by Crystal Caudill | Feb 28, 2023 | Book Reviews, Reading Challenge
It’s time for a new season of the Unlocking the Past Reading Challenge: Unlock an Adventure. I’m so excited to be joining you on an adventure this year with guest reviews from members of our reading challenge participants. If you have a review you’d like to submit 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.
*The list of prizes available from my prize shelf can be found here.*
February’s Theme: Underground Railroad
March’s Theme: Gold Rush
The Underground Railroad Brides Collection
Review by: Crystal Caudill
With it being release month for Counterfeit Hope, my reading time was really limited and I only managed to read one novella out of this collection. I’m not a huge fan of straight romances, so the story I ended up choosing wasn’t actually to my taste. I thought by the description there would be some tension and chances of getting caught working for the Underground Railroad with dire consequences, but I either got the stories mixed or the description just didn’t match the story. (Actually, now that I go back, it was the former.) HOWEVER, I think those who love sweet romances will enjoy the ones in this collection. There were a wide variety of characters, including a couple of stories where the main characters were slaves, former slaves, or wealthy black citizens. Given the tendency for historicals to lack that perspective, it was refreshing to see. All the stories sounded interesting, even if not always to my personal preference, and I look forward to reading more of them as my time allows.
Genre: Historical Romance
Plot Overview:
Love Guides Hearts Along the Road to Freedom
Nine historical couples walk the road to love even as they dare to escape and help others break free from the injustices of slavery between 1849 and 1860. From Southern states of Georgia and South Carolina to above the Mason-Dixon Line in Indiana and Pennsylvania, they work within the network known as the Underground Railroad.
Emma Underground by Barbara Tifft Blakey
Follow the Christmas Star by Ramona K. Cecil
Under the Sails of Love by Lynn A. Coleman
The Bakery Bride by Cecelia Dowdy
Place of Refuge by Patty Smith Hall
Free to Love by Terri J. Haynes
The Winter Quilt by Debby Lee
The Song of Hearts Set Free by Darlene Panzera
Freedom’s Flight by Penny Zeller
There is hope for the future when people come together to fight evil, and when men and women find love in the midst of great challenges. And through it all, faith is the key to victory in these stories from nine inspiring Christian authors.
Purchase Links:
Amazon
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
What did you read for the challenge? What were your thoughts on it? Would you recommend it?
by Crystal Caudill | Jan 31, 2023 | Book Reviews, Reading Challenge
It’s time for a new season of the Unlocking the Past Reading Challenge: Unlock an Adventure. I’m so excited to be joining you on an adventure this year with guest reviews from members of our reading challenge participants. If you have a review you’d like to submit 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.
*The list of prizes available from my prize shelf can be found here.*
January’s Theme: Spies
February’s Theme: Underground Railroad
The Prince of Spies
by Elizabeth Camden
Review by: Crystal Caudill
I am a HUGE fan of Elizabeth Camden’s books, and The Prince of Spies did not disappoint. This Romeo & Juliet style story has a much better outcome than its Shakespearean inspiration. The depth of spiritual growth experienced by the characters was surprising, refreshing, and personally needed. There is no such thing as a perfect family, and this book’s family dynamics are emotionally complex yet real. On the romance side of things, the storyline was exactly what it needed to be. I’m not an over-the-top romance reader, but the sweet moments in this book, the challenges they face as a couple, and the love they shared made for a perfect balance. This story ended up being the perfect wrap-up to the series, and I usually dislike Romeo and Juliet-type stories. I definitely recommend you run out and get a copy.
For Fans of: Gilded Age romances, historical details, Romeo & Juliet type stories
Genre: Historical Romance
Plot Overview:
Luke Delacroix has long had a reputation of being an impulsive adventurer, the wild son of one of Gilded Age Washington’s most prominent families. In reality, he has been secretly carrying out an ambitious agenda in Congress. His current mission: to thwart the reelection of Congressman Clyde Magruder, his only real enemy in the world.
Trouble begins when Luke meets Marianne Magruder, the congressman’s only daughter. Luke is fascinated by the vibrant Marianne and her daring work as a government photographer, leading them into a forbidden romance. Now they must embark on a dangerous gamble to reconcile their growing feelings with Luke’s driving passion for vital reforms in Congress.
Can their newfound love survive a political firestorm, or will three generations of family rivalry drive them apart forever?
Purchase Links:
Amazon | Baker Book House | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Christianbook.com
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 following month at midnight EST (January = February 7, etc), and the winner will be drawn sometime that week and notified by email. The winner will be announced on 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 the challenge? What were your thoughts on it? Would you recommend it?
