Tag: Historical fiction

A Castaway in Cornwall

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It is 1812, and Laura Callaway feels like a castaway in Cornwall, where she lives with her uncle and his somewhat disapproving wife. Missing her parents, who are presumed dead, Laura has found solace and purpose in searching the shores after shipwrecks. She finds and collects lost belongings and attempts to return them to the families of their departed owners. She does this under the disapproving eye of the Wreckers, men who try to seize and sell the cargo of wrecked ships, despite laws to the contrary. When a stranger is washed ashore, the Wreckers want to kill him, but Laura saves him too. However, she begins to have questions as more lost items turn up. Can this stranger be trusted?

This is a wonderful, well-researched book by Julie Klassen. The laws and practices surrounding wrecked ships of the time were fascinating. Klassen also provides tidbits of Cornish history, mythology, and practices at the beginning of each chapter. The characters sometimes converse in the old Cornish language. Legendary wrecker Tom Parsons is a major character in this novel, and the Napoleonic wars play a part. The romance is well written, and there is a Christian theme of forgiveness throughout the book.

As always, Julie Klassen transports the reader directly into the time period and setting, and we leave not only with a great story, but having gained new knowledge of that time and place. I would recommend this to any fan of historical fiction and romance.

I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.

UPDATE: A Castaway in Cornwall comes out today, December 1, 2020!

Buy the Book on Amazon

Link to Julie Klassen’s website

Link to my Goodreads review

Christmas With The Ops Room Girls

BonnieReadsAndWritesLeave a comment

Christmas season is near, and the Christmas reviews are here! Expect to see a lot of them pop up the next few weeks. Below is Christmas with the Ops Room Girls, about a group of WAAFs during WWII. Historical Fiction and Christmas all in one. Enjoy!

Christmas With The Ops Room Girls is the second in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force series by Vicki Beeby. May, a member of the WAAF during World War II, witnesses two evacuee children being separated and feels powerless to do anything. Meanwhile, Jess has volunteered her to play Prince Charming in a Christmas Pantomime. She is also getting uncomfortably close to Peter while dealing with memories from her past. She struggles to find the confidence and strength to handle all of these developments.

This book can be read separately, but characters from the first book show up midway through, so reading the first book would be helpful. This isn’t quite a cozy mystery, but there are mysteries to be solved and a slight crime subplot.

Overall, I found this book to be heartwarming and fun, and I would definitely recommend this series.

I received a free copy of this book from Canelo and Netgalley. My review is voluntary

Link to the book on Amazon

Vicki Beeby’s Facebook Page

Link to my Goodreads Review



			


    



			
				


 	

					
Mountain Laurel
		
				

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It is 1793, and Ian Cameron has returned to Mountain Laurel, his uncle’s plantation in North Carolina, where he spent time as a boy. Now a grown man, he is being groomed as his uncle’s heir. When Ian sees Seona for the first time, he is immediately captivated by her green eyes and does not realize she is enslaved to his kin. When he learns of Seona’s hidden talent as an artist, he encourages it and finds ways for her to hide it from his cruel step-aunt, Lucinda. Lucinda does not believe slaves should read, write, or do anything to take time away from their chores. The story is told from the alternating viewpoints of Ian and Seona, who has hidden her art all her life. “Every slave has a secret. This one is mine.” As time progresses, Ian finds himself conflicted between his growing feelings for Seona, his loyalty to his family, and his responsibility to all those enslaved on the plantation.





This heart-rending book from Benton shows us all the horrors of slavery. In addition to the beatings, rapes, terror, and torture, it shows the true effects of taking away someone’s will and refusing to let them have any dreams or desires. It shows how some people of that time watched slaves being paraded down the road in chains, did nothing, and then went to church on Sunday. Lori Benton writes about this as if she were there, laying bare the pain of someone else owning your body and your soul. However, faith and the desire for redemption are also present, especially in the quiet faith of the slave Lily and the redemption Ian desperately seeks.





This is the first book in the Kindred series, and I cannot wait to see these characters return.





I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via Historical Novels Review Magazine. My opinions are my own.





Link to Mountain Laurel on Amazon





Link to Lori Benton’s Amazon Page 





Link to my review on Goodreads







			


    



			
				


 	

					
The Stars of Heaven
		
				

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The Stars of Heaven is a fictionalized account of the devastating earthquake on All Saints’ Day in Lisbon, Portugal, in 1755. Cecília de Santa Rita e Durante is living in Lisbon with her mother and sister but is away from home when the earthquake hits. She struggles to find her family in the resulting chaos and to rebuild her life as the city is being rebuilt. As the land has been shaken, so has the political climate. She finds herself caught between warring political factions, and the allegiances she chooses could mean life or death. A devout Catholic, she is also fighting challenges to her view of religion and a powerful attraction to an English Protestant deemed quite unsuitable for her.





This is a compelling account of the struggle between the old noble families of Portugal and the new guard led by Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, the First Minister, who had the support of the King. The good and bad sides of both factions are shown. Caught in the middle, Cecília must choose between right and wrong, which is usually not very clear. At times naive and at times quite devious, she must decide what is most important to her, or at least what she can live with.





The reader will learn a lot about the Lisbon Earthquake and the fascinating and bloody political struggle of that time. I found this book to be interesting, informative, and exciting, as religion, espionage, and danger combine for a fascinating read. The characters are well developed, especially Cecília and the sometimes sinister and very real Carvalho. I immediately wanted to learn more about him. An enjoyable novel for anyone interested in the Lisbon Earthquake or the politics of that time.





I received a free copy of this book from the publishers and Historical Novels Review Magazine. My opinions are my own.





Link to the book on Amazon





Link to my Goodreads review





Link to Jessica Dall’s Amazon page


			


    



			
				


 	

					
The Skylark’s Secret
		
				

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This is one of 12 reviews I did last quarter for Historical Novels Review Magazine/Historical Novel Society website.  I will be doing a feature on all of them this week.  





In the late 1970s, Lexie Gordon returns home with her daughter, Daisy, to Aultbea, a small fishing village on Loch Ewe in the Scottish Highlands. She has come to live in her family’s cottage after a vocal cord injury ended her singing career in London. Embarrassed at first that the town gossipers might judge her for her lost career or single parenthood, Lexie slowly begins to reconnect with her town. She also begins to discover, through the townspeople, secrets of her family’s past.





In 1939, Flora Gordon lives with her family in the Keeper’s Cottage in Aultbea. Her father is the gamekeeper for the Laird, a surly and imposing man. Aultbea is suddenly tapped as the location for the Royal Navy’s Arctic convoys and is turned into a military base virtually overnight. At the same time, Flora finds herself falling in love with the Laird’s son.





Valpy paints a gorgeous word picture of the beauty of Scotland, both before and after the war, as well as the scars left behind in Loch Ewe when the war is over. I also enjoyed the description of everyday life in a fishing village and how that is suddenly changed by a military presence. The characters are well developed. The love between Flora and her family, and the love Lexie has for her daughter, is palpable. I was often furious at the cruel tactics of the well-crafted and despicable Laird. The town comes alive through its people and their connection to each other. This is a well written novel involving WWII fiction, Scottish history, and family dynamics with a touch of romance. 





I received a free copy from Amazon Publishing UK and Historical Novels Review Magazine via Netgalley. This appeared on The Historical Novel Society Website/Historical Novels Review Magazine.










This amazing book is available free to Kindle Unlimited members on Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Skylarks-Secret-Fiona-Valpy-ebook/dp/B07X3NMHXJ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1XI4CM0CGKKUQ&dchild=1&keywords=the+skylark%27s+secret&qid=1604320819&sprefix=the+skylark%27s+%2Caps%2C187&sr=8-1





Link to the author’s Amazon Page:  https://www.amazon.com/Fiona-Valpy/e/B005U0HXIC?ref_=dbs_p_ebk_r00_abau_000000





Link to my reviews on the Historical Novel Society website:  https://historicalnovelsociety.org/?s=bonnie+demoss


			


    



			
				


 	

					
Arriving Through Time
		
				

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Arriving through Time by Heather L. Barksdale is a Young Adult time travel novel. Lizzie has been through a family tragedy and is having a tough time, but she is supported by her two best friends, Sam and Jeremy. They are currently navigating high school life and dealing with bullies Gary and Tiffany. Then a class project has Lizzie wondering about her ancestors, and a school trip ends with the three friends hurtling through time, along with their bullies and Lizzie’s secret crush. Although at first it appears to be a freak occurrence, the time travel seems very designed, as all of the teens begin to meet long dead ancestors.





What I loved about this story is that it combined time travel fiction and genealogy, two of my favorite pastimes, and it did this in a clever way. A class project and a DNA test have brought questions about Lizzie’s ancestors to the surface, and unexpected time travel gives her a chance to get answers. This book reminds us that our ancestors were living, breathing, people, not just names on a family tree. They blazed the way for us, good and bad, and everything they did enabled us to be alive today. We also learn something along the way as we visit people and places that are important to American history.





I loved the way time took the six travelers to locations that were pertinent to all of them and their ancestors and gave them both answers and surprises. I find that in my own genealogy research. 





If you are a fan of young adult novels, time travel, genealogy, and/or historical fiction, you will enjoy this book. I received a free copy of this book from the author.  I also picked up a copy on Amazon, where Kindle Unlimited members can read it for free.  My review is voluntary. 










Link to the book on Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Arriving-Through-Time-Heather-Barksdale/dp/B08BDVN29C/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=arriving+through+time&qid=1604109793&sr=8-1





Link to Heather L. Barksdale’s website:  https://heatherlbarksdale.com










Link to my review on Goodreads (Like and follow if you are so inclined):  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3620451441?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1












			


    



			
				


 	

					
Hard Time
		
				

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Another amazing book by Jodi Taylor!  I truly enjoy everything she writes. Hard Time is the second book in The Time Police series, a spinoff of Taylor’s wildly popular Chronicles of St. Mary’s series. 





A prominent politician has asked the Time Police to retrieve her spoiled daughter after an illegal time jump. Enter Matthew, Jane, and Luke (Team Weird), who are once again off on a chaotic and sometimes humorous adventure. And, as usual, they find more than they bargained for.





I continue to love reading about the adventures of this trio. Matthew is the son of Max and Leon from the St Mary’s series. He is a savant when it comes to the time map, but a little awkward in every other area. Jane was a victim of a lifetime of abuse, but continues to find her own way, and a new confidence is making its appearance. Luke is the disinherited, formerly spoiled, current playboy son of a powerful businessman. He has finally found something he cares about–Matthew and Jane. Follow this trio as they travel up and down the timeline–sometimes with permission, sometimes not. And the hilarious crew from St. Mary’s always makes an appearance.





I highly recommend this series to anyone who is a fan of time travel fiction, or to anyone who just wants to read a well-written, often funny series with great characters. I also recommend that you check out the series from which it was born–The Chronicles of St. Mary’s by Jodi Taylor. The first book in the Chronicles of St. Mary’s is Just One Damn Thing After Another.





I received the novel early after ordering a signed copy from the author’s website. So far,  and to the best of my knowledge, she has done this with every new release since she started her website. 





Link to Jodi Taylor’s website:  https://joditaylor.online





Link to the book on Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Time-irresistible-spinoff-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B0847JM5YP/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=hard+time&qid=1602719155&sr=8-3





Link to Jodi Taylor’s Amazon page:  https://www.amazon.com/Jodi-Taylor/e/B00DOSKIHU/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1





Link to Jodi Taylor’s Facebook group “Fans of the Chronicles of St. Mary’s.”  This is an awesome, fun group you won’t want to miss out on.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/JodiTaylorFans