Hi everyone. I have gotten so many review requests lately that I’m going to have to change my guidelines a little bit. At the Review Requests Policy tab on this blog are instructions for submitting your book for possible review. Unfortunately, a majority of the requests I get do not follow those guidelines. I am just one woman doing this for free, so I’m going to have to start a new policy: Anyone contacting me for a review must follow those guidelines. I have updated the Review Requests Policy, so please check it out when you get a chance. Also please see the new procedures below.
How to Request a Review
The request must simply be titled Review Request in the Subject line. That causes it to be filtered to a folder where I will see it. I will no longer look at emails that do not follow this procedure and do not end up in this folder.
The Review Request must include a link to your book Amazon. I will sometimes pick the book up myself on Kindle Unlimited if an Amazon link is included. This is beneficial to authors, and essentially a gift from me, as that will count towards your pages read if your book is part of KU. So be sure and include the link! If your book is not on Amazon, please let me know in your request.
There is a list at the Review Request Policy tab of genres I am not accepting. Please do not send a request if I am not accepting your genre. It’s nothing personal against your book. These are genres I know I do not enjoy.
There is a list of other situations for which I am not accepting review requests. Please be sure and look through those.
I don’t mind reminder emails, which should also be titled Review Request so they go into the appropriate folder. I am happy to give you an update on the status of your review if I have already accepted the book.
If you get a four-star or five-star review, I would appreciate your sharing my blog post with your social media followers. This helps my blog to grow while I’m helping you. Again, it is voluntary but it seems to be common courtesy to me. Comments and follows on my blog would be great, too. Again, voluntary.
Please be patient. As I’ve said before, I am one person doing these book reviews for no charge because I believe in Indie authors. It takes time to read all of these books.
I’m sorry if I sound strict or impatient right now. I really want this to work so that I can continue to help Indie authors. My goal for this blog has always been to create a community of readers, writers, and bloggers that support each other, and I’d love for it to continue to grow.
I love writing reviews of Historical Fiction books for the Historical Novel Society! Below are reviews of Books Two and Three in the Winds of Freedom series by Beth Kanell. My review of Book One, The Long Shadow, is here.
Book Description (Historical Fiction)
Alice Sanborn, seventeen years old in October 1852, expects Abolitionist political operative Solomon McBride to court her. Surely he visits for more than her insight and family connections in the Vermont farming village of North Upton! When Almyra Alexander, niece of the local minister, arrives in North Upton, she brings Boston sophistication and advanced political ideas. Temperance! Voting rights for women! Alice wants it all and Almyra’s friendship, too-but is this newcomer a rival for Solomon’s affections?
Friendship with Caroline Clark looks safer. Newly returned to the village, Caroline is deaf and fluent in American Sign Language, which Alice quickly learns. Her friends and her demand for Abolition propel Alice into action. Assist neighbors at risk? Rescue a horse? Capture an arsonist? She’s on it. Betrayal and danger lie ahead. Yet the three young women race into the righteous battle. For Alice and her friends, there’s no other choice. **Historical Fiction**
Book Review (Historical Fiction)
In this second book of the series, we see Alice trying to deal with a great loss. She is also hoping for a romance with Solomon McBride, with whom she shared an adventure in the wilds between Canada and Vermont in Book One.
As in the first book, we learn a lot about Vermont farm life at that time. Even more interesting is the work Alice’s family is doing in the Abolitionist movement and their fight to help free the enslaved. This brings an old friend, Sarah, back into Alice’s life, as the efforts to free Sarah’s family are still ongoing. The Temperance movement of the time also comes to the forefront, as new Temperance laws have important consequences.
Throughout the book, Alice tries to find chances to see Solomon, who is working in the Abolitionist movement behind the scenes. But she also does as much as she can to help the movement herself. Book Two also introduces two new friends, kind and gentle Caroline, who is deaf, and Almyra, a precocious and well-to-do thirteen-year-old with a somewhat absent family.
I enjoyed the descriptions of Vermont life at that time, and the opportunities Alice had to help others, regardless of race or physical challenges. This is a transitional book in the series, as Book Two often is. It is enjoyable, and is really a coming-of-age story for Alice and a glimpse at the future she wants to build. Recommended to all fans of YA Historical Fiction.
Book Description (Historical Fiction)
Home-brewed medicines, a mysterious family of women making them, and a threat to the local funding of the Abolition movement. Fifteen-year-old Almyra Alexander struggles with all of these, as well as adapting to the rough, unpolished life in a northern Vermont village. She’s determined to become a minister, like her politically involved but very absent father. Moving in with her aunt and uncle in Vermont seems the quickest way towards her goal of becoming a minister. **Historical Fiction**
Book Review (Historical Fiction)
In Book 3, our protagonist from Books 1 and 2, Alice Sanborn, has gone west with to teach and to further the cause of freedom. We are now looking at North Upton, Vermont, through the eyes of Almyra Alexander. Almyra is from a prominent Boston family, but has decided to stay with her aunt and uncle in North Upton.
Almyra has already been introduced to the abolitionist movement and begins to step into Alice’s shoes by helping wherever she can. This includes a secret visit on horseback and hiding money for the movement underneath her underwear in a saddlebag! Almyra also begins to get to know the Hall family, a mother and her daughters who have arrived to help Matthew Clark in his inn. Mrs. Hall is skilled in creating herbal remedies, and Almyra learns their value from her. Young Susannah Hall works with horses and wears pantaloons most of the time, often causing raised eyebrows around town. She eventually proves to be a great help to Almyra. Almyra also becomes better acquainted with Alice’s brother John.
I liked watching Almyra adjust to a more country life, and enjoyed how she learned from her aunt and uncle. Her ambitions to be a minister at that time when few women were allowed in that vocation were intriguing. She is even given a chance to preach from her uncle’s pulpit, which I thought was unusual for the time. Her aunt and uncle are good mentors to her, both in the home and out. . I missed Alice as a protagonist, but we are somewhat kept up with her activities via letters to Almyra from Alice and others.
Although there is a change in protagonists in this one, this is a strong continuation of the series. I do hope we get to see Alice again in future books. What I like most about this whole series is that we are walked through the history of the abolitionist movement in Vermont. At the same we watch all the pieces fall in place that will lead to the U.S. Civil War. This is an enjoyable and well-researched young adult series that I highly recommend. **Historical Fiction**
About the Author
Storytelling is Beth Kanell’s native language – and she learned it from her mother, who taught her to fill in the blanks as a story emerged. As a single parent in Vermont, for years she told stories “on the side” and developed a specialty in tales for teens (always starting with something scary!). Endlessly in love with Vermont, she began bringing the most fascinating parts of its history into her narratives, and discovered that what she really likes after all is writing fiction that explores the lives of young people caught up in the force of change. She is also a non-stop mystery reader, so she grapples for new and unusual plot twists, as well as the magic of the Green Mountain state.
Purchase Links
Click on each cover below for a link to each book in The Winds of Freedom serieson Amazon.
*Indie Spotlight is my effort to help Indie authors with marketing. You can help too by sharing this post far and wide. Below please see a book description and links for Path of Treasures by Gail Meath. It is FREE and rest of today and tomorrow.
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Celebrate the 200th Anniversary of the Erie Canal with this riveting historical murder mystery.
The only man who can save them was hired to kill them.
Erie Canal, 1852. Sara grew up on the canal and loves working as a mule driver on Streeter’s Ark, a small cargo boat. She was raised by the crusty, old peg-legged captain, Jeremiah Streeter, and Sam, the Ark’s bully. In all her nineteen years, she never gave a rat’s ass where she came from…not until their helmsman is murdered.
Bounty hunter Wolfe McKay has another job to do. An easy job. Kill the crew on Streeter’s Ark and collect his bounty from the wealthy railroad tycoon who hired him. Easy, hell. After he lands a job on the Ark, he discovers the misfit crew are nothing at all what he expected. And they’re turning his life upside down.
Follow the loveable Sara, Cappy, and Sam on Streeter’s Ark as they travel from Albany to Buffalo and back again with Sara’s unknown past putting them in danger every step of the way.
LINK TO FREE BOOK
*Click on the images below to get the ebook FREE on Amazon all through today and tomorrow only.
BEFORE YOU GO
If you read this book, please remember to leave a review on Amazon. It does not have to be long or fancy. Just a sentence or two will do, and it will help the author so much. The more reviews a book has, the more Amazon will promote it. Please also share this post with your social media followers so they can get a free book too!
Indie Spotlight is my effort to help Indie authors with marketing. You can help too by sharing this post far and wide. See below my review of Amanda in Ireland, part of a wonderful series for middle-graders by Darlene Foster that takes kids (and adults) all over the world with Amanda as she travels and solves mysteries.
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Twelve-year-old Amanda Jane Ross is invited to be a bridesmaid for her cousin’s wedding in Ireland! She falls in love with the Emerald Isle the moment she lands in Dublin. The warm, friendly Irish people immediately make her feel at home. Towering castles, ancient graveyards, and the stunning green countryside are filled with fascinating legends, enthralling folktales, and alarming secrets.
Things take a dark turn when disaster strikes. Amanda wonders if there will be a wedding at all. As she joins the search for a missing horse, she stumbles upon a world of screaming banshees, bloody battles, and dangerous peat bogs. The closer she gets to the truth, the more dangerous things become. Will she become another body in the bog?
BOOK REVIEW
This is another wonderful installment of the Amanda series. We travel with Amanda to her cousin’s wedding in Ireland, and immediately plunge into a mystery, as a valuable horse is missing, and so is the bride! Amanda begins to investigate, but along the way she (and we) learn so much about this beautiful country.
Readers learn something on almost every page as Amanda tours important Irish museums and landmarks, visits a farrier who explains his job to her, and learns about figures in Irish folklore, such as Cu Chulainn, a mythological warrior. One of the most devastating periods of Irish history, the potato famine, is explained to Amanda as well. The mystery is well written and engaging. There are insightful discussion questions at the end of the book which are great for retaining the information learned.
Mystery, history, and travel fans of all ages will enjoy this latest Amanda adventure. Although this is Book 11, they can all be read as standalones. I highly recommend this series to kids, parents, grandparents, and everyone who loves history and travel.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Growing up on a ranch near Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada, Darlene Foster dreamt of writing, traveling the world, and meeting interesting people. She also believed in making her dreams come true. It’s no surprise she’s now the award-winning author of Amanda Travels, a children’s adventure series featuring a spunky twelve-year-old who loves to travel to unique places. Readers of all ages enjoy following Amanda as she unravels one mystery after another. When not traveling herself, Darlene divides her time between the west coast of Canada and the Costa Blanca, Spain with her husband and entertaining rescue dogs, Dot and Lia. http://www.darlenefoster.ca
If you read the book, be sure to leave a review on Amazon and/or wherever you purchase books. Reviews are so important to Indie authors, as Amazon will promote a book depending on how many reviews it has. Also please remember to share this post with all your social media followers so this book gets as much exposure as possible.
Indie Spotlight is my effort to help Indie authors with marketing. You can help too by sharing this post far and wide. Below see my review of My Grief Jar by Deborah Waffle. It is a memoir of a Mom who has lost her daughter, and how in the midst of her grief, she decided to help others.
BOOK REVIEW
My Grief Jar is the story of Deborah Waffle’s daughter, Kelsey, and her battle with constant pain and severe complications from Small Fiber Neuropathy. But it is also the story of Deborah’s journey after Kelsey’s death, as she sought to fulfill Kelsey’s wish that her Golden Retriever, Brody, become a therapy dog.
Deborah shows us Kelsey’s debilitating pain and her own grief in such an honest way. Her decision to honor her daughter by helping others and getting Brody trained as a therapy dog is admirable, and as I read her story, I could see it was the absolute best choice. She was able to visit hospital patients with Brody, bring them joy, and feel close to her daughter at the same time. The analogy of the grief jar is a powerful one–the grief stays the same, but the vessel holding the grief can grow, and helping others helped Deborah to grow. She and Brody became a source of joy for hospital patients and Deborah then became a writer, for this is a very well-written book.
I feel honored that Deborah asked me to share her book, her beautiful daughter, her walk through overwhelming grief, and her remarkable journey afterwards with Brody because, just maybe, somebody will see this post, read the book, and be helped by it as well. Highly, highly recommended.
I downloaded this book on Kindle Unlimited. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Deborah Waffle taught second and fourth grade for 33 years and is now retired. She lives with her husband Marty, and their dog, Brody, in Broadalbin, New York. Deborah and Brody visit several different medical facilities once or twice a week as a therapy dog team. They recently celebrated their 50th therapy dog visit. Brody brings smiles to all the people and patients he meets.
PURCHASE LINKS
Click on the image below to purchase My Grief Jar. It is also available on Kindle Unlimited, where subscribers can read it for free.
BEFORE YOU GO
Remember, if you read the book, please leave a review. Reviews help the author so much, because the more reviews a book has, the more Amazon will promote it. The review does not have to be a masterpiece. Just a sentence or two about how the book made you feel will be perfect, and will make the author’s day. Please also remember to share this post with others so they will see this wonderful book.
Well I had my oral surgery on Tuesday, and it still hurts pretty badly. I had a cyst removed from my jaw and a molar that the cyst had compromised taken out. I have slowly been transitioning to eating again but my jaw just aches most of the time. I’m hoping this pain goes away soon. I have a hard time sleeping because of it, and I’ve been sleeping in the reclining love seat so I don’t accidentally roll over on my left side, which hurts my “newly operated on” jaw.
The leaves are slowly starting to turn here in Western North Carolina, so I hope to be able to post some great photos soon, and maybe even some Fall inspired poetry. For now, here’s a picture of an interesting sky Doug took outside our home the other day. It was getting ready to storm.
BLOG ACTIVITY
We have had some great new Indie releases in the last couple of weeks. I did a Release Day announcement for The Weight of Snow and Regretby Elizabeth Gauffreau on October 1st. I also did a Release Day post and Review of A Bloody Banquet by Gail Meath on October 10th. Amanda in Ireland by Darlene Foster was also released on October 1st and I’m reviewing that this coming week. I’ll participate in Top Ten Tuesday if time permits. I also hope to get even more Indie reviews in.
NETGALLEY HAUL
The Valley of Vengeful Ghosts:(I hope this one isn’t too close to horror, but it looked interesting and more “paranormal” than horror. Horror can affect my dreams so I avoid it if it’s too dark and/or bloody) In the aftermath of her mother’s death, Eleanor is unmoored. For years, her mother orchestrated every detail of her life—from meals, to laundry, to finances—so that Eleanor could focus on her career as a therapist. Left to navigate the world on her own, Eleanor clings to her mother’s final directive: use her inheritance to buy a house.
Desperate to obey her mother one last time, but finding few options she can afford, Eleanor impulsively buys a model home in a valley-turned-construction site, a picturesque development steeped in a shadowy history. It feels like a fresh start, until the rain comes—an endless, torrential downpour. As water seeps in through the house’s cracks, the line between what is real and what is not begins to blur. Haunted by the stories of her clients, a stream of workmen and bureaucrats she can’t trust, and visions of ghosts from her past and present, Eleanor’s reality unravels, and she is forced to reckon with the secrets she’s buried and the desperate choices she’s made.
The Lumber Baron’s Wife: (Jumped on the chance for the forthcoming book by my favorite Christian author, Lynn Austin).
1873. After a devastating loss, Hannah Wagner never imagined she’d leave her comfortable home for the harsh, unfamiliar wilderness near Lake Michigan. But when Henry Abernathy—a friend of her husband, John—offers them a fresh start in a booming lumber town, where John’s skills as a doctor are sorely needed, Hannah reluctantly agrees. There, she meets Kate, Henry’s spirited, much younger wife. Kate’s sharp tongue and outsider status have made her unwelcome among the town’s elite, and when she begins confiding in Hannah, it’s clear her marriage is not what it seems . . . and that a secret from her past could destroy everything.
Present day. Ashley Gilbert never planned to settle in Michigan, but when her husband lands his dream job as a conservationist, she agrees to follow. While restoring their historic home—built in the 19th century for a doctor and his wife—Ashley becomes captivated by its past and its connection to the nearby Abernathy mansion, now being transformed into a museum. While volunteering with the restoration, she stumbles upon the unsolved mystery of Kate Abernathy’s disappearance. What begins as curiosity soon becomes a quest for the truth—one that will connect her to two women whose stories and struggles echo and inspire her own.
This past week was a week of rest, and I’m also getting prepared for a couple of outpatient procedures in the next couple of weeks.
Doug’s birthday was Friday, and I think he likes his new IPAD! Happy Birthday, Doug! I love you so much.
Book News: I’m currently doing a lot of editor and reviewer work for the Historical Novel Society’s November issue, and it has kept me quite busy. That issue comes out November 1st.
LAST WEEK ON THE BLOG
I posted about the horrific death of Charlie Kirk, which I watched online, unfortunately, not realizing what I was going to see. If you watch a man bleed out, it affects you, believe me. I will be watching his memorial service today. He was a great Christian man who will be missed.
NEXT WEEK ON THE BLOG
I will be reviewing the three books below and also participating in Top Ten Tuesday.
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BOOK HAUL
Vera always knew she didn’t fit in. When she learns that she is meant to be in another time, she leaps at the chance to embrace a new life in a world of valor, intrigue, and unexpected magic in this bold and romantic retelling of Arthurian legend . . .
22-year-old Vera is at a crossroads: waiting tables, grieving her previous relationship, and jogging aimlessly each morning as if toward an uncertain future. Then an odd man shows up at her workplace, insisting that she was once the legendary Queen Guinevere of Camelot, and that her lost memories hold the key to changing both the past and the present. Somehow, it all feels like the direction she’s been looking for. But when she asks the mysterious man to tell her more about Lancelot, Arthur, and a faithless queen, he can only say that much of what she’s heard about Camelot is wrong. The truth, he claims, is something she must see for herself.
After jumping through a portal in Glastonbury’s historic center, Vera is not prepared for what she finds. Magic is everywhere, but a curse on the kingdom means it dwindles every day. She has no idea how to perform a queen’s duties. Her fast friendship with Lancelot sets gossip flowing, and the stranger she must call “husband” often refuses to meet her eye. Arthur is a puzzle: cold, forbidding, and, while angry to her face, keeps leaving secret tokens of tenderness in her chambers. Worst of all, Vera’s memories—and the answers locked within them—show no signs of returning. If Vera is truly destined to save Camelot, she’ll have to trust her instincts. And her king will have to trust her . . .
I HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT WEEK, and hug those close to you!
Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Billy @CoffeeAddictedWriter. There is a different bookish question each week. This week’s question is below
DO YOU SEEK OUT NEW AUTHORS TO READ, OR DO YOU TEND TO STICK WITH THE SAME ONES?
ANSWER: Before I became a blogger, I had my favorite authors and didn’t necessarily seek out new ones.. Now as a blogger, and especially as a supporter of Indie authors, I read new authors all the time, and I love it! I still have my favorites, but my world has expanded for sure.
HOW ABOUT YOU? WHAT IS YOUR ANSWER TO TODAY’S QUESTION?
This past week the garage went in! It has been just a little over a year since we moved here, and finally Doug has his garage. He’s a garage kind of guy, and I know it’s been harder for him to get everything done around here without one. Now we have a place to put The Bumble (his Dodge Magnum) and room for a work area and storage for Doug. Every day since we moved here, he does something to improve the property, but this was a big one. We had to wait a long time for the builders because of weather and other issues, but we’ve finally got it. Doug ordered it to match the house, so we’re happily Christmassy around here!
A little update on Opie. He’s really growing! He was 9 ounces at his first vet appointment and 2.5 pounds at his second one! All his bloodwork was normal, which was a concern since his mom, who abandoned him, is a feral cat. Here he is helping Doug with the wash:
In other news, I’m going to Holden Beach with my cousins in a week, so I’m getting ready for that. Hopefully I’ll have lots of good pictures to share!
When Alice Sanborn and best friend Jerushah cross paths with a bounty hunter in rural northern Vermont, the teens stage a daring rescue for former slave Sarah Johnson—but winter weather, politics, and challenges of mountain life bring more danger. It’s March 1850 in small-town Vermont, and tempers flare over the “right kind” of Abolition. When the two fifteen-year-olds suspect Alice’s older brother William is taking dangerous risks to shelter a fugitive hiding at the inn, they see Sarah’s safety at risk. With help from the skillful but mysterious Solomon McBride, the girls head toward the wilder countryside along the Canadian border. Perils abound, including back at home. Is it all Alice’s fault? What should she do? Even a teen can take strong action—but which way is right, and how can she choose?
BOOK REVIEW
The Long Shadow is a young adult novel set in Vermont prior to the Civil War. Best friends Alice and Jerushah have also become friends with a formerly enslaved child, Sarah Johnson, who had previously escaped to Vermont and is waiting on her parents to join her. When a bounty hunter arrives, looking for a man who escaped slavery and is being hidden by Alice’s brother William, the three girls and a friend, Solomon, find themselves on an adventure aimed at protecting Sarah, but they are all soon in danger. This is Book 1 of The Winds of Freedom series.
This is a well-written YA novel that does a great job of describing what life was like in 19th Century Vermont prior to the start of the Civil War. With Alice, the reader experiences Vermont farm life, including daily chores, caring for newborn lambs, and participating in a sugaring off. But another reality of life at that time was that the United States was heading towards a civil war, and the people who had escaped slavery were seeking refuge. I loved the relationship between Alice and her friends, the growth of Alice on her journey, and the willingness of so many people to help Sarah and keep her safe. I used to think that once an enslaved person escaped to the North, they were free, but money-hungry hunters of people were allowed to capture them even in free states, and the author portrays this so well in the person of Henry Clinton, bounty hunter.
The descriptions of the wilds of Northern Vermont at that time are beautifully done, and the book is impeccably researched. There is love, danger, and heartbreaking loss woven into this story of a tumultuous and terrible time in the history of Vermont, and of the United States. Highly recommended.
My rating is 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 on sites with no half-star option.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Storytelling is Beth Kanell’s native language – and she learned it from her mother, who taught her to fill in the blanks as a story emerged. As a single parent in Vermont, for years she told stories “on the side” and developed a specialty in tales for teens (always starting with something scary!). Endlessly in love with Vermont, she began bringing the most fascinating parts of its history into her narratives, and discovered that what she really likes after all is writing fiction that explores the lives of young people caught up in the force of change. She is also a non-stop mystery reader, so she grapples for new and unusual plot twists, as well as the magic of the Green Mountain state.
PURCHASE LINK
*Click on the cover to purchase The Long Shadow
**Soon I will be reviewing Book 2: The Ardent Flame, and Book 3, The Bitter and the Sweet
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