historical romance novel

Follow the Dawn by Rachelle Rea Cobb

/ sandramervillehart

Anna Emory lives at Ainsworth Hall in Northampton, England, with her stern, dictatorial father in 1569. She longs for her older sister, who had fled years ago to escape an arranged marriage. They’d been close and Anna wonders why Margried hadn’t sent for her … or even written, but the worry fades under her father’s ultimatum—Anna must marry. Her breath hitches as it always did in stressful moments. While her father is away arranging the marriage, Anna escapes to her sister’s new home miles away.

 

While Captain Mathieu Tudder had fought the Dutch Revolution in his ship, he entrusted the care of his son to friends. Defeated, he returns to pick up where he left off with his son. Too much time has passed and the boy feels closer to Anna, whom Tudder mistakes for a nursemaid.

Anna enjoys her sister’s company yet worries what will happen when her father finds her. She has always felt a kinship with children—men are another story. Her father never wanted her so she assumes the same is true for all men.

The struggles of each of the characters kept my attention. Anna has lived in a verbally abusive relationship so long that she does not trust men. Tudder fights feelings of failure. Many readers can relate to these emotions.

Though Tudder longs for his son’s company, hours and even days pass without him spending time with his son. I found this strange because they were living in the same large castle.

Interesting secondary characters enhance the story, making it a good read.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas

Shine Like the Dawn by Carrie Turansky

/ sandramervillehart / 1 Comment

Maggie Lounsbury works hard in her grandmother’s millinery shop but each day brings its own struggles. Life has been difficult since the drowning deaths of her parents and older sister four years ago. The only family she has left is her little sister and her grandmother. She can’t help resenting that her former friend, Nate Harcourt, did nothing to help her after the tragedy. He couldn’t even be bothered to attend the funeral, so when he returns to her small English town she’s unable to trust him.

A rift with his family and service in the Royal Navy has kept Nate from his home town for four years. He comes home to make amends with his dying father. But there is trouble brewing in their company and workers threaten to strike. After his father dies, a troubled relationship with his stepmother continues. Just what is she up to?

Maggie wonders the same thing. And she also wonders if her family’s drowning deaths were an accident. How can she discover the truth when old feelings for Nate resurface?

The Prologue that begins with such a tranquil scene quickly becomes a nightmare, snaring my interest right away.

Twists and turns keep the story interesting. I love being surprised by novel events that I don’t see coming. The characters sometimes made frustrating choices but, as time went on, I began to see why.

Many layers are intricately interwoven into this story. And I loved the historical setting in a small English village in 1903.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Christianbook.com

 

Trail’s End set in Wild Western Town of Abilene, Kansas

/ sandramervillehart

Before I ever dreamed I’d pick up a pen again, my family took a vacation to Kansas to visit my brother and his family. We visited Abilene one afternoon. I learned a bit about the history of that wild western town … enough that I wanted to know more.

My sister-in-law has family ties to Abilene—another reason for my fascination. In fact, one of her ancestors was a friend of Wild Bill Hickok, who was marshal of Abilene in 1871, the year after our story. In 1870, Marshal Tom Smith insisted that the cowboys be disarmed. Storekeepers, saloon-keepers, and hotel owners were asked to post a sign and collect the guns of their customers. Marshal Smith knew what he was doing. He made the town a safer place. Sadly, he was killed later that year.

Stuart Henry’s Conquering Our Great American Plains was a great resource for my story. Henry lived in Abilene from 1868-1872 as a boy. I love finding treasures like this author’s book that allow me to take my readers back to 1870 Abilene, Kansas. What a gift.

When my editor approached me about writing a cowboy story set in the West, it did not take long for my imagination to take me back to Abilene. Who’d have guessed that a family vacation that took place before I decided to pursue a writing career would lead to a story?

I hope you enjoy traveling back to the Wild West with me as much as I love taking you there.

–Sandra Merville Hart, from the Author’s Note in the book

This book is a collection of four novellas by Jennifer Uhlarik, Linda W. Yezak, Sandra Merville Hart, and Cindy Ervin Huff.

Sandra’s story in the collection is called Trail’s End. Here’s a bit about the story:

Trail’s End Blurb

Wade Chadwick has no money until his boss’s cattle sell, so he takes a kitchen job at Abby’s Home Cooking. The beautiful and prickly owner adds spice to his workday. Abby Cox hires the down-and-out cowboy even though the word cowboy leaves a bad taste in her mouth. Just as she’s ready to trust Wade with her heart, money starts to disappear … and so does her brother.

 

Available on Amazon 

Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas  Save money and use coupon code SandraMHart for a 20% discount on Lighthouse Publishing books!

 

Mist O’er the Voyageur by Naomi Musch

/ sandramervillehart / 2 Comments

Brigitte Marchal disguises herself as a man to join Rene DuFour’s voyaguers on their journey west, the direction her father went. Brigitte faces danger if she remains in Montreal from a cruel suitor—she’d rather take her chances rowing the canoes on the dangerous rivers and lakes ahead, hoping to find her father.

Rene discovers her secret early in the journey and vows to protect her from the crew on the journey of months.

But the beautiful Brigitte captures the eye of many men in her search for her father—as the honorable Rene captures hers.

Musch has woven a mesmerizing tale that immerses readers into a dangerous adventure from the start. With believable and honest characters encountering situations true to the period, this suspenseful story captivated my attention and didn’t let go until the end.

Musch’s depth of research enabled her to transport readers back in time. I highly recommend this novel to lovers of historical romance.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Amazon

Announcing Sandra Merville Hart’s next Civil War Romance Release!

/ sandramervillehart / 2 Comments

Releasing November 8th!

Two sisters disguise themselves as men to muster into the Confederate army in the fall of 1864 to join the men they love. But the situation grows desperate for Hood’s Army of Tennessee at the Battle of Franklin.

 

“Can I count on you in times of great need?”

 Callie Jennings reels from her pa’s decision that she must marry his friend, a man older than him. Her heart belongs to her soldier hero, Zach Pearson, but Pa won’t change his mind. Callie has no place to hide. Then her sister, Louisa, proposes a shocking alternative.

Zach still hears his pa’s scornful word—quitter. He’s determined to make something of himself as a soldier. He’ll serve the Confederacy until they win the war. If they win the war.

Callie and Louisa disguise themselves as soldiers and muster into the Confederate army in the fall of 1864. Times are tough and getting tougher for their Confederacy. For Callie, shooting anyone, especially former countrymen, is out of the question—until truth and love and honor come together on the battlefield.

Endorsement for A Musket in My Hands:

 I don’t always read Civil War novels, because I’m not into graphic battle scenes. Sandra Merville Hart’s A Musket in My Hands is a wonderful book. The characters grab your heart right from the beginning and they take you through a unique story line right into battles, where I followed willingly. The book isn’t battle-driven. It’s character driven, and the reader becomes intimately acquainted with these people who had to face things they never dreamed about happening. This is my favorite Civil War novel. I highly recommend it.

Lena Nelson Dooley – bestselling, multiple-award-winning author of Great Lakes Lighthouse Brides.

A Musket in My Hands releases November 8th by Smitten Historical Romance, an imprint of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas!

Available for Preorder on Amazon!

The Planter’s Daughter by Michelle Shocklee

/ sandramervillehart

Set in Texas, this historical romance novel digs in and shows prevailing attitude of plantation owners and the slaves they own in 1860.

Though plantation owners worry about the upcoming presidential election, Adella Rose isn’t supposed to voice opinions as a daughter. She grieves the recent loss of her gentle mother who had treated her slaves kindly. Adella Rose follows in her footsteps, little knowing how much her mother protected her from …

Seth Brantley, son of her father’s friend, takes over the job of overseer. Adella Rose catches his eye immediately. Yet he learns her father had plans for her.

While Seth walks a fine line as the new overseer, Adella Rose has problems of her own. Her best friend is one of her father’s slaves. She’s learning more of what slavery really is—and her father’s part in it appalls her.

Both main characters grow and change through the novel. Each finds that their preconceived notions of slavery don’t match reality. The author does not shrink from showing the worst aspects of slavery.

I couldn’t put the book down. I’ll look for more books by this author.

-Sandra Merville Hart

 Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas – Use coupon code SandraMHart for a 20% discount on Lighthouse Publishing books!

 

 

Grace’s Pictures by Cindy Thomson

/ sandramervillehart / 2 Comments

Part of Ellis Island Series

Grace McCaffery emigrates to America in 1900. Her stepfather, a policeman—or peeler as they are called in Ireland, paid for her passage to New York City, but she resents leaving her mother at his mercy. Grace plans to save money to send for her mother—when she is able to get a job.

Owen McNulty has rejected his parents’ desires to follow in his wealthy father’s footsteps. His desire is to serve his city as a policeman. The corruption among some on the police force create problems for him.

Owen meets the lovely Grace soon after her arrival, but she won’t accept his help.

Grace vows not trust any peeler.

This historical fiction novel shows the struggles of Irish immigrants at the turn of the last century. I didn’t know much about this part of American history and learned a great deal. The author did a wonderful job on her research to bring their difficulties and the corruption in the police departments to light.

The characters are multi-layered, believable, and likeable. The well-written story drew me in immediately and I kept turning pages.

Great novel! I will look for more by this author.

-Review by Sandra Merville Hart

Christianbook.com