Bethany Swafford's Blog, page 22

A Highland Pearl

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A Highland Pearl

by Brenda B Taylor

Edition: ebook, 2014

Synopsis: A sweet romance blossoms amidst feuding and war. With her reputation at stake after being accused of practicing witchcraft and hated as a member of a rival clan, Maidie considers leaving Clan Munro and returning to the home of her birth in Clan Cameron. Fierce battles, a tragic encounter, and a handsome clan chief compel her to make crucial decisions in this haunting romance set in the16th century Highlands of Scotland.

Maidie is summoned to Fàrdach Castle of Easter Ross-shire to assist in caring for the wounded of Clan Munro after a battle with Clans MacKenzie and Cameron. She dreads the task since her husband, Kenneth Munro, was killed in an earlier battle. Maidie is a healer, taught by her mother, with the skills and knowledge needed to tend the wounds of Chief Andrew Dubh Munro who is seriously wounded.

People in the castle and those in the village of Drumainn turn against Maidie. Angus, the castle physician, resents her for taking his job in caring for the chief. She is hated by some, because she is a member of the enemy Clan Cameron and came to live in Ferindonald, the Munro lands, with her husband.

Maidie considers returning to the land of her birth in Clan Cameron with her young son, Sven, but falls in love with Andrew while caring for his wounds. Although her neighbors now call her a witch, she wishes to stay in Drumainn because of her love for the chief.

Against an effort to guard his hardened heart from another hurtful encounter with a woman, Andrew falls in love with the tender, caring healer, Maidie. He wants her to stay in Drumainn, but his enemies, the Camerons and MacKenzies, have other plans. They use Andrew in an exchange for Maidie and Sven after their warriors capture the Munro chief. Her father, the brother of Chief Ewin Cameron, wishes for Maidie’s inheritance to stay within his hands. After the exchange, Andrew vows to get Maidie back and plots her return to him and Clan Munro. While inside Castle Lach, the seat of Clan MacKenzie, Andrew meets a small child who is his daughter. He takes the child with him to provide for her when he leaves Castle Lach.

Gavin, Andrew’s brother, falls in love with Maidie. She is attracted to him, but knowing his roving eye, avoids his amorous attentions. Gavin tries to woo Maidie and win her heart away from Andrew. He offers an alternative to rescuing his brother instead of using her as an exchange for the chief. Maidie will not put Andrew’s life in danger and refuses. She resigns herself to going back to her father’s home. Gavin decides he cannot stay at Fàrdach without Maidie and makes plans to leave.

Davina, the younger sister of Andrew and Gavin, harbors resentment toward Maidie because of her brothers’ attentions to the healer. Davina is also jealous of the young warrior, Tavish, who Andrew assigned as Maidie’s bodyguard, and who is infatuated by her sweet charm. Davina secretly loves Tavish and wishes to marry him, but her brothers desire her to marry the MacKenzie’s son to bring peace between the clans.

Although Maidie loves Andrew, she knows their love is forbidden. Too many adverse circumstances surround their relationship. Being a devout believer, Maidie is concerned about Andrew’s lack of spiritual convictions. She realizes they can never be happy with a gulf between their beliefs. Will Laird Andrew Dubh Munro and Maidie Cameron Munro overcome the barriers standing in the way of their love?

Though several years have passed since she married into the Munro clan, Maidie is aware few trusts her. Now a widow, she considers returning to the clan of her father, the rival of her husband’s clan. However, she is summoned to tend to Chief Andrew Dubh Munro, and her heart shows her a different path.

This was a sweet read. Maidie was an interesting character to follow. Her concern for her son and her desire for him not to be trained for battle made her sympathetic. Her insecurities about being her dead husband’s clan made sense for the situation.

That being said, I did find it hard to believe Chief Andrew would be up and riding after having a stomach wound. Maybe things were different back then, but it seemed highly unlikely that he would recover so quickly.

Overall, I would recommend this to readers looking for a sweet, Scottish historical read.

The Lady Bornekova

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The Lady Bornekova

by Sara R. Turnquist

Edition: ebook, 2015

Synopsis: 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.

Going into this book, I didn’t know anything about the Hussite Wars. When I finished this book, I didn’t know anything. I had no idea WHERE this occurred, WHEN it took place, and only a passing understanding WHY it happened. Although I don’t expect historical romances to be heavy with the historic details, I should at least be able to get an idea of SOMETHING about the time period written.

There were modern phrases that made me flinch. The narrative bounces around from character to character, hardly giving the reader time to know any of them. While no doubt this is done to keep the “villain” of the story from being too obvious (it doesn’t work), I had no reason to like anyone.

I would say there was a good story here, however, it is hidden almost completely from view. For readers who are not looking for strict accuracy in their historical fiction may enjoy this.

Twenty-One Days (Daniel Pitt #1)

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Twenty-One Days

by Anne Perry

Edition: ARC, 2018

Synopsis: It’s 1910, and Daniel Pitt is a reluctant lawyer who would prefer to follow in the footsteps of his detective father. When the biographer Russell Graves, who Daniel is helping defend, is sentenced to execution for the murder of his wife, Daniel’s Pitt-family investigative instincts kick in, and he sets out to find the real killer. With only twenty-one days before Graves is to be executed, Daniel learns that Graves is writing a biography of Victor Narraway, the former head of Special Branch and a close friend of the Pitts. And the stories don’t shed a positive light. Is it possible someone is framing Graves to keep him from writing the biography–maybe even someone Daniel knows in Special Branch?

The only answer, it seems, lies in the dead woman’s corpse. And so, with the help of some eccentric new acquaintances who don’t mind bending the rules, Daniel delves into an underground world of dead bodies and double lives, unearthing scores of lies and conspiracies. As he struggles to balance his duty to the law with his duty to his family, the equal forces of justice and loyalty pull this lawyer-turned-detective in more directions than he imagined possible. And amidst it all, his client’s twenty-one days are ticking away. 

On the heels of a triumph in the courtroom, Daniel Pitt is assigned to be assistant in a murder case. When the client, Russell Graves, is found guilty, Daniel has twenty-one days to find some way of preventing the execution. As details come to light, he questions whether he really wants to or not.

Though I have seen Anne Perry’s books before, this is the first one I’ve ever had the privilege of reading. After finishing this start of a series, I want nothing more than to read more of her works. The pacing was excellent and the tension was kept throughout the narrative perfectly.

Daniel was a fantastic character to follow. His relative youth as he faces the complexities of the law made him interesting. His desire to live up to his father’s expectations made him relatable. The supporting characters rounded out the cast phenomenally.

Overall, I would recommend this to readers who enjoy the turn of the century mystery tales.

Wartime Brides and Wedding Cakes

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Wartime Brides and Wedding Cakes

by Amy Miller

Edition: ARC, 2018

Synopsis: January 1941: As Charlie Barton tiptoes silently out of the house one cold winter morning to go off and fight for his country, his wife Audrey is left to run the family bakery on her own. 

Times are tougher than ever, but at the Barton Bakery in Bournemouth, Audrey is determined as always to serve the town with love, loaves and cakes, even as the town is reeling from the struggles of the Blitz. 

Audrey’s brother William has returned from battle with serious wounds. His fiancé Elsie is waiting for wedding bells, but William is a changed man, and will her hopes be in vain? 

Bakery helper Maggie has her heart set on dashing officer George. But will George still want to marry her when he discovers the truth about her family? 

And Lily, Audrey’s stepsister, is struggling to raise her illegitimate baby and facing judgement from many in the town. The man who broke her heart returns with an offer, and Lily faces a hard decision about where her future lies. 

When disaster strikes the bakery, Audrey fears that everything she has worked for may be ruined. With her shop threatened and her family in turmoil, can she fight to save everything she holds dear? 

Audrey Barton’s husband, Charlie, leaves without warning and enlists. With help from her family, Audrey must keep the bakery going as World War 2 rages on.

This, as is described, is a heartwarming story. Audrey is our main character, though other young women and their romances come into play as well. Everything these women do to keep things as normal as possible is nothing short of admirable. We have a young woman striving to better herself, an engaged woman whose fiancé has returned injured in more ways than one, and a little girl who has lost most of her family.

There is a minor character, only seen a brief few times, who became my favorite. He was a conscientious objector and vilified by many because he refused to take another life and participate in war. Such people in history are not mentioned enough.

For readers who enjoy novels set in the tumultuous World War 2 era, I would definitely recommend this one.

 

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Marry In Haste

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Mary in Haste

by Jane Aiken

Edition: ebook, 2018

Synopsis: Camilla Forest has fallen upon hard times since fleeing France and the tyrannical rule of Napoleon Bonaparte. When her job as a governess ends in disaster, Camilla finds herself penniless and alone, stranded on a muddy roadside. 

A chance encounter with the notoriously aloof Lord Leominster presents Camilla with an unexpected solution to her dire situation: an offer of marriage. 

Destitute and without prospects, Camilla is ready to dismiss romantic ideals in order to secure her future. But why does Leominster, openly dismissive of women generally and Camilla in particular, want to marry her? 

Camilla grudgingly accepts, and a loveless deal is struck. But what exactly has she agreed to? As the conflict in Europe escalates and Napoleon’s reach spreads, Leominster is sent to Portugal, forcing Camilla to follow. 

As everything Camilla once knew is turned upside down again, she tries to navigate this new world of violence and fear. But soon Camilla finds herself falling in love with the man she thought she never could. With war edging ever closer, will Camilla be able to find happiness before it’s too late?

When she is dismissed from her position as a governess, Camilla Forest, daughter of a French nobleman who fled France, makes a marriage of convenience with Lord Leominster, who is a diplomat. She accompanies him and his sister to Portugal, where she slowly falls in love with her husband.

This Regency-era novel I found to be intriguing. Camilla was a sympathetic lead, even though at times I wanted to shake some sense into her. Her situation and, in the beginning, her choices made sense for her.

Lord Leominster was harder to read. He wasn’t present for most of the narrative, which made the romance more difficult to understand. His sister was a terror and needed to be sent back to the schoolroom. Her character arc was the least believable part of the novel.

Overall, not a bad read, and I would recommend this to readers of the Regency era, looking for a more historical edge.

I received a free copy from NetGalley for reviewing purposes.

Hope In Cripple Creek

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Hope in Cripple Creek

by Sara R. Turnquist

Synopsis: Tragedy strikes Katherine Matthews and the small town of Cripple Creek, Colorado. An epidemic teams her with an old enemy, Wyatt Sullivan, the town’s doctor. In the midst of desperation and death, Katherine has decisions to make. But she has no idea to what extent they will affect her daily life and livelihood.

The town is turned upside-down when the gold miners go on strike. The owners bring in outside reinforcements, ready to break the resolve of the Western Federation of Miners. Everything in an upheaval, Katherine faces a crisis of faith and hard choices. Will life ever be normal again?

Katherine has returned to the small town she grew up in, still haunted by the tragedy that helped drive her away. From the start, she reconnects with an old friend but will her heart be caught by an old nemesis?

As I was reading this, I kept thinking “I’ve read this before!” but since I’d just purchased the book, that couldn’t be true. Therefore, I can only assume I’ve read a similar storyline at some point. This is when I wish there was a way to rate something with half a star, because I found this to be better than a “This was an OK read” 3 star rating, but not an “I definitely want to reread this” 4 star rating.

If the story had been more about the second storyline, about Katherine’s brother, I think I would have enjoyed it more. As it is, I found myself bored with Katherine’s struggles and more than once I rolled my eyes at certain points in the storyline.

It is a clean read, however, so it does have that in its favor. I was fond of the reverend, and sorry his suit did not win out in the end. Katherine’s parents were sweet in an almost too good to be true way.

I would recommend this to readers looking for a lazy afternoon read.

 

An Author’s Random Musing: Camp NaNo

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Well, it is now a month away from the first session of NaNoWriMo. April will be the first Camp of the year, which means I get to pick the word count goal I will be striving to hit.

His Hands Hold My Heart

Last year, my big project was My Hands Hold My Heart, which told the story of a deaf girl in 1874. Ivy Steele took center stage as she tried to find her place in her hearing family. My readers on Wattpad fell in love with her and her love interest, Remy Prater.

This spring I begin the sequel. This will be the story where we learn more about Remy. Where is his family? What was his past like? How can he understand so much about Ivy? So many questions, and so many ideas that didn’t fit in the first book!

My word goal for the month of April is going to be 30K. That will be a good start on the first draft, but not too high to overwhelm me as I try to finish another manuscript.

Any other Campers out there? What kind of project do you have planned?

This month, I also plan to get my newsletter planned out. This is something I’ve needed to put together for several years but I get so confused when I am faced with the formats, forms, templates presented on the different sites.

Any tips for setting up a newsletter? I will take any help I can get!

 

The Queen’s Embroiderer

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The Queen’s Embroiderer

by Joan DeJean

Edition: ARC, 2018

Synopsis: Paris, 1719. The stock market is surging and the world’s first millionaires are buying everything in sight. Against this backdrop, two families, the Magoulets and the Chevrots, rose to prominence only to plummet in the first stock market crash. One family built its name on the burgeoning financial industry, the other as master embroiderers for Queen Marie-Therese and her husband, King Louis XIV. Both patriarchs were ruthless money-mongers, determined to strike it rich by arranging marriages for their children.

But in a Shakespearean twist, two of their children fell in love. To remain together, Louise Magoulet and Louis Chevrot fought their fathers’ rage and abuse. A real-life heroine, Louise took on Magoulet, Chevrot, the police, an army regiment, and the French Indies Company to stay with the man she loved.

Following these families from 1600 until the Revolution of 1789, Joan DeJean recreates the larger-than-life personalities of Versailles, where displaying wealth was a power game; the sordid cells of the Bastille; the Louisiana territory, where Frenchwomen were forcibly sent to marry colonists; and the legendary “Wall Street of Paris,” Rue Quincampoix, a world of high finance uncannily similar to what we know now. The Queen’s Embroiderer is both a star-crossed love story in the most beautiful city in the world and a cautionary tale of greed and the dangerous dream of windfall profits. And every bit of it is true.

Two patriarchs with a love of money do everything they can to keep their respective off-spring from marrying for love. How did they reach that point?

This book is heavy with detail not only about the Magoulet and Chevrot families but also the stock market crash of the time. It would be difficult to separate one from the other, but it did make for a tedious read at times. The collapse of the currency interested me only as far as the effect it had on the citizens at the time.

Jean II Magoulet held my interest the most. As a child, his father sent him away to keep control of the inheritance. Once he returned, Jean II became ruthless in exacting his revenge and then repeated the example his father had set.

I would have liked to learn more about Louise Magoulet, but I did appreciate the author kept to the facts that have survived the centuries.

For readers who enjoy a real-life Romeo and Juliet tragedy, I would definitely recommend this one.

Otto’s Offer

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Otto’s Offer

by Zina Abbott

Edition: ebook, 2018

Synopsis: In 1868, Otto Atwell has a 160-acre homestead near Abilene, Kansas and a limp as a result of an arrow shot in his low back while with the 16th Kansas Cavalry on the Powder River Expedition in 1865. What he doesn’t have is a wife. Then again, what woman would want to marry a cripple? 

Libby Jones comes to Junction City as a mail-order bride. Not only does the man who sent for her reject her, he tries to sell her to the local brothel to recoup his fee. Otto offers to marry her, but she rejects him in favor of a job with his relatives. 

Will Otto’s offer still stand when trouble from Libby’s past catches up with her?

This is a case of don’t judge a book by its cover. I had absolutely no interest in reading this when I first saw the cover. There is nothing attractive about it to me. However, when I read the description, I decided to take a chance and I’m glad I did.

For the most part, we follow Otto, who doesn’t expect he will marry. When he sees a young woman, who calls herself Libby, rejected by the man she’d come to marry, Otto’s heart goes out to her. Over time, he comes to believe he loves her and is willing to stand by her as her past comes to haunt her. Of Libby, it was difficult to feel like I knew her at all from the story.

The story does start off slow but improves in time. The romance didn’t have me completely convinced but no story is perfect. The suspense and mystery around Libby did keep me guessing.

Overall, I would recommend to readers who have read the previous books in the series and enjoyed them, and also anyone who enjoys mail-order bride gone wrong stories.

The Gentleman’s Deception

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The Gentleman’s Deception

by Karen Tuft

Edition: ebook, 2017

Synopsis:  Renowned actress Ruby Chadwick, The Darling of Drury Lane, has long planned and prepared for her final performance. With exceptional beauty comes the unwanted attention of men, and after years of fending off odious suitors, Ruby is ready to leave it all behind in favor of a quiet life. The first step is to reclaim a piece of her past: her true identity as Lavinia Fernley. But leaving town unnoticed proves impossible, and in one desperate moment, she embarks on the greatest act of her life when she throws herself into the arms of a stranger to avoid recognition.

Lucas Jennings is shocked to find the stunning redhead in his arms, but something moves him to play along with her ruse when she calls him her husband. This charade marks the start of an unpredictable journey as he escorts the lovely Lavinia and her traveling companions to Primrose Farm, far from the glaring lights of London. Soon, the tables are turned when Lucas introduces Lavinia to his family—as his fiancée. Before long, their mutual deception begins to feel all too real. But when the truth of her past is revealed, will Lavinia’s dream of a happy ending slip through her fingers?

Fleeing her life as renowned actress Ruby Chadwick, Lavinia underestimates how difficult it would be to leave London with her older companions. Reluctantly returning home, Lucas is moved to join a charade that will change his life.

These characters are just plain adorable. Lavinia’s tendency to play a character in whatever situation she faced was realistic and fun. Lucas’ reaction to her was believable if more honorable than one might expect.

The plot moved along at an excellent pace. The romance was not love at first sight, which was refreshing, although it did happen fast. If there was anything that did rub me wrong, it was the ending, which seemed sudden and the acceptance of Lucas’ family a little out of the realm of believability.

Overall, this was as sweet Regency romance and very well written. I would recommend it to any Regency fans looking for a clean read.

I received a free copy from NetGalley for reviewing purposes.