An Appalachian Summer

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GABHART, ANN H.
AN APPALACHIAN SUMMER

Discover what happens when one intrepid young woman steps away from the past into a beautiful wide-open future.

In 1935 Louisville, Kentucky, even the ongoing economic depression cannot keep Piper Danson's parents from insisting on a debut party. After all, their fortune came through the market crash intact, and they've picked out the perfect suitor for their daughter. Braxton Crandall can give her the kind of life she's used to. The only problem? This is not the man -- or the life -- she really wants.

When Piper gets the opportunity to volunteer as a horseback Frontier Nursing courier in the Appalachian Mountains for the summer, she jumps at the chance to be something other than a dutiful daughter or a kept wife in a loveless marriage. The work is taxing, the scenery is jaw-droppingly gorgeous, and the people she meets along the way open a whole new world to her. The longer she stays, the more an advantageous marriage slips from her grasp. But something much more precious -- true love -- is drawing ever closer.

My Review:

I am such an Ann H. Gabhart fan, but she might just have outdone herself with An Appalachian Summer. 

A few things drew me to the story from the start. 1) That beautiful cover (the purples in the foreground really draw the eye and entice a reader to stay awhile.) 2) The Depression Era setting -- I find it such a fascinating time in history and there's so much scope for character building and emotionally charged stories. 3) The Appalachian setting. I blame The Waltons and classic kid lit like My Great Aunt Arizona, Shiloh, That Book Woman, When I Was Young in the Mountains and so many others! So I was already well on my way to experiencing reading nirvana before I even opened the book. But when I did...well, I was gobsmacked and twitterpated over the glory of it all.

Gabhart paints pictures with her words and creates characters who become living, breathing entities -- and that includes the critters! Even the setting takes on a life of its own! I love becoming completely immersed in fiction this way!

A compelling coming-of-age story within a richly layered plot full of memorable characters and exquisite historical details.

Book provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications Inc.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of An Appalachian Summer  leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday July 4 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

A Hopeful Harvest

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HERNE, RUTH LOGAN
A HOPEFUL HARVEST

Her orchard. His heart. Can they successfully heal both?

When her family's apple orchard is damaged by a storm, single mom Libby Creighton knows the harvest she's depending on is in jeopardy. Though he prefers a solitary life, Jax McClaren has the skills to revive Libby's orchard -- and her guarded heart. But he'll have to overcome the secrets of his past if he and Libby are going to have a fruitful future together.

Golden Grove (series)

My Review:

Squeeeaaallll!!!! A new series by Ruth Logan Herne and it promises all of her trademark homegrown, faith-filled, toe-curling goodness. I love the way this author creates a community and develops multi-generational relationships that bring such depth and realism to her stories. I'm already enamored with Golden Grove and love the apple orchard family farm setting of this first novel.

Libby faces her challenges with backbone and spunk despite overwhelming odds. Jax is guarding a lot of secrets and harbors reclusive tendencies but there's something about Libby and her sweet little girl and ailing grandfather that pulls him out of his solitary existence. She's wary of accepting help from a stranger but he gently storms her defenses and soon becomes a fixture on the farm -- and in her family.

But, oh, those secrets! Had my tummy tied up in knots and my nerves jangling through out the entire read. A slice of real life -- with just as much angst. Herne delivers heart and hope in this beautiful love story where two broken souls find a way to become whole together. 

My thanks to the author for gifting me with a copy of this book.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of  A Hopeful Harvest, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday January 3 2020. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

Carry Me Home

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ADAMEK, DOROTHY
CARRY ME HOME

Finella Mayfield hates two things: liars and thieves. And she’s determined to marry a man who’s neither. Chasing her dead father’s dreams, the twenty-year-old English bride arrives in Australia in 1875 for an arranged marriage. Anticipating her future as village preacher’s wife, she records her thoughts in her Everlasting journal.

But instead of her fiancé, Finella is met by Shadrach Jones, a poor farmer sent to collect her from the busy Melbourne pier. This is not what her father planned. And it’s only the beginning of the unraveling of Finella Mayfield ~ the bride with no groom.

All Shadrach Jones longs for is rows of mustard and chicory. He’s busy growing a farm near the Phillip Island fishing village of Cowes, and caring for Molly, his simple sister. Far from the brutal life they remember with their ex-convict father, Shadrach’s building something new.

But he’s also made a promise to a dying friend. To collect and marry the English girl destined to never be a preacher’s wife.

Can Shadrach convince Finella she has a future with a farmer? Can he convince himself, knowing his family secrets will haunt their future?

My Review:

Stunning debut novel! Exquisite writing creates vivid pictures guaranteed to carry any reader away. Loved the 'exotic' setting (well Phillip Island is exotic to this Canadian.) So refreshing to read a historical romance set outside North America or England. That alone made me eager to read this story. And the beautiful cover begged me to keep her at the top of the TBR pile. She wasn't in my home long before a peek inside captured my fancy and sent me on a dramatic tilt-a-whirl reading frenzy.

Emotions exude from every page. Heart-rending, funny, romantic and sometimes devastating. There were times I forgot to breathe. Take one proud and stubborn farmer doing his best to eke out a living under harsh conditions. Add one displaced English bride-without-a-groom, Throw them together in remote circumstances and watch the sparks fly.

Major clashing of wills and hidden sorrows make the going rough but there are some beautifully tender moments as well. And a very romantic muddy romp that made me giddy. Adamek captures it all -- the witty banter and blistering arguments. The nursing of hurt feelings. The fragile hope that comes from an unexpected act of kindness. I laughed and swooned and cried bitterly before I reached the end of this blissfully captivating read.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of  Carry Me Home please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you post a comment and add your email address, please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in the address to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so that it's easy for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday January 24 2016 . Offer open to international readers. Good luck!