May 2022 Reading Challenge Suggestions

by Crystal Caudill | May 1, 2022 | Reading Challenge

Welcome to the fifth month of the Unlocking the Past 2022 Reading Challenge: Around the World. This month focuses on books that take place in Europe. While I will generally focus on Historical Fiction novels, I have included plenty of contemporary options as well. The majority of recommendations come from https://inspirationalhistoricalfiction.com/, other readers, or other authors. Especially don’t forget to check out my partner’s website, https://amongthereads.net/book-setting/europe/. She has a ton of books listed there too! If none of these suggestions appeal to you, I highly recommend joining the Avid Readers Facebook Group and asking for their recommendations. They are AMAZING and your TBR pile will never be the same.

Add your suggestions in the comments, and/or tell me what you are reading. Have you read any of these below?

Monthly Reminders:

*If you read a book for April, don’t forget to go to yesterday’s post to comment and get your name entered for your chance to win a print copy. (You’ll also earn your entry for the end of the year giveaway.)

*You can also join the Facebook Group. for more interaction and suggestions, or if you’d like a bookmark to remind you of the monthly challenges, fill out this Google Form.

Lady of Galway Manor by Jennifer Deibel

1920 – Ireland

In 1920, Annabeth De Lacy’s father is appointed landlord of Galway Parish in Ireland. Bored without all the trappings of the British Court, Annabeth convinces her father to arrange an apprenticeship for her with the Jennings family–descendants of the creator of the famed Claddagh Ring.

Stephen Jennings longs to do anything other than run his family’s jewelry shop. Having had his heart broken, he no longer believes in love and is weary of peddling the “lies” the Claddagh Ring promises.

Meanwhile, as the war for Irish independence gains strength, many locals resent the De Lacys and decide to take things into their own hands to display their displeasure. As events take a dangerous turn for Annabeth and her family, she and Stephen begin to see that perhaps the “other side” isn’t quite as barbaric and uncultured as they’d been led to believe–and that the bonds of friendship, love, and loyalty are only made stronger when put through the refiner’s fire.

The Thrall’s Sword by Grace Caylor

700s – Ireland

On the night Sigrid, a seventeen-year-old Norse slave, is to accompany her dead master on a fiery longship to Valhalla, the cruel Jarl Ragnar murders her mother.

When two fishermen rescue her from her fate in the seas, grief-stricken Sigrid joins them on their mission to warn the Irish of the oncoming Viking raiders. As she continues her journey, her hatred for Jarl Ragnar grows and she secretly vows to destroy him.

However, as her new friend Erik teaches her about his God, a surprising power begins to work inside her heart. Yet when Sigrid has the chance to seize vengeance, will sweet revenge or a foreign god free her from despair?

RCR: The Refrain Within by Liz Tolsma

by Crystal Caudill | Apr 30, 2022 | Book Reviews, Reading Challenge

We’ve finished the fourth month of the Unlocking the Past 2022 Reading Challenge: Around the World. This month we traveled to Eastern Europe, and with me being on deadline, my partner Among the Reads shares her review of The Refrain Within by Liz Tolsma. Once you read the review, don’t forget to comment to be entered for your chance to win a copy.

*Want more interaction and/or suggestions each month? Join the Facebook Group. Want a bookmark with the monthly themes? Fill out this Google Form. Need a reminder on the details of the challenge? Go to the Unlocking the Past Reading Challenge page.*

The Refrain Within

by Liz Tolsma

*Original Review, Quotes Images, and More can be found at https://amongthereads.net/the-refrain-within-by-liz-tolsma-book-review/*

Just between you and me, I can’t read many books dealing with the Holocaust. Or read them often. Reading about that terrible time in history tears me up inside!

A few years ago, I came across The Melody of the Soul by Liz Tolsma and was so intrigued by the synopsis, I decided to give it a chance. When the next book in the Music of Hope series came out, When the Heart Sings, I read that as well, this time with no hesitation. Though these stories stand alone, I still knew that I wanted to read The Refrain Within when it came out! I love that this series revolves around music during such a bleak time.

Patrick’s love for Éva and for music blends so beautifully! It is very touching the way she is his muse. The songs he composed that sprang from his affection, as well as his grief, were described so perfectly I felt that I could hear them!

I greatly admired Éva as she courageously sought her missing student, who was said to have been taken by the Nazis. She then did her small part to help ease the suffering there. Her struggle whether to trust Patrick was portrayed so well.

My heart ached as I read of the injury that was done to various characters. The author balanced telling the facts and not giving too many details well. Considering the cruelty that was inflicted on the Jews at this time, it was still painful to read – that is not the author’s fault.

Éva’s faith, understandably, was weak in the face of the destruction of lives and her beloved city. It was so precious to see her truly grasp the truth, first from her father and then from Patrick, that when God is our foundation, we cannot be shaken.

If you enjoy historical fiction with a strong Christian foundation, I recommend The Refrain Within.

PURCHASE LINKS

Amazon Barnes & Noble Books-a-Million Book Depository Bookshop.org Christianbook.com Indiebound.org

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 May 7th 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

What did you read for April’s Challenge? What do you hope to read in May?

April 2022 Reading Challenge Suggestions

by Crystal Caudill | Apr 1, 2022 | Reading Challenge

Welcome to the fourth month of the Unlocking the Past 2022 Reading Challenge: Around the World. This month focuses on books that take place in Eastern Europe. While I will generally focus on Historical Fiction novels, I have included plenty of contemporary options as well. The majority of recommendations come from https://inspirationalhistoricalfiction.com/, other readers, or other authors. Especially don’t forget to check out my partner’s website, https://amongthereads.net/book-setting/europe/eastern-europe/. She has broken her reviews down by month. If none of these suggestions appeal to you, I highly recommend joining the Avid Readers Facebook Group and asking for their recommendations. They are AMAZING and your TBR pile will never be the same.

Add your suggestions in the comments, and/or tell me what you are reading. Have you read any of these below?

Monthly Reminders:

*If you read a book for March, don’t forget to go to yesterday’s post to comment and get your name entered for your chance to win a print copy. (You’ll also earn your entry for the end of the year giveaway.)

*You can also join the Facebook Group. for more interaction and suggestions, or if you’d like a bookmark to remind you of the monthly challenges, fill out this Google Form.

King’s Ransom by Jan Beazely and Thom Lemmons

1940 – Bulgaria

Based on a True Story

Set during the darkest days of World War II, King’s Ransom tells the heroic story of Tsar Boris III, King of Bulgaria, and his extraordinary efforts to save his country’s Jewish population from Hitler’s concentration camps. Aware of the price he might pay for his risks, Boris faced the Third Reich with courage and resolve, firm in his Christian convictions that would not permit him to abandon nearly 50,000 Jews. Boris, along with members of the Orthodox Church, Jewish religious leaders, and others, ultimately ensured that no Bulgarian Jews lost their lives to Hitler’s regime. Boris’s quest to save Bulgaria’s Jews is interwoven with the love story of Daria, the Jewish attendant to the Bulgarian royal family, and Dobri, a sergeant in the king’s guard. With courageous characters and passionate storytelling, King’s Ransom reveals how individuals acting on faith can change the course of history.

The Lady and Her Champion by Sara Turnquist

1400s – Czechoslovakia

She needs someone to fight for her. He needs to be rescued.

Karin and Pavel have become separated by war and the destruction of his family’s home. When Pavel hears of Karin’s predicament, he rushes to his beloved. But what will he find? Will the pull to remain by her side be stronger than the tug to return to the front lines?

Zdenek and Eva are blissfully happy after finding one another. Then his father summons him home. It is a reunion Zdenek dreads. How will his father react to Zdenek’s involvement with a merchant’s daughter? More…what will Zdenek do if the man does not accept her?

Radek, who has recently defected, finds himself caught between two worlds. He stumbles upon a Hussite captive in the Royalist camp in dire need of a champion. Can he defy yet another army? Ostracize himself and limp back to the Hussites for the sake of a woman he owes nothing to?

While the Hussites maintain a tenuous hold on their lands, will internal conflict prove their undoing?

The Lady Bornekova by Sara Turnquist

1400s – Czechoslovakia

The red-headed Karin is strong-willed and determined, something she inherited from her father. She tries to keep her true nature a secret to avoid being deemed a traitor by those loyal to the king. Karin and her father butt heads over her duty to her family and the Czech Crown. She is then sequestered to the Royal Viscount’s hunting lodge.

Not aware of everything that is happening, she becomes the target of an individual with murderous intent. Her heart soon becomes entangled though her father intends to wed her to another.

The turmoil inside Karin deepens and reflects the turmoil of her homeland, on the brink of the Hussite Wars.

The Lady and the Hussites by Sara Turnquist

1400s – Czechoslovakia

Karin and Pavel have found their way safely to his parents home, but things are not as well as they seem. There are secrets between them. A wall goes up. And then Pavel is called into battle.

Radek and Zdenek find themselves pulled into the conflict despite their best efforts to remain neutral, while Stepan finds himself ready for bloodshed.

With tensions mounting within their circle and throughout their country, what will become of Pavel and Karin? Can they find their way back to each other?

The Melody of the Soul by Liz Tolsma

1943 – Czechoslovakia

It’s 1943 and Anna Zadok, a Jewish Christian living in Prague, has lost nearly everything. Most of her family has been deported, and the Nazi occupation ended her career as a concert violinist. Now Anna is left to care for her grandmother, and she’ll do anything to keep her safe—a job that gets much harder when Nazi officer Horst Engel is quartered in the flat below them.

Though musical instruments have been declared illegal, Anna defiantly continues to play the violin. But Horst, dissatisfied with German ideology, enjoys her soothing music. When Anna and her grandmother face deportation, Horst risks everything to protect them.

Anna finds herself falling in love with the handsome officer and his brave heart. But what he reveals might stop the music forever.

A Daring Escape by Tricia Goyer

1938 – Czechoslovakia

When Danger Closes In, Who Will Save the Children?

At the height of World War II, American Amity Mitchell is living a comfortable life abroad as a tutor in England. But that changes when an urgent telegram arrives from her brother, Andrew, summoning her to Prague. Andrew’s efforts to help Jewish children escape Czechoslovakia have grown desperate as Nazi forces tighten their grip on the country. Amity knows she can’t ignore God’s call to join Andrew in coming to the children’s aid.

Amity’s boss, Clark, follows her to Prague to urge her to return but soon finds himself helping the Mitchell siblings prepare Kindertransports bound for the safety of England while threats of German occupation escalate. As Amity and Clark race to save innocent lives, God is drawing them closer to each other.

The Warrior Maiden by Melanie Dickerson

1423 – Lithuania

She knows women are expected to marry, cook, and have children, not go to war. Can she manage to stay alive, save her mother, and keep the handsome son of a duke from discovering her secret?

When Mulan takes her father’s place in battle against the besieging Teutonic Knights, she realizes she has been preparing for this journey her whole life—and that her life, and her mother’s, depends on her success. As the adopted daughter of poor parents, Mulan has little power in the world. If she can’t prove herself on the battlefield, she could face death—or, perhaps worse, marriage to the village butcher.

Disguised as a young man, Mulan meets the German duke’s son, Wolfgang, who is determined to save his people even if it means fighting against his own brother. Wolfgang is exasperated by the new soldier who seems to be one step away from disaster at all times—or showing him up in embarrassing ways.

From rivals to reluctant friends, Mulan and Wolfgang begin to share secrets. But war is an uncertain time and dreams can die as quickly as they are born. When Mulan receives word of danger back home, she must make the ultimate choice. Can she be the son her bitter father never had? Or will she become the strong young woman she was created to be?

This fresh reimagining of the classic tale takes us to fifteenth-century Lithuania where both love and war challenge the strongest of hearts.

Sold into Freedom by Carole Towriss

49 – Macedonia

Taught to hear messages from the goddess from a young age, Elantia’s life is shattered when she is captured from her home in southwest Britannia and sold as a slave in Macedonia. She wants nothing more than to escape and return home—after she kills the man who took the only good thing left in her life.

Tossed aside by the Empire, wounded tribune Quintus Valerius ends up in sleepy Philippi to retire. Manipulated into becoming the prison keeper, he vows to return to Rome as soon as possible to reclaim his reputation and his life. He is intrigued by the quiet Jewish teacher who speaks of truth and peace, but is convinced he can never have either.

When Elantia’s shocking actions shake up the town and her life is threatened, Quintus risks what little he has left to save her—only to put Paulos and his friends in even greater danger.

Lydia, Woman of Philippi by Diana Wallis Taylor

First Century – Macedonia

Smart, strong, and a follower of the Jewish God, Lydia has nonetheless always quietly conformed to the expectations of the wealthy Roman society surrounding her. Even though married off at fifteen to a man she dislikes, she is determined to be a faithful wife. But when her husband is killed some years later, Lydia vows never to remarry and returns to her father’s house in Thyatira with her twelve-year-old daughter. There, a new life begins to emerge.

As she is trained in the family dye business, Lydia’s shrewd management quickly creates profit, prestige—and envy. At odds with her jealous brother, who is a staunch Roman and can’t understand her obsession with the Jewish religion, Lydia finds herself yet again at the mercy of a patriarchal society. Will fleeing to Philippi be enough to protect herself and those under her care? Will she keep her vow to widowhood when a handsome Greek God-fearer turns out to be more than just an employee? And when she meets a strange man named Paul the apostle by the river one Sabbath day, will Lydia have the courage to once more let her life be dramatically changed—this time forever?

The Medallion by Cathy Gohlke

1939 – Poland

Seemingly overnight, the German blitzkrieg of Warsaw in 1939 turns its streets to a war zone and shatters the life of each citizen―Polish, Jewish, or otherwise. Sophie Kumiega, a British bride working in the city’s library, awaits news of her husband, Janek, recently deployed with the Polish Air Force. Though Sophie is determined that she and the baby in her womb will stay safe, the days ahead will draw her into the plight of those around her, compelling her to help, whatever the danger.

Rosa and Itzhak Dunovich never imagined they would welcome their longed-for first child in the Jewish ghetto, or that they would let anything tear their family apart. But as daily atrocities intensify, Rosa soon faces a terrifying reality: to save their daughter’s life, she must send her into hiding. Her only hope of finding her after the war―if any of them survive―is a medallion she cuts in half and places around her neck.

Inspired by true events of Poland’s darkest days and brightest heroes, The Medallion paints a stunning portrait of war and its aftermath, daring us to believe that when all seems lost, God can make a way forward.

When the Heart Sings by Liz Tolsma

1943 – Poland

Natia has a secret—and she’s hiding him right beneath her captor’s nose.

In 1943 Poland, the Nazis have forced Natia and Teodor from their peaceful farm to the harsh confines of a labor camp. When the couple is separated, Natia is chosen to be the housekeeper for the camp’s overseer, and Teodor is sent to work in the factory. Despite the strict camp rules—and the consequences for disobeying them—Natia finds a way to communicate with Teodor by sending messages through song as she passes Teodor’s dormitory.

The stakes get higher when Natia finds a Jewish orphan on the overseer’s doorstep. She is determined to protect the boy and raise him as the child she and her husband were unable to bear—but if her German captors discover how much she’s hiding, both she and Teodor may pay the ultimate price. . .

Auschwitz Lullaby by Mario Escobar

1943 – Poland

Auschwitz Lullaby brings to life the story of Helene Hannemann—a woman who sacrificed everything for family and fought furiously for the children she hoped to save.

On an otherwise ordinary morning in 1943, Helene Hannemann is preparing her five children for the day when the German police arrive at her home. Helene’s worst fears come true when the police, under strict orders from the SS, demand that her children and husband, all of Romani heritage, be taken into custody. Though Helene is German and safe from the forces invading her home, she refuses to leave her family—sealing her fate in a way she never could have imagined.

After a terrifying trek across the continent, Helene and her family arrive at Auschwitz and are thrown into the chaos of the camp. Her husband, Johann, is separated from them, but Helene remains fiercely protective of her children and those around her. When the powers-that-be discover that Helene is not only a German but also a trained nurse, she is forced into service at the camp hospital, which is overseen by the notorious Dr. Mengele himself.

Helene is under no illusions in terms of Dr. Mengele’s intentions, but she agrees to cooperate when he asks her to organize a day care and school for the Romani children in the camp. Though physically and emotionally brutalized by the conditions at Auschwitz, Helene musters the strength to protect the children in her care at any cost. Through sheer force of will, Helene provides a haven for the children of Auschwitz—an act of kindness and selflessness so great that it illuminates the darkest night of human history.

Based on a true story, Mario Escobar’s Auschwitz Lullaby demonstrates the power of sacrifice and the strength of human dignity—even when all hope seems lost.

forsuchatime 1944 – Poland (German Occupied)

In 1944, blond and blue-eyed Jewess Hadassah Benjamin feels abandoned by God when she is saved from a firing squad only to be handed over to a new enemy. Pressed into service by SS-Kommandant Colonel Aric von Schmidt at the transit camp of Theresienstadt in Czechoslovakia, she is able to hide behind the false identity of Stella Muller. However, in order to survive and maintain her cover as Aric’s secretary, she is forced to stand by as her own people are sent to Auschwitz.

Suspecting her employer is a man of hidden depths and sympathies, Stella cautiously appeals to him on behalf of those in the camp. Aric’s compassion gives her hope, and she finds herself battling a growing attraction for this man she knows she should despise as an enemy.

Stella pours herself into her efforts to keep even some of the camp’s prisoners safe, but she risks the revelation of her true identity with every attempt. When her bravery brings her to the point of the ultimate sacrifice, she has only her faith to lean upon. Perhaps God has placed her there for such a time as this, but how can she save her people when she is unable to save herself?

London Refrain by Bodie and Brock Thoene

1939 – Poland

England teeters on the brink of war.
It’s no longer a question of if. It’s a matter of when.

In the dark fall of 1939, the hopes of the Polish people fade as Nazi bombers strafe the beloved city of Warsaw. Politicians debate while hundreds stand in lines at the British Embassy, desperate to flee the country before Hitler’s ground forces arrive.

Mac McGrath, a veteran American photographer, recorded the landslide toward war with dedication, believing that if he told the truth, the world would rise up and put a stop to Hitler’s evil plans. Now his foolish idealism embarrasses him.

Outside the embassy gates, Jewish schoolteacher Eva Weitzman prays for a miracle. Without a British passport, she will fall into the Nazis’ clutches.

Who will live and who will die? Will anyone dare to stand against the apathy of nations?

Like a River from Its Course by Kelli Stuart

1941 – Ukraine

An epic novel exposing the ugliness of war and the beauty of hopeThe city of Kiev was bombed in Hitler’s blitzkrieg across the Soviet Union, but the constant siege was only the beginning for her citizens. In this sweeping historical saga, Kelli Stuart takes the reader on a captivating journey into the little—known history of Ukraine’s tragedies through the eyes of four compelling characters who experience the same story from different perspectives.

Maria Ivanovna is only fourteen when the bombing begins and not much older when she is forced into work at a German labor camp. She must fight to survive and to make her way back to her beloved Ukraine.

Ivan Kyrilovich is falsely mistaken for a Jew and lined up with 34,000 other men, women, and children who are to be shot at the edge of Babi Yar, the “killing ditch.” He survives, but not without devastating consequences.

Luda is sixteen when German soldiers rape her. Now pregnant with the child of the enemy, she is abandoned by her father, alone, and in pain. She must learn to trust family and friends again and find her own strength in order to discover the redemption that awaits.

Frederick Hermann is sure in his knowledge that the Führer’s plans for domination are right and just. He is driven to succeed by a desire to please a demanding father and by his own blind faith in the ideals of Nazism. Based on true stories gathered from fifteen years of research and interviews with Ukrainian World War II survivors, Like a River from Its Course is a story of love, war, heartache, forgiveness, and redemption.

Then Sings My Soul by Amy K Sorrells

1900s/1990s – Ukraine/Michigan

1904, Chudniv, Ukraine. Playing hide-and-seek in bucolic fields of sunflowers, young Jakob never imagines the horrific secrets he will carry as he and his brother escape through genocide-ridden Eastern Europe.

1994, South Haven, Michigan. At age 94, time is running out for any hope that Jakob can be free from his burden of guilt.

When Jakob’s wife dies, he and his daughter, Nel, are forced to face the realities of his worsening dementia—including a near-naked, midnight jaunt down the middle of main street—as well as emerging shadows Nel had no idea lay beneath her father’s beloved, curmudgeonly ways.

While Nel navigates the restoration and sale of Jakob’s dilapidated lake house, her high school sweetheart shows up in town, along with unexpected correspondence from Ukraine. And when she discovers a mysterious gemstone in Jakob’s old lapidary room, Jakob’s condition worsens as he begins having flashbacks about his baby sister from nearly a century past.

As father and daughter race against time to discover the truth behind Jackob’s fragmented memories, the God they have both been running from shows that he redeems not only broken years, but also the future.

What recommendations do you have? What do you hope to read?

RCR: Keturah by Lisa T. Bergren and other Reads

by Crystal Caudill | Mar 31, 2022 | Book Reviews, Reading Challenge

We’ve finished the third month of the Unlocking the Past 2022 Reading Challenge: Around the World. This month we traveled to the Caribbean, and my choice of story was Keturah by Lisa T. Bergren. Once you read my review, don’t forget to comment to be entered for your chance to win a copy. Interested in other Caribbean reads? Among the Reads has a great list here: https://amongthereads.net/book-setting/caribbean/

*Want more interaction and/or suggestions each month? Join the Facebook Group. Want a bookmark with the monthly themes? Fill out this Google Form. Need a reminder on the details of the challenge? Go to the Unlocking the Past Reading Challenge page.*

Keturah

by Lisa T. Bergren

I’ll have to admit, this one was a heavier read than I expected. I enjoyed it, but it was not a relaxing read for me. Keturah faced many challenges both past and present and was surrounded by a hard-to-watch culture of slavery. It is good as a reader to see these things and have a better understanding of the suffering endured at the hand of greed, but probably not my best choice read while already stressed out. Keturah handled it all with grace though, and her struggles were believably dealt with. I enjoyed the read, despite being stressed as I read it, but I probably would have enjoyed it more at a different period of life when not quite so stressed already. There were heavy topics addressed: slavery, marital abuse, and an affair, although the affair was lightly touched upon.

I recommend this story to those who enjoy true-to-life stories of struggle, slavery, recovery from abuse, light-touch romances with gentle heroes, and stories set in exotic locations and times.

Genre: Historical Romance, 1770s Caribbean Islands

Plot Overview:

In 1773 England, Lady Keturah Banning Tomlinson and her sisters find themselves the heiresses of their father’s estates and know they have one option: Go to the West Indies to save what is left of their heritage.

Although it flies against all the conventions for women of the time, they’re determined to make their own way in the world. But once they arrive in the Caribbean, proper gender roles are the least of their concerns. On the infamous island of Nevis, the sisters discover the legacy of the legendary sugar barons has vastly declined–and that’s just the start of what their eyes are opened to in this unfamiliar world.

Keturah never intends to put herself at the mercy of a man again, but every man on the island seems to be trying to win her hand and, with it, the ownership of her plantation. She could desperately use an ally, but even an unexpected reunion with a childhood friend leaves her questioning his motives.

Set on keeping her family together and saving her father’s plantation, can Keturah ever surrender her stubbornness and guarded heart to God and find the healing and love awaiting her?

What I loved: As hard as it was to read, I really appreciated the view of life for the black population of the Caribbean islands and what they endured. Fiction is always good for helping us to understand the plight of others.

Favorite Character and Why: Verity. I am really looking forward to her story. She seemed steady, owned a falcon, and she knew her mind.

Who would like this? I recommend this story to those who enjoy true-to-life stories of struggle, slavery, recovery from abuse, light-touch romances with gentle heroes, and stories set in exotic locations and times.

PURCHASE LINKS

Amazon Baker Bookhouse Barnes & Noble Books-a-Million Book Depository Bookshop.org Christianbook.com Indiebound.org

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 April 7th 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

What did you read for March’s Challenge? What do you hope to read in April?

March 2022 Reading Challenge Suggestions

by Crystal Caudill | Mar 1, 2022 | Reading Challenge

Welcome to the third month of the Unlocking the Past 2022 Reading Challenge: Around the World. This month focuses on books that take place in the Caribbean. While I will generally focus on Historical Fiction novels, I have included plenty of contemporary options as well. The majority of recommendations come from https://inspirationalhistoricalfiction.com/, other readers, or other authors. Especially don’t forget to check out my partner’s website, http://amongthereads.net/. The books aren’t broken down by country, but you can find all sorts of wonderful reads. If none of these suggestions appeal to you, I highly recommend joining the Avid Readers Facebook Group and asking for their recommendations. They are AMAZING and your TBR pile will never be the same.

Add your suggestions in the comments, and/or tell me what you are reading. Have you read any of these below?

Monthly Reminders:

*If you read a book for February, don’t forget to go to yesterday’s post to comment and get your name entered for your chance to win a print copy. (You’ll also earn your entry for the end of the year giveaway.)

*You can also join the Facebook Group. for more interaction and suggestions, or if you’d like a bookmark to remind you of the monthly challenges, fill out this Google Form.

In a Pirate’s Debt by Elva Cobb Martin

1720 – Jamaica

Saving her can land him in a hangman’s noose at low tide in Charles Town Harbor. Repaying her debt to him will consign her to a life worse than death.

When confronted with a forced marriage, Travay Allston flees her stepfather’s Jamaica plantation and dives into the sea. Death would be preferable to life with Sir Roger Poole, a drinking, gambling, scoundrel whose advances make her skin crawl.

Lucas sails the high seas as the dreaded Captain Bloodstone. He is on a quest to find his mother, a woman last seen clapped in irons by the Spanish. As his ship slips past Jamaica, he spies a young woman plunge into the sea. A prize of such beauty must be saved and Lucas dives in to rescue her. The last thing Lucas needs is to get involved with Travay, a childhood friend who caused him nothing but trouble. Especially now that she’s become a stubborn, alluring young woman.

Lucas delivers Travay to her aunt in Charles Town and washes his hands of the affair. Or so he thinks. But when Sir Roger shows up demanding that Travay marry him or face the wrath of Charles Town’s newest council member, Lucas feels that familiar boyhood tug on his heart. Will this wanted pirate of the crown risk his life to save Travay a second time? Betrothed to a man she hates, will Travay repay her debt to a pirate by marrying Sir Roger in exchange for his promise to pardon Lucas? And if she does, will such a rascal keep his word? Falling in love with the pirate was never part of her plan …

The Restitution by Marylu Tyndall

1669 – Jamaica

A woman’s desperate search for her kidnapped child A father seeking forgiveness for an unconscionable act Only when they join forces, can they save their son Lady Isabel Ashton longs to marry a nobleman and live out her days in the wealth and privilege she is accustomed to as the daughter of an earl. But her plans went awry when she was kidnapped and ravished by a notorious pirate captain. Scorned by society and banished by her family to live on the island of Jamaica, Isabel decides to keep her baby. But then her precious child is kidnapped. Desperate to find him, Isabel soon discovers she must accept the help of the one man she hates most in the world–the boy’s father. Determined to win the heart and forgiveness of the woman he ravished, Captain Kent Carlton searches every port in the Caribbean for Isabel. Drowning his sorrows in rum and cards, he has all but given up when an acquaintance informs him, first of the child’s existence, and then of the kidnapping and Isabel’s whereabouts. Thrilled Isabel agrees to accept his help, Kent soon finds himself involved in a plot of deception and revenge that threaten to destroy both him and Isabel and keep them from their son forever.

Port Royal by Linda Chaikin

1700s – Jamaica

As the Caribbean Sea teems with piracy and privateering, Captain Baret “Foxworth” Buckington searches for his father. Though declared legally dead, Baret is certain his father is alive, perhaps being held prisoner. Willing to jeopardize his title, his inheritance, and his life in order to find his father, he sets sail and swears vengeance upon Spain.

Amidst the slavery, brutality, and cruel gossip on a Jamican Sugar estate, Miss Emerald Harwick seeks an escape. Rejected by her father’s wealthy family, Emerald is constantly reminded of her deceased mother’s notorious reputation and her father’s escapades on the high seas. Only two things keep her going—working in the Christian Singing School and her plans to secretly marry an indentured servant. In desperation, they plan to leave Jamaica. But Emerald’s father has other plans!

As their paths intertwine, Emerald and Baret set out on a journey filled with danger, intrigue, and romance.

The Duke’s Refuge (The Leeward Islands Series) by Lorri Dudley

When love comes in a tempest, who knew it would wear pink?

Georgia Lennox has traded in her boyish ways for pink gowns and a coy smile to capture the eye of the Earl of Claremont. However, on the day she’s convinced the earl will propose, Georgia is shipped off to the Leeward Islands to care for her ailing father. But when she arrives on Nevis, the last thing she expects is to learn that her abrupt departure was not at her father’s bidding but that of the infuriating, yet captivating, island schoolmaster. And now her plans may well be shipwrecked.

Harrison Wells is haunted by the memories of his deceased wife and hunted by the subsequent women who aspire to be the next Duchess of Linton. Desiring anonymity, he finds sanctuary in the Leeward island of Nevis. He’s willing to sacrifice his ducal title for a schoolmaster’s life and the solace the island provides. That is until unrest finds its way to Nevis in a storm of pink chiffon—Miss Georgia Lennox.

As Georgia and Harrison’s aspirations break apart like a ship cast upon the rocks, a new love surfaces, but secrets and circumstances drag them into rough waters. Can they surrender their hearts to a love that defies their expectations.

A Bound Heart by Laura Frantz

A Bound Heart by [Laura Frantz] Though Magnus MacLeish and Lark MacDougall grew up on the same castle grounds, Magnus is now laird of the great house and the Isle of Kerrera. Lark is but the keeper of his bees and the woman he is hoping will provide a tincture that might help his ailing wife conceive and bear him an heir. But when his wife dies suddenly, Magnus and Lark find themselves caught up in a whirlwind of accusations, expelled from their beloved island, and sold as indentured servants across the Atlantic. Yet even when all hope seems dashed against the rocky coastline of the Virginia colony, it may be that in this New World the two of them could make a new beginning–together.

Laura Frantz’s prose sparkles with authenticity and deep feeling as she digs into her own family history to share this breathless tale of love, exile, and courage in Colonial America.

May 2022 Reading Challenge Suggestions

Add your suggestions in the comments, and/or tell me what you are reading. Have you read any of these below?

RCR: The Refrain Within by Liz Tolsma

The Refrain Within

by Liz Tolsma

Giveaway

What did you read for April’s Challenge? What do you hope to read in May?

April 2022 Reading Challenge Suggestions

Add your suggestions in the comments, and/or tell me what you are reading. Have you read any of these below?

What recommendations do you have? What do you hope to read?

RCR: Keturah by Lisa T. Bergren and other Reads

Keturah

by Lisa T. Bergren

Giveaway

What did you read for March’s Challenge? What do you hope to read in April?

March 2022 Reading Challenge Suggestions

Add your suggestions in the comments, and/or tell me what you are reading. Have you read any of these below?

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