by Crystal Caudill | Feb 26, 2019 | Book Reviews
The White City by Grace Hitchcock
Ya’ll, this book is one of those rare six-star gems. It was one of those books that I struggled with deciding to devour or force myself to slow down and relish every detail. This book is exactly what my little heart has been dreaming of for the Christian market and has been so difficult to find.
The danger, suspense, romance, AND history are combined in such an utterly wonderful story that I can only think of one or two books that have done it as well as in the past. Though there was not a huge “spiritual” thread as Christian authors are so often encouraged to promote, Grace managed to lace God in with a deft hand. This is going on my forever, read repeatedly, give as gifts, and force everyone I know to read pile.
Genre: Historical Romantic Suspense (YES!!! IT’S FINALLY A REAL THING!!!!) World’s Fair, Chicago, 1893
Plot Overview:
While attending the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893, Winnifred Wylde believes she witnessed a woman being kidnapped. She tries to convince her father, an inspector with the Chicago police, to look into reports of mysterious disappearances around the White City. Inspector Wylde tries to dismiss her claims as an exaggeration of an overactive imagination, but he eventually concedes to letting her go undercover as secretary to the man in question—if she takes her pistol for protection and Jude Thorpe, a policeman, for a bodyguard.
Will she be able to expose H. H. Holmes’s illicit activity, or will Winnifred become his next victim?
What I loved: Holy cow! What did I not love? I loved FINALLY having the satisfaction of a suspenseful book with a historical setting. I loved the romantic tension, the historical details, a serial killer on the loose, mystery, danger… Yeah, I could ramble forever.
Favorite Character and Why: It’s a tie between Winnifred and Jude. I love her spunk, determination, and bravery. Jude is absolutely swoon-worthy. A family man, caring, and protective.
Who would like this? Absolutely anyone who loves romantic suspense, especially those who love historical romance but have been craving a little more danger and suspense in the writing. If you have any fascination with true crime stories, this is a GREAT story with one of my favorite true crimes in history.
Rating and Why: SIX STARS!!!!! The writing was great, the spiritual touch light but impactful, the historical details AMAZING, and the storyline something I have been craving since I first started reading Christian Fiction. It is a rare gem, that hopefully the beginning of a new trend.
*I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher. The above opinions are my own and are in no way influenced.*
PURCHASE LINKS (YES, I COMMAND YOU, GO BUY IT RIGHT NOW!!!!)
Amazon Barnes and Noble Christianbook.com
by Crystal Caudill | Nov 13, 2018 | Book Reviews
A Perfect Weakness
By Jennifer A. Davids
Sometimes while in the throes of a terrible family crisis, you just have to escape into the pages of a good book to survive. A Perfect Weakness was the escape I needed during such a time and so much more. It was not only a pleasure to read, but helped me to process what my own family was enduring. I highly recommend this book, especially for those who are scarred by the consequences of their past failures or mistakes. (And if you’re breathing, then that is more likely than not, you.)
Genre: Historical Romance, Victorian England, 1868
Overview of Plot: Penelope Howard has been caring for the tenants of her uncle’s estate for years, but after his passing a new Lord must take his place and could remove her from her position, especially if he, or anyone else, discovers her secret. When she learns the heir is an American doctor, she hopes and prays he will care for the people as much as she and help tend the country hospital.Dr. John Turner served in the War Between the States as a surgeon, but the horrifying memories drove him to the bottle. Continuing to practice medicine while drunk had dire consequences, so when the chance to flee to England arrives, he takes it, vowing to never practice medicine again. But everyone knows he is a doctor and the beautiful and heart-filled sister of his estate agent seems to keep pushing him to help the community with his skills and not just his monetary support. When he is needed most, can he once again take up healing the sick and broken Or will their secrets and weaknesses destroy them and all those around them?
Favorite Character and Why: Penelope is such a strong woman, who had risen above her past mistake and clung to God through it all. I could really connect with her passion for the tenants and helping women who faced similar mistakes and consequences. I also loved how she pushed John Turner to become a better man. What I liked: History… always the history. I love all the details that connected the American Civil War to Victorian England. I also loved the story-line itself. The characters were rich and deep, the problems relatable and real.
Who would like this: Those who love historical fiction, Victorian romance, and stories of redemption, overcoming past mistakes, and love that goes beyond the pain of the past.
*Warning: Penelope’s backstory deals with the difficult loss of a child. It is integral to the development of the story, but I don’t feel it is enough to keep one from reading it. But if you are especially sensitive, you may want to skim through the book first.*
Amazon blurb:
The Civil War left its mark on Dr. John Turner. He turns his back on medicine and sees his unexpected inheritance in England as an opportunity to start over. But he never imagines how God intends to use his new role as lord of Ashford Hall — or the beautiful woman he finds there — to ease his troubled soul.
A tragic loss led Penelope Howard to bury her heart and dreams in her work for the Hall and the village of Woodley. But the arrival of the new heir stirs not only her discarded longings but her compassion as well. What burden does he carry that he can’t accept that grace covers the darkest of sins?
A deadly epidemic sweeps through Woodley revealing secrets which threaten everything. The doctor faces a choice: leave or dare to believe what the Lord whispers through the woman John has come to love.
No one is beyond redemption.
Links for Purchase:
Amazon.com Barnes & Noble
by Crystal Caudill | Aug 14, 2018 | Book Reviews
The Unlikely Wife
by Debra Ullrick
Genre: Christian Historical Fiction, Idaho Territory, 1885
Overview of Plot:
Michael Bowen expected a refined lady when he agreed to marry Selina by proxy. Everything in her letters suggested she would be, but when Selina steps off the train, he realizes the woman he thought he loved was a fantasy. Dressed in trousers, poor grammar, and unable to read or write, Selina is far from the woman he pictured as his wife.
Michael is everything she dreamed of, but when she discovers her best friend Aimee lied in the letters she wrote for Selina, her hopes for a love-filled marriage dies. She isn’t willing to change who she is but neither is she willing to break her vows.
Together they must learn to accept one another for who they are and to find love runs deeper than fantasies.
Favorite Character and Why:
I loved Selina. She is a Kentucky girl (like me) and had some ways about her that just didn’t make sense to her new family out west. (I have family in Idaho, too, so I could relate.) The challenges she faces and the hopes she have resonate with every woman I know. Not to mention she was just plain funny.
What I liked:
I loved how this wasn’t your typical mail-order bride story, yet it was. Michael had to overcome prejudices and learn to love his wife instead of the fantasy woman he built up in his mind and Selina had to learn to be happy with who she was as a wife.
Who would like this:
Anyone who loves mail-order bride stories that are are fun, set in the West, or stories of husbands and wives learning to love each other.
Amazon blurb:
“The arrival of Michael Bowen’s bride, married sight unseen by proxy, sends the rancher reeling. With her trousers, cowboy hat and rifle, she looks like a female outlaw—not the genteel lady he corresponded with for months. He’s been hoodwinked into marriage with the wrong woman!
Selina Farleigh Bowen loved Michael’s letters, even if she couldn’t read them herself. A friend read them to her, and wrote her replies—but apparently that “friend” left things out, like Michael’s dream of a wife who was nothing like her. Selina won’t change who she is, not even for the man she loves. Yet time might show Michael the true value of his unlikely wife.”
Links for Purchase:
Amazon.com Barnes and Noble
by Crystal Caudill | Jul 4, 2018 | Book Reviews
See bottom for the giveaway winner.
A Love Restored
by Kelly Goshorn
Genre: Christian Historical Romance, Virginia 1873
Overview of Plot:
Ruth Ann is a kind-hearted person with a passion for teaching at the Freedman’s School for Negro children and adults…but her less-than-petite frame binds her as tightly as the shackles of her former slave students did. Pushed by her mother toward a wealthy, up-and-coming political leader as her only hope for marriage, she longs for a marriage built on love and a man who loves her for who she is and what she looks like.
Benjamin Coulter wants to escape his past and earn the respect of every man by having an envious job, good clothes, and a beautiful wife. Falling for Ruth Ann is natural, but when his choice is ridiculed by those whose approval he seeks, he struggles with what to do.
Sometimes learning to love ourselves and others comes with life-altering mistakes.
Favorite Character and Why:
Ruth Ann is my favorite, purely because I can see her struggles as my own. She is a real person with real struggles. Her pain was my pain. You can’t help but become Ruth Ann in your mind and rejoice with her, grieve with her, and be restored with her.
What I liked:
I typically am not a big fan of books that make me cry, but this one did and I still liked it. I really connected with Ruth Ann. Her struggles touched a tender personal nerve, a nerve I feel will resonate with many–if not all–women. Even Benjamin’s struggles resonated with my experiences with men I have known. I can’t speak personally for men, but it seemed a believable problem.
Who would like this:
Anyone who loves a sweet romance with lots of emotional ups and downs, books that might touch a tender nerve but will grow you, or stories of restoration.
Amazon blurb:
“With pert opinions and a less-than-perfect figure, Ruth Ann Sutton doesn’t measure up to Society’s vision of a perfect lady. When she accepts a position teaching in a Freedman’s School, it threatens the only marriage offer Ruth Ann is likely to receive. She’s forced to choose between life as a lonely spinster or reinventing herself to secure a respectable proposal.
Determined to rise above his meager beginnings, Benjamin Coulter’s reputation as a fast learner and hard worker earns him the opportunity to apprentice with a surveyor for the railroad—a position that will garner the respect he craves. After a chance encounter with Ruth Ann Sutton, Benjamin is smitten with her pretty face, quick wit, and feisty personality. When others ridicule his choice, will Benjamin listen to his heart or put ambition first?”
Links for Purchase:
Amazon Barnes and Noble Christianbook.com
Congratulations to Trisha R.! You’ve won an e-copy of A Love Restored. Check your e-mail and spam box for information on how to claim it.
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.*
