Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart
A Silly Bedtime Story
Different animals in the forest fight to stay awake as the moon appears in the sky.
The author reminds each one not to close their eyes in this delightful children’s storybook.
A great book to read to young children at bedtime!
The book is geared toward children 2 – 6.
Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart
A More Perfect Union, Book 3
Kenna McCrea has been helping her pa raise her siblings since she was twelve. Her family runs a diner in San Antonio and her pa has earned the reputation of being the best cook in the area. Kenna feels like an old maid at twenty and figures it’ll stay that way because her youngest sister is ten.
The War Between the States ended two years ago. Benjamin Warley wants to forget his part in it for circumstances had driven the South Carolinian to fight for both sides. He’s been pretty good at failing…he’s ready to succeed. He’s working on a business venture to move cattle from Texas to Abilene, Kansas, when he meets Kenna, who immediately captures his attention.
The adventure they all make on what was to become the Chisholm Trail takes a dangerous toll on all of them.
The story pulled me in from the first page. Attitudes of the time are portrayed as part of the novel, showing prejudices and how those change.
Realistic characters that readers will care about face danger and hardship. The long, arduous journey they all take together binds them together. Many twists and turns in the story kept me turning pages!
Thomas beautifully portrays how everyone continued to struggle even after the Civil War ended.
A beautifully written fast-paced adventure. Well-done!
Recommended for readers of westerns and historical romance!
I was given a copy of the book by the author. A positive review was not required. The opinions are my own.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart
Rudyard Kipling’s West American Notes
I checked this book out of the library when doing 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 found his experiences interesting but he didn’t take the route I needed my characters to follow. Also, his journey happened five to six years after my story so it wasn’t a research book for me.
Kipling’s excellent writing transported me back in time. His well-written descriptions gave just enough details so that I could see the scene.
Recommended for readers who enjoy learning about the West in the latter part of the 1800s.
Sandra Merville Hart 