Rachel Fordham: Beyond Ivy Walls

By Kelly Bridgewater

Welcome to the Takeover + Review Blitz for Beyond Ivy Walls by Rachel Fordham hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!About the Book

Title: Beyond Ivy Walls

Author: Rachel Fordham
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Release Date: August 14, 2024
Genre: Historical Romance

Reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast, a recluse and a young woman discover that the scars of life are no match against an act of love.

Iowa, 1903. All of Monticello believes Otis Taylor has been away fostering his musical genius. But the truth is that his father exiled him long ago, rejecting Otis's appearance and the scars that came with it. Now that he is the last living Taylor, Otis has covertly returned to settle his family's affairs and rid himself of his past for good. However, he soon discovers that he may not have been the only discarded Taylor and begins a tireless search for his missing niece.

At twenty-three years old, Sadie West left her family farm and found employment at the Hoag feather duster factory. It isn't a romantic job, but she's hardly had a glimmer of romance since her beau went off to college, leaving her with no promise of a future together. Desperate to save money and help her family make ends meet, she trespasses and finds shelter in an abandoned building--and is thrown in the path of the town's mysterious bachelor.

Otis's wounds are deep, but as Sadie's friendship with him grows, she begins to fall for the man beneath the mask. The mystery of his long-lost niece, however, is more complex than either could have imagined, and Sadie may be the key to Otis Taylor finally finding his way home.

 

My Thoughts:

Beyond Ivy Walls by Rachel Fordham is definitely a Beauty and the Beast re-telling. The parallels between the two stories are pretty obvious. The difference is that Sadie comes from the country, but she has whole household of sisters with a Mom and Dad. The Disney version Belle only lives with her inventor father. The hero, Otis Taylor, is not a tall, overbearing hairy guy who is gruff right from the start. Instead he is a little shy and a standoffish, but he is polite and gives Sadie a place to live in exchange for her work on cleaning his house up. A castle vs. a mansion. While Fordham does describe the setting that the readers populate, I would have liked to see more of the castle. It is not really a creepy place to go. People in town admire the structure. Otis just keeps the curtains close because he is ashamed. As for the characters, Otis is the character who needs to change a lot. He learns to accept himself with all his scars and learns to open his heart to a number of people. I imagine it is hard to create a widely popular storyline and try to come up with something different. With this story, Fordham did a wonderful job at showing how everyone should look at the character of a person, not at their faults whether they are physical or mental. Overall, Beyond Ivy Walls by Rachel Fordham’s plot moved nicely and kept me strolling through the story.

I received a complimentary copy of  Beyond Ivy Walls by Rachel Fordham from Thomas Nelson Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook | Bookshop

Also Available:

 

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About the Author

Rachel Fordham is the author of The Letter Tree, Where the Road Bends, A Lady in Attendance, A Life Once Dreamed, The

Hope of Azure Springs, and Yours Truly, Thomas. Fans expect stories with heart and she delivers, diving deep

into the human experience and tugging at reader emotions. She loves connecting with people, traveling to new

places, and daydreaming about future projects that will have sigh-worthy endings and memorable characters.

She is a busy mom, raising both biological, adopted and foster children (a cause she feels passionate about).

She lives with her husband and children on an island in the state of Washington.

Connect with Rachel by visiting rachelfordham.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

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Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive print copies of the author’s previous 6 novels: The Hope of Azure Springs, Your's Truly,

Thomas, A Life Once Dreamed, A Lady in Attendance, Where the Road Bends, and The Letter Tree!

(2) additional winners will receive one Rachel Fordham backlist print copy of their choice!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below.

Giveaway began at midnight August 7, 2024 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on August 14, 2024. Winner

will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize.

US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

Enter Giveaway

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

Rachel Fordham: The Letter Tree

 By Kelly Bridgewater

Mere words can’t end their families’ feud, but the Campbell heir and the Bradshaw heiress plan to write a future together.

Buffalo, NY, 1924

Laura Bradshaw adores stories with happily ever afters. But since her mother died seven years ago, the Bradshaw Shoe Company heiress has been as good as locked away in a tower. Her overbearing father cares little for her dreams, throwing himself instead into his tireless takedown of his competitor, the Campbell Shoe Company. However, Laura has been gifted with a reprieve: a mysterious friend with whom she’s been exchanging letters.

As heir to the Campbell Shoe Company, Isaac Campbell is a sought-after bachelor who has never felt an inkling of desire for the women who constantly bat their eyes at him. His thoughts are consumed by an oak tree in the Buffalo Zoo—or rather, the mystery woman he exchanges letters with courtesy of the tree. She’s been one of Isaac’s only joys in a life consumed by his father’s tireless hatred of Bradshaw. A hatred that, Isaac is coming to realize, may affect him more personally than he ever imagined.

When Laura’s father orchestrates a match between her and an important business owner, she resolves to pursue her only chance at freedom. But Isaac believes their story isn’t bound for a tragic ending. He’s certain there’s more to the Bradshaw-Campbell feud than meets the eye. And he won’t stop digging until he uncovers the truth that might bridge the divide between him and the woman whose words have captured his heart.

 

My Thoughts:

The Letter Tree by Rachel Fordham begins at a tree in the Brooklyn Zoo. At first, the story seems a little intriguing with the concept of a blind person that Laura Bradshaw crafts letters to and sticks into the trunk of a tree. I love the idea of Laura missing her mother and clinging to her books, which remind her of her mother. My father taught me my love of reading, and he passed away eight years ago. There are some books that I look at, and they remind me of him. Laura was a nicely developed character with hurts and a deep longing for love, animals, and her happy-ever-after. Isaac, on the other hand, is a man who, at the beginning of the story, really did not have any goals and dreams. As the story progresses, he changes and matures. The plot flowed well. I enjoyed the twist to the Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet type story. Now don’t think this is a Romeo and Juliet story because it is not. Just some similar ideas in the plot. The writing is fantastic and kept my attention throughout the entire story. Overall, The Letter Tree by Rachel Fordham may start to read like a familiar story, but it moves delightfully through the imagination, capturing those moments of innocent love while trying to seek justice at the same time.

I received a complimentary copy of The Letter Tree by Rachel Fordham from Thomas Nelson Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating:  4.5 out of 5 stars

Purchase The Letter Tree

Rachel Fordham: A Life Once Dreamed

By Kelly Bridgewater

Six years ago, a shocking secret sent Agnes Pratt running in search of a new start. She found it in Penance, a rugged town of miners and lumberjacks in the Dakota Territory, where she became Miss Aggie, respected schoolteacher and confirmed old maid. But the past has a way of catching up with people.

When childhood friend and former sweetheart James Harris accepts a position as the town doctor, Aggie's pleasantly predictable days suddenly become anything but. James wants to know why Agnes left behind the life they had dreamed of creating for themselves--but he is the one person who can never know.

In the shadows of the Black Hills, can a healing light be shed on the past? Or will the secret Agnes can't seem to outrun destroy her chance at happiness?

Fan-favorite Rachel Fordham brings to life the dusty streets of an 1880s frontier town in this story that affirms where you come from matters far less than where you're going.

From Goodreads

 

My Thoughts:

A Life Once Dreamed by Rachel Fordham is a sweet romance. If it was set in modern time, it would have definitely been labeled as a contemporary romance with the completely predictable ending and plot line. Even though, the story has been done a ton of times, the story mainly my attention until the end when Fordham gave the hero and the heroine the predictable ending. I, for once, would have loved to seen something else happen to the couples besides knowing they are the ones for each other and deciding to spend the rest of their lives together. Fordham does a wonderful job at crafting this story. I believe fans of westerns would enjoy this novel. Fans of Misty Beller, Regina Jennings, and Melissa Jaguers might enjoy this novel too. Not that it was a bad book. Just a little dry for my personal taste.

I received a complimentary copy of A Life Once Dreamed by Rachel Fordham from Revell Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Thoughts: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Purchase A Life OnceDreamed

Rachel Fordham: Yours Truly

By Kelly Bridgewater

For three years, Penny Ercanbeck has been opening other people's mail. Dead ends are a reality for clerks at the Dead Letter Office. Still she dreams of something more--a bit of intrigue, a taste of romance, or at least a touch less loneliness. When a letter from a brokenhearted man to his one true love falls into her hands, Penny seizes this chance to do something heroic. It becomes her mission to place this lost letter into the hands of its intended recipient.

Thomas left his former life with no intention of ending up in Azure Springs, Iowa. He certainly didn't expect a happy ending after what he had done. All he wanted to do was run and never look back. In a moment of desperation, he began to write, never really expecting a reply.

When Penny's undertaking leads her to the intriguing man who touched her soul with his words, everything grows more complicated. She wants to find the rightful owner of the letter and yet she finds herself caring--perhaps too much--for the one who wrote it.

From Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Yours Truly, Thomas by Rachel Fordham is a delightful western tale of romance through letters and a chance encounter. The writing is beautiful and Fordham does a wonderful job at creating a tale of romance and learning to move on from past mistakes. The plot moved seamlessly and captured my attention. It is a predictable romance with the predictable happily-ever-after. Thomas is a hero who needs to learn from his mistakes and comes out a better man on the other side. While I enjoyed seeing who Thomas was and learning about his past, I would have liked to see personally who he was before, so the transformation would have been a little more fulfilling. As for Penny, she is a brave woman to travel to a place unknown just because of a letter. I would like to have seen more of her past too. It seems readers are thrown into the middle of the transformation story while it is occurring without the beginning to show the transformation. Overall, Yours Truly, Thomas by Rachel Fordham is a captivating western romance. Fans of Karen Witemeyer, Jody Hedlund, and Regina Jennings would, I believe, enjoy this novel.

I received a complimentary copy of Yours Truly, Thomas by Rachel Fordham from Revell Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Purchase Yours Truly,Thomas

About the Author:

From Amazon

Rachel Fordham has long been fascinated by all things historical or in the words of her children "old stuff". Often the historical trivia she discovers is woven into her children's bedtime tales. Despite her love for good stories she didn't attempt writing a novel until her husband challenged her to do so (and now she's so glad he did). Since that time she's often been found typing or researching while her youngest child naps or frantically writing plot twists while she waits in the school pick-up line. In addition to her passion for storytelling she enjoys reading, being outdoors and seeing new places. Rachel lives with her husband and children on an island in Washington state.

Learn more about current projects at rachelfordham.com (Taken from Amazon.)