by Crystal Caudill | Sep 16, 2020 | Book Reviews
A Gilded Lady by Elizabeth Camden
I simply could not wait to read this story, especially when I discovered the hero was a Secret Service agent. The male POV of The Spice King enthralled me and I couldn’t wait to get inside the head of a Secret Service operative, especially during the early days of their protecting the president. As always, Elizabeth Camden brought a historical and political backdrop that brought this story to life in ways no other author could. I have a deeper understanding not just of the characters of that time but also the history of our nation. It was truly fascinating. Especially seeing Caroline Delacroix’s role in the White House and shepherding Mrs. McKinley through her social and political life was truly fun. The Spice King is still my favorite of the two, but I really enjoyed The Gilded Lady. I highly recommend this book to readers who love a fully developed historical setting, stories with flawed but admirable characters, and romances that take their time with plenty of sparring.
Genre: Historical Romance, Washington D.C., 1900
Plot Overview:
Caroline Delacroix is at the pinnacle of Washington high society in her role as secretary to the first lady of the United States. But beneath the facade of her beauty, glamorous wardrobe, and dazzling personality, she’s hiding a terrible secret. If she cannot untangle a web of foreign espionage, her brother will face execution for treason.
Nathaniel Trask is the newly appointed head of the president’s Secret Service team. He is immediately suspicious of Caroline despite his overwhelming attraction to her quick wit and undeniable charm. Desperate to keep the president protected, Nathaniel must battle to keep his focus fully on his job as the threat to the president rises.
Amid the glamorous pageantry of Gilded Age Washington, DC, Caroline and Nathaniel will face adventure, danger, and heartbreak in a race against time that will span the continent and the depth of human emotion.
What I loved: Elizabeth Camden never fails to take my breath away with the full breadth of her writing. It’s not just a story, it’s history coming alive in ways I never understood. I particularly loved the depth of character of Caroline. She isn’t the woman you expect, but in a way she is. It was a joy to get to know her and connect with her, even if I don’t share many of her interests.
Favorite Character and Why: Caroline was an incredibly complex woman. I loved all the layers to her, the struggles she faced, and the pure humanness of her. It was so good to see he POV of things and the devotion she has to her twin brother Luke.
Rating and Why: Five Stars. The full breadth of history is astounding, and the way Elizabeth Camden presents it is engaging and believable. The romance was believable and I loved all the little squabbles sprinkled throughout. Oh! And Mrs. McKinley was a hoot to get to know. I am so glad I did not have Caroline’s job.
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by Crystal Caudill | Aug 13, 2019 | Writer's Life
So I had intended to post my review of Yours Truly, Thomas this week, but God woke me up at 2:30 in the morning and wouldn’t let me go until I wrote this…and I think it will apply to everyone out there on some level.
So in case you are feeling rejected, unworthy, and unwanted, you’re not alone.
Yesterday I received a rejection on my manuscript…again. The simple answer is I only need one “Yes” to move me from “aspiring” author to “published” author, but the reality is the “No” still hurts.
And it hurts no matter what form it comes in, whether it be a rejection in a relationship, career, or long awaited goal…because deep down, we all want to be accepted and loved by our peers. I know God wants to be King of our Heart and that we should not value other’s opinion of ourselves (or our writing) above HIS opinion. But the human condition, such as it is, struggles and still hungers for the approval of others.
Maybe this is just the revelation of my sinful heart. In fact, I know it is. But the first step in changing is accepting you have a problem, and so I stand here before you saying I have a People Problem. I’m a people pleaser.
Yet, I’ve always felt like the square peg trying to fit into the round hole. Oh, everyone likes me well enough, but I never seem to quite fit in. When everyone was reading Harry Potter (I did try people) and romance novels, I was reading stories like The Three Musketeers, Treasure Island, War of the Worlds. When romance authors today do polls of their favorite romance movies or novels, I’m woefully ill-equipped. I’ve not seen most of them, and the ones I did see were snarky and sarcastic (Ten Things I Hate About You). The only classic romance novels I read were Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and a few required reading at school. While I enjoyed them well enough, it’s the adventure stories that draw me.
I love the action of battles between good and evil. The romance of the hero rescuing the girl, or even the girl rescuing the guy. I like complex stories that engage the mind. Movies like Now You See Me and The Tourist.
Kiss scenes gross me out. I seriously cannot watch them…and I’m a married woman, for heaven’s sake! My husband is the romantic one, and while I love it, I don’t seem to have the same knack for it as him. And I feel awful, because it doesn’t mean I love him any less, I just am not good at creating surprises for him that are romantic.
I feel so woefully out of place in this world, and yet, I’m supposed to market myself? Get people interested in what I have to say? There is a quote I wish I could use from a dear friend’s manuscript here, but since it’s yet unpublished I can’t. Suffice it to say, she taught me, it’s not the words I have to say, but the words Christ has to say through me.
May the stories that well up from within me come from His precious place. Because I am not enough, and I think that is the point.
We are not enough…without Him.
We are not good enough, because only He is.
My words will fail and be forgotten, but His words have stood the test of time, crossed barriers they should have never crossed, and been spread across the world and cultures despite strong suppression in many places.
I’m still hurting. I still have no idea where I fit in this marketing world. I still feel like my crazy story ideas are square pegs trying to fit into round holes. But I’m choosing to rest in His words.
Specifically, in Psalm 139.
So if you are like me, and you struggle to find your worth, whether it be in the midst of a relationship or career rejection, or just in the midst of living everyday life, this Psalm is for you. It was written with YOU in mind. And even if you have read it a million times, slow down, read it out loud word for word, and really soak it in.
Any emphasis below is my own, but I encourage you to pray over it. To write His words on your heart.
Psalm 139
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
1 You have searched me, Lord,
and YOU KNOW me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
YOU PERCEIVE MY THOUGHTS from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH ALL MY WAYS.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it COMPLETELY.
5 YOU HEM ME IN behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
7 WHERE CAN I GO FROM YOUR SPIRIT?
WHERE CAN I FLEE FROM YOUR PRESENCE?
8 If I go up to the heavens, YOU ARE THERE;
if I make my bed in the depths, YOU ARE THERE.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
YOUR RIGHT HAND WILL HOLD ME FAST.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
FOR DARKNESS IS AS LIGHT TO YOU.
13 For YOU CREATED MY INMOST BEING;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I AM FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE;
your works are WONDERFUL,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
ALL THE DAYS ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.
…
23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and KNOW MY ANXIOUS THOUGHTS.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
by Crystal Caudill | Jun 26, 2018 | Author Interviews
Hello, friends! I am so excited to introduce to you one my dear friends and critique partners, Kelly Goshorn. She is an amazing, generous, loving woman who I am so blessed to know. This month her debut novel, A Love Restored, releases and let me tell you, it is a sweet read… but more on that next week. Allow me to introduce you to Kelly.
Kelly Goshorn weaves her affinity for history and her passion for God into uplifting stories of love, faith, and family set in 19th century America. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. Kelly has been enjoying her own happily-ever-after with her husband and best friend, Mike, for 28 years. Together they have raised three children, four cats, two dogs, a turtle, a guinea pig, a gecko, and countless hamsters. Thankfully, not all at the same time. When she is not writing, Kelly enjoys spending time with her young adult children, scrapbooking with friends, board gaming with her husband, and spoiling her Welsh corgi, Levi. Her debut novel, A Love Restored, releases June 29th from Pelican Book Group.
Sweet or Unsweet Tea?
Kelly: Unsweet
Crystal: I’m with you there.
Beach Vacation or Mountain Getaway?
Kelly: Definitely mountains
Crystal: And yours are beautiful to drive through in the fall!
Homebody or Love to Travel?
Kelly: Travel
Crystal: Road trips all the way!
Morning Person or Night Owl?
Kelly: Morning person—VERY early morning. Alarm usually goes off around 4:30 or 4:45.
Crystal: Ugh! I admire you, lady.
Bookmark or Dog-ear Pages?
Kelly: Dog Ear. I write in books and highlight lines I love! Is that sacrilege?
Crystal: Yes, it is, but we forgive you. 😉
Kelly Goshhorn – The Person
What do you like to do when you aren’t reading or writing?
Kelly: I enjoy scrapbooking and cardmaking, though I don’t do that as often as I’d like. Hubby and I enjoy watching movies and BBC programs together as well as going to the theater and playing board games. Living in Virginia, I’m blessed to be within a short driving distance to many historical landmarks. I love planning day trips to battlefields, historical sites, museums, etc. I also enjoy walking my dog several times a day and I’m hoping to begin hiking on some of the nearby mountain trails.
Crystal: I knew there was a reason we were friends. 🙂 We must plan a history trip together.
What has God taught you along your publication journey?
Kelly: My writing journey began with a simple prayer for the Lord to give me a passion. I’d grown weary of childcare and knew it was time to step out into something new but really had no direction. I NEVER saw the writing 
thing coming. I merely began tinkering with a story in my free time, mimicking my son who loved to write and has the goal of being a published author. It was something to fill time while I was waiting on the Lord. Or so I thought. The more I fiddled with the words, the more I enjoyed the process. It didn’t take long for my hidden hobby to become a God-given passion and the answer to our prayers.
But the journey that lay ahead would not only prove to be challenging from a craft point of view, it would require me to face my biggest personal and spiritual obstacle—the fear of failure. In true God fashion, He led me where I needed to be, not necessarily where I wanted to be. Over the next few years, I would be repeatedly plagued with crippling self-doubt and the fear of rejection. What if I mastered the craft, stepped out in faith, and there was no contract? What would that mean for my writing? For my faith?
Conviction set in. I had to pour out my heart and confess to God that I believed He would meet others needs but not necessarily my own. I repented for believing that the finishing work of the cross wasn’t enough. That I didn’t trust He was faithful to do what He said He would do—for me.
The result has been liberating. What I discovered is that God sees not only who we are, but who we can be when we place our trust in Him. He calls us to tackle our biggest obstacles so that we can rest in total dependence on Him.
Crystal: What a beautiful testimony. It truly brings tears to my eyes. God loves us so much.
As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?
Kelly: As long as I can remember I wanted to be a teacher. I remember playing school very intensely with name cards for each of the ten students in my class set out on cardboard boxes in the basement. My friend and I would spend hours planning lessons and making worksheets with carbon paper (man, does that ever date me). We would fill them out, grade them and record the grades in our homemade gradebooks.
Crystal: I love this picture of you! I had no idea. (And carbon paper… sigh, I’m with you there. When did we get so old?)
A Love Restored
You once said this story parallels your own love story. Can you share a little bit about that?
Kelly: You’re right, Crystal. A Love Restored is based on the true-life romance between my husband and myself, with all its ups and downs, including our tumultuous break-up. (no more about that here, you’ll have to read the story if you want to know the details). I set the story in the 1870s because I’m a history geek. Like my fuller-figured heroine, I’ve struggled with weight issues my entire life and that struggle plays an important part in our story. My own journey to self-acceptance and what a loving God will do to grab a stubborn woman’s attention is pivotal to the storyline.
But A Love Restored is not only a story of love, romance, heartache and restoration, but also a story about the power of words over our lives. It is a story about the struggle each of us faces to take our thoughts captive to the truth of Scripture so we may experience the fullness of God’s unequivocal love for us. As my husband and I discovered, it is only then that we are truly able to give and receive love, unconditionally.
Crystal: I love how God uses our stories and struggles to reach out to others with such a powerful message. This will be a powerful story that will touch many lives.
What is your writing Kryptonite?
Kelly: The blank page. I would much rather edit, tweak and polish than fill an empty page. I can usually get the first six or seven chapters out without much trouble but since I’m a panster, sometimes it’s a real slugfest.
Crystal: I getcha! Sometimes I’ll fill a whole page with random letters or cut and paste old work in just so I am not looking at a blank page. (Oops, did I just admit that?)
What did you edit out of this book?
Kelly: My first draft was 116,000 words! Needless to say, A Love Restored was put on a diet and is now a much trimmer 92,000 words. I had several chapters where Ben and Ruth Ann traveled to Pennsylvania to meet his parents. This led to some comical moments because she was raised with household help and Benjamin teaches her how to milk a cow and gather the eggs. I also had a great deal of unnecessary backstory about Benjamin’s life in Texas before he came to Virginia and several flashbacks to his service in the Union Army.
Crystal: An important slimming, but I will miss getting to see some of that information.
And of course, no Write Call Interview is complete without our fun question!
As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot? Why?
Kelly: What a great question! Although many would assume I’d choose a corgi because I’m more than a little obsessed with my dog, I think I’d have to say a turtle. I’m the slowest writer to ever grace the planet earth. But like the turtle, I keep plodding along “slow and steady” until I type “The End.” Team turtle for the win!
Crystal: I LOVE turtles! Especially of the Teenage Mutant Ninja variety. (Tee hee hee. You know I had to sneak that in.)
Thank you so much for sacrificing time from your busy schedule to complete this interview. I am so proud of you and excited for your release.
Friends, keep reading below to find out more about A Love Restored, connect with Kelly, and a chance to enter to win an e-copy of A Love Restored.
Connect with Kelly Goshorn
Her website: http://kellygoshorn.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kelly.j.goshorn/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KellyGoshorn
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/KellyGoshorn/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellyjgoshorn/
A Love Restored
She was nothing like the woman he’d envisioned for his bride, but he was everything she’d ever dreamed of—until a promise from his past threatened their future.
Twenty-year old Ruth Ann Sutton doesn’t measure up to society’s vision of a perfect lady. She would rather read Jules Verne or teach Negro children to read and write than join the Women’s Benevolent Aid Society or practice her voice lessons. Her pert opinions and less than perfect figure keep many suitors away. When Ruth Ann accepts a position teaching at the new Freedman’s School, it threatens the only marriage offer she is likely to receive. Should she risk life as a lonely spinster or reinvent herself to accept a proposal from a man she does not love?
Determined to rise above his meager beginnings, Benjamin Coulter’s reputation as a fast learner and hard worker earn him the opportunity to apprentice with a surveyor for the railroad—a position that will garner the respect of other men. All he needs now is a woman to share his promising future. When Benjamin has a chance encounter with Ruth Ann Sutton, he is smitten with her pretty face, quick wit, and feisty personality. When others ridicule his choice, Benjamin must decide whether he will listen to his heart or put ambition first.
Purchase Links:
Amazon Barnes and Noble
Rafflecopter Giveaway
Here it is! The time you all have been waiting for. Enter for your chance to win an e-copy of A Love Restored. Just comment below AND use the Rafflecopter link below to enter. Entries are open Tuesday 12 AM (EST) 6/26/2018 and close on Monday, 7/3/2108, at 11:59 PM (EST). Winner will be announced on the A Love Restored Review.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
*Legal Jargon: No Purchase is necessary. This contest is open to all readers in the world, 18 years and older who are legally allowed to participate in such a giveaway as allowed by their local laws. The Write Call does not exchange prizes for reviews. Reviews are appreciated, but not required.*
by Crystal Caudill | May 29, 2018 | Author Interviews
The writing community is a wonderful place where you get the chance to not only interact with other authors you know but also get introduced to amazing authors entering the published world. Tara Johnson is one of those amazing meets for me. She is an amazing, loving woman who faces the challenges set before her with grace, faith, and honesty. It is my privilege to introduce you her today. (And don’t forget to read all the way to the end for a chance to win either an e-copy or a physical copy of her debut novel, Engraved on the Heart.)
Tara Johnson is an author, speaker and singer from Alexander, AR. A passionate lover of stories, she loves to travel to churches, ladies retreats and prisons to share how God led her into freedom after spending years living shackled as a people-pleasing preacher’s kid.
She and her husband Todd have been married for twenty years and the Lord has blessed them with five children: Bethany, Callie, Nate, as well as Taylor Lynn and Morgan Lane who are with Jesus.
Thank you so much, Tara, for joining me on The Write Call. Now it’s time for fun. *Rubs hands excitement.*
Sweet or Unsweet Tea?
Tara: Sweet tea. I’m a Southern girl.
Crystal: And you haven’t had true sweet tea until you’ve had it made from a southerner! 🙂
Beach Vacation or Mountain Getaway?
Tara: Both! I’m originally from Oregon so I was spoiled by having mountains and the ocean next to each other. If I’m at a beach, I want it to be a cold beach next to rocky cliffs. The coastline of northern Oregon or the North Devon coast in Great Britain is my idea of a perfect getaway.
Crystal: That does sound perfect.
Homebody or Love to Travel?
Tara: I love to travel, but my happy place is to be at home surrounded by my family and puttering around in my garden.
Crystal: I have a black thumb, but I certainly love seeing other people’s beautiful gardens.
Morning Person or Night Owl?
Tara: Morning person. By 9:00 pm, my brain is shutting down.
Crystal: Bless the morning people, for I don’t know how you do it!
Bookmark or Dog-ear Pages?
Tara: Dog-ear. I’m always losing bookmarks.
Crystal: It’s okay, we forgive you. 😉
Tara Johnson – the Person
What is your favorite Bible verse? Why?
Tara: I have too many to count. I love how God uses His Word to speak directly to me for whatever season and situation I’m in. I can tell you several I continually return to for comfort and guidance. The entirety of Psalm 139 has a very special place in my heart. God has used it to assure me of His love time and time again. Jeremiah 33:3 is another special verse. “Call to Me and I will answer you, and tell you [and even show you] great and mighty things, [things which have been confined and hidden], which you do not know and understand.”
Crystal: A great verse to be sure! And very comforting.
You have a ministry outside of writing books. Would you tell us a little bit about that ministry and how you are involved?
Tara: I have a speaking ministry that focuses on helping those struggling with people-pleasing, fear and depression. I grew up as a preacher’s kid and became a ranting, raving people pleaser. I fell for the lie that approval equals love. It took me a long time, and a horrible battle with depression, to realize the two aren’t the same at all. Approval and love are actually polar opposites. These days, I travel to ladies’ groups, churches and prisons to share how God led me into freedom from those lies. I love to share through music, comedy and stories.
Crystal: That is definitely a struggle for many, especially myself. Even with the Truth, it is so easy to fall back into those old ways.
What was the best advice someone ever gave you about writing, life, or anything that strikes your fancy?
Tara: Years ago, I heard Tamera Alexander give some wonderful advice in a class at the American Christian Fiction Writers conference. She said, “Your books are not your babies. They are products. They do not define your worth, nor are they crafted in perfection.” That was very wise advice. It takes the sting out of criticism when it’s time to edit and keeps me from holding those stories too close.
“Your books are not your babies. They are products. They do not define your worth, nor are they crafted in perfection.”
The other great piece of writing advice I received was this: the villain is always the hero in his own mind. Every person deals with wounds, fears and hurt. Remembering that helps me craft believable characters. It also gives me greater compassion when I’m dealing with cranky people. Ha!
Crystal: Very wise words from Tamera! And great advice for crafting a villain.
Engraved on the Heart
You once shared you had epilepsy, something your main character has. Do Keziah’s experiences reflect some of your own experiences?
Tara: Yes. It was very easy to put myself in Keziah’s place. I’ll never forget the shame that accompanied those moments in elementary school when I would find two dozen pairs of eyes staring at me in horror because I had a seizure. I remember how frustrating it was to find a chunk of time yawning like a black hole in my memory. And I remember the helplessness of having no control over my own body. Rather than avoid those old memories, I embraced them and placed them right into the story.
Crystal: It is hard when God makes us face those tough memories, but oh so beautiful when he changes them into ways that bless others.
Which character was the most fun to create? What makes them fun?
Tara: Ma Linnie. I based her off a real person, a woman who never had children of her own but embraced my brother and me and let us call her “Aunt Betty”. She was a hoot, with a bigger-than-life personality. Whenever I think of Aunt Betty, I smile.
Crystal: You did a great job with her. I think everyone wants a Ma Linnie in their life.
What was some of your favorite research you discovered while preparing for Engraved on the Heart?
Tara: All of it was intriguing. I love learning about the courageous women of the Civil War who served as spies and conductors. I found a treasure of a book called “Slave Narratives of Georgia”. It’s a documented record of interviews with former slaves at the end of the 19th century. The varying opinions among them about their former masters, their opinions of the war, the Union and Confederacy, as well as the people who helped them is fascinating. I was surprised by the vast difference of opinion among them. The research was fundamental in forming Hiriam’s character and backstory.
And no Write Call interview is complete without a fun question:
If you could travel anywhere without worry about cost, where would you travel?
Tara: I’m dying to visit Colonial Williamsburg, as well as explore Savannah again. I can never get enough of it. If money were no object, I would head to Italy in a heartbeat. I’ve always wanted to visit and absorb as much of the culture as possible.
Thank you so much, again, for giving up some time to visit with us. I am praying for you and this launch.
Friends, keep reading below to find out more about Engraved on the Heart, enter the giveaway, and answer your own travel question!
Connect with Tara Johnson:
Website: www.TaraJohnsonStories.com
Twitter: @TaraMinistry
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TaraLynnJohnsonAuthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tarajohnsonministry/
Engraved on the Heart
Reluctant debutante Keziah Montgomery lives beneath the weighty expectations of her staunch Confederate family, forced to keep her epilepsy secret for fear of a scandal. As the tensions of the Civil War arrive on their doorstep in Savannah, Keziah sees little cause for balls and courting. Despite her discomfort, she cannot imagine an escape from her familial confines—until her old schoolmate Micah shows her a life-changing truth that sets her feet on a new path . . . as a conductor in the Underground Railroad.
Dr. Micah Greyson never hesitates to answer the call of duty, no matter how dangerous, until the enchanting Keziah walks back into his life and turns his well-ordered plans upside down. Torn between the life he has always known in Savannah and the fight for abolition, Micah struggles to discern God’s plan amid such turbulent times.
Battling an angry fiancé, a war-tattered brother, bounty hunters, and their own personal demons, Keziah and Micah must decide if true love is worth the price . . . and if they are strong enough to survive the unyielding pain of war.
Preorder Links:
Amazon.com Barnes and Noble Christianbook.com
Rafflecopter Giveaway:
Alright, beloved readers, it is the time you all have been waiting for! This time I am giving the winner a copy of Engraved on the Heart (e-book or physical – your choice). Just comment below AND use the Rafflecopter link below to enter. Entries are open Tuesday 12 AM (EST) 5/29/2018 and close on Monday, 6/4/2108, at 11:59 PM (EST). Winner will be announced on the Engraved on the Heart Review the next day.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
*Legal Jargon: No Purchase is necessary. This contest is open to all readers in the world, 18 years and older who are legally allowed to participate in such a giveaway as allowed by their local laws. The Write Call does not exchange prizes for reviews. Reviews are appreciated, but not required.*
Join the Conversation: Where would you travel if you could travel anywhere?
by Crystal Caudill | Apr 24, 2018 | Book Reviews
Stories by: Erica Vetsch, Susanne Dietze, Cynthia Hickey, Marcia Gruver, Carrie Fancett Pagels, Martha Rogers, Lorna Seilstad, Connie Stevens, Jennifer Uhlarik
Genre: Historical Romance, 1865-1910
Plot Overview: There are nine stories of first loves being reunited and finding forever love together.
A first love is never easily forgotten…
and coming face to face with that person again can be awkward when the heartstrings are still holding on to the “what ifs.”
In settings from 1865 to 1910, nine couples are thrown back on the same path by life’s changes and challenges. A neighbor returns from law school. An heiress seeks a quick marriage. A soldier’s homecoming is painful. A family needs help. A prodigal son returns. A rogue aeronaut drops from the sky. A runaway bridegroom comes home. A letter for aid is sent. A doctor needs a nurse. Can love rekindle despite the separation of time and space?
– Blurb from Amazon
What I loved: I particularly loved Heartfelt Echoes, Lighter than Air, and After the Ball. Each story had its own merit, and who doesn’t love with those first crushes become long-lasting relationships that hold through the test of time.
Favorite Character: Like in my interview with Jennifer Uhlarik, I really loved Travis and Millie. The obstacles they overcome and the relationship they share makes my heart swoon.
Who would like this: Anyone who likes quick historical romance reads. Each story took me a little over an hour to read, which made the weeks when I didn’t have time for a full-on book at least bearable.
Rating and Why: I gave this a three-and-a-half star rating because while I did really enjoy several of the stories, there were also two that I really just did not enjoy at all. And in a rare exception, I completely skimmed one and never read the whole story. With all collections, you have a mix of writing styles and skill levels, but this one had more than I am accustomed to as far as did not appeal to me. Reading is completely subjective so you may disagree once you dive in. I do still recommend it, if only for the few mentioned in What I Love.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher/author. I was in no way required to leave a review, and the above review is my honest opinion.
Winner of the giveaway from Jennifer Uhlarik’s interview is: Cassandra Darensbourg Check your email for a notice from me and if you do not see something, check your spam folder. Thank you so much for participating.
Join the discussion: What makes a novella so enticing you can’t put it down?
