History with a Dash of Romance and Intrigue -- A Review of Pegg Thomas's Freedom's Price - Path to Freedom, Book One

I have always been drawn to history surrounding indentureship in America. Now Freedom’s Price by Pegg Thomas is an ideal launch into her new Path to Freedom frontier series that grabs hold of this bit of history with well-rounded characters and a page-turning plot.

I was tugged along into the perilous adventure of Gwen Morgan, an Irish lass who is separated from her only family member, a sister, when they are orphaned and sent into separate indentures. Living amid danger in the household that purchased her indenture, Gwen makes a life-changing bargain that will offer her freedom, but with it she’ll have to carry a lie for the rest of her life.

Of course, Gwen can’t really comprehend the extent of what that lie means. Can she ever marry and settle down because of her choice? If the lie is jeopardized, will she be forced back into indenture? Soon, she’ll have to decide, but perils hang in the balance no matter what she chooses to do. And how can she acquire the help of the other servants, including the young man who is interested in her on the farm? (Not the wicked one whom she dreads, but another indentured servant who is also a trusted friend. He kept me guessing too.)

Meanwhile, the author weaves in the history of a group of Quakers traveling into the Northwest Territory, and Thomas does a fabulous job of sharing their way of life with the reader. Even with the archaic language they speak, the story is easy to read and remains compelling. Plus, there remained the question of Gwen’s future. Could she live the lie with these honest people, and what about another man she’s growing to care for? How can she ever reveal her secret, or will it be thrown into the open as the past dogs her heels?

I highly recommend Freedom’s Price to lovers of American historical fiction with a dash of romance and intrigue.

A Mystery on Church Street, by Gail Kittleson ~ A Book Review and Recommendation

 

A Mystery on Church Street

A Mystery on Church Street is a delightfully written WWII, small-town murder mystery also featuring two gently woven-in romances. One is that of a middle-age married couple who have weathered life’s storms and are still in love after years together (and the lady is quite a sleuth). The other involves a fresh and honest-feeling romance between the couple’s daughter and the town's new young pastor who is just learning what it’s like to pastor a church in a tightly-knit community—for good or bad. 

Author Gail Kittleson managed to work in all the historical details of small-town life on the WWII home front, when the war sometimes scarred people’s lives in invisible ways, and folks still searched for life’s balance in a world turned on end. Meanwhile espionage at home was a real concern, and suspicion of one’s neighbors was not taken lightly. I found this to be a very engaging story with lifelike characters I connected to. It hit on all the small town feels as well as historical buttons of interest. It's a very different sort of WWII novel. I would call it kind of a cozy historical, and I highly recommend adding it to your TBR list.

Song for the Hunter is FREE this week!

 

Song for the Hunter tells the story of several characters first introduced in Mist O'er the Voyageur and picks up one year after the conclusion of that novel. I do recommend that you read book one first to garner the fullness of the backstory, but even if you haven't read Mist, don't let that stop you from grabbing this rich and adventurous novel now while it's FREE. 

Song for the Hunter (The Voyageurs Duology, Book 2)

Get it here!

Métis hunter Bemidii Marchal’s thoughts of courting a maiden at the Great Rendezvous are cut short when he kills an important merchant’s son in self-defense and flees to an island fort on Lake Superior. There he encounters Camilla Bonnet, a French-Canadian beauty reeling from recent tragedy. Left alone and carrying unspoken burdens, she fears Bemidii but is forced to trust him. Their uneasy friendship soon leads to stronger feelings. But as the hunter becomes the hunted, Bemidii’s secret is exposed. Now the truth he hides might turn Camilla’s heart away—and demand his life.

Review of Tangled Lives, New Women's Fiction by Carol McClain

If you’re looking for a work of women’s fiction that will stay with you long after turning the final page, I highly recommend Carol McClain’s Treasured Lives series, of which Tangled Lives brings the satisfying conclusion. There’s a poetic cadence to this author’s writing, and a depth to her characters and plot that always grabs hold of my heartstrings. If you haven’t read this author before, you’ll want to get book one and follow this beautiful saga of heartache, triumph, and grace. It’s a must-read!

Find it here.

Review of Rebecca, New and Compelling Historical Fiction by Shannon McNear

For those who know the story of Pocahontas—and for those who don’t—this is both an eye-opening read in the historical sense and an imaginative tale in the fictional sense, of what may have transpired in her life. I was carried along into the fascinating portrayal of this remarkable woman, and while we can never know certain personal details, McNear sets the Powhatan princess’s world of 1607 before our eyes in rich and vivid rendering. 

In the fictional sense, McNear does a fabulous job of tying the possibility of lineage of Mato’aka/Rebecca/Pocahontas to the lost colony of Roanoke. It is provocative to imagine, whether such a thing may have happened or not. The story is compelling, at times heartbreaking, and at other times inspiring. One thing is sure. God used this native woman, in her time, to do courageous things and accomplish His plan. 

Lovers of history and a good story will want to read Rebecca, and readers of the earlier books in the series will enjoy seeing the pieces come together in this moving conclusion.

Check it out here.

Review of A Hill Country Christmas - Current Finalist in Two Prominent Awards

Grit and grace are featured in this collection of Texas stories, making it a feast for readers who love old- world kinds of stories set in the west—in this case, the Texas hill county. Several eras are represented, all in an historical sense. Lynn Dean has long been one of my favorite western historical writers, and this grouping of short stories gave me an opportunity to read several others who I enjoyed as well. It came as no surprise to me that the collection has since become both a Selah and Will Rogers medallion finalist! If you’re looking for fresh voices in western fiction and appreciate a well-told short story, you’ll love a Hardscrabble Christmas.

Buy it Here. Also available on Kindle Unlimited. 

Historical fiction book party on Monday, May 15th!

 

This coming Monday, May 15th is the HHH Mid-Month Madness Party, and it's chock full of fun and books to win.

The Party is in Two Parts

Part One is held on the Heroes, Heroine, & History blog. If your day is busy, you can head over there ANYtime on Monday, leave a comment, and you'll be entered in for the GRAND PRIZE book package -- a title from every participating author. Part Two takes place on the Mid-Month Madness Facebook page. (You'll need to join the page.) It runs from 5-7:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Each author will spend fifteen minutes visiting with attendees and talking about their books. They'll have some books and swag to give away during that part of the event. My time slot for the party is at 6:45-7:00 Eastern (5:45 Central, etc.), but I'll be hanging around for the whole thing.  CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU THERE!

Participating Authors: Terrie Todd, Amber Schamel, Cindy Ervin Huff, Catherine Ulrich Brakefield, Naomi Musch, Donna Schlachter, Naomi Craig, Kimberly Grist, Linda Shenton Matchett, Mary Dodge Allen SPREAD THE PARTY NEWS!

An Unpredictable Life / A Spring Book Party

Unpredictable

I admit it. I am not spontaneous. Back in the day--you know, in youth, when I had energy--I might have been more-so. But nowadays, spontaneity and I don't generally get along. Unpredictability is something that a planner such as I finds hard to deal with. Yet, life is unpredictable. *The disciples didn't know what they'd eat, where they'd sleep, what Jesus would do next. I bet some of them were like me--planners. In the popular television series The Chosen, the writers depict some of them that way, and I think pretty accurately. I look forward to meeting the Apostles and talking with them during our eternal someday. *We stagger through days from birth to old age, one decision at a time. No matter how well we plan our days, then can and often do lead to "a change of plans" or downright upheaval. Unexpected surprises and joys; untold heartaches and sorrows.  *I don't know whether or not the next book I write will find a publisher. And still I write. Even if I choose to self-publish, there's no knowing when Amazon will change up everything and shut me down. It happens to some authors. They suddenly get their accounts deleted with no explanation or recourse. Crazy, huh? *We don't know what our government leaders are going to do next to send our lives reeling in frustration or maybe even downright disgust. We feel at a loss as what we can about it. We vote, and even then the solutions aren't always what we would wish for. Our times are heavy with unpredictability--only knowing that the apostle Paul said, "Evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived." (2 Timothy 3:13 -- Read that whole chapter, and that will remind you of what we can predict.) *We don't know when Jesus is coming back. He told us that no one knows the day or the hour, yet he offers indications of the times. So we should be walking in preparation, expectation, preparing for that it-could-happen-today moment. One hand on the pen, and another lifted to shade our eyes looking up with eager anticipation.

Yes, life and these times we precariously live in are unpredictable in many ways. I guess that's why "the just shall live by faith". Our sight is dim tunnel vision. I am trying to step out of my comfort zone and embrace more spontaneity so that the unpredictables are a little bit easier to take. What about you? How do you handle the things you don't see coming? Are you a spontaneous person? Have you found your faith challenged to grown more resilient against the windstorms of unpredictable onslaughts?

A Spring Book Party

Mark your calendars for MAY 15TH at HEROES, HEROINES, AND HISTORY (pop in anytime during the day) and on the Facebook MID MONTH MADNESS page( 4-7 p.m. Eastern) The writers at the Heroes, Heroines, and History Blog hold a Mid-Month Madness party once per quarter, but it's been quite a spell since I've participated, and the winter event was cancelled. But hey, it's spring, so let's get together now, shall we? The party takes place in two locations. One is all day on the blog, so you can drop in whenever it's convenient on the 15th, leave comments, and try and win a drawing there. Then, if the 4-7 p.m. hours of the Facebook portion of the event fit your life, you can join in over there for more chances to win books and prizes, and chat with the authors. IN A RARE OCCURENCE, I'll be sending out a reminder email for the party a day or two before, along with a list of books prizes and authors p articipating. If you don't receive my newsletter, sign up here. Make sure to add it to your address book so it doesn't wind up in your spam folder.

Slogging Upward, With Love

Slogging Upward, With Love

(Reprinted from my February, 2023 Northwoods Faith & Fiction newsletter, four months after the passing of our beloved son Quinn.) In the famous children's picture book Going On a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, the author often has the characters repeating the line: We can't go over it. We can't go under it. Oh no! We've got to go through it! So they slog on through, and that's just the state I find myself in. The usual term is "slogging forward", but that's been tough lately, so I'm focusing on slogging upward as God is teaching me things bout grief I never knew. It's not that I've never grieved. I've lost people who were dear to me. Friends and family, including three of my husband's brothers who died age 50 and under. So we are acquainted with loss. However, over the past three-and-a-half months, feelings have erupted that I don't know what to do with, so I have to look up. A lot. Like constantly. There is Scripture that means something more to me--or different to me--than it did before. There are conversations with God I never imagined having. So in all that, I'm slogging upward. My favorite Psalm is Psalm 40, and the first three verses are some of my life verses:

If this doesn't reference slogging, nothing does. But, as in my earlier life, I'm waiting patiently for the LORD, asking him to hear my cry and set my feet on firm ground again, to make my steps secure. Most of all, to put a new song in my mouth, that I will continue to praise my God. A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT ARE HELPING I made the move to start writing again. Perhaps it was His timing that I had a deadline facing me when we lost Quinn. I didn't want to write. I don't want to go into the make-believe world of my fictional characters. AND YET... When I was forced to sit down and work on my deadline project, God used it to steer my thoughts into better places. A good distraction, you might say. A couple weeks ago I wrote THE END on Polly, Book One in the Apron Strings series coming out next year. Polly releases in January 2024. This past week I completed rewrites, where I tie up loose ends, patch plot holes, and deepen my character. It's my favorite part of the writing process. Next, it'll be off to the editor. I do so look forward to introducing you to Polly Holloway, a sweet girl just stepping into the new world of a small town in the 1920s after WWI leaves her a bit bereft in her personal life.  I've also started writing about my son. A friend suggested that I ought to consider doing so, recording his life in memories for his children. My initial thought was that I couldn't do that. It would be much to painful. But in the past few weeks my view has changed. I am dabbling. And it is hard. Very hard. But at the same time it's comforting to know that these memories aren't lost--and won't be. This will be a long, slow process, but I'll keep at it until it's either completed or the Lord calls us up. New Goals for 2023 *To share updates with you about the upcoming release of Polly as things roll along. *Thinking about rereleasing another out-of-print book many of you might have never read called Paint Me Althena. It's one of my few contemporary stories. A short novel that's more women's fiction than romance, although there's a romance in it.  *Returning to a project I started last year--the audio recording of The Green Veil. I really want to get this on audio, specifically for a friend of mine who is vision impaired, but maybe other readers would enjoy listening to it too. (By the way, this novel is two reviews shy of 50. I think this series--Empire in Pine--is one of my best works, and I'd love to see it hit 100 at least, but for now 50 would be great! Algorithms, ya know.) *I'm mulling over a story idea of a heroic adventure of a woman and young girl set on the American frontier during the Revolutionary War. I'll see where that takes me. * I now have THREE full-length novels and TWO novellas that are written and sitting on my computer drives like a girl at the dance, waiting to be noticed and invited to waltz. These are works that I've written in recent years but for which I haven't found a publishing home. My agent has them, but alas, the winds of publishing houses blow in what directions they may on any given day. I am giving serious consideration to which (if any) of these works I will release independently. Four of them are historical, and one novella is contemporary. There are always new opportunities, and I have to prayerfully consider each one. I know that God wants me to do just as the nobleman commanded his servants in Luke 19:11, "Do business until I come." So I'll keep aiming at goals and working toward my Father's business as I listen for the trumpet call and watch for the clouds to part. A song that's been my anthem lately. Maybe it'll speak to you too Love Will Have the Final Word: