Blog Tour Guest Post: The Tory & The Traitor by T.J. London

Please join me in welcoming T.J. London to Let Them Read Books! T.J. is touring the blogosphere with the first two books in the Rebels and Redcoats Saga, and I'm thrilled to have her here today with a guest post about why we need more Revolutionary War fiction. And let me tell you she is a girl after my own heart. I continue to be amazed at what our ancestors achieved (including my fifth great-grandfather, John Payne, 2nd Virginia), and I'll take a man in a tricorn and breeches any day! Read on and enter for your shot at a set of books or an Amazon gift card!

THE TORY BY T.J. LONDON
Publication Date: April 11, 2018
Peperback & eBook; 517 Pages

Series: The Rebels and Redcoats Saga, Book #1
Genre: Historical Fiction



It is the winter of 1776, and Captain John Carlisle, one of His Majesty’s not-so-finest, has gone back to the scene of the crime to right a wrong so dark it left a permanent stain on what was once an illustrious career and left a man broken, defeated, in search of justice…

In an effort to win back his commission, he must discover the true nature of the relationship between the Six Nations of the Iroquois and the Colonial Army. Undercover as a war profiteer, John travels to the treacherous Mohawk River Valley and infiltrates local society, making friends with those he’s come to betray.

But a chance meeting with a beautiful half Oneida innkeeper, whose tragic history is integrally linked to his own, will provide him with the intelligence he needs to complete his mission—and devastate her people.

Now, as the flames of war threaten to consume the Mohawk Valley, John has the chance to not only serve King and country, but to clear his name. When the truth he uncovers ties his own secrets to those in the highest positions of the British military and threatens the very life of the woman he’s come to love, he will be forced to make a choice…

“The pages fly as you immerse yourself in this fantastic adventure.” – RT Book Reviews

AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

THE TRAITOR BY T.J. LONDON
Publication Date: October 26, 2018
eBook; 574 pages

Series: The Rebels and Redcoats Saga, Book #2
Genre: Historical Fiction



Spy. Liar. Scoundrel. Redcoat.

Provocateur and spy for His Majesty, Captain John Carlisle returns to Fort Niagara with the secrets he stole in the arms of the beautiful Oneida innkeeper, Dellis McKesson. Determined to complete his mission and clear his name, he’ll see justice done—and damn the consequences. Now, he finds himself drawn into political intrigue as the British prepare to launch a three-pronged attack that will bring the Rebels and the Mohawk River Valley to its knees.

A dangerous revelation finds Dellis as whispers of intrigue insinuate her beloved is not all that he seems. Unwilling to wait for her lover’s return, she sets out in search of the truth as the Onieda begin negotiations with the Rebels, breaking the neutrality agreement with the crown. A bold move that will stoke a fire between the brother tribes and lead to a bloody inter-confederacy war—one Dellis predicted, and one John incited.

While war between the colonies and the King smolders, the punishing winter of 1777 allows the perfect opportunity for old enemies to settle scores, lying in wait, ready to exploit John’s one weakness—his heart. John is not an innocent man. The truth he’s long tried to hide from can no longer be ignored, the ghosts of the past seeking justice, and karma wanting payment for sins so dark they cannot be forgiven.

Spotlight: The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel by Alyssa Palombo

The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel

by Alyssa Palombo

Published October 2, 2018

St. Martin's Griffin

Paperback, ebook; 432 pages

When Ichabod Crane arrives in the spooky little village of Sleepy Hollow as the new schoolmaster, Katrina Van Tassel is instantly drawn to him. Through their shared love of books and music, they form a friendship that quickly develops into romance. Ichabod knows that as an itinerant schoolteacher of little social standing, he has nothing to offer the wealthy Katrina – unlike her childhood friend-turned-enemy, Brom Van Brunt, who is the suitor Katrina’s father favors.

But when romance gives way to passion, Ichabod and Katrina embark on a secret love affair, sneaking away into the woods after dark to be together – all while praying they do not catch sight of Sleepy Hollow’s legendary Headless Horseman. That is, until All Hallows’s Eve, when Ichabod suddenly disappears, leaving Katrina alone and in a perilous position.

Enlisting the help of her friend – and rumored witch – Charlotte Jansen, Katrina seeks the truth of Ichabod Crane’s disappearance, investigating the forest around Sleepy Hollow using unconventional – often magical – means. What they find forces Katrina to question everything she once knew, and to wonder if the Headless Horseman is perhaps more than just a story after all. In Alyssa Palombo's The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel nothing is as it seems, and love is a thing even death won't erase.

Amazon  ~  Barnes & Noble  ~  iBooks  ~  Goodreads

Praise for The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel:

"Marrying forbidden love, devoted friendship, and the supernatural with Palombo's signature passion for music, storytelling, and heartbreaking choices, The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel enchants with a concoction of love, longing, and loss plucked from the bones of one of our most enduring and haunting legends." - Erin Lindsay McCabe, USA Today bestselling author of I Shall Be Near to You

"Readers seeking a historical romance or a reboot of an American legend will enjoy this tale." - Booklist

"The perfect combination of sweeping romance and eerie thriller, The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel will haunt you in all the best ways. Palombo's deft touch brings new life, fierce female spirit, and pulse-pounding suspense to the Sleepy Hollow milieu." - Greer Macallister, USA Today bestselling author of The Magician's Lie and Girl in Disguise

About the Author:

ALYSSA PALOMBO is the author of The Violinist of Venice and The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence. She is a recent graduate of Canisius College with degrees in English and creative writing, respectively. A passionate music lover, she is a classically trained musician as well as a big fan of heavy metal. When not writing, she can be found reading, hanging out with her friends, traveling, or planning for next Halloween. She lives in Buffalo, New York, where she is always at work on a new novel. Visit Alyssa on the web: https://alyssapalombo.com/

GIVEAWAY!

Release Day Blitz: My Dear Hamilton by Stephanie Dray & Laura Kamoie

   

Wife, Widow, and Warrior

in Alexander Hamilton’s Quest for a More Perfect Union

From the New York Times bestselling authors of America’s First Daughter comes the epic story of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton—a revolutionary woman who, like her new nation, struggled to define herself in the wake of war, betrayal, and tragedy. Haunting, moving, and beautifully written, Dray and Kamoie used thousands of letters and original sources to tell Eliza’s story as it’s never been told before—not just as the wronged wife at the center of a political sex scandal—but also as a founding mother who shaped an American legacy in her own right.

MY DEAR HAMILTON is available now! Grab your copy today!

   

A general’s daughter…

Coming of age on the perilous frontier of revolutionary New York, Elizabeth Schuyler champions the fight for independence. And when she meets Alexander Hamilton, Washington’s penniless but passionate aide-de-camp, she’s captivated by the young officer’s charisma and brilliance. They fall in love, despite Hamilton’s bastard birth and the uncertainties of war.

A Founding Father’s wife...

But the union they create—in their marriage and the new nation—is far from perfect. From glittering inaugural balls to bloody street riots, the Hamiltons are at the center of it all—including the political treachery of America’s first sex scandal, which forces Eliza to struggle through heartbreak and betrayal to find forgiveness.

The last surviving light of the Revolution…

When a duel destroys Eliza’s hard-won peace, the grieving widow fights her husband’s enemies to preserve Alexander’s legacy. But long-buried secrets threaten everything Eliza believes about her marriage and her own legacy. Questioning her tireless devotion to the man and country that have broken her heart, she’s left with one last battle—to understand the flawed man she married and imperfect union he could never have created without her…

Blog Tour Spotlight: That Woman by Wayne Clark

That Woman by Wayne Clark

Publication Date: May 2, 2017

eBook & Print; 455 Pages

ISBN-13: 978-0992120269

Genre: Fiction/Historical

2017 Book Excellence Awards Finalist for Fiction 2017 

Winner 50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading

Kidnapped in France and brought to America as an indentured servant, a young woman takes on the brutal merchant king of New York's East River waterfront...

Illness suddenly deprives 17-year-old Sarah Da Silva and her older brother Jacob of a mother. Before Sarah has come to terms with that loss, her merchant father grows frail and increasingly desperate in the face of impending bankruptcy. On the rainy night their father scours the docks of Bordeaux, France, to make his final bid to save his family, his children are kidnapped and forced onto a ship bound for New York City where they’ll be separated and sold to the highest bidder as indentured labor.

Purchased by a grotesque merchant whose wealth, backed by a team of henchmen, allows him to dominate the chaotic East River docks, Sarah strikes back the only way she can. Vowing to never allow him to put his hands on her again, she presses a knife to his fat neck. She demands her freedom, a roof over her head and the means to start a business. Her leverage? Knowledge obtained on the voyage that would bring the big man to his knees forever. He yields to her demands but privately swears to become her worst nightmare.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound

Praise for That Woman:

"Historical tidbits about the city (Greenwich Village served as a "country retreat" for the upper class) enhance an action-packed plot that includes forgery (responsible for prodigious contributions to the supply of paper currency), thievery, immigrant fortitude, and the unbreakable bond of friendships that evolve into "family" in this new land. Clark's (he and She, 2014) prose is vivid. Describing a Frenchwoman who will become Sarah's friend and business partner, he writes: "Geneviève's story came out in pieces, as if well intentioned short phrases had come to her tongue and no further, only to be forgotten about for moments on end...the engrossing story offers plenty of skulduggery to keep the plot moving. Well-stocked with vibrant details about the merchant trade, this engaging Colonial tale delivers likable heroes, despicable villains, and a strong female protagonist." -Kirkus Reviews

"THAT WOMAN, Wayne Clark's tale of forced servitude and revenge in pre-Revolutionary War New York hums with injustice, and the reader thirsts for the violated character, in every sense of the word, getting even. Along the way, Clark makes New York City, already a money-drenched melting pot, as much a character as any of the participants. 4 stars." -Ron Capshaw for IndieReader

"Wayne Clark could be the new Jeffrey Archer, another master of the plot. His That Woman: Beating the Odds in Colonial New York is a story that held me in ways I never could have imagined when I started reading. The characters are very compelling, each with a solid background and each born from a powerful conflict. The duel between Sarah and her new lord raises the stakes of the conflict in this novel and the reader becomes very keen to watch how it ends. Here is a story that dramatically captures the spirit of colonialism and slavery, with a masterful handling of the theme of freedom. Readers are taken on a roller coaster ride to colonial New York to witness a drama that will take their breath away. It's utterly mesmerizing and tantalizing. 5 stars." -Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite

Excerpt

October 29, 1748 Bordeaux, France

IT WAS the highlight of Sarah’s week when her father signaled for her and her older brother Jacob to prepare themselves to accompany him while he conducted business on the quays of Bordeaux. Preparation meant simply to spruce up, straighten up and, above all, look up. Show that you are someone, he would say.

Since his wife died two years earlier, Gabriel Da Silva had placed his children on the pedestal his wife used to occupy. His taciturnity at home still made the days long, but Sarah had her brother to chatter with as they worked in the shop, its little office upstairs and the warehouse on the third floor. When Jacob teased her, which he would find any excuse to do, she laughed. Since their mother had died their father no longer barked out their names when he caught them playing word games while supposedly doing his accounts, or playing hide and seek in the store room when they were supposed to be finding space for a new consignment of goods. Mostly it was wine from their father’s best client, a producer in Pessac, a short distance southwest of the city.

Gabriel Da Silva was not a major merchant, so he was particularly proud of acting on behalf of the prestigious winery that had been in production for hundreds of years on the order of Pope Clément, a former archbishop of Bordeaux. Da Silva never had a problem with Catholics. Jews no longer had to pretend to be Catholic to get married. The King liked Jews when he profited from their commerce and borrowed their money to finance his fantasies of glory, first for himself, then for France.

Like many businessmen in coastal ports, Da Silva bought and sold whatever was at a good price, from fine silk fabrics made in Lyon to furniture made by the world-renowned craftsmen of Paris. Trade with the New World had made Bordeaux France’s major port, and many a merchant and shipowner had made their fortunes. Compared to them, Gabriel was a small fish, like the sardines from his native Portugal. But, he told himself, “I am one of them.”

Blog Tour Guest Post: Becoming George Washington by Stephen Yoch

Please join me in welcoming author Stephen Yoch to Let Them Read Books! Stephen is touring the blogosphere with his historical fiction debut, Becoming George Washington. He's here today with a guest post about one of Washington's mentors, Scottish rebel George Hume. Read on and enter to win a paperback copy of Becoming George Washington!

George Washington, action hero . . .

Long before Washington was the old man on the dollar bill, he was a fatherless boy with few resources and even less education. So how did he become the most famous person in American history?

Becoming George Washington tells the story of a young man with boundless energy, bravery, and passion, who grew from a fatherless boy into a self-confident leader. At the same time, he struggled to suppress both an awful temper and his love for a married woman, Sally Fairfax. A courageous war hero, Washington rose to the pinnacle of Virginia politics. His experiences as a young man allowed him, decades later, to lead the Revolution.

This compelling historical novel reveals the person behind the famous face and how he grew to become America’s leading Founding Father.

Did a Scottish Revolutionary Teach George Washington to be a Rebel?

By Stephen Yoch

Many know that George Washington’s first job was as a county surveyor in Virginia; in fact, at 17, he was one of Virginia’s youngest in the profession. But few know who instructed him how to master the complicated task of 18th-century surveying. The journal of George Hume supports a claim that he was the man who taught young Washington the trade of surveying.

In 1715, the first Jacobite Rebellion sought to restore James II and the ancient Stewart line to the Crown. Hume’s father, the Tenth Baron of Wedderburn, led his 17-year old son and other Scottsmen at the Battle of Sheriffmuir where they were defeated, captured, and then sent to Marshalsea Prison in London. Later, awaiting his fate. Lord Hume chose to forfeit all of his lands and titles to avoid the English axe, and his son was banished to the colonies.

Upon arrival in the New World, the highly educated young Hume, with the assistance of other Scottish expatriates, became a surveyor for Spotsylvania, Orange, and Frederick counties in Virginia. Sometime in 1747 or 1748, this failed revolutionary trained the young and impressionable Washington. A number of surveys in the Virginia Tidewater are signed: “George Hume, Surveyor: George Washington, Assistant Surveyor.” These surveys and the journals of George Hume support Hume acting as Washington’s instructor and mentor. Hume later recommended Washington as a surveyor of the newly formed Culpepper County in 1749.

We know that Hume and Washington greatly respected each other. Hume’s son, Captain Francis Hume, served under Washington during the Revolution and was an original member of the Society of Cincinnati. It is a remarkable coincidence that the greatest leader in American Revolution was taught by a failed and exiled Scottish rebel. It is certainly possible that, along with the knowledge of surveying, the early seeds of revolution were planted in young Washington by Hume.

Cover Reveal: America's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie

Tasty Book Tours is Pleased to Present...

AMERICA'S FIRST DAUGHTER

Stephanie Dray & Laura Kamoie

Releasing March 1st, 2016

William Morrow

Historical Fiction 

In a compelling, richly researched novel that draws from thousands of letters and original sources, bestselling authors Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie tell the fascinating, untold story of Thomas Jefferson’s eldest daughter, Martha “Patsy” Jefferson Randolph—a woman who kept the secrets of our most enigmatic founding father and shaped an American legacy.

From her earliest days, Martha “Patsy” Jefferson knows that though her father loves his family dearly, his devotion to his country runs deeper still. As Thomas Jefferson’s oldest daughter, she becomes his helpmate in the wake of her mother’s death, traveling with him when he becomes American minister to France. And it is in Paris, at the glittering court and among the first tumultuous days of revolution, that she learns of her father’s liaison with Sally Hemings, a slave girl her own age.

Patsy too has fallen in love—with her father’s protégé, William Short, a staunch abolitionist intent on a career in Europe. Heartbroken at having to decide between being William’s wife or a devoted daughter, she returns to Virginia with her father and marries a man of his choosing, raising eleven children of her own.

Yet as family secrets come to light during her father’s presidency, Patsy must again decide how much she will sacrifice to protect his reputation, in the process defining not just Jefferson’s political legacy, but that of the nation he founded.

Blog Tour Review: Goddess Born by Kari Edgren

From the Back Cover:

Pennsylvania, 1730

Selah Kilbrid keeps a dangerous secret: she has the power to heal.

A direct descendent of the Celtic goddess Brigid, it's Selah's sacred duty to help those in need. But as the last of the Goddess Born living in the New World, she learned from an early age to keep her supernatural abilities hidden. The Quaker community of Hopewell has always been welcoming, but there's no doubt they would see her hanged if her gift was revealed.

When a prominent minister threatens to try her with witchcraft unless she becomes his wife, Selah has only one hope--that her betrothed, a distant cousin from Ireland, arrives as planned. Marrying Samuel would keep her secret safe, preserve her sacred bloodline, and protect her from being charged as a witch.

But when news of Samuel's death reaches the Colonies, Selah is truly on her own. Terrified, she faces an impossible choice--forfeit her powers and marry the loathsome Nathan? Or find an imposter to pose as her husband and preserve her birthright?

My Thoughts:

A descendant of the Celtic goddess Brigid, eighteen-year-old Selah Kilbrid has the power of healing, though she must use it carefully and under the guise of the limited medical knowledge of the eighteenth century or else risk raising the fears of the superstitious community in which she lives. But with the death of her beloved father, Selah is a young woman alone in a world very much ruled by men. Hounded by Nathan, a Quaker elder obsessed with making her his bride, Selah has one chance to stay true to her heritage and fulfill the sacred duty entrusted to her by the goddess: she must get to Philadelphia to marry a man she has never met, her cousin Samuel, due to arrive from Ireland any day. As a fellow Kilbrid, Samuel knows about Selah's gift and is sworn to protect her. But when Selah arrives in Philadelphia, she discovers that Samuel tragically died on the voyage over, and she is now truly alone. But she is unable to reconcile her fate of marrying a fanatical man and hiding her gift until it eventually withers away, so when she stumbles on an indentured servant auction and locks eyes with a handsome man who seems oddly out of place, she crafts a bold and daring plan. She purchases Henry Alan and convinces him to pose as her new husband.

Spotlight: Yakimali's Gift by Linda Covella

Please join Linda Covella on her Blog Tour with HF Virtual Book Tours for her YA historical novel, Yakimali's Gift, from October 6-10. Three $10 Amazon Gift Cards are up for grabs, please see below to enter the giveaway.


Publication Date: July 29, 2014
Astraea Press
eBook; 206p

Genre: YA Historical Fiction


 
READ AN EXCERPT.


It’s 1775 in Mexico, New Spain, and 15-year-old Fernanda Marquina, half Pima Indian and half Spanish, can’t seem to live up to her mother’s expectations or fit into the limited female roles of her culture. While she tends her garden, matches wits with buyers and sellers at the weekly market, and avoids Mama’s lectures and the demands of Nicolas, the handsome soldier pursuing her, Fernanda grabs any opportunity to ride the horses she loves, racing across the desert, dreaming of adventure in faraway lands.

But when a tragic accident presents her with the adventure she longed for, it’s at a greater cost than she could have ever imagined. With her family, Fernanda joins Juan Bautista de Anza’s historic colonization expedition to California.

On the arduous four-month journey, Fernanda makes friends with Feliciana, the young widow Fernanda can entrust with her deepest thoughts; Gloria, who becomes the sister Fernanda always wished for; and Gloria’s handsome brother Miguel, gentle one moment, angry the next and, like Fernanda, a mestizo–half Indian and half Spanish. As Fernanda penetrates Miguel’s layers of hidden feelings, she’s torn between him and Nicolas, who has joined the journey in the ranks of Anza’s soldiers and whose plans include marrying Fernanda when they reach California.

But propelling Fernanda along the journey is her search for Mama’s Pima Indian past, a past Mama refused to talk about, a past with secrets that Fernanda is determined to learn. The truths she discovers will change the way she sees her ancestry, her family, and herself.

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Review: Burning Sky by Lori Benton

From the Back Cover:

"I remember the borders of our land, though I have been gone from them nearly half the moons of my life. But who there will remember me? What I have seen, what I have done, it has changed me.

I am the place where two rivers meet, silted with upheaval and loss.

Yet memory of our land is a clear stream. I shall know it as a mother knows the faces of her children. It may be I will find me there."
  
Abducted by Mohawk Indians at fourteen and renamed Burning Sky, Willa Obenchain is driven to return to her family’s New York frontier homestead after many years building a life with the People. At the boundary of her father’s property, Willa discovers a wounded Scotsman lying in her path. Feeling obliged to nurse his injuries, the two quickly find much has changed during her twelve-year absence—her childhood home is in disrepair, her missing parents are rumored to be Tories, and the young Richard Waring she once admired is now grown into a man twisted by the horrors of war and claiming ownership of the Obenchain land.

When her Mohawk brother arrives and questions her place in the white world, the cultural divide blurs Willa’s vision. Can she follow Tames-His-Horse back to the People now that she is no longer Burning Sky? And what about Neil MacGregor, the kind and loyal botanist who does not fit into in her plan for a solitary life, yet is now helping her revive her farm? In the aftermath of the Revolutionary War, strong feelings against “savages” abound in the nearby village of Shiloh, leaving Willa’s safety unsure.

Willa is a woman caught between two worlds. As tensions rise, challenging her shielded heart, the woman called Burning Sky must find a new courage--the courage to again risk embracing the blessings the Almighty wants to bestow. Is she brave enough to love again?

My Thoughts:

After war and illness decimate her tribe and rob her of her husband and children, Willa Obenchain, the Mohawk woman once known as Burning Sky, having nowhere else to go, returns to the village of Shiloh on the New York frontier, where she had been abducted twelve years earlier. She discovers a homeland still struggling to put itself back together after the American Revolution, where long-held grudges are still simmering along with a deep distrust of the Native Americans who helped the British. She also discovers that her parents have been missing since the war, when they disappeared under suspicion of aiding the enemy. Willa, as a Mohawk and the daughter of parents accused of being Loyalists during the war, is doubly maligned as she attempts to make a place for herself in her childhood home.

Interview with Katherine Scott Crawford, Author of Keowee Valley

Please join me in welcoming author Katherine Scott Crawford to Let Them Read Books! I was privileged to receive an advanced copy of Katherine's debut, Keowee Valley, but I read it during a chaotic time that resulted in me not being able to review it in a timely fashion, though I very much enjoyed it and I wanted to give my lovely readers an introduction to this book! I'm a proud Virginia native, but half of my heart belongs to South Carolina, and I gobble up historical fiction set there, especially in the Colonial/American Revolution era. And Katherine is a doll. Through talking, we discovered our mutual love of South Carolina and ACC football--though we're friendly rivals--she's a Tiger, I'm a Hokie. Read on to learn about the making of this gorgeous love story and then enter to win one of four copies of Keowee Valley up for grabs!


Spring, 1768. The Southern frontier is a treacherous wilderness inhabited by the powerful Cherokee people. In Charlestown, 25 year-old Quincy MacFadden receives news from beyond the grave: her cousin, a man she’d believed long dead, is alive—held captive by the Shawnee Indians. Unmarried, bookish, and plagued by visions of the future, Quinn is a woman out of place… and this is the opportunity for which she’s been longing.

Determined to save two lives, her cousin’s and her own, Quinn travels the rugged Cherokee Path into the South Carolina Blue Ridge. Defying her furious grandfather and colonial law, she barters for leverage against the Shawnee with a notorious Cherokee chief—and begins building a daring new home in the Keowee River Valley, a fiercely beautiful place.

But in order to rescue her cousin, Quinn must trust an enigmatic half-Cherokee tracker whose loyalties may lie elsewhere. As translator to the British army, Jack Wolf walks a perilous line between a King he hates and a homeland he loves.

Together they journey across the Appalachian Mountains and into the heart of Cherokee country. They encounter wily trappers, warring Indians, British soldiers, desperate settlers, and a contested backcountry on the brink of changing forever.

When Jack is ordered to negotiate for Indian loyalty in the Revolution to come, the pair must decide: obey the Crown, or commit treason…

Blog Tour Review: The Spirit Keeper by K.B. Laugheed

From the Back Cover:

The thirteenth child conceived of miserable Irish exiles, Katie O’Toole dreams of a different life. Little does she know that someone far away is dreaming of her.

In 1747, savages raid her family home, and seventeen-year-old Katie is taken captive. Syawa and Hector have been searching for her, guided by Syawa’s dreams. A young Holyman, Syawa believes Katie is the subject of his Vision: the Creature of Fire and Ice, destined to bring a great gift to his people. Despite her flaming hair and ice-blue eyes, Katie is certain he is mistaken, but faced with returning to her family, she agrees to join them. She soon discovers that in order to fulfill Syawa’s Vision, she must first become his Spirit Keeper, embarking on an epic journey that will change her life—and heart—forever.

My Thoughts:

I love stories of frontier life and the American West. Throw in a European woman falling in love with her Native American captor, and I'm totally there. So I was really looking forward to reading The Spirit Keeper. It's hard to go into much detail about plot without giving anything away, so I'll let the back cover blurb speak for itself and tell you how the story affected me. I was drawn to Katie right away. Her life before being captured (or rescued, depending on how you look at it) is vividly recreated in her memories as she compares and contrasts her old life with her new, and throughout the story, her emotions, particularly her keen sense of being unloved and unwanted, and then her joy and uplifting as those old fears were conquered, were living, tangible things.

Blog Tour Review: The Turning of Anne Merrick by Christine Blevins

From the Back Cover:

She spies for General Washington, betrays the Redcoats and battles for America's independence...

It's 1777, and a fledgling country wages an almost hopeless struggle against the might of the British Empire. Brought together by a fateful kiss, Anne Merrick and Jack Hampton are devoted to each other and to their Patriot cause. As part of Washington's daring network of spies, they are ready and willing to pay even the ultimate price for freedom.

From battlefields raging along the Hudson, to the desperate winter encampment at Valley Forge and through the dangerous intrigue of British-occupied Philadelphia, Anne and Jack brave the trials of separation, the ravages of war and an unyielding enemy growing ever more ruthless.

For love and for country, all is put at risk-and together the pair must call upon their every ounce of courage and cunning in order to survive.

Blog Tour Event: Paper Woman by Suzanne Adair

From the Back Cover:

She expected the redcoats to solve her father's murder. The redcoats and her father had other plans.

In early June 1780, the village of Alton, Georgia, is rocked by the triple murder of the town printer and one of his associates, both outspoken patriots, and a Spanish assassin. Alton's redcoats are in no hurry to seek justice for the murdered men. The printer and his buddies have stirred up trouble for the garrison. But the printer's widowed daughter, Sophie Barton, wants justice for her father. Under suspicion from the redcoats, Sophie sets out on a harrowing journey to find the truth about her father -- a journey that plunges her into a hornet's nest of terror, treachery, and international espionage.

My Review:

The American Revolution is my favorite time period to read about, and Ms. Adair brings 1780 Georgia to life in this adventurous novel about treason and espionage.

When the widowed Sophie Barton's father is murdered in a gruesome crime along with two friends also known to harbor rebel sympathies, the local garrison of the royal army investigates, and reveals to Sophie that her father was involved in a rebel plot. Accused herself of printing seditious material, Sophie finds herself in the hot seat, under arrest and threatened with imprisonment and trial for treason if she doesn't help the redcoats crack an encoded rebel message. That message ends up alluding to a plot between the rebels and the Spanish, and the mystery of her father's death grows deeper. What kind of trouble had he gotten himself into? Who was he allied with? And who could have wanted him dead so badly? That's what the redcoats want to know, too, and they think Sophie's got the answers.

But if His Majesty's Men think they're going to keep Sophie contained, they've got another thing coming. Next thing you know she's out the window and fleeing with hunky friend Matthias Hale to a nearby Creek village. There she meets up with a few loyal friends, including her brother David, and sets out on a dangerous mission to track down the mysterious Spanish agent El Serpiente and learn the truth about her father's death. But tricky El Serpiente seems to always be one step ahead of them. Their dangerous journey takes them through wilderness and swampland crawling with bandits, runaway slaves, and redcoats. When they finally make it to St. Augustine, more treachery awaits them, the plot between the rebels, Spanish, and French grows thicker, and Sophie finds herself boarding a ship bound for Havana.

Through it all Sophie grows new mettle and comes to some new understandings about the people in her life. She faces harrowing trials with bravery, but is not left unscathed by these encounters. Along the way she also finds love, and as the story reaches its exciting conclusion in Havana, Sophie discovers something she never expected, and that will change everything.

So today I'm sponsoring Paper Woman in a head-to-head match-up with another book on Blog Tour de Force. It's a pretty cool concept! You can help Ms. Adair win and move on to the next round by leaving a comment on this review. Then visit Suzanne Adair's blog, read her post, "Sex. Love. Death.", and follow the instructions to score your own copy of Paper Woman! But you've got to do it today, April 21st, by midnight!

Quick Review: The Frontiersman's Daughter by Laura Frantz

From the Back Cover:

Lovely but tough as nails, Lael Click is the daughter of a celebrated frontiersman. Haunted by her father's former captivity with the Shawnee Indians, as well as the secret sins of her family's past, Lael comes of age in the fragile Kentucky settlement her father founded. Though she faces the loss of a childhood love, a dangerous family feud, and the affection of a Shawnee warrior, Lael draws strength from the rugged land she calls home, and from Ma Horn, a distant relative who shows her the healing ways of herbs and roots found in the hills. But the arrival of an outlander doctor threatens her view of the world, God, and herself--and the power of grace and redemption.

This epic novel gives readers a glimpse into the simple yet daring lives of the pioneers who first crossed the Appalachians, all through the courageous eyes of a determined young woman. Laura Frantz's debut novel offers a feast for readers of historical fiction and romance lovers alike.

My Thoughts:

I love stories of frontier life. I am continually amazed at the strength of the people who carved out our nation one homestead at a time. The Frontiersman's Daughter is an exceptional tale of one young woman's struggle to discover her place and purpose on the edge of the wild Kentucky frontier. I was instantly drawn into Lael's story and I found myself smiling when she was happy and crying at her heartbreak; at times applauding her bravery and at others cursing her stupidity. This is Christian fiction, so Lael also struggles to find her faith in God in a wild and dangerous environment that God seems to have forsaken. But the themes of faith and forgiveness are subtlely woven throughout the story, seamlessly blended with the hardships and triumphs of frontier life, and coming to the forefront only at the end when Lael faces her most difficult trial of all. The Frontiersman's Daughter is a beautifully crafted epic, filled with raw emotion, the themes of faith and family and friendship, right and wrong, with a story as unpredictable as the wilderness itself - a rugged ride through an unforgettable young woman's journey to self-acceptance, spiritual enlightenment, and love. I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

Rating:  4.5 Stars out of 5

Review: The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

From the Back Cover:

When a white servant girl violates the order of plantation society, she unleashes a tragedy that exposes the worst and best in the people she has come to call her family...

Orphaned while onboard ship from Ireland, seven-year-old Lavinia arrives on the steps of a tobacco plantation where she is to live and work with the slaves of the kitchen house. Under the care of Belle, the master's illegitimate daughter, Lavinia becomes deeply bonded to her adopted family, though she is set apart from them by her white skin.

Eventually, Lavinia is accepted into the world of the big house, where the master is absent and the mistress battles opium addiction. Lavinia finds herself perilously straddling two very different worlds. When she is forced to make a choice, loyalties are brought into question, dangerous truths are laid bare, and lives are put at risk.

I enjoyed this book for its different perspective on plantation life, that of a white indentured servant, Lavinia, who doesn't fit in with the free whites or with the enslaved servants. The story gets off to a strong and immediate start with a glimpse of a tragedy to come and the rest of the narrative leads the reader down a dark and emotional path toward that conclusion:

There was a strong smell of smoke, and new fear fueled me. Now on the familiar path, I raced ahead, unmindful of my daughter behind me trying to keep up...I forbade myself to think I was too late and focused all my strength on moving toward home.

When Lavinia first arrives at the plantation she is traumatized and frightened, but gradually comes back to life under the patient care of the kitchen house slaves. The narrative moves between Lavinia and Belle, the master's illegitimate daughter. Both girls live between the worlds of black and white. Belle's light skin and favor from the master set her apart nearly as much as Lavinia's white skin does. But each woman offers a different view of that grey area, as Belle is wise to the ways of plantation society and struggles with the need to be free of it, while Lavinia is young and unknowing and wants only to find her place in it.

Lavinia has a hard time understanding that she is different from her adoptive family. She comes to be dependent upon their acceptance and love, the solidarity and comfort she finds with them. But her family knows that eventually Lavinia will be a free woman and they hope for a better future for her, and try to prepare her for a different future.

As Lavinia grows older she is embraced by the master's family and given a chance to be educated and experience more of the world. Though she attempts to make the most of it, she misses her plantation family fiercely and still can't envision a future that does not include sharing a life with them. She ends up making a decision that she thinks will provide the perfect way to return to live with her family and better their lot in life at the same time, but ultimately ends up bringing suffering and hardship instead.

I've seen a lot of five-star reviews for this book, and I thought it was good, but two things keep me from rating it that high. One, oddly enough, is Lavinia herself. She displays courage and determination when attempting to maintain her relations with her slave family, but she can't find the same stength to take care of herself. She remains on the naive and strongheaded side throughout the story and she doesn't seem to learn from her mistakes or the mistakes of others. That and the fact that this book was a little too dark and depressing for me. No one ever seems to be able to catch a break, there's just one heartache or trauma after another and at the end I didn't feel like all that darkness had a bigger purpose. If that makes any sense.

But this book is very well written and it's hard to believe this is Ms. Grissom's first novel. In the author's note she reveals her inspiration for the story: the discovery on an old map of a place named "Negro Hill" adjacent to her farm. From that notation on a map a story began to flow of what could have happened on that hill to give it its name. I also really enjoyed the descriptiveness of the narrative, particularly that of colonial Williamsburg, (which regular readers of my blog know is one of my favorite places), and the plight of the mentally ill and the conditions of the mental hospital there, having visited last summer and toured the reproduction of that hospital. And even though the story covers a span of about 20 years, it moves at a very fast pace and I had a hard time putting it down.

Rating:  4 Stars out of 5

The American Historical Fiction Group on Goodreads recently read this book, and there is an ongoing Q&A thread there with author Kathleen Grissom. Feel free to join us and participate in the discussion!


*Though I received this book from the author, this is my unbiased review and I was not compensated in any other way for reviewing this book.

Review: Shadowbrook by Beverly Swerling

From the Back Cover:

A sweeping tale of love, ambition, and a war that ignited a revolution...

1754. In a low-lying glen in Ohio Country, where both the French and English claim dominion, the first musket ball fired signals the start of a savage seven-year conflict destined to dismantle France's overreaching empire and pave the way for the American Revolution. In a world on the brink of astonishing change are Quentin Hale, the fearless gentleman-turned-scout, fighting to preserve his beloved family plantation, Shadowbrook; Cormac Shea, the part-Irish, part-Indian woodsman with a foot in both worlds; and the beautiful Nicole Crane, who, struggling to reconcile her love for Hale and her calling to the convent, becomes a pawn in the British quest for territory. Moving between the longhouses of the Iroquois and Shadowbrook's elegant rooms, the frontier's virgin forests and the cobbled streets of Quebec, Swerling weaves a tale of passion and intrigue, faith and devotion, courage and betrayal. Peopled with a cast of unforgettable characters and historical figures, including a young George Washington, this richly textured novel vividly captures the conflict that opened the eighteenth century and ignited our nation's quest for independence. A classic in the making, Shadowbrook is a page-turning tale of ambition, war, and the transforming power of both love and duty.

My Thoughts:

I love novels set in early America. The birth of America is my favorite period in history and I read and research as much as I can about it. I think it's a time that gets overlooked a lot, especially in fiction, where everybody seems to be more interested in medieval times, the Tudors, Regency, etc. I immediately purchased this book after it was recommended in the American Historical Fiction Group on Goodreads.

I was thrown at first by the opening scene, as I mentioned in my Friday Firsts post from last week. The story opens with the five nuns of St. Clare flagellating themselves in their little chapel in Quebec, which I thought was an odd opening for a story about imperial war. But it turns out their order will play an important role in the story.

Adopted brothers Quentin Hale and Cormac Shea divide their time between the white and Indian worlds, occasionally hiring themselves out as wilderness scouts. While thus employed they meet unexpectedly on opposite sides of a skirmish between French and British troops, the latter lead by George Washington. Turns out Cormac was actually looking for Quent, bearing a message from his mother: his father is dying and he is needed back at the family plantation, Shadowbrook. Their long journey from the Ohio Country to New York is made complicated by the young, beautiful and mysterious French woman Nicole Crane, whom Cormac has agreed to escort to Quebec.

More complications await them at Shadowbrook, where they arrive to find they are not welcome by Quent's older brother John, who has been squandering the family fortune. Quent begins to think he could be happy again at Shadowbrook and confesses his love to Nicole who tells him she has chosen to give her life to God. Add to Quent's problems a land-obsessed Scotsman who covets Shadowbrook and will stop at nothing to get it, a lawless Indian renegade who has it out for Quent, and the fact that Shadowbrook lies between the two opposing forces as war appears imminent. The French are forming dangerous alliances with the Indian nations, and that's where the order of nuns comes back into play, as Nicole arrives to join them and two powerful French clergymen vie to use their influence with Indians and inhabitants to aid the French cause in the war for Canada and the Ohio territory.

I really wanted to love this book...but I didn't.

The historical content gets five stars from me. Lots of information on French Canada, its leaders and its inhabitants, on the northern Indian nations; their customs and hardships, and good insights as to why and how each nation chose where to stand in the conflict. The writing itself is very good; great descriptive passages and settings that come to life.

However, the story and characterization only get three stars from me. The first half of the book starts off very promising, but then the main characters become separated for long lengths of time and a few subplots come and go, and when they finally get back together for the Battle of Quebec (Plains of Abraham), it's very anti-climactic and doesn't feel truly satisfying. The point of view switches around so much, (there are about twenty different POVs), it's hard to really get to the meat of any one character, so they all come off as being rather superficial. And at times I really just wanted to smack Nicole.

My final reaction to this book was really more like three stars, but it is too well-researched and crafted to rate it that low, so I'm giving more weight to the historical content. I do think this author is worthy of another chance and so I plan to read the first book in her series about New York City, City of Dreams: A Novel of Nieuw Amsterdam and Early Manhattan.

My Rating:  4 Stars out of 5