Sandra Merville Hart's Blog, page 21
June 27, 2023
A Summer at Thousand Island House by Susan G. Mathis
Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart
Romance at the Gilded Age Resorts, Book 4
Addi Bell has plenty of teaching experience when she arrives for a summer of caring for young children at the Thousand Island House. She plans adventures and learning experiences to enthrall the children because she has no intention of wasting those days.
Liam Donovan, the resort’s manager and her boss, doesn’t know what to make of the Addi’s child-like enthusiasm for life. The last nanny had never planned anything beyond playtime for her charges—Addi insists upon being allowed to teach them. Before long, the Scottish manager finds himself falling in love with her.
Addi’s heart goes out to Jimmy, the only son of the stern widower, Lieutenant Worthington.
The lonely little boy tugged at my heart immediately. I loved Addi’s enthusiasm for the children. Liam’s Scottish sayings made me smile. I was quickly drawn into the story by concern for Addi, who is alone in the world.
The author weaves history of the island into her story, which I appreciate.
A delightful read for lovers of historical romances!
June 21, 2023
Mark Twain Loses One Million Dollars
by Sandra Merville Hart
Mark Twain’s life was at a pivotal moment in the 1860s.
He was out of the States and in Nevada Territory where fortunes were made and lost mining for silver. He ought to know. His part-ownership in a silver mine had made him a millionaire. Through the worst of misfortunes, Twain lost his interest in the mine in ten days.
What was next for him? He had held a variety of positions: grocery clerk, blacksmithing, bookseller’s clerk, drug store clerk, St. Louis and New Orleans pilot, a printer, private secretary, and silver miner. He felt that he had mastered none of these professions. What does one do after losing a million dollars?
He gave in to misery. He had written letters to Virginia’s Daily Territorial Enterprise, the territory’s main newspaper in earlier days; it always surprised him when the letters were published. It made him question the editors’ judgment. His high opinion of them ebbed because they couldn’t find something better than his literature to print.
As Twain wondered what his future held, a letter came from that same newspaper offering Twain a job as city editor. Though he had so recently been a millionaire, the twenty-five-dollar salary seemed like a fortune. The offer thrilled him.
Then doubts set in. What did he know of editing? He felt unfit for the position. Yet refusing the job meant that he’d soon have to rely on the kindness of others for a meal, and that he had never done.
Necessity forced Twain to accept an editor’s job for which he felt ill-equipped. He arrived in Virginia, Nevada Territory, dressed more as a miner than an editor in a blue woolen shirt, pantaloons stuffed into the top of his boots, slouch hat, and a “universal navy revolver slung to his belt.”
The chief editor, Mr. Goodman, took Twain under his wing and trained him to be a reporter. It wasn’t long before the young man discovered he’d stumbled upon a profession in which he excelled.
What would have happened if Mark Twain hadn’t lost a million dollars? His words may have been lost to us. Such classics as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and The Prince and the Pauper might never have been written.
When we ponder our failures, our rejected works, and lost opportunities, we should remember that situations change. We won’t always feel as we do today. God has the ability to put us in the right place at the right time with the right attitude.
Just like He did with Samuel Clemens, America’s beloved Mark Twain.
Sources
Twain, Mark. Roughing It, Penguin Books, 1981.
June 20, 2023
The American Railroad Passenger Car by John H. White, Jr.
Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart
This book was part of my research for A Not So Peaceful Journey, Book 3 in my “Second Chances” series. My characters take a train journey from Ohio to Oakland, California, in 1884. On the last leg of their journey, they rode in Palace cars.
The passenger cars were less luxurious than Palace cars.
This book has a lot of sketches to explain the design of different passenger cars. Specific cars and the railroad in which they were used make up a large part of this book—useful information if you are looking for specific details.
One thing I love about this book is the many photos, early ads, and sketches of old cars. The descriptions included with them were quite helpful.
Recommended for readers who want to learn more about early train travel.
June 13, 2023
Wired Love by Ella Cheever Thayer
Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart
A Romance of Dots and Dashes
I found this book while researching the job of telegraph operators for A Not So Peaceful Journey, Book 3 in my “Second Chances” series. My heroine is a telegrapher in Hamilton, Ohio, before embarking on a train journey from Ohio to Oakland, California, in 1884.
Feisty Nattie Rogers is a telegraph operator. She meets the mysterious “C”, a telegraph operation in another station on her wire. He refuses to tell her his full name and they develop a friendship over the wire that soon has her dreaming of love.
Nattie tells her fellow boarders all about “C” and they can’t wait for the two of them to meet. But the course of true love meets some hurdles.
This book is written in the omniscient viewpoint. The reader knows what everyone is thinking all the time. Written in 1880, this story has the long conversations prevalent in writings of that day. I confess that I skimmed over some of those, but still enjoyed the story.
The author gives a thorough overview of a telegrapher’s job in the story, which I appreciated.
June 12, 2023
A Not So Peaceful Journey Releases Today!
by Sandra Merville Hart
I’m excited to announce that A Not So Peaceful Journey, Book 3 in my Second Chances series, releases today, June 13th!
Join characters you love on a journey from Ohio to California in 1884! Trains had opened up the West to travelers. The Transcontinental Railroad was completed on May 10, 1869 when the Central Pacific met the Union Pacific in Promontory, Utah. It was important because it linked the East to the West.
Small frontier towns shot up along the railroad tracks, providing water and coal stops for the trains. They also provided meal stops for passengers.
Readers will catch early glimpses of familiar and unfamiliar towns along our journey to San Francisco. Come along for the ride!
Here’s a bit about the book:
Dreams of adventure send him across the country. She prefers to keep her feet firmly planted in Ohio.
Rennie Hill has no illusions about the hardships in life, which is why it’s so important her beau, John Welch, keeps his secure job with the newspaper. Though he hopes to write fiction, the unsteady pay would mean an end to their plans, wouldn’t it?
John Welch dreams of adventure worthy of storybooks, like Mark Twain, and when two of his short stories are published, he sees it as a sign of future success. But while he’s dreaming big with his head in the clouds, his girl has her feet firmly planted, and he can’t help wondering if she really believes in him.
When Rennie must escort a little girl to her parents’ home in San Francisco, John is forced to alter his plans to travel across the country with them. But the journey proves far more adventurous than either of them expect.
Available on Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , Apple Books , and Books 2 Read .
June 6, 2023
The Pacific Tourist by Henry Williams
Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart
This book was part of my research for A Not So Peaceful Journey, Book 3 in my “Second Chances” series. My characters take a train journey from Ohio to Oakland, California, in 1884.
I love this book. I needed to find a source that provided information about the depots, locations, how far apart they were, what was at each station, and the scenery.
This guidebook provided all that information and more. It’s a fount of information!
I read this book and several others to understand how train passengers in the 1880s traveled. There were long lines for the small washing rooms in the morning. Many, especially women, brought their own towels and toiletries. There was a basin with water to wash your face, brush your teeth, or take a quick sponge bath.
The trains stopped at specific depots for meal stops. These were called eating stations. The food might be undercooked or nearly raw. Each place had its specialties. In the 1880s, nearly every station charged a dollar per person.
I loved the early history the author included for towns that the trains passed on those journeys. Very interesting!
This book is fascinating, with wonderful details of situations and sights along the rails. Recommended for those interested in learning the history of the West and also train travel.
May 30, 2023
Great Train Robberies of the West by Eugene B. Block
Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart
This book was part of my research for A Not So Peaceful Journey, Book 3 in my “Second Chances” series. My characters take a train journey from Ohio to Oakland, California, in 1884.
Early western trains had express cars where an armed agent guarded the safes. There often carried gold from mines, silver coins, gold bars, bank notes, precious stones, and expensive jewelry. This tempted bandits to rob the train.
Some famous train robbers discussed in the book are Chris Evans, John Sontag, and Jesse James. Butch Cassidy and Kid Curry were the leaders of the Wild Bunch
These robberies took months of planning. Some bandits had previously worked on the railroad.
This book was interesting and easy to read. Recommended for those interested in learning the history of train travel.
May 24, 2023
Receiving A Gold Medal for Byway to Danger
by Sandra Merville Hart
I learned a few weeks ago Byway to Danger, Book 3 in my Spies of the Civil War series, won the Gold Illumination Award for Romance Fiction. What fun it was to open the package containing the award, a gold medal, and seals for the book!
When we think of winning medals, our thoughts most likely go to the Olympics where we celebrate our gifted athletes. It’s such an honor to win this award.
I love the hero and heroine in this book as I hope you have grown to love this fictional family in the whole series who live in the turbulent times of the Civil War where the way isn’t always clear. Though this series is about a fictional family, there are actual historical spies who touch the stories.
I’m happy to announce that this series will be extending! I’m currently hard at work writing Book 4 where we move to another section of the country.
More about that later…
Byway to Danger is set in the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, in 1862. Because Richmond was the capital of the Confederacy, the Union army was often threatening the city. One might suppose that all of Richmond’s citizens supported the Confederacy, yet there were a lot of Union supporters and Union spies in the capital.
Here’s a bit about the book:
Everyone in Richmond has secrets. Especially the spies.
Meg Brooks, widow, didn’t stop spying for the Union when her job at the Pinkerton National Detective Agency ended, especially now that she lives in the Confederate capital. Her job at the Yancey bakery provides many opportunities to discover vital information about the Confederacy to pass on to her Union contact. She prefers to work alone, yet the strong, silent baker earns her respect and tugs at her heart.
Cade Yancey knows the beautiful widow is a spy when he hires her only because his fellow Unionist spies know of her activities. Meg sure didn’t tell him. He’s glad she knows how to keep her mouth shut, for he has hidden his dangerous activities from even his closest friends. The more his feelings for the courageous woman grow, the greater his determination to protect her by guarding his secrets. Her own investigations place her in enough peril.
As danger escalates, Meg realizes her choice to work alone isn’t a wise one. Can she trust Cade with details from her past not even her family knows?
Order your copy today on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, and Books 2 Read!
May 23, 2023
Men of the Steel Rails by James H. Ducker
Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart
This book was part of my research for A Not So Peaceful Journey, Book 3 in my “Second Chances” series. My characters take a train journey from Ohio to Oakland, California, in 1884. On the last leg of their journey, they rode in Palace cars.
This book was especially helpful for learning about the jobs of the train crews and engine crews and were scattered at 100-mile intervals. At division points they had repair crews, blacksmiths, machinists, and painters.
Clerks, train dispatchers, flagmen, baggagemen, and switchmen were a few of the jobs needed at train depots.
An engineer, a conductor, a fireman, and two brakemen made up the typical train crew.
This book provided wonderful details like these and I believe this book would appeal to those desiring to learn more about train travel.
May 16, 2023
Cobalt Skies by Pegg Thomas
Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart
A More Perfect Union, Book 2
Susannah Piper had planned to go to Oregon to start a new life after the War Between the States with her husband. It seemed a good enough goal after he died. She’d head West, find a wagon train to Oregon, and start a new life. But a woman traveling alone faces many dangers.
When Samuel Hickman, a Union cavalry officer, finally left the army behind, he never wanted to be in charge of anyone again. Rescuing Susannah Piper left him in a quandary. He couldn’t just leave her on the trail for the men who’d shot her to find her again. She wants to go to Oregon didn’t affect his plans to train while horses in the mountains.
But helping Susannah comes with a cost. The pair face danger and judgment and lots of surprises on the journey.
The story pulled me in from the beginning. So many believable, lovable characters with their own tragic stories to tell kept me turning pages. The author weaves the story swiftly from conflict to conflict while keeping the inner struggles of the main characters in focus.
Although this story takes place after the Civil War, I love how the author shows the struggles everyone continued to face because of it.
A beautifully written fast-paced adventure with surprises at every turn. It held my attention so effectively that I read the last half in one sitting. Such a great story. Well-done!
Recommended for readers of westerns and historical romance!
