There are only a few Christian fiction authors I read, and don't often pick up new books in the genre, but I'll be reading the rest of the Carton series by Tamera Alexander. Although there is some bleakness in the story, set during the American Civil War, there is also a message of hope and joy. This was a delightful holiday read.
Amid war and the fading dream of the Confederacy, a wounded soldier and a destitute widow discover the true meaning of Christmas—and of sacrificial love.
Recently widowed, Aletta Prescott struggles to hold life together for herself and her six-year old son. With the bank threatening to evict, she discovers an advertisement for the Women's Relief Society auction and applies for a position—only to discover it's been filled. Then a chance meeting with a wounded soldier offers another opportunity—and friendship. But can Aletta trust this man?
Captain Jake Winston, a revered Confederate sharpshooter, suffered a head wound at the Battle of Chickamauga. When doctors deliver their diagnosis, Jake fears losing not only his greatest skill but his very identity. As he heals, Jake is ordered to assist with a local Women's Relief Society auction. He respectfully objects. Kowtowing to a bunch of "crinolines" isn't his idea of soldiering. But orders are orders, and he soon discovers this group of ladies—one, in particular—is far more than he bargained for.
Set against the backdrop and history of the Carnton Plantation in Franklin, Tennessee, Christmas at Carnton is a story of hope renewed and faith restored at Christmas.
Clean read. Learn more at the author's website.
The Reading Room is where I share books, because authors are readers, too! I don't review books on my blog, but I do like to share books I've read and enjoyed. I call it "sharing the book love." My tastes are eclectic, so expect to see everything from sweet, wholesome romance to edge-of-your-seat, sexy thrillers.
I've enjoyed all of the books I've read by Sarah E. Ladd, including The Weaver's Daughter. I adored her characters and found myself wishing for the happy ever after.
Kate’s loyalties bind her to the past. Henry’s loyalties compel him to strive for a better future. In a landscape torn between tradition and vision, can two souls find the strength to overcome their preconceptions?
Loyalty has been at the heart of the Dearborne family for as long as Kate can remember, but a war is brewing in their small village, one that has the power to rip families asunder –including her own. As misguided actions are brought to light, she learns how deep her father’s pride and bitterness run, and she begins to wonder if her loyalty is well-placed.
Henry Stockton, heir to the Stockton fortune, returns home from three years at war hoping to find a refuge from his haunting memories. Determined to bury the past, he embraces his grandfather’s goals to modernize his family’s wool mill, regardless of the grumblings from the local weavers. When tragedy strikes shortly after his arrival, Henry must sort out the truth from suspicion if he is to protect his family’s livelihood and legacy.
Henry has been warned about the Dearborne family. Kate, too, has been advised to stay far away from the Stocktons, but chance meetings continue to bring her to Henry’s side, blurring the jagged lines between loyalty, justice, and truth. Kate ultimately finds herself with the powerful decision that will forever affect her village’s future. As unlikely adversaries, Henry and Kate must come together to find a way to create peace for their families, and their village, and their souls – even if it means risking their hearts in the process.
Clean read!
The Reading Room is where I share books, because authors are readers, too! I don't review books on my blog, but I do like to share books I've read and enjoyed. I call it "sharing the book love." My tastes are eclectic, so expect to see everything from sweet, wholesome romance to edge-of-your-seat, sexy thrillers.
Fellow authoress and one of the writers in the Whitcomb Springs series (MK) has a new book out, and I do so enjoy sharing the book love! Here's Redeeming Lies from Samantha St. Claire.
To live the honest life she's always wanted, she'll be forced to weave a web of credible lies.
Book Summary
Madison Jennings possessed a unique skill exploited by her father. As a scam artist, he used his daughter’s talent for reading people. Her job—profile the mark for honesty.
When her father’s fortunes improve, he enrolls her in Miss Emma Willard’s School for Young Ladies where she begins a progressive education in both academics and society. For two years, Maddie thrives under the tutelage of those who encourage her to challenge the culture’s views of acceptable work for women. This happy life ends when her father suddenly withdraws her, taking her with him on a desperate flight from deadly repercussions for a scam gone wrong.
On the first westbound train out of New York, Maddie realizes they are being pursued by both the Pinkerton Agency and a vindictive Sicilian family, but she knows little more of her father’s crime. When a heart attack ends his life at a small station in Idaho Territory, she must change her identity, take the money and disappear.
On the north-bound train to Ketchum, she meets a young doctor, David Reynolds, on the run from an attraction to a woman he can never possess, a man of integrity who values honesty as the highest virtue. Trapped in her false identity by the indiscretions of her father, Maddie cannot risk revealing her true nature, nor allow the attraction to distract her from the need to simply survive. Lies and truths collide in the climactic encounter with those who would stop at nothing to take back what is rightfully theirs.
Enjoy an Excerpt
FROM THE WINDOW, David watched as the miles rolled behind him. With each one he sensed an easing of the heaviness that had been compressing his chest over the course of these past months. The passion for the woman he could never possess had grown in his heart like a cancer. Suppressing it became more painful with each passing day. Far from her in Ketchum perhaps he’d breathe easily again.Â
From his coat pocket he pulled a slim book and thumbed through it until he reached his bookmark. He chuckled softly to himself. Edgar Allan Poe. Here was an author who knew about the pain that unrequited love could induce. He read the first line of the story he'd selected.
Paris! In Paris it was, in the summer of 1840. There I first met that strange and interesting young fellow, August Dupin.
The clacking of the wheels, steel on steel, mile upon mile, melded perfectly with Poe's lilting prose. The young doctor let himself ease into the fiction. At this moment, fiction was preferable to reality. Â
Even with the modifications to her clothing—the dowdy, coarse cloth wrap draped across her shoulders, the broad-brimmed hat set at a less saucy angle, and her corset loosened to allow her waist expansion—Maddie remained a stunning young woman. The approving eyes of the man one row ahead confirmed that. Her hourglass figure was difficult to disguise.
Neither could she alter the smooth line of her nose or her full lips. Her attempts to blend in with the other female passengers were more greatly hindered by her almond-shaped, sepia-colored eyes. Those striking features gave her an exotic air. Compounded by having inherited her father's height, at five feet eight inches, she naturally drew attention to herself.
After passing through the train car, she was satisfied that no other agents or lawmen were traveling with them. Settling into their seat at the back of the car, she leaned in close to her father, whispering, "Can you tell me now?"
Her father's handsome features contorted. She measured his agitation in the quick movement of his hands, the stooped angle of his shoulders, the repeated licking of his lips. He held her eyes with his red-rimmed ones. "Are you sure you want to know?"
She hesitated only a moment before squaring her shoulders, lifting her chin. "Yes, Father, I think I need to have some knowledge of it, at least that which will allow me to help you. . .us evade our pursuers."
The steady rumble of the train car muffled his confession to all but Maddie's ears. When he'd finished his explanation, she sank back against the corner of the seat, her face pressed to the window, watching night descend upon a stark landscape. How gullible are people, so eager to believe a lie! She wondered at that for not the first time. Her father, partnering with a family this time, convinced hundreds of people that sugar was capable of being refined in minutes through some mysterious electrical process. Greed was quite effective to snare gullible people. When the lie was uncovered, the investors sought satisfaction for their losses.
Resting her forehead against the cool glass, she closed her eyes. Would she ever escape this web of lies and live an honest life? Was it too much to ask? In time, she let the rhythm of the train, the percussion of the wheels, and the gentle rocking of the car lull her into a restless sleep.
