"An Atmospheric, Historical Romance!"--"Whispers of Shadowbrook House" by Rebecca Anderson—Review

 

My Review:

"Whispers of Shadowbrook House" by Rebecca Anderson is an atmospheric, historical romance! The book gives some spooky and Gothic vibes, with a house that is a character all its own. Shadowbrook House possibly has ghosts and there is eerie violin music playing throughout its winding passageways. There is a mystery to the house and many unexplained things that are happening inside and to the people who live within. Ms. Anderson excels in her descriptive writing, and I could very much picture the house and feel myself inside the crumbling mansion. The setting is Victorian England and the heir, Oliver Waverly, plans to sell the house when he inherits. His mysterious and reclusive uncle refuses to sell, and I appreciated seeing the nuances to their relationship. Oliver returns to the house to convince his uncle to sell and meets the governess, Pearl. I loved Pearl’s character and how she is not intimidated by the spookiness of Shadowbrook and her love for her young charge, Maxwell. The romance was so sweet! Several of the characters must learn to open their hearts to love and decide which voices to listen to and which to ignore (literally and figuratively). I wanted to give a heads up to sensitive readers that that a medium comes to the house (and there are seances), but Pearl doesn’t seem to believe in spiritualism and it’s mostly seen as a hoax and a way to give comfort to the grieving.  Overall, this is a wonderful story, and I will not soon forget my sojourn to the mysterious Shadowbrook House!

Content: I give this a PG rating. Some examples of the content:  mention of ghosts; someone talks about having “the sight,” a character is a medium and there are seances (the main characters do not believe in it); a child is born out of wedlock; past death due to childbirth.

TW: hallucinations.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

A Sweet, Lush Historical Novella! --"A Fierce Devotion” by Laura Frantz—Review

 

My Review:

"A Fierce Devotion” by Laura Frantz is a sweet, lush historical novella. It is a companion novella to Ms. Frantz’s “The Seamstress of Acadie,” but can easily be read as a standalone. Bleu Galant was a minor character in that novel and now gets his own story in "A Fierce Devotion.”  Laura’s prose is so lush and descriptive. I was immediately drawn into this world and fell in love with the wonderful characters and their story. I appreciate the attention to historical details. I love that the characters pray and that so much faith content was incorporated into the story. The love story between Bleu and Brielle was so tender. Bleu’s heart towards Brielle and Titus was really inspiring and beautiful. Brielle, our heroine, learns about faith and dwelling on the good. It was neat to follow these characters on their journey, starting in Virgina and ending all the way across the ocean. It was also interesting to learn more about the mid-1700s following the French and Indian War and the Acadian refugees. I highly recommend this book to lovers of Christian historical fiction!

Content: I give this book a low PG-13 rating. Some examples of the content are: mention of alcohol, being drunk, smoking, and gambling; blood and gore, descriptions of a massacre; someone curses, but the words are not actually written; a scene of childbirth.

TW: child abuse; a man tries to get in a woman’s room to possibly r*pe her (not successful).

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.