Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

San Antonio Series, Book 1

Illness claims the lives of all the adults in a small wagon train headed to Texas. At 18, Abby is the oldest, and the weight of leading the surviving children lands on her shoulders.

There is plenty of danger that accompanies the small band of children. Abby is not even certain of the way. Her parents and brother are gone, leaving her without family. Only one family of children have relatives in Texas. Still, she struggles to lead her crew—until two men kidnap her and fourteen-year-old Sarah.

Manny and his friend Jonathan are heading back to Texas when they find the orphans. They can’t turn their backs on them. Manny tries to hide his face, scarred from a fire, so the little ones won’t fear him.

The setting drew me into the story as did the danger. Abby has to learn nearly everything about cooking and establishing a ranch, giving readers a glimpse of the hard work those early settlers endured.

I enjoyed the story and many sections were page-turners for me. I look forward to reading the whole collection.

Amazon

Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

Path to Freedom, Book 2

When they were both indentured servants, Mark Allen had made a promise to Gwen Morgan to help her find her sister, Faye. Now that he’s free, he begins his search for either sister. He finds the feisty Faye, but she wants no part of reconnecting with Gwen. Yet Mark Allen doesn’t take his promise lightly. He’s in love with Gwen and hopes to marry her…but he must find her first.

Faye actually hadn’t ended up as an indentured servant. Instead, she’d become the ward of a Quaker family. She wants only to find a rich husband so that she’ll not have to work. Gwen’s existence is a secret from her Quaker family and she’s determined to keep it that way.

My attention was captured from the beginning. Likeable, realistic characters are all on their own emotional journey as well as a physical one. The heroine frustrated me at times and had me siding with the hero. The orphan boy who immediately joins Mark Allen stole my heart.  

I enjoyed this poignant story that held many surprising twists. This is the second book in the series and 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.

Amazon

Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

Rebecca Lane, a lady’s maid, returns to Swanford after a year’s absence in response to a letter from her brother’s housekeeper. She discovers the situation is dire indeed. John has finished writing a book somehow in between bouts of drinking and he implores Rebecca to deliver it to the very author whole stole his first novel with a request he recommend it to his publisher. She agrees reluctantly.

Sir Frederick is pleased that Rebecca, his childhood friend, is a guest at Swanford Abbey, the same hotel where he and his brother are staying. The widower feels that he’s too old for her, though he wishes it weren’t true.

Rebecca fears the haunted abbey, especially after she spots a ghostly nun, but there is more afoot at the historic abbey turned hotel than meets the eye.

Well-written! Believable characters dealing with difficult circumstances held my attention from the beginning.

This book is a page turner! Not only is there a romance that seems ill-fated from the start, there is also a mystery that readers will try to solve.

Recommended for readers who enjoy historical romances and suspense novels.

Christianbook.com

Reviewed by Kelli Barr, Clean Fiction Magazine

I’m thrilled to receive this review from Clean Fiction Magazine, https://www.sunsetvalleycreations.com/cleanfictionmagazine.

A Not So Convenient Marriage is Book 1 in my Second Chances series. You’re invited to read the whole series!

Thanks to Kelli Barr for this lovely review!

Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

In the 1880s, the Woolworth’s Five and Dime department store has a home in Scranton, Pennsylvania. This nostalgic place is the setting for four historical novellas in the Five & Dime Christmas collection.

I enjoyed this collection! Of course, I had my favorites yet each story took me back in time. I thank the authors for the historical glimpses into this store. Likeable characters drew me into their heartache and struggles. I love reading Christmas books during the holiday!

There wasn’t a lunch counter in the 1880s, as the authors mentioned in their notes, yet this feature greatly added to the atmosphere of the stories.

In A Merry Little Christmas by Susanne Dietze, Hattie, a store clerk, discovers that her favorite customer inadvertently threatens her struggling brother’s job.

In A Home for Christmas by Patty Smith Hall, Essie, a socialite working as a store clerk, is intrigued by a pastor who has taken six homeless young boys into his home.

Alone this year, Lizzie’s job is her sole support in The Light of Christmas by Christina Lorenzen. Can she save her home on her salary? The new bookkeeper wonders how to help.

Lunch with Maggie by Cynthia Hickey finds Maggie, who works the lunch counter, making a friendship with a widower and his young daughter, regulars at her counter. Maggie, who’d been jilted on her wedding day, refuses to trust another man with her heart.

An enjoyable, nostalgic Christmas collection!

Christianbook.com

Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

Heroines of WWII series

Fannie O’Brien doesn’t want German prisoners of war helping with the work of her family’s Wisconsin farm. Because of her father’s recent death and her two older brothers off fighting the war in Europe, she accepts her mother’s decision. Fannie and her younger siblings can’t handle the workload. They’ll lose the crop without help.

German POW Captain Wolfgang Klonginger knows that he and seven others soldiers—most of them his former students—could have done far worse. He’s grateful for a chance to put in long days at the farm. As the summer passes, Fannie captures his attention. He admires her work ethic and her compassion.

But one of the soldiers isn’t grateful.

Musch has woven another mesmerizing tale that immersed me into the drama from the beginning. Believable characters tugged at my emotions in this well-written story.

The author dug deeply into the emotions of characters on both sides of the conflict. This page-turner gripped my attention. Well-done!  

This isn’t the first novel I’ve read by this author nor will it be the last. I love her ability to transport readers back in time.

I highly recommend this novel to lovers of WWII novels.

Amazon

Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

Della Mae Wagner answers a want ad for a teacher and heads to Missouri, hoping to heal from a broken engagement.

Widower Hank Lamson doesn’t want a teacher for his three young sons, and especially not a wife, as his parents advertised to provide. Women only wanted his money. He was having no part in it.

I enjoyed Della’s interaction with the children, especially the youngest boy. For someone with no teaching experience, she showed lots of wisdom.

The characters were likable. Some scenes and situations dragged a bit. Hank’s parents had corresponded with Della before she came. I was as surprised at their warm welcome at the first meeting as I was at Hank’s continuing unfriendliness, though that was explained. My interest picked up a little later in the story.

I’m happy that Love Inspired Historical Inspirational Romances are being published again!

Amazon