Category Archives: Historicals

A Whisper Of Peace By Kim Vogel Sawyer

This book is one of the best I’ve read in 2011! If you haven’t read this book then you need to rush out and buy a copy now! Better yet, download a copy on your Kindle or your Nook!

Lizzie is half-Indian and half-White. One striking feature that shows her mixed race is her vivid blue eyes. Due to her mixed parentage, she’s been shunned and ostracized by her village – which include her own grandparents! She lives apart from the village, alone. Her White father left Lizzie and her mom when Lizzie was twelve. Growing up, her father taught her to read and Lizzie can speak both her native Indian language as well as English. After her mother died, Lizzie has had to survive on her own. She’s lonesome, and she only has her guard dogs for companionship.

When missionaries Clay and Vivian arrive in the Indian village near Lizzie’s home in Alaska, her life takes an interesting turn. During a comical incident where Lizzie is making sugar cookies, she encounters Clay and Vivian for the second time. She longs for companionship and since those in her Indian village have shunned her, she feels she needs to leave Alaska and travel to California where her father lives. Lizzie doesn’t know a whole lot about being White and living in the outside world, so she convinces Vivian to give her lessons that will make her more knowledgable about the outside world – Lizzie longs to be White.

Meanwhile, Clay and Vivian cause turmoil within the Indian village. Their friendship with Lizzie, a shunned Indian, is against tribal rules and they’re ordered to stop communicating with their new friend.

This book was phenomenal! I think Kim V. Sawyer did an awesome job dealing with the issues of race and forgiveness. Plus, the Alaskan setting was wonderful! I also think she did a really great job with her character development! I felt that Lizzie was the strongest, most appealing, character of all. She’s been ostracised, she’s lonesome, and she doesn’t know the love of Jesus. She’s brave and she hunts and fishes, supporting herself, and she doesn’t have the companionship of any other humans. I especially loved seeing her interact with her dogs and I loved the scenes with her working on the fur coat for her grandmother, hoping to make peace with her relative.

This book was emotional, really tugs at your heart. This book is definitely a winner and I highly recommend it.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

A Necessary Deception By Laurie Alice Eakes

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A Necessary Deception by Laurie Alice Eakes

When young widow Lady Lydia Gale helps a French prisoner obtain parole, she never dreamed he would turn up in her parlor. But just as the London Season is getting under way, there he is, along with a few other questionable personages. While she should be focused on helping her headstrong younger sister prepare for her entré into London society, Lady Gale finds herself preoccupied with the mysterious Frenchman. Is he a spy or a suitor? Can she trust him? Or is she putting her family in danger?

Readers will enjoy being drawn into this world of elegance and intrigue, balls and masquerades. Author Laurie Alice Eakes whisks readers through the drawing rooms of London amid the sound of rustling gowns on this exciting quest to let the past stay in the past and let love guide the future.

This book was enticing because of the world that Laurie Alice created. It’s a world full of balls, pretty gowns, and upper-class citizens. Lydia feels that aiding a French prisoner with parole is the right thing to do – especially since the prisoner was a friend of her late husband’s. Using a an expensive bracelet (that has sentimental value), Lydia funds the prisoner’s parole.

However, Lydia’s life goes awry when it appears that her deed to help the Frenchman backfires and places her in a world of trouble.

She finds herself getting blackmailed as she aides her sister with her entrance into London society. She must help some men to become acquainted with some of her elite friends since they feel these connections are necessary. She has doubts about these men and the whole scheme is linked to the mysterious Frenchman.

As you read about a world filled with elite people and beautiful ball gowns, you will get a healthy does of a suspenseful mystery and an endearing, heartwarming romance between Lydia and Christien. I highly recommend this novel, especially if you love reading about Regency England.

I also found Lydia’s affection for her cat to be a quirky, as well as endearing, character trait.

Many thanks to Baker/Revell for providing me with a free review copy.
~Cecelia Dowdy~

Daughter Of The Loom – Book 1 – Bells Of Lowell Series

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Daughter Of The Loom by Tracie Peterson and Judith Miller

This is book #1 in the Bells Of Lowell series.

Forced to work in the mill as her only means of survival, Lilly Armbruster is deeply resentful of the powerful mill owners she believes forced her father’s premature death. Lily is torn, however, when she discovers her one-time betrothed is one with the “lords of the loom.” With her heart conflicted, Lilly’s faith will be put to the test.

Lilly’s life has taken an unexpected turn. Her father is dead and her farm has been sold to a group of people. This group of people, the Boston Associates, want to expand the mills, therefore getting rid of most of the farms. Lilly loved her farm and her ex-beau, Matthew, has joined the Associates, stating that the mills will bring prosperity to Lowell.

Lilly’s brother, Lewis, has gambled away the money that they’ve received from the sale of the farm, so Lilly is left penniless. She must now work to survive and the only job she can find is at the mills, working in the factory making fabric. She’s determined to bring justice into Lowell by putting a stop to the mill operations. However, Lilly needs to learn that vengeance is not something she should take into her own hands.

I thought this book was a good read. The story shows that we need to forgive others for their transgressions. There were so many issues that were dealt with in this book that it’s hard to name them all. Sibling rivalry is one issue that the characters needed to work out. Lilly and her brother Lewis have never gotten along. Lilly finds it hard to forgive Lewis for his gambling, drinking and lewd behavior. Lewis tortured her when they were children, and Lilly finds it hard to understand why her brother hates her so much.

There’s also a set of spinster sisters who run boarding houses for the mill workers. These sisters must learn to overcome their differences to restore their sisterly relationship. And there’s also the issue of lost love. Lilly has broken her engagement to Matthew because she holds him responsible for her father’s death as well as the loss of her farm. Lilly needs to learn that she should listen to God’s voice and really assess the value of the mills instead of taking matters into her own hands.

I thought this book was interesting because it showed the young women working in the mills in the 1800’s. Seeing them turning thread into fabric and seeing spindles, threads, looms, etc. was interesting. Working in the mills is hard on Lilly since she wanted to stay on her farm. Plus there’s a great deal of turmoil at work due to a lewd foreman who threatens the female workers. I thought the work situation was very realistic. The women worked long days with only a half hour for lunch and breakfast. The female workers would have only 30 minutes to rush back to their boarding houses, wolf down their food, and then return to the mills.

Overall a good read. I look forward to reading the other two books in the series.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Unexpected Love By Andrea Boeshaar

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Unexpected Love by Andrea Boeshaar

This is a sweet, heartwarming story about Renna, a nurse who happens to be an old-maid. Renna works hard at the hospital and she’s come to accept that she’ll always remain single – no man could possibly want her since she has an unattractive purple birthmark on her cheek.

Renna’s life changes when a man enters her hospital ward as a new patient. They call this new man Mr. Blackeyes since they have no idea about his identity. The dark-eyed man has been recently blinded as the result of a boating accident. Because of his amnesia and blindness, he finds that he has to rely on Renna for support.

However, as Mr. Blackeyes slowly regains snippets of his memory, an unusual string of events unfurls, creating a suspenseful thread in this story. These events are related to Captain Blackeyes boating accident and Mr. Benchley, a business associate who his smitten with Renna. Renna can’t stand that her parents are practically forcing her to date Mr. Benchley. The man gives her a bad feeling, and she senses that he would not make a good husband, something about him just does not seem quite right…

Renna and Captain Blackeyes share a deep mutual attraction, but both have obstacles to overcome before they can love one another.

I was drawn to this story because the hero was blind. If you’ve been reading this blog long enough, you’ll know that I want to see more novels with blind characters.

I’d recommend this heartwarming read if you like sweet inspirational romance novels.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

The Blessed By Ann H. Gabhart

To Win Her Heart By Karen Witemeyer

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To Win Her Heart by Karen Witemeyer

What will people say? Have you ever hesitated about associating yourself with someone with a questionable past because you were worried about your own reputation? Have you ever worried about what other people would think, instead of helping/befriending someone less fortunate because you didn’t want it to tarnish your good-standing within the community? That’s one question that ran through my mind while reading this book. Leave your responses to these questions in the comments.

Spinster Eden Spencer runs her own library out of her home. She’s wealthy and since she’s been painfully jilted in the past, she doesn’t have any romantic relationships. Instead, she finds solace amoung her book stacks. She also loves reading stories to children every week and she loves flowers.

However, Eden’s non-romantic life changes when tall, strong, and handsome Levi Grant comes to town, hired as the new blacksmith. Levi has some ghosts in his past, he’s just gotten out of prison, and he used to be a prize fighter. It’s a life he’s left behind and he finds himself smitten with Eden and her library. Born with a shaming lisp, Levi takes his time with his speech, choosing to use words that do not have the S sound. Eden mistakenly assumes Levi is dim-witted since he speaks so slowly. Can these two overcome their differences and learn to love one another?

This book dealt with the issue of helping those with unfortunate pasts. In one part, Levi rescues a prostitute’s daughter, Chloe. Levi brings Chloe to Eden since she doesn’t have anyplace to live. Eden hesitates, not wanting to mar her repuation by hiring a prostitute’s daughter to do her housework. Levi convinces her to do the right thing and, as a result, she’s ostracized in the town. The town exhibited very un-Christian behavior in spite of their regular church attendance, which is sadly, very realistic behavior for a lot of Christians.

I enjoyed this novel and felt that the blacksmith/librarian romance added a fresh twist to this romance novel.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Book description:
Eden Spencer has sworn off men, choosing instead to devote her time to the library she runs. But when the town’s new blacksmith captures her interest, she steels herself against the attraction he provokes. As his hesitant manner and hidden depths break her resolve, will she allow a tarnished hero to win her heart?

A Great Catch By Lorna Seilstad

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A Great Catch by Lorna Seilstad

Woman’s suffragist Emily Graham doesn’t need a man in her life. She’s committed to fighting for the cause and having a husband would slow her down. She wants to make her own decisions and she really wants to fight for the right for women to vote. In spite of some townsmen objections to her actions, she’s still committed to her cause. However, her life takes an interesting turn when she literally slams into baseball player Carter Stockton. Carter is an old friend of her brother’s and she has not seen him in awhile. There is an old feud brewing between the Stockton and Graham families, and Emily’s aunts object to her spending so much time with Carter.

In spite of her objection to marriage, Emily is attracted to Carter. When she’s determined to prove that a woman can do whatever a man can do, she arranges a baseball game between an all women’s team and Carter’s Manawa Owls baseball team. As a result, Carter has to teach clumsy Emily how to play, which proves to be a delightful and funny lesson on the rudiments of baseball.

This book was sweet, charming and endearing. There was also an unusual combination between baseball and woman’s suffrage that you won’t usually find in a novel. I also enjoyed the thread of mystery involved in the story. Carter is hired as Emily’s grandmother’s bookkeeper. However, he finds some discrepancies in her records – is Carter’s family’s bank at fault for the discrepancy? The book also shows how families can be divided over issues. Carter wants to be a baseball player, and, in spite of his family’s objections, he refuses to work in the family banking business.

If you like a sweet, warm, light-hearted story with a thread of mystery, then this book is for you. I also think you’ll find it interesting when you read about how baseball was played during that time period.

Many thanks to Baker/Revell for providing me with a free review copy.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

From the Back Cover
She wants to change the world.
He wants to change her mind.

It’s the beginning of a new century at Lake Manawa resort in Iowa, but some things never change. When Emily Graham’s meddlesome aunts and grandmother take it upon themselves to find her a husband among the resort guests, the spunky suffragist is determined to politely decline each and every suitor. She has neither the time nor the need for a man in her busy life.

Carter Stockton, a recent college graduate and a pitcher for the Manawa Owls baseball team, intends to enjoy every minute of the summer before he is forced into the straitlaced business world of his father.

When their worlds collide, neither Emily nor Carter could have guessed what would come next. Will Carter strike out? Or will Emily cast her vote for a love that might cost her dreams?

The perfect summer novel, A Great Catch will enchant you with its breezy setting and endearing characters.

Courting Trouble By Deeanne Gist

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Courting Trouble by Deeanne Gist

This book was amazing! It’s probably the best book I’ve read so far in 2011! If you haven’t read this book then I think you should go and purchase your copy today!

Essie is an old maid – she’s just turned 30 and she wants a husband right now! Her desire for a mate spurns her to do a number of things to catch a man: she keeps a list of all of the town’s eligible bachelors along with their positive and negative traits. She offers help to the owner of the general store – hoping her employ will develop into a relationship with the shopkeeper. Her impulsive behavior continues with other men, resulting in her making some dreadful mistakes that haunt her throughout the story.

Essie is wild, carefree, and she loves to ride her bicycle! I never knew that riding a bike could prove so scandalous back in historical times. She loves the outdoors and she loves snakes and bugs and all sorts of things. Her behavior is not one most men would consider for a mate.

I found myself carried back in time and I really felt for Essie and her desire to have a husband. Back then, most people married young, and she was considered an outcast because she was a scandalous old maid and although she has admiration from many of the males in the town, she doesn’t receive many offers of marriage.

I felt the characters in this book were so well-developed and the dialogue was superb! The shopkeeper Hamilton, the cowboy Adam, and Ewing – the nemesis from her childhood, all have a unique role in Essie’s life. I also loved how Essie really cared for people – she has a soft spot for Harley, an orphan in the story, and there were other things she did that showed that she really cared about people.

The book is funny, entertaining and the story just draws you in. I savored every word of this book and after I was finished, I found myself going back, reading certain passages that stuck with me – it is EXTREMELY RARE for me to do this! This is the first book I’ve ever read by this author and I’m anxious to read more stories by Deeanne Gist! I have the sequel on my to-be-read pile. I’ve had this book for a few years now, but never got around to reading it until last weekend and I’m so glad I did! What a pleasant way to spend my time!

Have you read this novel? If so, what did you think about it?

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Product Description
Tired of Waiting for a Match-Made-in-Heaven,
She’ll Settle for One Made in Texas

Whether it’s riding bikes, catching snakes, or sliding down banisters, Essie Spreckelmeyer just can’t quite make herself into the ideal woman her hometown–and her mother–expect her to be. It’s going to take an extraordinary man to appreciate her joy and spontaneity–or so says her doting oil-man father.

Unfortunately such a man doesn’t appear to reside in Corsicana, Texas.

It’s 1894, the year of Essie’s thirtieth birthday, and she decides the Lord has more important things to do than provide her a husband. If she wants one, she needs to catch him herself. So, she writes down the names of all the eligible bachelors in her small Texas town, makes a list of their attributes and drawbacks, closes her eyes, twirls her finger, and … picks one.

But convincing the lucky “husband-to-be” is going to a bit more of a problem.

Join Deeanne Gist for another unforgettable tale and find out whether Essie’s plan to catch a husband succeeds or if she’s just Courting Trouble.

Angel Sister By Ann H. Gabhart

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Angel Sister by Ann H. Gabhart

It is 1936 and Kate Merritt, the middle child of Victor and Nadine, works hard to keep her family together. Her father slowly slips into alcoholism and his business suffers during the Great Depression. As her mother tries to come to grips with their situation and her sisters seem to remain blissfully oblivious to it, it is Kate who must shoulder the emotional load. Who could imagine that a dirty, abandoned little girl named Lorena Birdsong would be just what the Merritts need?
In this richly textured novel, award-winning author Ann H. Gabhart reveals the power of true love, the freedom of forgiveness, and the strength to persevere through troubled times. Multidimensional characters face real and trenchant problems while maintaining their family bonds, all against the backdrop of a sultry Kentucky summer. Readers will be drawn into the story and find themselves lingering there long after they’ve finished the book.

It’s the Great Depression and the Merritt family, as well as the rest of the inhabitants of Rosey Corner, struggle to survive. Kate’s father, Victor, struggles with alcoholism as he runs his horseshoe business. He’s trying to forget the tragedies he’s witnessed while fighting the war. Nadine, Victor’s wife, doesn’t think she can handle her husband’s addiction any longer, and is unable to provide the emotional support that Victor needs, so Kate steps in to shoulder the load. Both Victor and Nadine have extremely strained relationships with their fathers, and these relationships are tested as traumatic events happen in Rosey Corner.

When I saw the description of this book, I thought that Lorena Birdsong would show up at the beginning of the story, abandoned at the Merritt’s house. I was surprised that Lorena’s character was not introduced until about 100 pages into the book. She’s found abandoned on the church steps because her parents were too poor to feed her. Skinny, malnourished, and scared, she believes that Kate is an angel who’s come to rescue her.

There were a lot of flashbacks, going back to the days of Victor and Nadine’s courtship, then back to the present, that I was not expecting. I think the problems that this couple faced with their parents and their siblings were realistic and emotional.

I also found it a bit strange that two people – Kate’s father (a preacher) and Victor’s father (the owner of the largest store in the town – plus he’s one of the wealthiest men in town) had the power to decide the fate of Lorena Birdsong. It appeared that back in the thirties, the law didn’t have much power over the town, people just kind of did what they wanted and allowed the richest and most powerful people in town to dictate what would happen to others.

The tragic death of Victor’s brother, which happened several years ago, is also a bone of contention between father and son. Also, there’s an unusual twist in the story involving a brother (Graham) and a sister (Fern) who live out in the woods, separated from the town. Fern’s mind has not functioned properly since she had a serious illness and she roams the woods, cutting down trees and building her palaces.

This book was an interesting and emotional read. If you like historical stories that paint a vivid picture of the way of live during the Great Depression, then you’ll probably enjoy this book.

Many thanks to Baker/Revell for providing me with a free review copy.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Lady In The Mist By Laurie Alice Eakes

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