Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

Prequel to Irish Rose Orphans: A Thousand Islands Gilded Age Series

Brooklyn, New York, 1876

Seven orphans living at The Irish Rose Orphan Asylum for Girls are told a few weeks before Christmas that they’ll be placed in new jobs after Epiphany. None of the girls, ages varying from 16 to 13, feels ready to leave the orphanage, even though things are far from perfect there with Sister Catherine.

Annie, 14, doesn’t want to leave her twin Tayrn with this terrible rift between them, but she doesn’t know how to bridge the gap.

Fiona, the oldest at sixteen, can’t reconcile with the whispers about her mother’s shame. At fourteen, Isabel has always been protective of her younger sister Gloria, and she struggles with their upcoming parting.

Vivian tries to lighten the mood when times get tough to mask her own insecurity. Cassie loves the precision of numbers because the losses in her life have been so difficult.

Each girl invited me into her pain, her struggles, from the first page. This story is told from the viewpoint of each of the girls, allowing readers a deeper connection.  

This well-written story is a page-turner. It ended with an epilogue that gives us a glimpse of what happens in later books in the series. I’m hooked!

A great Christmas story! Highly-recommended.

I was given a free copy of the book by the author. A positive review was not required.

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

A Novel of the American Revolution

For Liberty & Conscience, Book 2

1780—Patriot Scout Benjamin Woodbridge is a courageous soldier fighting for his country’s freedom from England, along with his neighbors from the backcountry settlement of Sunrising. Some of his fellow North Carolinians have joined the British side.

Benjamin’s anger runs deep, directed at the cruel British officer responsible for his father’s death. Those emotions have cost him the love of the woman he’d hoped to marry. Aunt Kate and his sister pray that his negative emotions don’t devour him in a need for vengeance. Now, with the British army’s sights set on destroying his village, Benjamin must protect those loves even if the Patriot army doesn’t arrive in time.

This poignant story portrays the struggles of our early patriots and the price they paid for their heroism. It is also a journey of faith.

Realistic characters and unlikely comrades drew me into the story from the first page. Danger, courageous acts, self-doubt, forgiveness, redemption, and questions of faith throughout the book make this a powerful read. I couldn’t put the book down.

This beautifully redemptive story is told from several viewpoints, including the antagonist. Unexpected twists kept me riveted to this well-written book.

I will look for other books by this author. Highly recommended.  

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

Salem Village, Book 1

Eight-year-old Verity Manton is whisked away after her uncle’s funeral by a widow who takes in orphans. Her possessions are sold for food. Cold and hungry, she must beg for rags from the townspeople.

She’s told to stay away from the Quakers. Her uncle had been a Puritan, and they don’t like Quakers. Verity fears them.

The story opens in 1691. The widow’s shack is in Salem Village, where strange stories and chanting in the forest frighten Verity.

This heart-wrenching story snagged my attention from the first page, the first sentence. My heart broke for the little girl who lost her family and now is losing her only relative. She must rely on the kindness of strangers, but not everyone treats her kindly.

The story’s historical setting in the backdrop of the Salem Witch Trials drew me to the series.

Characters I grew to love pulled me into their plight under the author’s skillful storytelling. I can’t wait to read the next book!

This historical fiction story is a page-turner. Highly recommend. 

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

Path to Freedom, Book 3

Zachary Brown has a good life on his dairy farm in Mount Pleasant, Ohio, but he longs for a wife and family. He finds a sick boy in his barn, a runaway slave escaping the life Zachary once lived, but new laws have increased the danger to anyone aiding them. Zachary doesn’t turn his back on the boy and then another one comes.

Daniel Whiteford heads to the Quaker community called Mount Pleasant in search of the grandson he’d given away to his indentured servant, Gwen, four years before. He didn’t anticipate that Gwen would have married and have another child nor that she and her husband considered the boy their son.

My attention was captured from the beginning. Likable, realistic characters pulled me into their emotional journey and tugged at my heart. Their faith in tough situations inspired me.

I was especially fascinated by how fugitives continued to find Zachary. I don’t want to give any spoilers here, so let’s say I’m inspired by his faith and determination in the midst of danger.  

I enjoyed this poignant story that held many surprising twists. This is the third book in the series and I hope there will be another! I recommend reading them in order.

This book was a page-turner for me.

Recommended for readers of inspirational historical romances.

I was given a copy of the book by the author. A positive review was not required. The opinions expressed are my own.

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

Daughters of the Lost Colony 1587

Elinor Dare sailed from England with her husband and her father to the New World in 1587. She and Ananias are expecting their first child that Elinor is happy will be born in the Colony of Virginia.

Things go wrong from the beginning, as they land in an area her father considers unsafe. His fears are quickly proven when one of their men is killed by natives while out alone.

Both Elinor and her father had previously visited the area. Unfortunately, other groups had also crossed the Atlantic, some of them violent. Some tribes don’t trust the newcomers.

I’ve long been captivated by the early settlers of the Lost Colony of Roanoke. This book is a novel about Elinore Dare. This work of fiction is well-researched and feels authentic.

The characters and situations are realistic to the time. My interest was truly caught about a third of the way into the story, when it became a page-turner for me.

Recommended for readers who enjoy American history, especially the early history of Virginia.

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

Path to Freedom, Book 1

By 1798, Gwen Morgan has been an indentured servant for two years, with five more years until she earns her freedom. She’s a maid to a businessman’s spoiled daughter, who becomes pregnant with a ship captain’s child while courting a rich aristocrat.

Gwen had been sold to a different family than her sister when the orphans arrived in America. Gwen’s greatest desire is to find her sister.

Thomas and Betsy Baldwin can’t abide in New Bern any longer. Laws now prevent the Quakers from buying slaves to grant their freedom. They make preparations to go western territory around the Ohio River where slavery is prohibited.

When Gwen is given a chance for freedom in exchange for an oath, she jumps at the chance. Maybe she can finally find her sister. She doesn’t plan on falling in love with Micah.

But the oath comes with high price when an enemy from the past threatens her new life.

My attention was riveted from the first chapter. Likeable characters deal with believable problems from the beginning. The mother and her baby tugged at my heart. The grandparents who quickly accept them both into their home made me love them.

I enjoyed this poignant story that held many surprising twists. Not everything was completely resolved in this first book in the series, leaving me to wonder what happens in the next book. The ending is both exciting and satisfying.

Faith is a strong component in this story. The author blends that easily a part of the plot. This book was a page-turner for me!

Recommended for readers of inspirational historical romances!

I was given a copy of the book by the author. A positive review was not required. The opinions expressed are my own.

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by Sandra Merville Hart

It’s 1910 and Sofie has nightmares about her father’s job at a Pennsylvania steel mill. She fears for his safety at the mill where accidents occur that could be prevented.  

Her mother’s job as a housekeeper for a bachelor in charge of safety and inspections at her father’s mill keeps her from the family for long hours. Sofie’s aunt, who takes care of her and her little brother while her parents are working, is actually more of a mother to them because her mother has always remained distant from her children and Sofie wonders if she loves them.

It seems all the immigrant families in the small Pennsylvania steel town are just as poverty-stricken as Sofie’s. Pole, her best friend, has his own problems. After his mother’s death, there’s no one to save him from his father’s drinking and abuse.

A gripping, well-written story with believable characters that leap off the page. Some characters readers will love and pull for. There are several characters readers will hate.

Readers are taken on a tough journey with the characters. It’s a multi-layered story, told in multiple points of view. There’s tragedy, grief, and abuse. The story also deals with physical and mental illness…and the struggle to forgive deep wounds.

I was captivated by the story from the first page. I couldn’t put it down.

It’s not an easy read. There is some language and violence.

This one will stay with me.