The Elusive Miss Ellison by Carolyn Miller

I am enjoying this book right now. My review will be coming soon!


From Amazon:

Handsome appearance counts for naught unless matched by good character and actions.

That's the firm opinion of not-so-meek minister's daughter Lavinia Ellison. So even though all the other villagers of St. Hampton Heath are swooning over the newly returned seventh Earl of Hawkesbury, she is not impressed. If a man won't take his responsibilities seriously and help those who are supposed to be able to depend on him, he deserves no respect from her. In Lavinia's pretty, gray eyes, Nicholas Stamford is just as arrogant and reckless as his brother--who stole the most important person in Livvie's world.

Nicholas is weighed down by his own guilt and responsibility, by the pain his careless brother caused, and by the legacy of war he's just left. This quick visit home to St. Hampton Heath will be just long enough to ease a small part of that burden. Asking him to bother with the lives of the villagers when there's already a bailiff on the job is simply too much to expect.

That is, until the hoydenish, intelligent, and very opinionated Miss Ellison challenges him to see past his pain and pride. With her angelic voice in his head, he may even be beginning to care. But his isn't the only heart that needs to change.

These two lonely hearts may each have something the other needs. But with society's opposition, ancestral obligations, and a shocking family secret, there may be too many obstacles in their way.

Fans of Georgette Heyer, Lori Wick, and Julie Klassen will enjoy the spirited exchanges between the bluestocking minister's daughter and the bruised war hero as they move past pride and presumption to a humbled appreciation of God's grace and the true strength of love.

From the author:

I hope you enjoy reading 'The Elusive Miss Ellison' - she was certainly a lot of fun to write about!

I love reading about feisty heroines as much as the next redhead :) but sometimes too much 'feist' can come across as just rude. Miss Ellison has some sass, but a warm heart, and when she meets her match in Lord Hawkesbury, she begins to learn a few home truths.

I try to create characters that face some of the same challenges and problems as we all do at times: issues with families, loneliness, financial constraints, society's expectations. It's my hope that people can identify with, and appreciate the journey these characters go on, from presumption to understanding, from pride to humility, and be inspired with hope, as these characters transform into people we want to be. People who forgive, who extend grace to the unlovely, who care more about other people than they do about their appearance. People who bring kindness into the world. 

Miss Ellison has been close to my heart for years - I hope she'll grow close to yours, too.

And don't forget to look out for her cousin's story, 'The Captivating Lady Charlotte', releasing mid-2017!

About the author:

Biography

Hi, I'm Carolyn Miller, author of 'The Elusive Miss Ellison'.

I live in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia.

I'm married, with four gorgeous children, who all love to read (and write!) as I do (except not in the Regency genre - funny, that!).

My favourite authors are classics like Jane Austen (of course!), Georgette Heyer, and Agatha Christie, but I also enjoy contemporary authors like Susan May Warren and Becky Wade.

I try to write stories that are fun and witty, yet also deal with real issues, such as dealing with forgiveness, the nature of really loving versus 'true love', and other challenges we all face at different times.

I hope you enjoy reading my novels. Thanks for stopping by!

Shine Like The Dawn by Carrie Turansky

Shine Like the Dawn is a fast-moving historical novel that grabs you from the first page and demands to be read.  Master of Edwardian fiction, Carrie Turansky, has created a mixture of romance and suspense wrapped up in the rediscovery of the main character's faith. I love the strong characters and who doesn't love a story set in England? So grab a cup of tea and settle in for a good read!

From Amazon:
Separated by an inconceivable tragedy, can faith and love reunite childhood friends and light the way to a bright future?

In a quiet corner of northern Edwardian England, Margaret Lounsbury diligently works in her grandmother’s millinery shop, making hats and caring for her young sister. Several years earlier, a terrible event reshaped their family, shattering an idyllic life and their future prospects. Maggie is resilient and will do what she must to protect her sister Violet. Still, the loss of her parents weighs heavily on her heart because she wonders if what happened that day on the lake…might not have been an accident.

When wealthy inventor and industrialist William Harcourt dies, his son and Maggie’s estranged childhood friend, Nathaniel returns from his time in the Royal Navy and inherits his father’s vast estate, Morningside Manor. He also assumes partial control of his father’s engineering company and the duty of repaying an old debt to the Lounsbury family. But years of separation between Nate and Maggie have taken a toll and Maggie struggles to trust her old friend.

Can Maggie let go of the resentment that keeps her from forgiving Nate—and reconciling with God? Will the search for the truth about her parents’ death draw the two friends closer or leave them both with broken hearts?


About the Author:
Carrie Turansky is the award-winning author of more than a dozen inspirational romance novels and novellas, including Where Two Hearts Meet and Surrendered Hearts. She has won the ACFW Carol Award, the Crystal Globe Award, and the International Digital Award. Carrie lives in central New Jersey with her husband, Scott.

Anne Flosnik is an accomplished, multi-award-winning British actress, with lead credits for stage, television, commercials, industrials, voice-overs, and audiobooks. She has garnered three AudioFile Earphones Awards, including for Little Bee by Chris Cleave, and four Audie Award nominations.

I was given this book by the author for review purposes. All thoughts are my own.

Life After by Kate Ganshert

Hello friends,
          I usually don't add books here until I have read them, but I was so impressed with the opening paragraph, I had to share.

           'We rarely know when death will come.
            Some are warned in sickness---like the track of dirt around the edge of a baseball field, cautioning outfielders that they are running out of room.The end is near. But others--- many others---meet death without any warning at all, in an unforeseen moment that wrenches consciousness in two separating the living from the dead.
            That's how it would come on this particular evening for twenty-two individuals.'
                                              ~from the prologue of Life After


From Amazon:

Snow whirls around an elevated train platform in Chicago. A distracted woman boards the train, takes her seat, and moments later a fiery explosion rips through the frigid air, tearing the car apart in a horrific attack on the city’s transit system. One life is spared. Twenty-two are lost.
 
A year later, Autumn Manning can’t remember the day of the bombing and she is tormented by grief—by guilt. Twelve months of the question constantly echoing. Why? Why? Why? Searching for answers, she haunts the lives of the victims, unable to rest. 
 
Paul Elliott lost his wife 

in the train bombing and wants to let the dead rest in peace, undisturbed and unable to cause more pain for his loved ones. He wants normalcy for his twelve-year-old daughter and young son, to see them move beyond the heartbreak. But when the Elliotts and Autumn are unexpectedly forced together, he fears she’ll bring more wreckage in her wake.  
 
In Life After, Katie Ganshert’s most complex and unforgettable novel yet, the stirring prose and authentic characters pose questions of truth, goodness, and ultimate purpose in this emotionally resonant tale.


About the author from Amazon:

KATIE GANSHERT is the author of several novels and works of short fiction, including the Christy Award-winning A Broken Kind of Beautiful and Carol Award-winner, The Art of Losing Yourself. Katie lives in eastern Iowa with her family.

For The Record by Regina Jennings

Although I am a huge fan of Regina Jennings, I have to admit I was slow to warm up to For The Record. I think my problem was that I did not like Betsy Huckabee. To me, she was an immature young lady who by the age of 24 should have behaved better. That said, the story did grow on me and by the end of the book, I was a fan. It was nice to read about some of the characters I met in the previous 2 books.  This book should appeal to folks who like a mixture of romance, humor, and suspense.

From Amazon:
Jennings Offers Another Delightful Blend of History and Romance

Betsy Huckabee might be a small-town girl, but she has big-city dreams. Writing for her uncle's newspaper will never lead to independence, and the bigger newspapers don't seem interested in the Hart County news. Trying a new approach, Betsy pens a romanticized serial for the ladies' pages, and the new deputy provides the perfect inspiration for her submissions. She'd be horrified if he read her breathless descriptions of him, but these articles are for a newspaper far away. No one in Pine Gap will ever know.

Deputy Joel Puckett didn't want to leave Texas, but this job in tiny Pine Gap is his only shot at keeping his badge. With masked marauders riding every night, his skills and patience are tested, but even more challenging is the sassy journalist lady chasing him.

About the Author from Amazon:
Regina Jennings is a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University with a degree in English. She is the author of Sixty Acres and a Bride, Love in the Balance, Caught in the Middle, A Most Inconvenient Marriage, At Love's Bidding, and contributed a novella to both With This Ring? and A Match Made in Texas. She and her family make their home in Oklahoma City.

I was given this book by NetGalley.com for review purposes. All thoughts are my own.

Giveaway!

Marguerite Martin Gray

39 mins

My Goodreads Giveaway of 25 copies of Surround Me ends at midnight Feb. 5. Please enter by clicking on the link below.
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/218933-surround-me

Surround Me by Marguerite Martin Gray

Surround Me is set in the days leading up to the American Revolution. I enjoyed the fact that it takes place in Charles Town South Carolina instead of the usual New England setting for tales of the Revolution. Although the plot's development was a bit slow, the story was enjoyable. The relationships between the characters were well developed, and I loved the way Louis and Elizabeth's faith grew. I look forward to reading Draw Me To Your Side, the third book in the series.

From Amazon:
As the dark curtain of the rumors of revolution threatens to descend, Louis Lestarjette pursues his relationship with Elizabeth even as the emotional and physical struggles set the course for a life of changes. Will his commitment to God stay firm, or will the tide of change cause fear and flight?



The chance of reconciliation with England moves further out to sea, leaving Elizabeth Elliott on the shores of surrender to a greater challenge. Although others of unwavering courage give her strength, she must choose to allow God’s love to surround her. How can she enter into a marriage during a time of uncertainty? Will selfish, safer options take her away from Louis and his love?



Set in 1773 Charles Town, Surround Me, the sequel to Hold Me Close, takes the reader into the lives of colonists confronting imminent change and unpredictable circumstances binding them together to become a formidable force.

About the author:
Marguerite enjoys the study of history, especially when combined with fiction. An avid traveler and reader, she teaches French and has degrees in French, Spanish, and Journalism from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. Recently, she received an MA in English from Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene. She has two grown children and currently lives with her husband in Abilene, Texas.
She writes historical fiction. Hold Me Close: Revolutionary Faith Book One is set in pre-revolution Charles Town and takes the reader into the lives of immigrants, ordinary citizens, and prominent historical figures at a time in which decisions are made that will change the world.
Surround Me: Revolutionary Faith Book Two (Fall 2016), Bring Me Near; Revolutionary Faith Book Three (2017), Draw Me to Your Side (Work in Progress).

I was given the book by the author for review purposes. All thoughts are my own.


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