Not My Week

By Kelly Bridgewater

If you have been following my blog at all, you know that this time of year, I don't feel too happy.

On Halloween 2015, my Daddy died unexpectedly. I still have a hard time believing he is not here. I can't pick up the phone and have a phone call with him. I still miss him. Even though this week is three years. (Here is the link to a blog post I wrote six months after he passed! Be prepared for some tears!)

The grief really doesn't go away. I have just learned to move on with my life and live without him. 

From Pinterest

There are moments where something comes up, like a song or a movie, and I start to tear up because it reminds me of him. I have gazed at his picture and wish he was still here. I have read his words that he has written in front of books he has purchased for me. I have kept a number of his prayer journals, and I feel myself drawn to his words and his communication with God.

I have written  him letters explaining how I feel. It is a great stress reliever for me.

On October 21st, it is my Daddy's birthday. This year, he would have been 70 years old. I plan to make a German Chocolate Cake with his mother's recipe to remember him by. Last year, I tried to throw a birthday party and invited my siblings, but neither one came. Might just be a lone celebration again.

It is hard not to think about him this time of year. First, a celebration, then moments of grief.

I know he is heaven, and we will meet again, but it is still hard.

Thank you for allowing me to share my heart today.

Rosanne E. Lortz: A Duel for Christmas

By Kelly Bridgewater

 

Book Title: A Duel For Christmas
Author: Rosanne E. Lortz
Genre: Regency Romance, Romantic Suspense
Release date: October 1, 2019

 After seven long years in Devon, Lady Maud Worlington returns to London to reclaim life on her own terms, but a nefarious shadow and the prospect of financial ruin dog her steps. An impulsive and unforgettable kiss under the mistletoe creates a connection with Geoffrey, the handsome, young Duke of Tilbury. Yet as pleasant as it is to have a suitor, Maud is not sure how a boy of one-and-twenty can prove an equal partner in life and the equal of all the forces mounted against her.

The Duke of Tilbury considers himself as adept at managing matters as he is at swordplay, but his beautiful new acquaintance Lady Worlington has other ideas about how to manage her complicated life. Intrigued by their stolen kiss, Geoffrey pursues Lady Worlington's affections, only to be foiled by the lady's own doubts, by rivals for her hand, and by a sudden death that affects both their families. When Jacob Pevensey, the investigator from Bow Street enters the scene, the duke becomes a prime suspect in the murder case. Truths are unearthed that Geoffrey would rather keep hidden, and the twelve days of Christmas race toward a perilous end.

This novel takes the medieval events surrounding the sinking of the White Ship and transposes them to Regency London. It is the third book in the Pevensey series, but can be read as a standalone.

From Goodreads

My Thoughts:

I have never heard of the author Rosanne E. Lortz, but her novel, A Duel for Christmas' synopsis sounded interesting, so I couldn't wait to try out the novel. London. Mystery. Regency. Christmas. Sounded right up my alley. I took a chance on a new author in a genre I have read. Some aspects of the novel stick out while some didn't work quite so well for me.

First, I really enjoyed how Lortz took a historical element and event and brought into life in a Regency novel, so I could enjoy the historical event. I didn't know about the past event, so it was nice to see it come to life in this story. Lortz has a good handle on the mechanics of writing a novel. Her use of Deep Point of View is well-done. I enjoyed how she dove into the characters emotions and thoughts, allowing me to understand and empathize with the characters.

As for the spiritual element of the novel, there really isn't any. The characters don't attend church or pray to God for help when they are struggling. It is a clean read occurring in the Regency era. There is moments of drunkenness, gambling, and some high passion, but nothing that any reader should turn away their nose at.

The characters, in my opinion, were pretty static characters. The characters I met at the beginning is the same characters at the end of the novel. No one changed for the better. A couple of emotions were spiked and heighted toward a member of the opposite sex. Some characters had things occur to them that I didn't see at the beginning of the novel but came to light by the end of the novel.

The plot didn't wow me like a mystery should. The first fifty-five percent of the novel sets up the characters and allowing me to see who they are internally and externally while the twelve days of Christmas pass. All of the characters, but one, are introduced in the first half of the book. The mystery happens about fifty-seven percent into the book and then enters the Detective the series is named after. After a character is found dead, the story picks up as the detective hunts for clues and tries to find out who killed the poor person. I just like more action from the beginning and to carry throughout the entire novel.

Overall, A Duel for Christmas by Rosanne E. Lortz is an interesting take on a historical event and placed into a Regency setting. I wish the characters had more of a transformation and the mystery occurred earlier in the novel. But fans of Joanna Davidson Politano, Julie Klassen, and Sarah E. Ladd might really enjoy this novel.

I received a complimentary copy of A Duel for Christmas by Rosanne E. Lortz through the Celebrate Lit Tours, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

You can purchase her book here.

About the Author:

From Goodreads

Rosanne E. Lortz ("Rose") loves the blend of history, fiction, romance, and mystery. She lives near Portland, Oregon with her husband and four boys. When she's not writing, she teaches Latin and English composition and works as an editor at Madison Street Publishing. (Taken from Goodreads.)

GIVEAWAY 

 

To celebrate her tour, Rosanne is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/d434/a-duel-for-christmas-celebration-tour-giveaway

Sandra Byrd: A Lady of Thousand Treasures

By Kelly Bridgewater

Miss Eleanor Sheffield is a talented evaluator of antiquities, trained to know the difference between a genuine artifact and a fraud. But with her father’s passing and her uncle’s decline into dementia, the family business is at risk. In the Victorian era, unmarried Eleanor cannot run Sheffield Brothers alone.

The death of a longtime client, Baron Lydney, offers an unexpected complication when Eleanor is appointed the temporary trustee of the baron’s legendary collection. She must choose whether to donate the priceless treasures to a museum or allow them to pass to the baron’s only living son, Harry―the man who broke Eleanor’s heart.

Eleanor distrusts the baron’s motives and her own ability to be unbiased regarding Harry’s future. Harry claims to still love her and Eleanor yearns to believe him, but his mysterious comments and actions fuel her doubts. When she learns an Italian beauty accompanied him on his return to England, her lingering hope for a future with Harry dims.

With the threat of debtor’s prison closing in, Eleanor knows that donating the baron’s collection would win her favor among potential clients, saving Sheffield Brothers. But the more time she spends with Harry, the more her faith in him grows. Might Harry be worthy of his inheritance, and her heart, after all? As pressures mount and time runs out, Eleanor must decide whom she can trust―who in her life is false or true, brass or gold―and what is meant to be treasured.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

I have read Sandra Byrd's Renaissance series with Anne Boleyn and Queen Elizabeth and her Daughters of Hampshire series, so I was ready to dive into the first book into her new series about Victorian ladies and their treasure. A good historical novel teaches me something about history and makes me believe that I am in that time period. Byrd does a wonderful job at inviting me into the Victorian age with her words and description. Her writing hits it out of the park and allows me to feel fully engulfed into the setting.

The plot really didn't wow me. The conflict centers around missing treasure, but it seemed like an oversight to the intitial storyline. Sometimes the story read like an invertory list for  the Victorian shop. I got bored pretty easily and wanted so much more to the plotline. It didn't capture my attention.

The characters' romance between Eleanor Sheffield and Harry didn't ring true. I honestly had no idea what Eleanor saw in Harry. They were in love when she was younger, but then he cheated on her while away on a different country and took a long time to come back. I saw no enduring qualities for Harry. He tried to come off as the hero, but I had a hard time liking him at all. The romance felt wrong and forced for the story.

I did enjoy the aspect of dealing with the aging uncle. The story felt a little more full because of the love and respect shown to him as he hung around the side of the story.

Overall, A Lady of a Thousand Treasures was populated with characters that I had no sympathy for and a plot that didn't capture my imagination as much as I wanted the plot to. Byrd's writing is top-notch, and I really enjoyed her ability to bring the Victorian era back to life for me, but I struggled with the plot overall.

I received a complimentary copy of A Lady of Thousand Treasures by Sandra Byrd from Tyndale Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

About the Author:

From Amazon

Sandra Byrd's first series of historically sound Gothic romances launched with the best-selling Mist of Midnight, which earned a coveted Editor's Choice Award from the Historical Novel Society. The second book, Bride of a Distant Isle, has been selected by Romantic Times as a Top Pick. The third in the series, A Lady in Disguise, was named by the American Library Association's Booklist as one of the Top Ten Inspirational Fiction Books of the year.

Her contemporary adult fiction debut, Let Them Eat Cake, was a Christy Award finalist, as was her first historical novel, To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn. To Die For was also named a Library Journal Best Books of the Year Pick, as was The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr.

Victorian Ladies, a new series, offers its first title, Lady of a Thousand Treasures, in 2018. (Taken from Amazon.)

Covered Bridge Fun

By Kelly Bridgewater

Have you ever attended the Indiana Covered Bridge Festival?

It occurs in October when it is supposed to be getting cooler, but most times, I have to wear shorts because it is still in the 80's.

Anyways, it is ten days of garage sales and carnival food while browsing many homemade craft items. I usually attend a number of days. I look forward to it every year. I can find cheap clothes for my boys. Discounted books. And Christmas gifts. 

From Pinterest

I buy a soft pretzel with cheese too. Yum!

The Festival takes place in Parke County, Indiana, which has the most covered bridges in one county in America. You can stroll through many of them during this week. If you're lucky, the leaves will be in the height of their colorful glory.

This is where I will be A LOT this week.

How about you?

Do they have something like this where you live? If not, does this sound like something you would attend? Why or Why not?

Dawn Crandall: Enchanting Nicholette

By Kelly Bridgewater

In this captivating novella by Dawn Crandall, Nicholette Everstone is already a widow at the age of twenty-two: her husband was murdered on their wedding day. She has just returned to Boston after two years of mourning in Europe. Although her husband was loving, the marriage was an arranged one, and Nicholette would like to wed again--this time for love...and to someone safe.

As she acclimates to life in Back Bay again, Nicholette meets someone she can't help but fall for. But when she learns of the danger and sacrifices Cal Hawthorne takes on for the safety of others, will her heart be strong enough to keep her fears of "what if" at bay?

From Goodreads

My Thoughts:

I have read all of Dawn Crandall's The Everstone Chronicles series and have loved the majority of them. With each successive addition, Crandall improves her writing craft and shows why she will be in the publishing business for a while. Enchanting Nicholette is a novella, but it reads like a full length historical romance novel. With returning characters and a familiar setting, fans of Crandall's previous four novels will be excited to see returning characters come back into the fold.

Her writing has improved with this novel from the first novel. The novel is still written in first person which allows me to get closer to Nicholette's emotions and feelings all throughout the novel. With any good author, it is hard to tell a novel in first person without wanting to intrude on other characters' point of views, but Crandall does a fabulous job at staying in Nicholette's perspective throughout the entire novel.

The romance moves pretty quickly, but it is a fifty thousand plus novella, so it does have to move quickly. I really enjoyed the first scene in the novel at the bookstore. It captured my attention and set the tone for the romance to follow. Crandall is not too mushy like some contemporary romances can become. Instead she allows the emotions and thoughts to flow naturally.

The plot is different, yet predictable. I enjoyed seeing the element of mystery surrounding the hero, Cal, and learning more about Nicholette's past. Her wounded past transformed into something beautiful by the end of the novel. Even Cal had to transform and change his past to become who Nicholette needed. It was a captivating novel and captured my attention the whole time. I hope Crandall writes more novels. I love  reading her novels in the first person.

One last thing to mention is her element of spirituality. Crandall does a fabulous job at allowing it to flow from the hearts of the characters, not force a theology down the readers' throat. I admire that.

Overall, Enchanting Nicholette by Dawn Crandall is a interesting and captivating historical romance told in the first person. I enjoyed journeying with familiar characters and seeing the transformation of the hero and heroine. Fans of Crandall's previous four novels should definitely buy this novel and add it to their collection. I eagerly await what else Crandall decides to write.

I received a complimentary copy of Enchanting Nicholette by Dawn Crandall from Whitaker House Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

About the Author:

From Amazon

Dawn Crandall's debut Gilded Age Victorian romance, "The Hesitant Heiress," was a 2015 ACFW Carol award finalist in the debut category and received the 2015 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, the 2015 Write Touch Reader's Choice Award and the 2015 Romancing the Novel Reader's Choice Award. Her follow-up novel, "The Bound Heart," received the 2016 Laurel Award from Clash of the Titles. Dawn earned a BA in Christian Education from Taylor University. She's been balancing books and babies lately as her two sons were both born as the four books of her Everstone Chronicles series were being released from Whitaker House from 2014 to 2016. Dawn lives with her husband and two young sons on a hobby farm in her hometown in northeast Indiana. (Taken from Amazon.)