Hearts in Defiance by Heather Frey Blanton

Blurb:

MEN MAKE MISTAKES. GOD WILL FORGIVE THEM. WILL THEIR WOMEN? 

Charles McIntyre built the lawless, godless mining town of Defiance practically with his bare hands … and without any remorse for the lives he destroyed along the way. Then a glimpse of true love, both earthly and heavenly, changed him. The question is, how much? Naomi Miller is a beautiful, decent woman. She says she loves McIntyre, that God does, too, and the past is behind them now. But McIntyre struggles to believe he’s worth saving … worth loving. Unfortunately, the temptations in Defiance only reinforce his doubts. 

Billy Page abandoned Hannah Frink when he discovered she was going to have his baby … and now he can’t live with himself. Or without her. Determined to prove his love, he leaves his family and fortune behind and journeys to Defiance. Will Hannah take Billy back or give him what he deserves for the betrayal? 

Gritty and realistic, this is the story of real life and real faith in Defiance. 

Donna's Review:

What can I say? This book was as good as the first, A Lady in Defiance, which I reviewed here. In fact, it might have been better.

The plotting is tight. The story is gripping from the very first page. Blanton's prose, while not particularly beautiful or unusual, provides an easy, enjoyable read.  

By far, what I loved the most, however, was the way Blanton's characters jump off the page. Charles McIntyre is a changed man from the first book, but he has baggage from a sordid past that refuses to go away. He doesn't care so much for himself, but he hates the fact his past affects the one woman he has ever dared to love - Naomi Miller. Naomi patiently bears up under the strain of a man working hard to change his ways, and Blanton's potrayal of both McIntyre and Miller is gritty, raw, and heartbreakingly realistic. Naomi, too, is struggling to shed her past and the memories of her husband. When his twin brother arrives, she finds herself fighting a battle of her own, and Charles must come to terms with her feelings as well. 

Particularly intriguing is the appearance of the father of Hannah's baby and his determination to make amends for not standing by Hannah. The fact Hannah has eyes for another young man does not deter him, and I really had no idea who she would choose by the end of the novel.

I will say, the ending was deeply satisfying, until the last page. The book does not really end on a cliffhanger, so to speak. However, it does beg the question - will there be a 3rd book? 

I sincerely hope so.

Still, 5 roses for this one.

Length:  368 pages

Prices:

Print:  $ 13.46

Digital:  $ 2.99

Buy Link:  http://www.amazon.com/Hearts-Defiance-Romance-Rockies-Book-ebook/dp/B00MR11OPA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443571529&sr=8-1&keywords=hearts+defiance

.

The Lumberjacks' Ball by Carrie Fancett Pagels

Blurb:

A decade after surviving a brutal attack, a mercantile owner’s daughter begins her life anew in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. A gifted craftsman wishes to leave the lumber camp and seeks employment at her new store. When his presence dredges up memories she wishes to suppress, the proprietress must learn to face her past and open her heart. When complications arise, will they overcome adversity in time for The Lumberjack's Ball?

Donna's Review:

This is a sweet historical, so there is no sex and only mild steam. Despite that, the book starts off good and pulled me in. There was a bit of a mystery with the characters which unfolds nicely. However, near the center, the story becomes a bit muddled and drags, and at times I was bored. But, I have to be honest, I did have a lot going on at the same time I was reading, so I cannot totally blame all my boredom on the plot.

The biggest problem is that I am not a fan of “sweet,” so this is more my issue than the plotting, which is well done. I also prefer longer books, and this one, while not a novella, is not long enough to really get deep into the characters nor to have a lot of plot elements going on. The story though, moves forward from one event to the next. The characters are well-done, if a little too sweet for my tastes, and Janie seems to find her faith without any real hardship on her part. It was also a little heavy on the Christian ejaculations, so do not read unless you are specifically looking for Christian content or if such does not bother you.

Having said all that, for those looking for a sweet historical, you will not be disappointed. You all know I try to rate according to story content, plotting, characterization, etc., and not on my own personal taste.

So I give this one four roses for a well-done sweet historical – even though it’s not my cup of tea, because all of the elements for a really, really good read are there.

Pages: 147 pages

Price:

Paperback: $6.47

Digital: $2.99

Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/Lumberjacks-Ball-Christy-Lumber-Camp-ebook/dp/B00VPLUSBO/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1437662461&sr=1-1&keywords=the+lumberjacks%27+ball

The Whistle Walk by Stephania McGee

Blurb:

A Mississippi Plantation: Civil War pits countrymen against one another and tears a nation asunder. Life and death are held in the balance where everyone is a slave to something. One is born free, yet lives as a soul in bondage... Lydia Harper never intended to purchase a slave. But when she witnesses a woman being beaten in the street, all her pretenses begin to unravel. A bride to a man she barely knows and bound by her secrets, Lydia will risk everything to save a stranger. Amid the War Between the States, the mistress of Ironwood faces the battles in her own heart and discovers strength in a way she never imagined. The other is born to serve, yet holds the spirit of freedom... Ruth, standing on the threshold of desperation, has lost everything she holds dear. After being pulled from the dirt, she is no longer a field hand but the personal maid to the lady of Ironwood. Ruth soon realizes adversity pays no mind to the color of skin. When propriety slips, she discovers they have more in common than she dreamed possible. In a time when fear brings the South to its knees, two women will forge a friendship in the fires of redemption and thrust Ironwood into a new future - where the battle for freedom has merely begun.

Donna's Review:

Gee willikers! This one was a tough one. And I must say, I picked up another newbie author quite by accident, again. And this book, like others I’ve read from new authors, has so much good and so much that needs improving it makes rating it difficult.

First, the good. The title intrigued me and, as a girl of the Old South, was not a phrase I had heard. (You must read the book to find out what it means.) McGee later uses the idea as a symbol of the characters choices as they work to change their life. Definitely an opportunity not wasted.

The battle scenes three-fourths of the way through were really well-written. They moved along quickly, the description was well done, and came from the characters’ experiences. I literally felt as if I was there. I could hear the sounds and smell the blood. Frankly, battle and fight scenes are some of the hardest to write, but McGee does a fabulous job.

The character of Ruth, who is the slave woman, is captivating. Her goals are clear and immediate at the beginning, so that the reader is sucked into the story. (She carries the story through the first third of the book. If it had not been for her, I might not have kept reading.)

McGee pulls off the dialogue of the slaves like a seasoned pro. Usually, slave dialogue comes across stiff and hard to read, but McGee pulls a few tricks with the writing that makes it flow from the page. The result? The reader is not forced to labor over the dialogue which causes them to pull out of the story.

The contrasting world of black and white at this time is well-done. Lydia is torn between Ruth’s forced station in life and even her own. In a particularly poignant scene, as the war is tearing Ironwood apart, Lydia remarks that “she always thought being equal would make them [the slaves] more like her. She’d never considered giving up her place to be more like them.” Definitely powerful stuff going on here!

Now, the not so good. Or, I should say “the could be better.” While Ruth’s story was well done, Lydia’s suffers from unclear goals until nearly the halfway point of the book. There are also a number of historical inconsistencies in her character. For example, she doesn’t seem to know a lot about running a Southern household, but she grew up on a plantation. Neither did she understand social “codes of conduct” in the Old South. For example, slaves did not ride in carriages, nor did the plantation mistress go to the slaves’ quarters. It lies with Ruth to tell her how to act. Had Lydia been Northern born, this would have been understandable. But considering the fact she was Southern born, and her mother definitely knew her place and how to work it, Lydia would have known hers. Her character’s transformation is also a bit unexplained, so that she seems to be all over the page as far as a character is concerned—wallflower, waif, crusader, warrior, do-gooder, etc., etc.

As for her husband, Charles, he seems a bit too good to be true. He, too, has no immediate, angst-filled goals until the war arrives at his doorstep. He loves Lydia. He wishes to marry her. He doesn’t seem much to care what she does. He doesn’t wish to go to war. That is about it.

The setting was also a bit bland (except for the war scenes). Every now and then I would hear a turn of a phrase and an apt description, but they were few and far between and the book definitely needed more. I, for one, like to “feel” that I am there, and I did not feel that way in some parts of this book, although in others I did.

All in all, though, this was an enjoyable read. I have thought about the book days after finishing it, and I think I will break my rule and move right to the second in this series as it looks so interesting.

I guess that says a lot on its own. Three roses for this one.

Thanks for visiting Julie, Rose, Donna & Rochelle

Length:  366 pages

Prices:

Print:  $14.99

Digital:  $3.99

Buy Link:  http://www.amazon.com/Whistle-Walk-Ironwood-Plantation-Family-ebook/dp/B00R6C7508/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1432513895

Waiting for Summer's Return by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Blurb: 

All alone on the Kansas prairie, Summer Steadman has few options. With her husband and children lost to illness, she has no desire to continue on farther west to where she and her husband planned to build their future. Instead, she seeks employment in a small Mennonite community in order to be near the graves of her family. Widower Peter Ollenburger, the local gristmill owner, needs someone to teach his young son. When he hears of a "learned woman" in town, he believes she is the answer to his prayers. He soon discovers, however, that helping this outsider may have troublesome consequences. There is little this father will not do for his son, but as the boy begins to look at Summer as more than a teacher, Peter must make a choice. Does he marry this woman to give his son a new mother, or does he marry only for love? Will Summer's broken heart ever be able to love again?

Donna's Review:

Kim Vogel Sawyer's website  advertises “gentle stories of hope” and Waiting for Summer’s Return certainly delivered. 

Bostonian Summer Steadham is stranded in a Mennonite town in Kansas after the deaths of her husband and four children of typhoid. In order to remain close to their graves, she takes a job as a tutor for widower Peter  Ollenberger’s ten year old son, Thomas . Peter is a sweet, admirable, hardworking man. He is infinitely patient with  Summer  which, in her grief stricken state, she needs. I liked him, but I sure wanted him to lose his temper at least once. He really was almost too good to be true. I really could find no fault in the man.

As a matter of fact, I couldn’t find fault with any of the characters beside the townspeople at the beginning who don’t like Summer because she is not a Mennonite. As a result, I did not find enough high energy conflict in the book to keep me interested in reading every word. I skipped over the substory of Summer’s conversion to the Mennonite faith as well as her ministering to her mother-in-law near the end of the book. I found it preachy and too slow for me to wade through reading. I kept waiting for an explosion between Summer, an obvious outsider, and the Mennonites, who were clearly displeased with her arrival in their community. After a few harsh words between Peter and church elders, one woman befriends Summer and the rest soon follow.

The one creeping fault in Summer’s character is her selfish and persistent decision to drag her husband and children from Boston to a life on the Kansas prairie over their wishes. I waited for the gut wrenching emotional turmoil that would set her towards the struggle of taming her selfish side. It never happened. She acknowledged it briefly, and that was the end of the matter. Even Peter’s son, ten year old Thomas, is too good to be true.

The book is well written. The prose flows nicely. The plotting does move along even if it is not a high energy - high stakes sort of novel or romance. 

If you’re a fan of sweet romances and don’t mind long sections devoted to Christianity, then you will enjoy Sawyer’s portrayal of two people trying to move past their pain to find love. If you like grittier fiction, like Kirsten Heitzman and Judith Pella, or fiction with a Christian worldview without any overt plot about Christianity, then you will be disappointed.

Three Roses for this one based on my preferences and nothing else. 

Thanks for visiting - Rose, Julie, Donna, and Rochelle

Length: 348 pages

Prices:

Print: $12.80

Digital  $4.99

Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/Waiting-Summers-Return/dp/0764201824/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431639260&sr=8-1&keywords=waiting+for+summer%27s+return

Lady in the Mist by Laurie Alice Eakes

Blurb:

By virtue of her profession as a midwife, Tabitha Eckles is the keeper of many secrets: the names of fathers of illegitimate children, the level of love and harmony within many a marriage, and now the identity of a man who may have caused his wife's death. Dominick Cherrett is a man with his own secret to keep: namely, what he, a British nobleman, is doing on American soil working as a bondsman in the home of Mayor Kendall, a Southern gentleman with his eye on a higher office. By chance one morning before the dawn has broken, Tabitha and Dominick cross paths on a misty beachhead, leading them on a twisted path through kidnappings, death threats, public disgrace, and…love? Can Tabitha trust Dominick? What might he be hiding? And can either of them find true love in a world that seems set against them? With stirring writing that puts readers directly into the story, Lady in the Mist expertly explores themes of identity, misperception, and love's discovery.

Donna's Review:

Lately, I have a knack for picking up an author’s first book. It’s not on purpose, I assure you. It’s just a quirk of fate.

Lady in the Mist is the first work of Laurie Alice Eakes, and it is the first of her trilogy titled The Midwives.

Overall, the book was a likeable read. The characters of Tabitha Eckles and Dominick Cherrett are endearing. I liked the fact that while Tabitha really wanted to marry and have children, she was devoted to midwifery and her role in the community.  I liked the time period, just prior to the War of 1812. The plot pacing is well done and moves along.

However, the whole of it, characters, plotting, and prose, was not well focused. At times I had to reread to understand not only what a character said, but where the plot was going. While the external goals are clear, the characters seem to have several issues internally they are dealing with. Tightening these elements by focusing on one or two specific goals would have made the book not only more enjoyable but would have driven the plotting forward in a clearer way.

I also had trouble picturing  Dominick Cherrett as an Englishman. The name sounded French to me, and I am pretty sure the English, after the Reformation, did not name their boys Dominick as it smacks of Catholicism. There was also not enough build up to the relationship between Dominick and Tabitha. All of a sudden, Dominick is in love with Tabitha. She seems to love him from the start. 

This is a Christian historical romance, so readers should be aware of that. At times, the religious angle was lengthy and the ideas, again, were not clear.  Long internal dialogues in fiction between a character and God in which they suddenly have an ephiphany of sorts almost always turn me off. It is not realistic except in a few cases.  No specific church or denomination was ever mentioned. Dominick, of course, would have been Anglican having been an Englishmen, but nothing was ever mentioned of Tabitha’s church denomination. This would have created a huge conflict and should have been explored, or at the very least, explained as being a non-issue. If she was Episcoplian (the American counterpart by this point in time of Anglicanism), that should have been mentioned as well. 

I did, very much, like the ending, especially the way in which the story issues were finally resolved. 

Three Roses for this one, because there is enough good going on to encourage me to pick up another book in the series, or even another by Eakes.   

Length:  416 Pages

Prices:

Print:  $12.41

Digital:  $5.99

Buy Link:  http://www.amazon.com/Lady-Mist-Laurie-Alice-Eakes/dp/0800734521/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429550088&sr=8-1&keywords=lady+in+the+mist

Thanks for visiting—Rose, Julie, Donna and Rochelle