new characters and a reunion with some that we’ve already met! Author Danielle Grandinetti invites us back to Crow’s Nest, Wisconsin and I’m so happy to return! The characters are appealing, the suspense kept me fully engaged, and there was also an inspiring faith element woven into the plot. What more could I ask for? How about an unlikely romance between a female archaeologist and a devoted son and uncle who longs to return to his work on a Western ranch? Is it possible for Cora and Silas to give up their dreams and settle instead for a future in Crow’s Nest…together??
Refuge for the Archaeologist is a great addition to the Harbored in Crow’s Nest series. It’s the second book of the series but don’t worry if you haven’t read the first. Grandinetti shares background tidbits to help you understand what’s occurred previously! I recommend this book to all who enjoy historical Christian romance.
I received a complimentary copy from the author and publisher. There was no obligation for a positive review. These are my own thoughts.
For Fans of:
Genre: Historical Romance, Depression Era
Plot Overview:
Lies, greed, and lost dreams chase an out-of-work archaeologist and an out-of-place cowboy. Visit small-town Wisconsin in this Depression-era amnesia romance.
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?
Welcome to Crow’s Nest, where danger and romance meet at the water’s edge.
Purchase Links:
Amazon | Author’s Shop | Barnes & Noble
Giveaway
For your chance to win a print copy, comment with what book YOU read for this month and you will also be entered into the year-end Grand Prize Reader Basket. Use the Rafflecopter below for extra entries and to mark that you left a comment. Entries end on the 7th of each month at midnight EST, and the winner will be drawn sometime that week and notified by email. The winner will be announced don’t the Rafflecopter widget.
*Open to all residents of the contiguous USA, legally able to enter, and an e-book format or Amazon Gift Card will be awarded to those outside that range who are legally able to enter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Recommendations for December:
- We Three Kings: A Romance Christmas Collection by Crystal Caudill, Cara Putman, and Angela Ruth Strong
- A Louisana Christmas to Remember by Morgan Tarpley Smith, Betsy St. Amant, and Lenora Worth
- Chiseled on the Heart by Elaine Marie Cooper, Cynthia Roemer, Candace West, and Kelly J. Goshorn
What did you read for the challenge? What were your thoughts on it? Would you recommend it?
by Crystal Caudill | Nov 27, 2023 | Character Interview
Christmas is in the air, so it’s a wonderful time to get to know some Christmasy characters. What better way to kick off the season than with a character named Ivy? Ivy is from a novella called Holland and Ivy by Kathy Geary Anderson. Holland and Ivy is part of a multi-author series of Christmas novellas set in a small town called Wilde Rose Ridge. The collection will have a Christmas party in their Facebook group on December 5th to celebrate the release of the series. All six authors will be giving away prizes, plus there will be fun games and Christmas trivia. If you’d like to join the fun, you can join the reader group here.
Before we get to know Ivy, let’s find out a bit more about her story.
Holland and Ivy by Kathy Geary Anderson
He’s betrayed her before.
She’d be a fool to trust him again.
And Ivy Weaver is nobody’s fool.
Beloved town baker, Ivy Weaver, is capable of so much more than frying up a mean apple fritter and now’s the time to prove it. Winning Wild Rose Ridge’s annual Diced competition would show the town her chef skills and help get her fledgling catering business off the ground. But when her biggest competitor from culinary school enters the contest, her dreams seem destined to die. Again.
Holland K. McIntyre IV may have been born into privilege, but he’s fought and clawed his way to success in the restaurant business on his own. Nothing is going to keep him from his goals. If beating Ivy in another cooking competition is what it takes to make a name for himself, then that’s what he’ll do.
But when the two of them are forced to be teammates rather than competitors, they just might face their biggest challenge yet. Will trusting Holland keep Ivy from realizing her dreams once again?
Purchase Links: Amazon
Now for our interview with Ivy.
CC: I’m so excited to get to introduce you to my readers, Ivy. Would you mind telling them a little bit about yourself?
IVY: Hi. I’m Ivy Weaver, the heroine in Kathy Geary Anderson’s book, Holland and Ivy. I’m twenty-six years old and live in Wild Rose Ridge, a small town on a lake in central Washington.
CC: Oh! Washington state is absolutely beautiful, and to be on a lake? That is fabulous. Small towns can be rough though. How do you think others view you? Do you feel this is an accurate representation?
IVY: Most people in Wild Rose Ridge see me as the one who makes their favorite Christmas gingerbread cookies and fresh apple fritters. I work in my mom’s bakery, but I also trained as a professional chef and worked in restaurants all over Europe. I love baking, but I can do so much more. I’ve started a small catering company and entered the town’s cooking competition, Diced, for this very reason. I’m hoping to prove to Wild Rose Ridge that I’m a world-class chef as well.
CC: It’s so hard to be seen as less than you are capable of. Is that your biggest fear?
IVY: My biggest fear is that I’ll get stuck in the same old, same old, and life will pass me by. I’m twenty-six years old, yet I still work at my mom’s bakery in the same town where I grew up and have lived most of my life. I was more adventurous in my early 20s than I am now. I came home from working in France three years ago to run my mom’s bakery while she was fighting breast cancer. Now, she’s all better, but I’m still here.
CC: “But I’m still here. . . ” I take that to mean this is not the life you dreamed of? What IS the dream you keep close to your chest?
IVY: Although I can make desserts that will make you drool, my biggest dream is to own a restaurant of my own where I would serve Provencal French cuisine with an American twist. My mom and uncle have inherited their great aunt Edith’s house that backs onto the Riverwalk here in Wild Rose Ridge. It would be the perfect place for a restaurant because it is so close to shops, hotels, and other tourist hotspots. I’m hoping they will rent it to me so I can start living my dream.
CC: I’m drooling already. I love a good French dish, and they are so hard to come by here in the States. I hope that you win the competition. Speaking of competition, I believe you are being forced to work with a man you despise. Can you tell us who he is?
IVY: Holland K. McIntyre IV, a rich, spoiled, bad-boy chef. Sure, he can be charming and has swoon-worthy good looks, but he can’t be trusted. We were in culinary school in Europe together and now he’s in Wild Rose Ridge as the executive chef of my cousin’s winery restaurant. We were friends once. Almost more than friends, until he betrayed me in our final cooking competition at school. Now I have to face him in another competition, but I’m not a naïve twenty-one-year-old anymore. This time I plan to win.
CC: Those dastardly men who betray us can be a real challenge to deal with. Who is the person you can run to when this man comes striding back into your kitchen?
IVY: My best friend, Fiona, of course. We’ve been friends since middle school. Actually, we were pen pals before that because she used to live in Africa with her missionary parents. She owns the local teashop/bookstore and we host a podcast together on Tuesday mornings. It’s all about books and tea and things that happen in our town. Of course, I’m a bigger fan of coffee than I am tea, but we don’t let that spoil our friendship. Fiona is dating my cousin Chase and I’m hoping that someday soon we will be family as well as friends.
CC: Awww! Friends that become family! That is the hope for us all, isn’t it? Before wrap up, can you tell me what one of your happiest moments is?
IVY: I have lots of great memories of baking alongside my mom when I was growing up. I practically lived in her bakery, but I didn’t mind. I’m always happiest when I’m creating something good to eat. Some of my other great memories were spending time with Mom and Great Aunt Edith in the garden at my great aunt’s house. I loved her stone house and her garden. It was like something out of a fairy tale. We’d pick fresh herbs and vegetables and then go into the kitchen and make them into the best lunches. I guess I’ve always spent a lot of time cooking with the women in my family.
CC: Cooking really bonds people in ways that no other activity can. Considering that Holland is your forced partner in this competition, you might want to watch out. You never know when your enemy might become something more . . . cherished.
Readers, if you’re looking for a fun, Christmas read, I recommend checking out Ivy’s story in Holland and Ivy by Kathy Geary Anderson. And don’t forget to join the Wild Rose Ridge Facebook group for the party on December 5th.
About Kathy Geary Anderson:
A south-Texas transplant to the good life of Nebraska, Kathy Geary Anderson has a passion for story and all things historical. Over the years, she has been an English teacher, a newsletter and ad writer, and a stay-at-home mom. When she’s not reading or writing novels, you can probably find her cheering (far too loudly) for her favorite football team, traveling the country with her husband, or spending time with her adult children.
Connect with Kathy: Website | Facebook | BookBub | GoodReads
Readers, what is your favorite Christmas baked good or meal? Would you try out Ivy’s French restaurant if given the chance?
