Darcy’s mother wants to arrange for her daughter to marry a widower near her home, but Darcy has no intention of giving up her teaching position to move back home. Her demanding mother had controlled her during childhood. She won’t put herself in that position again.
Reuben, the pastor at Darcy’s church, is determined to remain a bachelor, yet he can’t deny his attraction to her. The couple is thrown together when a tornado threatens their community.
Characters I cared about drew me into the story. They had believable hurdles to overcome. I couldn’t put the book down. However, I didn’t understand why Darcy, as a protective sister, seemingly left her adopted younger sister alone with their controlling mother. The answer might be in an upcoming book.
Another quick edit would have helped minor errors. All in all, I enjoyed the story.
I hosted a party this fall where I served hot apple cider. I searched for my old recipe in vain. I hadn’t made one in several years, so I created a new one.
Simmering the cider on low heat in a crock pot allows the spicy aroma to seep into the home. The aroma welcomes guests and creates an inviting atmosphere.
Ingredients
64 ounces apple cider
¼ cup maple syrup
5 cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon whole cloves
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 orange, sliced
Combine the cider and syrup in a crockpot. Add in the cinnamon sticks, cloves, and nutmeg. Stir.
To add a splash of citrus flavor, arrange 6 orange slices over the top. Simmer on low for 2 – 3 hours.
Just before serving, remove the oranges and cinnamon sticks. Strain out the cloves.
The syrup gives a hint of maple while adding a bit of smoothness to the drink.
This comforting, delicious drink brings a warm welcome to family and friends on cold afternoons and evenings.
If you like a little extra cinnamon flavor—as I do!—add another cinnamon stick from the beginning.
William Lewis was born on a plantation in Winchester, Tennessee. Sources disagree on the year of his birth, but it seems to have been either 1810 or 1815. Colonel James Lewis, a Revolutionary Soldier, was his father, yet his son remained enslaved.
Bill learned blacksmithing skills at an early age, becoming so skilled that he earned money for both the colonel and himself. Bill saved his own money toward his freedom.
Emboldened by his success, Bill asked the Colonel’s permission to move to Ross’s Landing—later known as Chattanooga—to start a blacksmith shop, which was granted. He had to pay $350 annually because he was still enslaved. He worked hard and paid installments toward his freedom.
He married Jane in the early 1840s. A son, Eldridge, was born. Both of them were enslaved. Since all of Jane’s children would be enslaved, Bill’s priority was to buy her freedom before they had any other children. Sources disagree whether Bill purchased his own freedom or his wife’s first. He paid $1,000 in installments for himself, which was paid in full soon after he moved to Chattanooga. He also paid $1,000 for Jane’s freedom, ensuring their future children were born free.
Bill’s hard work earned him respect in the community. His focus was on saving enough to free the rest of his family. Eldridge was six when Bill paid the $400 for his freedom. His mother and aunt were freed for $150 each. He purchased both of his brothers’ freedom for $1,000 each and, later, his sister’s for $400.
The townspeople respected Bill as an honest, intelligent man. They began to call him “Uncle Bill”.
After Bill’s family was safely with him in Chattanooga, he bought a large house. His business expanded. He rightly foresaw the fall of the Confederacy. He bought tobacco and sold it for a profit to provide for his family.
By the time of the Civil War, he had hired a crew for the heavy work he was no longer able to do and supervised them.
The war brought hard times. Hugh, Bill’s son, fought bravely with a U.S. Colored Troops regiment beginning in 1864. Unfortunately, in 1865, he died of a fever in Wilmington, North Carolina.
The South suffered many economic losses during the war, which also affected Bill. Union soldiers seized his blacksmith shop when they took over Chattanooga. His holdings that had been worth $7,000 in the 1860 census had dropped to $300 during the next decade.
Bill and Jane accomplished all this without being able to read or write. They encouraged their children’s education—several of their children were sent to northern schools.
Bill’s entrepreneurial spirit was a legacy to his children. His daughter Marion graduated from Oberlin College and later taught there.
Two of Bill’s sons were blacksmiths. One worked as a mail carrier. Another daughter was a teacher. A third daughter worked as a milliner.
Bill’s spirit and hard work through many difficulties are an inspiration to this day.
Sources
Hubbard, Rita Lorraine. Hammering For Freedom, Lee & Low Books Inc., 2018.
Tilda Muirhead came to the Two Harts Ranch in the first book in this series, when she followed the MacKenzie brothers. The teenagers had been in pursuit of their grandfather’s buried treasure and still had found only a portion of it. Tilda’s love of history lands her a job at the California ranch’s orphanage. She’s spent most of her childhood as an orphan, and her deepest desire is to help them. She has never dreamed of marriage—Josh Hart might change her mind.
Josh is part-owner of the large ranch. He took the reins to run it while his brother, Zane, was away. Now that Zane is back, Josh’s struggles to find his way are thwarted by his feelings for Tilda.
When someone claiming to be her family member comes to the ranch, Tilda is fearful. Can she trust Josh to protect her?
Unexpected danger escalates in this historical romance. The story is told through multiple viewpoints, including through characters in the first book with unresolved issues. The author leaves us with reasons to anticipate the next book.
Readers see characters they’ve learned to love in an earlier series.
The author does a good job summarizing what the reader needs to know from earlier stories. Even so, the story builds as a saga. I believe that readers of the earlier series will receive a deeper impact from the stories.
This was a page-turner for me! I will look for more books by this author.
I’m excited to announce a chance to win all these novels through Celebrate Lit’s Thankful for Our Readers Giveaway!
My book in the giveaway is A Not So Convenient Marriage, Second Chances, Book 1—and there are over 25 other books you could win!
We all wanted to take a minute to let you know how thankful we are for each one of you. To celebrate, I have partnered with Celebrate Lit for a giveaway just for you to build up your TBR pile.
Here is your chance to win over 25 ebooks and a $50 Amazon card to buy a ton of books for yourself in Celebrate Lit’s giveaway.
As part of her grandfather’s dying wish, Amanda Cotton found a small Montana to hide away and write her mother’s life story. Her stepfather has raised her to trust no one. Still, she can’t understand why strangers are trying to kill her.
Boone McGregor witnesses an attack on Amanda and comes to her rescue. But he receives more danger than he bargained for when men start shooting at him too.
Danger escalates at every turn in this adventurous suspense. Wounded characters quickly drew me into their plight. I couldn’t put the book down.
This was a page-turner for me! I will look for more books by this author.
First Place – Paws-itive Inspirations: 90 Devotions for Kids and Dog Lovers by Michelle Medlock Adams & Wendy Hinote Lanier, Illustrated by William H. Hinote
Second Place – Road Trip Redemption, Book 3 in Road Trip Rescue, by Becca Wierwille
Third Place – Disaster! Around the Bend by P. Lynn Halliday
Honorable Mention – Just a Piece of Stone by Mary Ann Hake
Young Adult
First Place – The Revelation of Emery Audubon by Ann Roecker
Second Place – Ride a Summer Wind by Ann Cavera
Third Place – The Painted Fairytale by Lara d’Entremont, Illustrated by Ellie Tran
Historical Fiction category
First place – What I Left For You, Echoes of the Past, Book 3
by Liz Tolsma
Second place – A Song of Deliverance, The Singing Silver Mine, Book 1 by Donna Wichelman
Third place – Whatever it Takes, A Split-Time Sisters in Arms Novel by Sarah Hanks
Honorable Mention – Heidi’s Faith, Rugged Cross Ranch, Book 4 by Jill Dewhurst
Mystery/Suspense
First place – Lethal Standoff by DiAnn Mills
Second place – Death Under the Ice, Trouble in Pleasant Valley, Book 4 by Deborah Sprinkle
Third place – Waterfall, The Waterfall Mysteries by Linda K. Rodante
Honorable Mention – Inheritance, The Seekers Series, Book 2 by J.A. Webb
Contemporary
First place – New Creations by Sarah Hanks
Second place – Love’s True Measure, True Calling, Book 3
by Lori DeJong
Third place – Escape to Whispering Creek
by Barbara M. Britton
Honorable Mention – Every Life Filled with Purpose, A Weldon Novel, Book 3 by Shelia Stovall
Honorable Mention – Take My Hand by Ane Mulligan
Honorable Mention – Love’s True Home, True Calling, Book 2 by Lori DeJong
Speculative
First place – The Root of the Matter, The American Puritans, Book 1 by Lynne Basham Tagawa
Second place – Starry Starry Night, Time Passengers Novel by D.K. Till
Third place – Bronze Circle by Becky A. Little
Novella
First place – Jingle Bell Matchmakers, from A Match Made at Christmas by Lori DeJong
Second place – Nazar’s Journey, Time Passengers Novel by Paul T. Mascia
Third place – Heart of Honor, Hearts of the West, Book 3 by Patience O’Brien
Aaron Long’s goal is to drive his freight wagon through Montana Territory before the first big snow of the season. He happens upon a terrible accident that left another freight driver dead and a pregnant widow too close to delivering her child for comfort. A two-week trip will get her to the nearest doctor. His newly-found faith will not allow him to leave her on the side of the road to wait for the next wagon, as Mrs. Barlowe suggests. Several days might pass before that happened.
Katie Barlowe figures she has another month before her baby is born. Her husband was buried on the ranch they’d tried to start. All she wants is to get to a doctor and then head back to Pennsylvania to raise her child alone. Should she trust Aaron to get her there? The handsome driver who walked with a limp seemed trustworthy enough, yet Katie has learned that few men deserved her trust.
The author whirled me right into the story from the first page. The pair face one challenge after another. Each difficulty threatens their journey.
Surprising twists kept me turning pages. This is the first book in the series that I’ve read. The author did a great job summarizing earlier important events that affected this story and then plunging back into the action.
Well-written romance. This is not the first book I’ve read by this author, and it won’t be the last.
Recommended for readers of inspirational historical romances.
I thought I’d share a few of my favorite recipes around the Christmas holidays. My sister shared this yummy recipe with me when we were teenagers. I’ve made these brownies for my family numerous times.
Ingredients
½ cup butter or margarine
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt butter and chocolate in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When melted, remove from heat and let it cool for at least two minutes.
Stir in sugar.
Beat eggs in a separate bowl and then combine them with the chocolate mixture. Stir well. Add pure vanilla extract and stir. Add flour and walnuts, if desired, and mix well.
Prepare an 8×8 baking pan with cooking spray. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 20 minutes. Allow brownies to cool and then cut into 16 squares.
Since the entire recipe is made in one saucepan, the cleanup is minimal. It’s almost as quick to prepare as a boxed mix. My sister is a talented cook. I’m so happy that she shared this recipe with me!
Learning that citizens of Vicksburg, Mississippi, didn’t celebrate our country’s Independence Day for about a century prompted me to dig into the city’s history during the Civil War.
What I discovered so touched me that I had to write about it—and it required three books to tell the story. The main characters are fictional…the historical backdrop is real.
Vicksburg’s strategic location on bluffs along the mighty Mississippi River during the war was often a topic among leaders of both sides. Confederate President Jefferson Davis sent troops early in the war to protect the city and keep Union ships from passing on the river. More troops were sent as the focus on Vicksburg increased from the Union army.
President Abraham Lincoln felt that “Vicksburg is the key” to winning the war. Union General Ulysses S. Grant was determined to capture the city.
The defeat only whetted Grant’s desire to take Vicksburg by force. The following year, Union ships once again attacked the town for weeks from the Mississippi River—this time while the Union army battled the Confederate army surrounding Vicksburg.
The surprising discoveries found while digging into Vicksburg’s history inspired books four, five, and six in my Spies of the Civil War Series.
Streams of Courage, Book 4, begins before the war starts in early 1861 and goes to the fall of 1862.
River of Peril, Book 5, tells the story of Felicity and Luke. It begins in December of 1862.
Tides of Healing, the sixth and final book, tells the story of Vicksburg resident Savannah Adair and Union First Lieutenant Travis Lawson, who was among those who march into the city to seize control on July 4, 1863. Their first meeting begins with fireworks—and not the kind typically associated with an Independence Day celebration.
Beginning in 1861, three fictional heroine friends living in Vicksburg, Mississippi, at the start of the Civil War are each affected in different ways by the events of the Civil War as their city becomes a target for the Union Army.
Streams of Courage, Book 4, Julia and Ash fall in love against her mother’s wishes. Townspeople accuse Ash of cowardice because he doesn’t become a soldier in the Confederate army. He begins spying for the North in his Mississippi city, a dangerous undertaking that puts his family and Julia’s family at risk. The story starts before the first battle in early 1861 and goes to the fall of 1862.
River of Peril, Book 5, tells the story of Felicity and Luke. They started courting before the war began. She volunteers as a nurse to distract her worry for her soldier—then her worst nightmare happens. Luke has been wounded in battle. Worse, he doesn’t remember her…or why he was fighting for the Confederacy when his loyalty is with the North. It begins in December of 1862.
Savannah Adair has endured the unimaginable, hiding in a cave while her beloved Vicksburg was under siege. With the city now occupied by Union soldiers, Savannah cannot stand by and do nothing. So when one of the gaunt, half-starved Confederate prisoners asks her to spy for the South, she can’t refuse the chance to take back her home.
First Lieutenant Travis Lawson takes pride in the Union army’s hard-fought victory, but he quickly realizes that the challenges of rebuilding and reconciliation are just beginning . . . and not everyone is appreciative of changes he’s making. Namely, the fiery and alluring Savannah Adair. Despite their differing loyalties and the societal divide between them, Travis cannot deny the growing feelings he has for her. When he is tasked with finding Southern spies in Vicksburg and he captures a female spy, Travis is forced to consider that the woman he’s beginning to love may be the enemy.
Sandra Merville Hart 