"In the Shadow of Croft Towers" by Abigail Wilson—Blog Tour (Review) and GIVEAWAY!

 

About the Book

 

Book: In the Shadow of Croft Towers
Author: Abigail Wilson
Genre: Historical fiction, romantic suspense

Release Date: January 15, 2019

From debut author Abigail Wilson comes a mysterious Regency tale of secrets and spies, love and treachery.

Orphaned Sybil Delafield jumps at the opportunity for a position at the mysterious Croft Towers. She believes she was hired to act as companion to a dying woman, but a highway robbery and a hostile welcome from the Chalcroft family cause her to wonder if she was actually hired to help someone spy for France.

An unsolved murder adds intrigue to this already secretive family, and Sybil recognizes Mrs. Chalcroft’s handsome grandson as one of the infamous highwaymen who robbed her. Sybil must determine if this man’s charming smile and earnest eyes speak the truth or if he is simply using her like others in the house. Everyone seems to have something to hide, and Sybil must decide who to trust while also coming to terms with the truth about her own past.

Click here to purchase your copy!

My Review

“In the Shadow of Croft Towers,” from debut author Abigail Wilson, has easily become one of my favorite books of 2018!  I love a good Gothic romance and this book is certainly just that.  Ms. Wilson is very good at setting the Gothic tone. 

The story starts off with danger and a highway robbery during a storm.  I was hooked!  Our hesitant heroine, Sybil, arrives at house shrouded in mystery and secrets.  There are all the elements for a perfect Gothic read in this story: mysterious rooms, hidden motives and identities, secrets and resident ghosts. 

Not only that, but Ms. Wilson is a fabulous writer.  The story and writing style can be described as a mix of Dickens and Daphne du Maurier.  I loved this book and looked forward to reading it every night!  I highly recommend it!

Content: I give this book a PG rating for some content.  Some examples of the content are: the word devil is used; mention of a woman’s bosom; people drink alcohol; mention of illegitimate children; mention of “ravishing” a woman; a man is drunk and tries to apprehend a woman.

Rating: I obviously give this book 5 stars!

Genre: Christian fiction; Historical; Gothic; Regency; Mystery; Romance

I want to thank Abigail Wilson, Celebrate Lit and Thomas Nelson for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.

About the Author

 

Abigail Wilson combines her passion for Regency England with intrigue and adventure to pen historical mysteries with a heart. A Registered Nurse, chai tea addict, and mother of two crazy kids, Abigail fills her spare time hiking the National Parks, attending her daughter’s gymnastic meets, and curling up with a great book. In 2017, Abigail won WisRWA’s Fab Five contest and ACFW’s First Impressions contest as well as placing as a finalist in the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense. She is a cum laude graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and currently lives in Dripping Springs, Texas, with her husband and children. Connect with Abigail at www.acwilsonbooks.com

 

Excerpt from the Book

1813

THE ENGLISH COUNTRYSIDE

I often wonder what my life would have been like if I had never learned the truth. I wouldn’t have set off as I did for Croft Towers. I never would have met him.

It’s strange what I remember about the day I left London. The mail coach was late; the weather wretched. The clock had struck midnight long before two strangers and I ducked beneath the postmaster’s outstretched umbrella to board the Royal Mail and rumble across the North Downs.

That difficult journey east marked the beginning of an unseasonably cold autumn. Frigid rain pelted the coach windows. The undercarriage squealed beneath the seats as a metallic scent wound its way between the drafty boards. I gripped the windowsill, wondering if the coachman intended to hit every bump in the road.

“Far to go, miss?”

The woman’s voice startled me. Dressed head to toe in red
satin, she’d endured the last few darkened hours with a handful of smelling salts and a tongue hot for complaints, but she hadn’t spoken to me until now. Not until the first hint of rain-soaked daylight peeked over the horizon.

I lowered my gaze and fiddled with my bonnet ribbons. “Yes, ma’am . . . well, not too much farther, I hope.”

Taken from “In the Shadow of Croft Towers” by Abigail Wilson. Copyright © 2018 by Abigail Wilson. Used by permission of http://www.thomasnelson.com/.

Blog Stops

 

Just the Write Escape, December 20

Faery Tales Are Real, December 20

The Avid Reader, December 20

Reflections From My Bookshelves, December 21

seasons of opportunities, December 21

Mary Hake, December 22

Carpe Diem, December 22

Inklings and notions, December 23

Blogging With Carol, December 23

A Baker’s Perspective, December 23

Stories By Gina, December 24

Remembrancy, December 24

Madeline Clark, December 25

The Christian Fiction Girl, December 25

For the Love of Literature, December 26

Blossoms and Blessings, December 26

Janices book reviews, December 26

Back Porch Reads, December 27

Book by Book, December 27

Daysong Reflections, December 28

All-of-a-kind Mom, December 28

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, December 28

Godly Book Reviews, December 29

Locks, Hooks and Books, December 29

Bigreadersite, December 29

Inspiration Clothesline, December 30

A Rup Life, December 30

Bibliophile Reviews, December 30

A Reader’s Brain, December 31

Texas Book-aholic, December 31

Just Your Average reviews, January 1

Bookworld Reviews, January 1

Pause for Tales, January 1

Reading Is My SuperPower, January 2

Simple Harvest Reads, January 2

 

 

Giveaway

 

 

 

 

To celebrate her tour, Abigail is giving away a grand prize of one finished copy of the book!!

 

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/d777/in-the-shadow-of-croft-towers-celebration-tour-giveaway

A Realistic Story with a Sweet Romance--"A Place at Our Table" by Amy Clipston--Review

 “A Place at Our Table” by Amy Clipston is the first book in the “Amish Homestead” series.  It deals with very realistic issues and can be a heavier read at times, but the romance is so sweet.  I don’t usually expect Amish books to deal with such complex topics, but I really enjoyed it!

The characters in this book deal with loss, fear, guilt and grief.  I felt the first half of the book is rather heavy; but as it shifted to focus more on the romance, the tone turns lighter and sweeter.  I really appreciate the lessons the story includes, such as trusting the Lord with our futures and that tomorrow is never promised so you should live your life to the fullest.

There are some great relationships and friendships in this book.  I appreciate seeing the family and sibling relationships, which play a big role in the story.  The romance is sweet and slow building.  I found myself really rooting for Kayla and Jamie (our main characters) and their relationship.

All in all, I enjoyed this book.  In the beginning it was slower for me and dealt with some heavy topics, but as the story progressed, I found myself invested in the characters.  I would especially recommend this book to fans of Amish fiction.

Content: This is a clean read with no mature content.

Rating: I give this book 3.5 stars.

Genre: Amish; Christian fiction; Romance

I want to thank the Fiction Guild, Amy Clipston and Zondervan for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.


About the Author:

Hi, I’m Amy Clipston. I am an author of Amish and Christian fiction with HarperCollins Christian Publishing. Most of my books focus on the Amish community, faith, and love. I also write romance novels and young adult inspirational stories.

To visit the author's website click here
To purchase a copy of the book click here

"Once Upon a Farm: Lessons on Growing Love, Life, and Hope on a New Frontier" by Rory Feek--Review

 

 

My Review:

 

“Once Upon a Farm”, an autobiographical book by Rory Feek, is a story about lessons learned and life lived.  Feek is living his life for God and shares little snippets of that life with the reader.  Feek is a well-known songwriter and musician who used to be one half of the country music duo “Joey and Rory”; the other half being his wife Joey who passed away in 2016.

I have seen a lot about Joey and Rory on social media, especially Joey’s battle with cancer.  I thought this book would be about how Rory is dealing with her death and moving on.  Instead, it’s more of a compilation of essays written by Rory about random topics involving his life and lessons he’s learned.  It’s not in chronological order either.  The book is interesting because I did learn more about his life.  It did make me realize that life is short and I should live in the moment.  I should not always wish for a better life but love the one I’m living.  Rory Feek is a good writer and there are some great lessons in this book.  I would recommend it to anyone who loves hearing the personal stories of famous individuals, or who loves country music and living, or is even just a fan of the couple!

 

Content:  I give this book a PG-13 rating due to some issues discussed and some content.  Some examples of the content are:  Rory talks about his past life drinking and chasing women; there is some content that may be controversial in the Christian community; the word “hell” is used; references to sex; the Lord’s name is taken in vain.

 

Rating:  I give this book 3 stars.

 

Genre: Christian non-fiction

I want to thank Rory Feek, BookLook Bloggers and Thomas Nelson for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255. 

 

 

 

About the Author:

Rory Feek is a true renaissance man, known as one of Nashville’s premiere songwriters, entrepreneurs, and out-of-the-box thinkers. He is a world-class storyteller, crossing all creative mediums, from music and film to books and the Internet, and is the New York Times bestselling author of This Life I Live.

As a blogger, Rory shares his heart and story with the world through thislifeilive.com and has more than two million Facebook followers. As a songwriter, Rory has written multiple number-one songs. As an artist, he is half of the Grammy-winning county music duo Joey + Rory. He and his wife, Joey Martin, toured the world and sold hundreds of thousands of records. As a filmmaker, Rory wrote and filmed the touching documentary To Joey, With Love and directed the upcoming feature-length film Josephine, an epic love story set during the declining months of the Civil War.

Rory and his youngest daughter, Indiana, live an hour south of Nashville in an 1870s farmhouse near their family-owned diner, Marcy Jo’s Mealhouse.

To read a sample click here

To find out more and purchase the book, click here for the product page

An Enchanting Story about the Woman before Anne--"Marilla of Green Gables" by Sarah McCoy--Review

My Review:

L.M. Montgomery is one of my favorite authors and “Anne of Green Gables” one of my all-time favorite books!  So I had high hopes for “Marilla of Green Gables” after seeing so many people gush about it.  Those hopes were met and exceeded!!!  Wow!

“Marilla of Green Gables” by Sarah McCoy is a love letter to all “Anne” fans who want more of Avonlea.  Ms. McCoy’s writing is seamless and I truly felt like I was reading another book in the series by Montgomery herself.  Ms. McCoy stays true to all things Avonlea, Green Gables and Marilla’s character.  It was so good to be back in Avonlea, seeing familiar people and also some foreshadowing to the Anne books.  It’s so clever how Ms. McCoy weaves in little aspects from the Anne books.  So many scenes echo those of the original books; it’s interesting to see how they play out with Marilla.  The book even has great faith aspects!

Fans of L.M. Montgomery and “Anne of Green Gables” will not want to miss this book!  It is one of my top reads of 2018 and will be on my keeper shelf. 

Content:  This is a clean read.  I give it a PG for some very minor content.  Some examples of the content are:  talk of wine and spirits and people being drunk; there’s a hanging; the word “Negro” is used in context; a woman is a companion to a man she’s not married to.

Rating:  I give this book 5 stars!

Genre: Historical Fiction; Christian fiction; Romance; Retelling

I want to thank Sarah McCoy, LibraryThing Early Reviewers, William Morrow Books and Harper Collins Publishers for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255. 





Author Bio:

Sarah McCoy is the New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author of Marilla of Green Gables (William Morrow/Harper Collins, October 23, 2018); The Mapmaker’s Children; The Baker’s Daughter, a 2012 Goodreads Choice Award Best Historical Fiction nominee; The Time It Snowed in Puerto Rico; the novella “The Branch of Hazel” in Grand Central; and Le souffle des feuilles et des promesses, a French exclusive title.

Sarah’s work has been featured in Real Simple, The Millions, Your Health Monthly, Huffington Post and other publications. She has taught English writing at Old Dominion University and at the University of Texas at El Paso.

The daughter of an Army officer, her family was stationed in Germany during her childhood. She grew up in Virginia and now lives with her husband, an orthopedic sports surgeon, and their dog, Gilbert, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

To visit the author's website click here
To purchase the book click here

"The King James Men" by Samantha Grosser Blog Tour & GIVEAWAY!

 

 

 

THE KING JAMES MEN BY SAMANTHA GROSSER

 

Publication Date: November 20, 2018
Sam Grosser Books
eBook & Paperback; 393 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction/Christian Fiction

 

 

Connected by love, divided by faith. A novel of faith, friendship, and betrayal set against the religious turbulence of 17th Century London.

England 1604

Two men, once friends, have long since gone their separate ways. But when the new King James commands a fresh translation of the Bible, their paths are fated to cross again.

For biblical scholar Richard Clarke, the chance to work on the new translation seems like a gift from God, a way back in from the cold where his friendship with Separatist Ben Kemp has kept him for many years. But Richard soon discovers there is a price to pay for his new-found favour, and that price is betrayal. Caught between love for his friend and his faith in his Church, Richard must make a decision that could cost him his soul.

Set against the background of the writing of the King James Bible, and inspired by true accounts of the community who became the Mayflower Pilgrims, The King James Men is a vivid portrayal of the religious struggles of the age, and the price of being true to your faith.

 

About the Author

Historical fiction author Samantha Grosser originally hails from England, but now lives on the sunny Northern Beaches of Sydney with her husband, son and a very small dog called Livvy.

Combining a lifelong love of history with a compulsion to write that dates from childhood, Samantha is now bringing her passion for telling compelling stories to the world.

Samantha has an Honours Degree in English Literature and taught English for many years in Asia and Australia. She is the author of wartime dramas Another Time and Place, and The Officer’s Affair. The King James Men, set during the turbulent years of the early years of 17th Century, is her third novel.

 

 

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | GOODREADS

 

 

Blog Tour Schedule

Tuesday, November 20
Review at Pursuing Stacie

Wednesday, November 21
Review at Donna’s Book Blog

Thursday, November 22
Interview at The Writing Desk

Friday, November 23
Excerpt at Let Them Read Books

Saturday, November 24
Review at Historical Fiction with Spirit

Monday, November 26
Feature at Passages to the Past

Tuesday, November 27
Review at Introvert Booklover
Interview at Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots

Wednesday, November 28
Feature at Faery Tales Are Real

Thursday, November 29
Review at Broken Teepee

Friday, November 30
Feature at Hisdoryan
Review at A Book Geek

Saturday, December 1
Review at Impressions In Ink

Monday, December 3
Review at Just One More Chapter

Tuesday, December 4
Review at The Reading Woman
Interview at Love Books Group

 

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour we will be giving away one eBook & one paperback copy of The King James Men! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below (follow the direct link).

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on December 4th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open to US residents only.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

Direct Link: https://gleam.io/competitions/8kXEt-the-king-james-men 

A Wonderful Conclusion to an Amazing Series!--"The Making of Mrs. Hale" by Carolyn Miller--Review

My Review

“The Making of Mrs. Hale” by Carolyn Miller is the third book in the “Regency Brides: A Promise of Hope” series.  It can easily be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend reading the whole series since characters from past books play major roles in this story.  And I’m happy to say “The Making of Mrs. Hale” is a great conclusion to this wonderful series!

This particular story is different from Ms. Miller’s previous works in that it contains more adult themes.  It is still wonderful, but keep in mind it is a heavier read.  I personally appreciate the themes and topics Ms. Miller addresses.  These ideas need to be brought to light more in Christian fiction.  These are the themes of infidelity in marriage; marriage vows and how sacred they are; and restoration and forgiveness in marriage.  So many people take marriage so lightly these days, but this book grapples with what it looks like to really fight for one’s marriage and not give up, even when giving up seems the easier solution.  Ms. Miller addresses this all with love and grace, with an emphasis on forgiveness. 

Besides the themes mentioned above, this story is filled with action, mystery, secrets and a daring escape!  The two main characters spend most of their time apart, each dealing with their own issues.  It’s a journey of them moving towards one another and God.  They learn about forgiveness and trusting God with one’s future and life as a whole.

This book contains some wonderful themes!  God can use anyone to achieve his purposes.  God can forgive anyone of anything because of His great mercy.  We are all sinners and what a wonderful thing to discover that He’s not a tyrant, but is love! 

Content:  I give this book a PG-13 rating because of the more adult themes this book addresses.  Some examples of the content are: a man mutters a curse, but the actual curse isn’t written; there’s a prostitute; mention of a woman being buxom and a whore; a man has been unfaithful to his wife; a man is drunk; the word “hell” is used; men gamble; people drink alcohol; a married couple is naked in bed together; talk about a married couple having sex (nothing descriptive).

Rating: I give this book 5 stars!

Genre:  Christian fiction; Romance; Regency; Historical

I want to thank Carolyn Miller and Kregal Publications for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255. 





 
 

Author Bio:

I'm an Inspirational Regency romance author who lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia with my husband and four children. I love reading (especially Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer), music, films, gardens, art, travel and food. I really enjoy creating worlds where flawed people can grow in faith, hope and love. I am represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube agency.

 

To visit the author's website click here

To purchase the book click here

A Contemporary Romance with Depth--"Blue Ridge Sunrise" by Denise Hunter--Review

 

My Review:

 

From the cover I was expecting a fun, cute romance.  Instead, "Blue Ridge Sunrise" by Denise Hunter is a romance with a lot of deeper issues being explored; such as family drama and dealing with past mistakes.  The first half of the book is dealing more with Zoe, our main female protagonist, returning home and facing her past.  Because of this there are flashbacks to Zoe’s past; a lot of which were bad decisions she had made.  I didn’t enjoy the first half as much because there is more mature content and I was really frustrated with Zoe.  The second half is where I started to like the book a lot more and I give Ms. Hunter kudos for the transformation Zoe goes through and her character arc. 

In the end, Zoe and Cruz (the hero of the book), learn a lot of lessons.  Zoe’s friend reminds her to find her identity in God and not any man.  Zoe realizes she has been trying to control things when God should be in control and she should pass things by God before acting.  Cruz’s faith also grows throughout the novel.  The only thing that is a little troublesome is that Zoe and Cruz made mistakes in the past, but I don’t really see them acknowledging specifically that what they did is wrong.

Of course, I love the romance!  Cruz is a great guy and it’s so sweet how he is so protective of Zoe and never stops loving her.  Ms. Hunter is an amazing writer and her style is easy to read.    Overall, I liked the book.  I think fans of contemporary novels and romance with some depth will really enjoy this book!

Content: This book definitely falls in the category of edgy Christian fiction with a PG-13 rating.  Some examples of the content are: the word hell is used; a couple shares a hotel room and sleep together when they aren’t married; people are at a bar and drink alcohol; a man is physically and emotionally abusive towards his girlfriend; a man calls a woman a derogatory name, but the word isn’t written; reference to someone being a drug addict.              

      
Rating: I give this book 3 stars.

Genre: Contemporary; Christian fiction; Romance.

I want to thank Denise Hunter, The Fiction Guild and Thomas Nelson for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.                                                                            
 

 

 

 

 

Author Bio:

Denise Hunter is the internationally published bestselling author of more than 30 books, including "The Convenient Groom" and "A December Bride" which have been made into Hallmark movies. She has appeared on the The 700 club and won awards such as The Holt Medallion Award, The Carol Award, The Reader's Choice Award, The Foreword Book of the Year Award, and is a RITA finalist.

Denise writes heartwarming, small-town love stories. Her readers enjoy the experience of falling in love vicariously through her characters and can expect a happily-ever-after sigh as they close the pages of her books.

In 1996, inspired by the death of her grandfather, Denise began her first book, writing while her children napped. Two years later it was published, and she's been writing ever since. Her husband says he inspires all her romantic stories, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too!

When Denise isn't orchestrating love lives on the written page, she enjoys traveling with her family, drinking coffee, and playing drums. Denise makes her home in Indiana where she and her husband are currently enjoying an empty nest.

You can learn more about Denise by visiting her FaceBook page.

To visit the author's website click here
To purchase the book click here

"An Hour Unspent" by Roseanna White Blog Tour (Review) & GIVEAWAY!

About the Book

 

Once London’s top thief, Barclay Pearce has turned his back on his life of crime and now uses his skills for a nation at war. But not until he rescues a clockmaker’s daughter from a mugging does he begin to wonder what his future might hold.

Evelina Manning has constantly fought for independence but she certainly never meant for it to inspire her fiancé to end the engagement and enlist in the army. When the intriguing man who saved her returns to the Manning residence to study clockwork repair with her father, she can’t help being interested. But she soon learns that nothing with Barclay Pearce is as simple as it seems.

 

As 1915 England plunges ever deeper into war, the work of an ingenious clockmaker may give England an unbeatable military edge—and Germany realizes it as well. Evelina’s father soon finds his whole family in danger—and it may just take a reformed thief to steal the time they need to escape it.

Click here to purchase your copy!


My Review

You’ll want to steal some hours for yourself to read this wonderful conclusion to the “Shadows Over England” series!  “An Hour Unspent” by Roseanna White is the third and final book in the series.  I have read the first two books in the series and would recommend reading all three in order, as many similar characters appear in more than one book.  But it could be enjoyed as a standalone as well.
 
Since reading the first two books, I have been eager for the remainder of Barclay’s story.  Ms. White does a wonderful job fleshing out Barclay’s character and writing a heroine for him (Evelina).  I love the relationship between Barclay and Evelina.  Both characters go through journeys of faith throughout the story.  Barclay is a fairly new Christian at the beginning of the book.  It’s great to see how honest Barclay tries to be; he is struggling with trying to do the right things.  It’s inspiring to see the way this thief grows in faith.  Barclay realizes God doesn’t always take away the bad, but if we ask, God gives us the strength to deal with it.  Evelina sees God as a Great Clockmaker, who sets things in motion but then leaves His creation alone.  She learns that like a great clockmaker who is fine tuning his clock and continually working on it, God is doing the same with our lives.  He really is involved with and cares about each of His children. 

“An Hour Unspent” is all about family and relationships.  Many of the characters in the story learn that people, not things, are what really matter.  Family is what really makes you rich.  One shouldn’t spend all their time regretting what they haven’t done, but instead, spend the time they do have with the people who count, especially family.  I love the many ways family is portrayed in this story; with biological, broken families and a family of thieves who always looks out for one another.  I don’t particularly like reading about war or this time period and I found the story a little slow at times.  This is why I didn’t give it five stars, but it is worth the read for me!

Ms. White has employed well-written characters and universal themes in “An Hour Unspent!”  This is one I would recommend, especially if you love historical fiction and this time period. 

Content:  This is a clean read with a PG rating.  Some examples of the content are: a man notices a woman’s curves; talk of a man possibly having a mistress; mention of drunkards; people curse, but the word isn’t actually written; characters mention wanting to drink champagne.

Rating:  I give this book 4 stars!

Genre: Christian fiction; Historical; Romance; Mystery

I want to thank Celebrate Lit, Roseanna White and Bethany House Publishers for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.

About the Author

 

Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award nominated author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary. You can learn more about her and her stories at www.RoseannaMWhite.com.

 

 

Guest Post from Roseanna

Last year, as I finished up the writing of An Hour Unspent, my great-grandmother passed away at the age of 103. As I sat at her funeral service and listened to the heartfelt memorial raised up to her by her kids and grandkids, I realized anew that this woman had been a matriarch in the truest sense of the word. She’d taught my family for generations how to love the Lord and each other, how to serve the Lord and each other, and how to trust the Lord and each other. Grandma Seward was, in so many ways, the one who instilled in me my idea of what family really is.

That idea—that it’s those knit together by love more than blood, and that faith is the strongest foundation—is what I built my unusual family of thieves upon in the Shadows Over England series. And strange as it is to liken my twenty-something reformed-thief hero to my 103-year-old-grandmother, Barclay Pearce is very much to his family what Maxine Seward was to mine.

The founder. The caregiver. The leader.

I knew as I began the series that I would write about Barclay in book three, and as I got to know him better throughout the series, I grew so excited to share his story! This is a man who led his family first into and then out of a life a crime, always for the right reasons—so he could provide for the children under his care. All he ever wanted to do was give them what he himself had lost. To show them love. To prove to them that they were worth any sacrifice.

It was truly a blessing for me to get to write the story in which Barclay found someone to come alongside him, to appreciate and learn to understand him. To finally share what started him down this path. I loved the idea that only a reformed thief could steal the time another family needed to overcome their own trials.

There are many historical items in the book that were such fun to explore—watchmaking of the era, the suffrage movement in England, technological advancements of the war—but at the heart, this isn’t a story about any of those.

It’s a story about how far people should go for love. I hope you enjoy Barclay’s story as much as I did!

Blog Stops

 

The Avid Reader, October 30

The Power of Words, October 30

Back Porch Reads, October 30

Kat’s Corner Books, October 30

Janice’s Book Reviews, October 30

Where Faith and Books Meet, October 31

Reading Is My SuperPower, October 31

Faithfully Bookish, October 31

Genesis 5020, October 31

Fiction Aficionado, November 1

Among the Reads, November 1

The Lit Addict, November 1

Just the Write Escape, November 1

Multifarious, November 2

Godly Book Reviews, November 2

Real World Bible Study, November 2

Madeline Clark, November 2

Reflections From My Bookshelves, November 3

Christian Bookaholic, November 3

Inspirationally Ever After, November 3

Bookworm Mama, November 3

Bigreadersite, November 3

Blogging With Carol , November 4

D’S QUILTS & BOOKS, November 4

Life with the Tribe, November 4

The Becca Files, November 4

Kathleen Denly, November 5

Cordially Barbara, November 5

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, November 5

Simple Harvest Reads, November 5 (Guest Post from Mindy Houng)

God’s Little Bookworm, November 6

All-of-a-kind Mom, November 6

Faery Tales Are Real, November 6

Christian Chick’s Thoughts, November 6

Carpe Diem, November 6

Margaret Kazmierczak, November 7

Locks, Hooks and Books, November 7

Christian Author, J.E.Grace, November 7

Blossoms and Blessings , November 7

Maureen’s Musings , November 8

Connie’s History Classroom , November 8

Book by Book, November 8

Just Commonly, November 8

cherylbbookblog, November 9

The Christian Fiction Girl, November 9

Have A Wonderful Day , November 9

With a Joyful Noise, November 9

KarenSueHadley , November 10

Tell Tale Book Reviews, November 10

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, November 10

Baker kella, November 10

Bibliophile Reviews, November 10

Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses, November 11

Inklings and Notions , November 11

Two Points of Interest, November 11

Inspiration Clothesline, November 11

A Baker’s Perspective, November 11

Henry Happens, November 12

Proud to Be an Autism Mom, November 12

Texas Book-aholic, November 12

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 12

 

Giveaway

 

 

 

To celebrate her tour, Roseanna is giving away a grand prize of a signed book, a London mug, and a 48-pack Twinings tea sampler!!

 

 

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/d570/an-hour-unspent-celebration-tour-giveaway