Tag: historical fiction

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Wrangling the Wandering Rancher: A Sweet Historical Romance (High Country Ranch Book 4) 

216 pages October 22, 2024 publication date

ABOUT THE BOOK

In the high country of Colorado, love endures all things, even the solitary way of life in the wilderness.

Maisy Merritt has vowed she’ll never marry a mountain man. Even though she loves the Colorado Rockies and the wild creatures she helps, she hates the way her pa’s mountain-man ways took him away from his family and caused her ma to die of loneliness. Maisy’s ready to start a normal life, and that includes marrying a normal man.

As a trapper and trail guide, Tanner Oakley lives a wandering life. He’s witnessed how hard being alone is for Maisy and her sister whenever their pa is gone, so he’s decided that he’s not husband material for any woman since he’s so restless and unsettled.

Having given up looking for the family he lost long ago, Tanner returns to the mountains and finds Maisy in trouble. As he tries to help her, he only makes matters worse. With Maisy injured and her reputation in shatters, he’s forced to do the right thing and marry her. They resist being together, but maybe marriage is what both of them really want—and need—after all.

Lost family

Friends to more

Alone together in wilderness

Trapped in a cabin

Shotgun marriage

Abandonment issues

MY THOUGHTS

I’ve read reading the authors books for years and her books are automatic reads for me. I love everything about them, her writing style, the setting and the characters.

This is Tanner’s story, the second adopted son. The previous book had his brother’s story.
The book has a beautiful western setting. Maisy doesn’t want to get married all the mountain men she knows leave, including her father and her sister’s husband and she doesn’t trust it not to happen to her.


Tanner hasn’t found a woman worth staying around for but he’s out to prove it to Maisy she’s the one for him and he’s staying despite her hesitation.


I love when a question from another book is answered and the book had a very satisfactory wrap up, a totally unexpected one at that. Faith filled and inspirational this clean western romance is one I can highly recommend.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Jody Hedlund is the best-selling author of over fifty books and is the winner of numerous awards. She writes sweet, clean historical romances with plenty of sizzle (but without the spice).

Have a great day. Thanks for visiting today.

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Never Forgotten

`320 pages Barbour Fiction November 1, 2024 publication date

Buy Link

ABOUT THE BOOK

All He Wanted was Justice. All She Wanted was His Heart.

Georgina Whitmore, not accustomed to any man being unaffected by her charms, is plagued with the disappearance and rejection of Simon Fancourt. Twelve years later, Mr. Fancourt returns to British society with two children and a mad hunger for justice.

Racing against time, Simon works to uncover the men responsible for his wife’s horrific murder, protect his children, and fulfill his father’s unexpected will by marrying Georgina—the last thing in the world he wants to do.

Though her heart throbs to accept, she would rather lose him again than have his name without his love. She denies his proposal of matrimony, knowing it will cost them both. But as tragedies unravel and secret enemies narrow their sights on Simon, Georgina risks her life—and her reputation—to protect him and the children. Will the danger scorch them alive? Or will it, for the first time, open his heart to her?

Enjoy other Gothic Style Regencies from Hannah Linder:
Beneath His Silence
When Tomorrow Came
Garden of the Midnights
The Girl from the Hidden Forest



MY THOUGHTS

This is my first read by the author. I loved her writing style, and the fact that it’s original from any I’ve read before. It’s a gothic regency read. It’s a bit dark at first with some dark undertones. This sets the story up for what’s to come.


Georgina and Simon, they had such a beautiful story presented about them.
The mystery and intrigue pull you deep into the story, you must keep reading.


A romance that almost wasn’t so many secrets, I was thoroughly intrigued as I read. The characters fascinated me and I’ll now be reading more books by the author.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

THE AUTHOR

Hannah Linder resides in the beautiful mountains of central West Virginia. Represented by Books & Such, she writes Regency romantic suspense novels filled with passion, secrets, and danger. She is a four-time Selah Award winner, a 2023 Carol Award semi-finalist, and a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). Also, Hannah is an international and multi-award-winning graphic designer who specializes in professional book cover design. She designs for both traditional publishing houses and individual authors, including New York Times, USA Today, and international bestsellers. She is also a self-portrait photographer of historical fashion. When Hannah is not writing, she enjoys playing her instruments—piano, guitar, ukulele, and banjolele—songwriting, painting still life, walking in the rain, and sitting on the front porch of her 1800s farmhouse. To follow her journey, visit hannahlinderbooks.com.

Thank you for stopping in.

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Blog Tour for The Stolen Sisters by Ann Bennett

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Stolen Sisters by Ann Bennett

https://geni.us/B0CYMYXTPGsocial

‘The lorry is ready to take you to the train station,’ the soldier announced, and Marta clung to her little sister. ‘I want to stay with her,’ Marta said, voice shaking. ‘It is not possible. You belong in the Reich,’ the officer said. ‘And she does not.’

Poland, 1944 When twelve-year-old Marta and her little sister Joanna are snatched while out shopping for food and pushed into an army truck with a swastika on the door, they are heartbroken. Terrified they will never see their mother again, the little girls cling to each other as the truck full of stolen children rumbles through the countryside.

But worse is yet to come. When they arrive at their strange new home, tears streaming down their cheeks, Marta is sent into a separate room. As she is measured, her blonde hair and blue eyes exclaimed over, she doesn’t realise she has seen her sister for the last time. Later, as she sobs alone in the chilly dormitory, her only crumb of comfort is the memory of a kind German nurse who took a photo of the two sisters, and promised Marta she will do what she can to find Joanna.

Berlin, 2005 In her cosy sitting room, seventy-year-old Marta freezes. The woman on her television talking about lost children is someone she could never forget. Margarete Weiss is the nurse who took the photo of her and Joanna, the photo with the secret message on the back…

Marta has never been able to find her younger sister and has buried herself in work so as not to be haunted by the ghosts of her past. But, seeing Margarete’s blue eyes again, a shoot of hope takes root in her heart. Margarete may not have been able to prevent the sisters being separated during the war. But might she be able to help Marta find out what happened to Joanna now?

A beautiful and emotional read about finding hope in the darkest corners. Fans of The Midwife of Auschwitz, Before We Were Yours and The Orphan Train will lose themselves in this beautiful and heartbreaking book.

MY THOUGHTS

There is nothing that brings out the empathy in readers more than to have down on their luck characters involving animals or children. This one involves children and it’s heartbreaking.

The author, I love her writing style her words are so fluid, they just flow effortlessly. A book like this just gets to you, as you keep reading hoping against hope to find that silver lining amongst the sadness. There has to be hope somewhere.


Sisters in Poland ten and twelve are out minding their own business when they are kidnapped. Scared out of their wits, the older does everything she can to comfort and protect the younger, all the while having no one to reassure her. Their mother, sickly and at home has no idea what has happened to her children.


Put through unwanted medical tests they had no choice but to receive, all of the kidnapped children are Germanized if they pass the medical tests. The process involves shipping them off to different facilities, none a pleasant place to be with no security or comfort.
The Nazi’s don’t care how the children are treated or if they have enough to eat.


There is one little ray of hope in a kindly German nurse who puts her life on the line to treat the children kindly and offer comfort for the little time she is with them.


When the unthinkable happens and the children are separated will they find the will power to go on or just give up? Utterly heartbreaking and intense.

I loved the ending it was rewarding and satisfying. I really enjoy WWII historical fiction especially when it’s as realistic as this author writes it. This is an automatic buy author for me and looking forward to many more great reads.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

VISIT OTHERS ON THE TOUR

THE AUTHOR

About the author

Ann Bennett is the author of several historical novels about the second world war in South East Asia, inspired by her father’s experience as a prisoner of the Japanese on the Thai-Burma railway. She has a Law degree and works full time as a lawyer, but is fascinated by India and South East Asia. Since her early twenties she has spent as much time as possible travelling in the region. She’s married with three sons and lives in Surrey.

Author social media:

Website

https://www.bambooheart.co.uk/

Facebook URL

https://www.facebook.com/ann.bennett.104

Instagram URL

https://www.instagram.com/annbennettrann

Twitter URL

Newsletter sign up

https://www.bookouture.com/ann-bennett

Have a wonderful day. Thank you for stopping in.

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First Line Friday

Happy Friday & welcome to First Line Friday hosted at Reading is my Super Power! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line. Today I’m delighted to feature Freedom’s Song by Kim Vogel Sawyer. I haven’t read one of her books for some months and this one is from 2021. I need a catch up.

Pub Date Oct 19 2021

ABOUT THE BOOK

Her voice made her a riverboat’s darling—and its prisoner. Now she’s singing her way to freedom in this powerful novel from the bestselling author of The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow.

“[An] enjoyable faith-filled adventure . . . Sawyer’s episodic narrative and rich assortment of characters fighting for freedom provide the story with many twists and unexpected side-plots.”—Publishers Weekly

Indentured servant Fanny Beck has been forced to sing for riverboat passengers since she was a girl. All she wants is to live a quiet, humble life with her family as soon as her seven-year contract is over. So when she discovers that the captain has no intention of releasing her, she seizes a sudden opportunity to escape—an impulse that leads Fanny to a group of enslaved people who are on their own dangerous quest for liberty. . . .

Widower Walter Kuhn is overwhelmed by his responsibilities to his farm and young daughter, and now his mail-order bride hasn’t arrived. Could a beautiful stranger seeking work be the answer to his prayers? . . .

After the star performer of the River Peacock is presumed drowned, Sloan Kirkpatrick, the riverboat’s captain, sets off to find her replacement. However, his journey will bring him face to face with his own past—and a deeper understanding of what it truly means to be free. . . . 

Uplifting, inspiring, and grounded in biblical truth, Freedom’s Song is a story for every reader who has longed for physical, emotional, or spiritual delivery.

FIRST LINE(S)

On the Mississippi River, near Monticello, Missouri Mid-April ,1860

Fanny Beck

Thunderous applause, Cries of “Encore, encore! ” Fanny Beck bowed her head in humble acknowledgement and gratitude.

Let me know the book closest to you and leave its first lines below.

Enjoy a peaceful weekend. Thank you for stopping in.

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The Liberty Scarf: A Story of Three Women, One War, and a Scarf That Binds Them Together 

368 pages Harper Muse publisher November 19, 2024 publication date

ABOUT THE BOOK

MY THOUGHTS

This is one not to miss. A truly beautifully written book. One scarf from a humble and simplistic background links together three women during WWI. This scarf sees it through three couples in time of heartbreak and woven in joy.

Messages stitched with hope into the fabric of the scarf.
I loved meeting the couples and felt the emotions they went through the resilience and fortitude on the front line of not only the battlefield but also life.
The three stories are beautifully woven together and full of detail. A must read again book.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Thanks for stopping in today.

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Daughters of Paris: An epic, heartbreaking and gripping World War II novel! 

ABOUT THE BOOK

A must-read for fans of Kate Quinn and Kristin Hannah!

Paris 1930s

A promise that binds them together. A war that pulls them apart.

Childhood companions Fleur and Colette make a vow, under the trailing ivy of their secret garden, that they will be secret sisters forever. But as they grow up, the promises of childhood are put to the ultimate test. For Colette is the daughter of the house, and her life is all jazz clubs, silk dresses and chilled champagne, while Fleur is the orphan niece of the housekeeper and doesn’t feel like she belongs anywhere.

Years later, in 1939, life as they know it will never be the same. As the German tanks roll in and Paris becomes an occupied city, the promise they made as children will have consequences they could never have imagined…

MY THOUGHTS

WWII historical fiction that was thought provoking yet entertaining. Two girls growing up together with vastly different backgrounds, one rich and accustomed to only the best life can offer, the other the niece of the housekeeper.


As these girls grow into women, they do their best to keep that childhood promise they made to stay in contact and be secret sisters. Besties for life. Paris, romantic, thrilling but then the war comes.

Life will never be the same for these women, life throws curves at them they could not have seen. So many circumstances they experience together and apart.

Life hits them hard but yet there is still joy to be find despite circumstances beyond their control. Romance is inevitable in a lovely book taking place in Paris but yet it is not the main focus.

The sisterhood, a lifetime of changes, vast differences still the bond is unbreakable between these women.
Very much enjoyed this book.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

MEET THE AUTHOR

lisabeth writes romantic historical fiction as Elisabeth Hobbes and historical folklore/fantasy romance as Elisabeth J. Hobbes.

She teaches Primary school and unlike her characters, the six year olds generally do what she tells them. She spends most of her spare time reading and is a pro at cooking one-handed while holding a book. She loves to travel and explore, looking for places to inspire her characters into life.

Elisabeth lives in Cheshire because the car broke down there in 1999 (though at heart she’s still a Yorkshirewoman). She has two almost grown kids, two cats, two dogs and a husband. The whole family are autistic. She dreams of having a tidy house one day.

May your day be pleasant.

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First Line Friday

Happy Friday & welcome to the First Line Friday post! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line. Today I’m delighted to feature A Louisiana Christmas to Remember. I really enjoy novella collections by multiple authors. What about you? Hosted at Reading is my Superpower.

By Betsy St. Amant; Morgan Tarpley Smith; Lenora Worth

Pub Date Sep 01 2023 

FIRST LINE(S)

Three weeks before Christmas

Moreau, Louisiana

Mattie Hayes froze, her fingers warm around a latte, and stared at the flurries of white outside the window of Le Petit French Press coffee shop, the sight briefly restoring faith to her disheartened state of mind.

ABOUT THE BOOK

A Rare Snowfall Leads to a Christmas to Remember

Three heartwarming, interconnected stories of faith, love, and restoration, brought to you by three Louisiana-native authors. Will a rare snowy Louisiana Christmas bring restoration and hope to the hometown and hearts of three women from the town’s founding family?

In A Louisiana Snow by Morgan Tarpley Smith, meet Mattie: A passionate visionary who learns to forgive and finds love in unexpected places…

In Restoring Christmas by Betsy St. Amant, meet Jolene: An artist and prodigal daughter who discovers love exists in the very place she once called home…

In A Christmas Reunion by Lenora Worth, meet Adale: A beautiful widow who finally dares to love again…

And don’t forget Granny, whose feisty spirit, blunt dialogue, and quirky ways play an important and endearing role.

Thank you for stopping in. Happy weekend.

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Blog Tour THE MEMORY DRESS by Jade Beer

ABOUT THE BOOK

England, 2018: Jayne is quiet. She keeps to herself and has no grand expectations for her days. But after a chance encounter with her elderly neighbor, Meredith, Jayne is forced to reevaluate her determination to keep the world at a distance. Meredith’s dust-covered home is chaotic and neglected. And slowly, Jayne starts to grasp that Meredith herself is quite lost. She can’t seem to remember anything: what she last ate, when she last went out or saw her daughter, or even Jayne’s name, despite what are becoming frequent visits. 

But most alarmingly, Meredith can’t remember where her husband is.

Unable to sit by and watch Meredith hurting, Jayne promises she’ll find William. But how can she when the biggest clue Jayne has is a mystery itself: a stunning couture gown with a note declaring it a personal gift to Meredith…from Princess Diana. 

England, 1988: Meredith is always calm. You have to be when working for one of the most iconic women in the world. Just as the stitches she uses to create Princess Diana’s wardrobe are steady and stable, so is Meredith. Until she finds herself feeling off-kilter and untethered by an unexpected connection with someone in the workshop. As Meredith finds herself swept up in life and love for the first time, everything she’s ever dreamed about seems in reach…if only she can be brave enough to take it.

MY THOUGHTS

This book has such substance to it a heartfelt and emotional book. A very telling story.


Jayne, a dog walker in an apartment building, friends with some of the other apartment dwellers but had never met Merideth, an elderly woman whom she senses needs some help when they do meet.


Jayne and Merideth form a strong and caring friendship, each benefitting from it in a different way. Jayne visits Meredith daily yet needs to introduce herself each time as Meredith doesn’t remember her, or even when she ate last.

My grandmother went through dementia and it’s so tragic and she as Meredith are so vulnerable. Meredith was a famous seamstress sewing for royalty now she can’t even remember where her husband is or why her daughter never visits her.


You will be immersed in the world of dressmaking from years ago as you make a discovery about an important missing society dress. To be taken inside the mind of someone with dementia is tragically sad but wonderful to see moments of clarity as memories of the past are recalled.

A special friendship discovered as cherished memories are shared. I enjoyed visiting the locations through the book the women visited and reading about their details. They sounded like fun trips. Very well written. Highly recommended!

About the Author

Jade Beer is an award-winning editor, journalist, and novelist who has worked across the UK national press for more than twenty years. Most recently, she was the editor in chief of Condé Nast’s Brides. She also writes for other leading titles, including the Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Glamour, Stella magazine, and is one of the Mail on Sunday’s regular fiction and nonfiction book reviewers. Jade splits her time between London and the Cotswolds, where she lives with her husband and two daughters.

Thank you for stopping in. Have a beautiful day.

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DAUGHTER OF RUINS – TLC tour

About Daughter of Ruins

• Publisher: Harper Muse (October 8, 2024)
• Paperback: 400 pages

A motherless daughter. An Italian prostitute. A mail-order bride. Are these women brave enough to change their fates?

Demitra’s mother died in America in the 1930s when Demitra was three years old. Her father took her home to the Greek island of Cephalonia, where she endures a lonely childhood and dreams her dead mother watches over her, like the goddesses she reads about in her mythology books. When Demitra comes of age, she refuses to marry the man chosen for her. Instead, she defiantly begins an affair with a forbidden man who ignites her passion for painting the goddesses she once imagined protected her.

Elena is a beautiful Italian woman who dreamed of a life away from the brothels where she was raised. But opportunities are not meant for daughters of prostitutes and Elena has no choice but to become one herself. When Italy occupies Cephalonia, Elena finds work entertaining the soldiers. Her life on the island is happy and carefree–until the Germans arrive in 1943.

Maria lives in a poor mountain village in 1921 with a loving mother and sister. When her father grows desperate to feed his family, he sends her to America as a picture bride to marry a stranger. Only eighteen years old, Maria is terrified of the journey ahead.

Daughter of Ruins is an all-encompassing tale steeped in the rich history, culture, and myths of Greece. It is a deeply moving story that follows three women as they struggle to control their destinies, fighting to become the women they were meant to be.

MY THOUGHTS

Absolutely beautifully written. This is my first read by the author and I was very impressed by her writing style. I felt as if I was peeking into the character’s lives as it is so realistic.

As you read you will be completely absorbed by the Greek flavor. culturally, historically from the myths and legends and the amazing foods it’s all there waiting for you.


This is about women, yes, we have our lovely main character but there are many important women who when faced with hardships and tragedies they forge on and show such resilience. Though their world is falling apart around them they are there for each other. and will go to great lengths to show it.

I love that the author has lived in the area she writes about which makes this historical book all the more realistic.
This book has taken me on an emotional roller coaster, and I loved every bit of the ride.

Full of family and discoveries, a journey worth taking with the light shining at the end of the tunnel.
Highly recommended!

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

About the author

Yvette Manessis Corporon is an internationally bestselling author and Emmy Award–winning producer. To date, her books have been translated into sixteen languages. A first generation Greek-American with deep family roots on Corfu, Yvette studied classical civilization and journalism at New York University. She lives in Brooklyn with her family where she spends her spare time reading, running, and trying to get into yoga.

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A Wife for the Rancher: A Sweet Historical Romance (High Country Ranch Book 3)

226 pages October 1, 2024 publish date Northern Lights Press publisher

ABOUT THE BOOK

In the high country of Colorado, hardships are a given, but love has a way of overcoming all the losses.

Millionaire heiress, Genevieve Hollis, has everything she wants except one thing, freedom, because her guardian stepmother insists on overseeing every move she makes. When Genevieve sees a newspaper advertisement from a rancher seeking a mother for his baby, she jumps at the chance to escape, even if that means hiding her true identity.

Ryder Oakley has suffered the repeated misfortune of losing the people he loves most, so now that he’s a single father with a newborn baby, he’s determined not to lose his son. When a woman shows up in answer to his advertisement, he quickly forms a marriage of convenience—one without all the entanglements of a real relationship.

Attraction starts to grow between the newly married couple, but the secrets of their pasts threaten to catch up to them. Ryder finds himself in a custody battle over his baby, and Genevieve struggles to outwit her stepmother. Will they be able to overcome the odds and find a way to be together before it’s too late?

  • Wealthy heiress
  • Single dad
  • Mail-order bride
  • Marriage of convenience
  • Hidden identity
  • Forced proximity
  • Opposites attract

*All of the books in the High Country Ranch series are sweet, closed-door romances with plenty of sizzle. The inspirational themes are light, and the romance is the main focus of the books.

MY THOUGHTS

Marriage of convenience stories are so much fun. In this one a millionaire heiress is on the run from a fairytale like wicked stepmother. Genevive, and I love her name knows her stepmother does not have her best interest at heart after her loving papa dies.

She must get away and to make things even more complicated she’s hiding a few secrets from her husband to be.
He’s looking for a mother for his baby, his wife didn’t want the responsibility of a child, and he knows his son will be better off having both parents raise him. He’s not looking for romance just a helpmate and to have his son taken care of with a woman’s influence.


This rancher and his brother had been adopted as young children and they really don’t remember their early childhood. It was interesting seeing the research they are doing to try to dive into their past. They just want answers and to feel like they belong.


Sweet, romantic and the strength of existing and newfound family. I loved everything about this book

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Jody Hedlund is the best-selling author of over fifty books and is the winner of numerous awards. She writes sweet, clean historical romances with plenty of sizzle (but without the spice).