My Thoughts and More on Dueling Hearts by Vickie McDonough

 

About the Book

Book: Dueling Hearts

Author: Vickie McDonough

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: November 11, 2025

She blames him for her brother’s death, and he’s determined to make amends. But as family secrets and forbidden longing pull them closer, they must choose between pride and the chance to heal.

Carina Zimmer has spent years hating the Bishops for destroying her family. Now managing Tanglewood Plantation and caring for her bedridden father, she wants nothing to do with Reed Bishop—the man who killed her brother. But when Reed returns from medical school and begins treating the injured and vulnerable, Carina can’t ignore the compassion behind his actions or the growing pull between them.

Reed Bishop came home to start a medical practice and make amends for past mistakes. But when he treats an injured slave at a neighboring plantation, he comes face-to-face with Carina Zimmer—the sister of the man he believes he killed in a duel years ago. He never expected to fall for the fiery woman struggling to keep her family’s plantation alive. Yet every encounter with Carina challenges his guilt and deepens his desire to earn her trust.

As secrets surface and loyalties are tested, Carina and Reed must decide if love is worth risking everything—even the legacy of those they’ve sworn to honor.

 

Click here to get your copy!

My Thoughts:

This was an enemy to lover's story taking place in the South in a time before the Civil War. Two plantation families blaming, dueling, keeping secrets, and finally loving one another. Though, it was a hard-fought love, Reed and Carina eventually come around to one another. 

Carina was a steadfast and stubborn woman who took her family's pride seriously. Though why she felt she should with the kind of father she had, I can only guess it is because of the fact that he is her father. Other than that, I do not think she would have withstood his abuse. However, all of her anger and bitterness was directed at Reed Bishop. She could handle Reed's mother, just not him.

Reed has come back from Scotland as a doctor. He only wants to help others and the duel between Carina's late brother and himself haunts him. But he cannot get Carina out of his mind. She also haunts him for other reasons. She is hard to handle and yet he is drawn to her and is actually falling for her.

Big secrets get revealed that rock both of their worlds and as they find themselves irrevocably drawn to one another, they have many trials to fight through to get to happily ever after.

I was provided a copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review, and all views and opinions are my own.

About the Author

Vickie McDonough is the CBA, EPCA and Amazon best-selling author of 54 books and novellas. Vickie grew up wanting to marry a rancher, but instead, she married a computer geek who is scared of horses. She now lives out her dreams penning romance stories about ranchers, cowboys, lawmen, and others living in the Old West. Vickie’s books have won numerous awards including the Booksellers Best, OWFI Best Fiction Novel Award, the Inspirational Readers’ Choice awards. When she’s not writing, Vickie enjoys reading, making cards, gardening, and traveling.

 

 

More from Vickie

While I was researching ideas for Dueling Hearts, my third book in the Windswept Weddings series, I stumble across some information about dueling in America. I hadn’t read a Christian book that had characters who were in a duel, so I thought that would be an interesting premise. Reed Bishop, my hero in Dueling Hearts, is the grandson of Cooper Reed from Secrets of the Heart. He finds himself forced into a duel on the eve of his leaving for Scotland to become a doctor. I’ll let you read the book to find out what happens.

Dueling in the United States had mostly been outlawed by 1850. The Broderick-Terry duel, fought in California in 1859, is often considered the last notable duel in the United States. U.S. Senator David Broderick and California Supreme Court Chief Justice David S. Terry engaged in a pistol duel near Lake Merced, resulting in Broderick’s death. Sadly, the two were once friends.

Here’s what Dueling Hearts is about:

She blames him for her brother’s death, and he’s determined to make amends. But as family secrets and forbidden longing pull them closer, they must choose between pride and the chance to heal.

Carina Zimmer has spent years hating the Bishops for destroying her family. Now managing Tanglewood Plantation and caring for her bedridden father, she wants nothing to do with Reed Bishop—the man who killed her brother. But when Reed returns from medical school a more mature man and begins treating the injured and vulnerable, Carina can’t ignore the compassion behind his actions or the growing pull between them.

Reed Bishop came home to start a medical practice and make amends for past mistakes. But when he treats an injured slave at a neighboring plantation, he comes face-to-face with Carina Zimmer—the sister of the man he killed in a duel years ago. He never expected to fall for the fiery woman struggling to keep her family’s plantation alive. Yet every encounter with Carina challenges his guilt and deepens his desire to earn her trust.

As secrets surface and loyalties are tested, Carina and Reed must decide if love is worth risking everything—even the legacy of those they’ve sworn to honor

Blog Stops

Pens Pages & Pulses, November 18

Holly’s Book Corner, November 18

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 19

Simple Harvest Reads, November 20 (Guest Review from Marilyn)

Texas Book-aholic, November 21

Lyssa Loves Books, November 21

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 22

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, November 23

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 24

Book Holds and Jello Molds, November 24

For Him and My Family, November 25

Devoted To Hope, November 26

Stories By Gina, November 27 (Author Interview)

Books Less Travelled, November 28

Cover Lover Book Review, November 29

The Mommies Reviews, November 29

Locks, Hooks and Books, November 30

Artistic Nobody, December 1 (Guest Review from Donna)

Pause for Tales, December 1

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Vickie is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/3dc73/dueling-hearts-celebration-tour-giveaway

My Thoughts and More on Shilo by Jennifer Lynn Cary

 

 

About the Book

Book: Shilo: A Sweet, Quirky, Romantic Muddle (The Weather Girls Wedding Shoppe and Venue: Book 7)

Author: Jennifer Lynn Cary

Genre: Sweet Romantic Comedy

Release Date: May 1, 2025

From Breck Girl to Hippie to Jesus People…

…It’s been a long journey back home

But can her heart truly find peace where it all began?

When free-spirit Shilo Anderson inherits two million dollars with an unexpected condition—marriage—she refuses to be bound by her grandfather’s will. Until her beloved aunt faces cancer with no insurance to cover chemotherapy.

She won’t marry for money for herself, but to save her aunt’s life? She’ll make that sacrifice in a heartbeat.

Maybe.

Jesse Franklin never forgot his first love. When her grandfather’s will brings Shilo back to their hometown, he discovers his love for her has only deepened with time. Offering to marry her to help save her aunt, no problem.

Keeping it a marriage of convenience, that might be a problem. More like impossible.

As their feelings grow stronger, Shilo faces her greatest fear: revealing the truth about her past decade. Can she make Jesse see she doesn’t belong on anyone’s pedestal?

Return to 1973 Kokomo, Indiana, where faith shapes the journey and the legend of the cardinal in the sycamore still proves true love endures all seasons.

You will enjoy this sweet, quirky tale of second chances, because sometimes the rough patches prepare us for the wildly wonderful.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Historical Christian Romance author and three-time Selah Award nominee, Jennifer Lynn Cary, likes to say you can take the girl out of Indiana, but you can’t take the Hoosier out of the girl. Now transplanted to the Arizona desert, this direct descendant of Davy Crockett and her husband of forty-plus years enjoy time with family where she shares tales of her small-town heritage and family legacies with their grandchildren. She is the author of The Crockett Chronicles series, The Relentless series, and The Weather Girls trilogy, as well as the stand-alone novel, Cheryl’s Going Home, her novella Tales of the Hob Nob Annex Café, and her split-time novels The Traveling Prayer Shawl and The Forgotten Gratitude Journal. Her current spin-off series, The Weather Girls Wedding Shoppe and Venue, contains standalones with a common thread.

My Thoughts:

I think this is my favorite yet of the series. This is Shilo and Jesse's story, of their once upon a time friendship, and now their marriage of convenience. Shilo is traveling from California to Kokomo, Indiana. She is taking it slow as the song goes. However, she is finally there and is a very thankful and faith filled person. What she finds back at her hometown is more than she bargained for, though. A rather large inheritance, a sick aunt, and a marriage with the man she has secretly loved for years.

Jesse, now a lawyer at his grandfather's firm, also has loved Shilo for years. However, she seemingly disappeared from his life with no word. Now she is back and this is his chance to have her for his wife and make his every dream come true.

But what happens when the truth comes out. When all the secrets are revealed. Especially with what happened to Shilo all those years ago? Can Shilo's faith be big enough to see them through, or does Jesse need a faith of his own? This was a great story, full of heartwarming love and an emotional punch. I can't wait for more in this series.

I was provided a copy of this novel by the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review, and all views and opinions are my own.

More from Jennifer

The story for Shilo has been fermenting in my brain for a long time. I had always loved Neil Diamond’s song of the same title and could see his characters playing out their parts and thought what would happen if the girl came back after ten years?

However, what I didn’t catch was that Shilo in the song was a boy, an imaginary boy who’d been a friend to a lonely boy.

In my brain, I missed the importance of him turning to his only friend in his mind.

Instead, I had a little girl moving in next door—she was Shilo—and they went from being friends to first loves, but something called her away and though he understood, he called her name like before hoping she’d return.

Okay, so not what Neil Diamond had in mind, but it became Jesse’s back story.

Then I had to ask, what was so important that she had to leave? That’s when I remembered Breck Girls. Do you remember them?

There was a time as a child that I thought one of the Breck Girls on the back of a magazine was so beautiful, I said, “She’s prettier than Mom.”

I was quickly (verbally) chastised by my dad who made sure to inform me that no one was prettier than my mom. I never thought of it as an insult. My mom was the high standard for beauty, and for someone to be even prettier, they were definitely a looker. However, I learned to keep those types of opinions to myself if my Dad was around. Mom understood and didn’t take offense—in fact, as I meant it, she thought it was a compliment that I found her so pretty.

All that to say that Breck Girls were a part of my growing up years, into the seventies. I wondered how Breck Girls were chosen, and if Shilo could/should be one. I learned there’s even an exhibit at the Smithsonian dedicated to Breck Girls and those lovely pastel portraits.

So, when (my) Shilo told Jesse she had to go before he could tell her that he loved her, it was because she’d been chosen to be a Breck Girl. Now I had a framework to start building the story.

I hope that when you read Shilo: A Sweet, Quirky, Romantic Muddle, you will be transported back to 1973 with many of your own memories.

Abundant blessings,

Jenny

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, November 15

The Important Things in Life: God, Books, & Chocolate , November 15

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 16

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, November 17

A Reader’s Brain, November 18 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, November 19

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, November 20 (Author Interview)

For Him and My Family, November 21

Books Less Travelled, November 22 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 23

Mary Hake, November 24

The Mommies Reviews, November 24

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 25

Roads to Everywhere, November 26

Fiction Book Lover, November 27 (Author Interview)

Pause for Tales, November 28

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Jennifer is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card and an eBook copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/3d5a5/shilo-celebration-tour-giveaway

My Thoughts on Echoes of a Silent Song

 

About:

When a choral composer and conductor falls victim to creative block, he resorts to his fallback plan of teaching high school choir. Callum Knight’s goal at Peterson High is simple: rediscover his muse, extract himself from teaching, and get back to Boston as quickly as possible.

As the long-suffering accompanist at the high school, Peterson-native Blair Emerson has watched the revolving door of choir directors and their negative impact on her choirs over the last few years. She is less than impressed when a disheveled Callum stumbles in on his first day.

But then they discover an unsigned, unfinished, and handwritten choral composition by a clear musical genius. Blair recalls rumors of Iris, a Peterson student from the 1970s who composed music but was found dead during her senior year. Blair and Callum work to determine if the piece is hers, and the truth they uncover shakes both of them to the core.

With rhythm and flair, Amanda Wen takes readers on an unexpected journey into the depths of a small town’s history in this riveting first book in the Melodies and Memories duology.

My Thoughts:

It has been a little bit since I have read an author Wen novel, and this one was something else. First off, music is like a foreign language to me. I can't read it or make it, but I certainly do enjoy listening to it. It is a beautiful art form that is described so well in this story that I could almost hear it. Especially as this story speeds up and hits that ever-important climax.

This is a duology and both stories are connected to one another. Blair and Callum are two people who are forced to work together and do not exactly get along from the get-go. Callum sees his time as a teacher as only a place holder till he can get his creative juices flowing again. Blair on the other hand is dedicated to her job and these students and hates that Callum is only a stand in, nor does he seem to care. He is also very grumpy; she is very prickly. However, when Callum realizes that Blair just might be his muse that gets his music making going, their hidden passions for one another knocks out their animosity towards each other. I enjoyed watching their love story progress.

This is also a bittersweet mystery of a young student composer, Iris, who was said to have committed suicide in her senior year. We get inside of her head and hear her story and what was actually happening. Her story was very raw and at times painful and eye opening as well.

This was a riveting story of hurting people finding not only love again, but also the truth of the past.

I was provided a copy of this novel by the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review, and all views and opinions are my own.

My Thoughts and More on Maggie and the Maverick by Erica Vetsch

 

About the Book

Book: Maggie and the Maverick

Author: Erica Vetsch

Genre: Christian Historical  Romance

Release Date: October 13, 2025

A jaded lady marshal and a stage driver with a past—bound by duty, tested by lies, and drawn to a love that could change everything.

A wary lady marshal and a reformed stage driver—entangled by secrets, shadowed by danger, and tempted by a love neither dared to trust.

U.S. Marshal Maggie Davis has learned the hard way not to trust men with charming smiles and winning ways. Her reticence makes her the perfect undercover investigator for a string of daring stage robberies. When the case leads her to stay with a local family, she finds herself drawn to Cal McConnell, the handsome stage driver who could either be her greatest ally or her prime suspect.

Cal has worked hard to put his wild past behind him and build an honest life as a stage driver. When a mysterious new lady comes to town selling ladies’ garments, he’s instantly captivated by her beauty and fierce independence. But as stage robberies escalate and murder enters the picture, Cal must decide if he can trust this woman who seems determined to keep him at arm’s length—even as his heart tells him she could be the one.

When the line between truth and deception blurs, will they cling to caution—or risk everything for something real?

 

Click here to get your copy!

My Thoughts:

I have really been enjoying this series, and in this book, we get Cal's story, he is the younger brother of the McConnell boys. He happens to meet up with an undercover U.S. Marshall, Maggie Davis. Only he doesn't know she is a Marshall. She keeps it from him and so does those who know as they are trying to find out who is the insider giving the stagecoach robbers intel on the gold and money shipments. 

Maggie has been hurt by unscrupulous men in the past, so her guard is up when it comes to Cal and his smooth-talking ways. However, the more she gets to know him, the more she falls for him despite what she has promised herself.

Danger and romance collide in this fun western tale of true love and high stakes. I enjoyed Maggie and Cal's romance and that ending was icing on the cake.

I was provided a copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review, and all views and opinions are my own.

About the Author

Best-selling, award-winning author of The Debutante’s Code, first in the Thorndike & Swann Regency Mystery Series, Erica Vetsch loves Jesus, history, romance, and sports. When she’s not writing fiction, she’s planning her next trip to a history museum.

 

 

 

 

More from Erica

Did you ever watch the movie Stagecoach? The movie that launched John Wayne’s career? My father introduced me to the movie when I was young, and that sparked my interest in westward expansion, cowboys, and stagecoaches.

When I was a teen, I read a book called Six Horse Hitch, by author Janice Holt Giles. In the book, she goes into all the details of stagecoach driving, stations across the west, the coaches, the passengers, the US mail delivery, and more. I was enthralled.

Stagecoach drivers (sometimes called Jehus) were a breed apart. Brave, resilient, and bold. Heroic.

Which meant, when I became an author, I wanted to create a hero who was a stagecoach driver. Enter Cal McConnell in Maggie and the Maverick. He’s the third of three sons, with a dry humor, and a bit of a jaded outlook on life.

Truthfully, I patterned him after Heath Barkley, a character on the 1960’s TV show, The Big Valley, played by Lee Majors. Even down to the light brown/dark blond hair and blue eyes.

One thing that is important when writing romance is to ensure that the heroine is worthy of the hero and vice versa. So I imagined what kind of a woman would be a great life partner for Cal. She would have to be spunky, smart, and compassionate.

Maggie Davis, an undercover agent, fit the bill. Her guise was that of a ladies’ unmentionables saleswoman, and that job leads to a memorable encounter upon meeting Cal for the first time.

I’m so thankful that Maggie and the Maverick is getting a new release out into the world through Wild Heart Books. I hope that you enjoy this rollicking western with a stage driving hero and undercover agent heroine.

Blog Stops

Devoted Steps, November 11

Pens Pages & Pulses, November 11

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 12

Lyssa Loves Books, November 12

Fiction Book Lover, November 13 (Guest Review from Marilyn Ridgway)

Texas Book-aholic, November 13

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 14

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, November 15

For Him and My Family, November 15

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 16

Devoted To Hope, November 16

Melissa’s Bookshelf, November 17

Artistic Nobody, November 17 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

She Lives To Read, November 18

lakesidelivingsite, November 18

Simple Harvest Reads, November 19 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)

Locks, Hooks and Books, November 19

Book Looks by Lisa, November 20

Life on Chickadee Lane, November 21

The Mommies Reviews, November 21

Cover Lover Book Review, November 22

Blossoms and Blessings, November 23

Holly’s Book Corner, November 23

Vicky Sluiter, November 24

Pause for Tales, November 24

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Erica is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/3d59d/maggie-and-the-maverick-celebration-tour-giveaway

My Thoughts and More on The Songbird and the Surveyor by Denise Farnsworth

 

About the Book

Book: The Songbird and the Surveyor

Author: Denise Farnsworth writing as Denise Weimer

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: November 3, 2025

A marriage of protection. A past full of pain. In Georgia’s wild gold country, love might strike when it’s least expected.

Genevieve Gillbard knows she’s no longer safe in the rough-and-tumble gold rush town when she overhears her controlling guardian’s plot to steal gold from a local mine owner. It takes every ounce of her courage to escape, and now she’ll do anything to keep herself safe, even accept a temporary marriage of convenience from a man who clearly wants nothing more than his independence.

After losing his first wife, surveyor Jesse Holden swore never to let anyone close enough to need him again. But when he discovers the woman he knows as the Songbird of Auraria injured and unconscious in the woods, he can’t abandon her, not with the memory of his failure to protect his wife hanging over him. He’ll keep this woman safe until she’s out of harm’s way, even if it means doing the one thing he swore he’d never do again.

As Genny recovers under Jesse’s care, she discovers he’s nothing like the manipulative men of her past. But can she trust him with her heart—knowing he plans to leave as soon as her guardian is brought to justice? And even then, she fears the sham marriage might not be enough to keep her safe from her guardian’s long reach.

 

Click here to get your copy!

My Thoughts:

A marriage of convenience or a marriage of protection? That is how Genny's and Jesse's marriage first start out. I found it interesting that two people who were trying so hard to hold onto their individual freedom, and this was a friction between them, would grow to rely on one another and eventually find love.

There was a bit of a dilemma tied up around singer Genny and her guardian. A guardian that had evil ambitions for himself and her. Not only that, but he had many secrets that he kept from her, and as she found them out knew she could only run from him. But as she ran for her freedom, she runs straight into the arms of Jesse Holden. A man that craves freedom more than she does.

This was an adventurous and danger filled romance that was quite good. Marriage of convenience stories are still my favorite, and I very much enjoy watching this couple fall in love in their forced proximity. I also liked how even though both had little faith, the seeds that were planted in their lives did flourish. Jesse needed a second chance and Genny needed a new start. 

I also found the mining for gold in Georgia interesting. I had to check back to see where the story was taking place as I thought it was Georgia, but then I thought we skipped to California. Nope, it was gold mining in Georgia, the land being taken away from the Cherokee and men winning lotteries to settle and mine for gold. This was something new to me, a bit of history I learned.

I was provided a copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review, and all views and opinions are my own. 

About the Author

North Georgia native Denise Farnsworth has authored around twenty traditionally published novels and a number of novellas—historical and contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and time slip. As a freelance editor and Acquisitions & Editorial Liaison for Wild Heart Books, she’s helped other authors reach their publishing dreams. A mother of two wonderful young adult daughters, Denise always pauses for coffee, chocolate, and old houses.

 

 

 

More from Denise

A Gold Rush…in Georgia?

Celebrate Lit Blog Post for The Songbird and the Surveyor by Denise Farnsworth

(writing as Denise Weimer)

 

Did you know there was a gold rush in Georgia that began twenty years before gold was discovered in California? That Georgia gold was purer than any found in the country? Comment below if you did. And I tip my hat to you. I come across many native Georgians who are unaware of this major event in their state’s history.

My first series, The Georgia Gold Series, touched on the Georgia Gold Rush. In the ten years since its release, I’ve written novels set between the Revolutionary War and contemporary times. (I also recently got married. Thus, the name change from Denise Weimer to Denise Farnsworth. I hope you’ll look for my future novels under my new name!) The period of the 1830s is one largely untouched in American history by fiction writers. I always knew I might revisit that decade in more detail. Thus, The Twenty-Niners of the Georgia Gold Rush was born.

Gold was first discovered by white men on Coker Creek in 1827, but it wasn’t until fall of 1828, when Benjamin Parks found a nugget as he returned from filling his cattle’s lick log west of the Chestatee River, that the mining industry exploded in North Georgia. The area was flooded by prospectors who clashed with the native Cherokee people. The land was soon taken from them and divvied up in a lottery of ninety-two districts, with farming plots set at a hundred and sixty acres and gold lots at forty acres. By June of 1832, almost six hundred surveyors from across Georgia were hard at work.

The gold belt stretched from Clarkesville to Canton (the setting of book two), with major concentrations near Dahlonega (the setting of book three). Auraria, located on the mountain ridge between the Etowah and Chestatee rivers, was one of the boom towns that lingered into the twentieth century, although now only a few abandoned buildings remain. Think Wild West before the west went wild. Into this setting I dropped the story of a guilt-haunted surveyor with a dangerous streak of wanderlust and an orphan who’s learned to sing for her life.

Genevieve Gillbard’s neglectful father has died and left her in the care of her guardian, a volatile saloon owner with unwholesome intentions. When she overhears a plot that implicates Charles Martin and one of his employees in a scheme to kidnap her and siphon off a local miner’s gold, Genevieve flees…right into the arms of another man she surely can’t trust.

Blaming himself for the death of his wife, Jesse Holden wants nothing less than being saddled with the wounded songbird he rescued from a drunken miner on his first trip to Auraria. But when he learns that Genny’s guardian is the same man responsible for his wife’s death, he agrees to shelter her to give his sheriff friend, also his former brother-in-law, time to entrap Charles. Neither of them expect to be forced into a marriage in name only—at least until Genny reaches her majority. Despite his efforts to hold his heart at bay, Jesse was raised by his minister-father to treat women right—something so new to Genny, it crumbles her walls. But will the emotional price of trusting Jesse prove higher than the risk to her physical safety?

Although set near raucous boom town of Auraria, The Songbird and the Surveyor is a story of quiet healing and second chances. Of rescues and God’s miraculous redirection. Of learning to spot the real among the counterfeit…and hold onto it for all you’re worth.

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 14

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 15

Blossoms and Blessings, November 15

Texas Book-aholic, November 16

lakesidelivingsite, November 17

For Him and My Family, November 18

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, November 19

Pause for Tales, November 19

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, November 20

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 21

Stories By Gina, November 22 (Author Interview)

Lyssa Loves Books, November 22

Devoted To Hope, November 23

Books You Can Feel Good About, November 24

Books Less Travelled, November 25

Holly’s Book Corner, November 26

The Mommies Reviews, November 26

Cover Lover Book Review, November 27

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Denise is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/3d5a4/the-songbird-and-the-surveyor-celebration-tour-giveaway

My Thoughts and More on Unending Hope by Cindy Kay Stewart

 

About the Book

Book: Unending Hope

Author: Cindy Kay Stewart

Genre: Historical Christian Romance

Release Date: July 29, 2025

As WWII expands across Europe, members of the Circle of Hope are drawn deeper into the struggle to survive in the face of overwhelming adversity.

April 1940. Nazi Germany carries out a devastating invasion, trapping Americans David Jensen and Natalie Thompson in Norway. Determined to use their medical skills to aid the Norwegians, David and Natalie embark on a harrowing journey to treat the injured and evade the Nazis.

Natalie, a dedicated Red Cross worker, values deep relationships. Fearful of settling for a shallow marriage, she broke off her engagement to David several years before. But she never stopped loving him and spending time working together in Norway plays havoc with her heart.

David, a charismatic and confidant doctor with the Red Cross, desires to advance his career and rekindle his relationship with Natalie. Even though she once rejected him, he believes she is the only woman for him. But years of keeping others at arms’ length guarantees that winning Natalie back will be the biggest challenge he’s ever faced.

The saga introduced in Abounding Hope continues in this inspiring second installment of courage and devotion.

Readers of Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale and Lee Jackson’s After Dunkirk series will love this book.

 

Click here to get your copy!

My Thoughts:

This is a WW2 story that takes place in Norway trapping two American Red Cross aid workers in that country. David and Natalie have both been sent oversees to help those in need with their medical skills. They both also have a history together as they were once engaged. Now their main focus is to make it out of the combat zone alive, and David wants to win Natalie back, and make her his wife.

This story is full of danger as the war is heating up. It takes place over only a couple of months, but it seems the characters have lived a lifetime for what they must go through. I liked that their faith played such a huge part in their lives, especially since they weren't sure if they would make it out of Norway alive. It also helped them to treat those that needed their help in such a highly stressful situation. 

This story is the second in a series, about a different couple, but together gives a bigger picture of the circumstances these couples are facing. If you like WW2 stories and want to know about what was going on in Norway during this time, this is great book to start with.

I was provided a copy of this novel by the author. I was not required to post a positive review, and all views and opinions are my own. 

About the Author

Cindy Kay Stewart, a retired high school social studies and special education teacher, writes stories of hope, steeped in love, and anchored in faith. Passionate about revealing God’s handiwork in history, Cindy loves to research until she uncovers hidden gems to share with her readers. She resides in North Georgia with her college sweetheart. Her daughter, son-in-law, and four adorable grandchildren live nearby.

 

 

 

More from Cindy

Those who love learning about bygone eras through fiction, will enjoy escaping to WWII Norway and France in Unending Hope, Book 2 in the Circle of Hope series. This novel follows the adventures of former boarding school classmates who vowed to come to each other’s aid in times of crisis, and WWII provides plenty of trouble for these diehard twenty-somethings to work through. Abounding Hope, Book 1 in the series, is a friends-to-lovers romance, and Unending Hope is a second-chance romance. The novels are sequential to the timeline of WWII.

As well as struggling to safely navigate their responsibilities, the major characters in both novels seek answers to their needs and problems, which can only be found by embarking on a spiritual journey that’s just as climactic as their physical adventures.

I love to research and dig up true stories I’ve never heard about or seen before and then share the most interesting ones through the lives of my characters. Bringing history to life is an adventure for me, and keeping my stories historically accurate is a goal I always strive to meet.

Blog Stops

Bizwings Blog, November 5

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 6

Texas Book-aholic, November 7

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 8

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 9

For Him and My Family, November 10

lakesidelivingsite, November 11

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, November 12

The Bookish Pilgrim, November 12

Connie’s history classroom , November 13

Stories By Gina, November 14 (Author Interview)

The Mommies Reviews, November 14

Books You Can Feel Good About, November 15

Holly’s Book Corner, November 16

Mary Hake, November 16

Cover Lover Book Review, November 17

Life on Chickadee Lane, November 17

Pause for Tales, November 18

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Cindy is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon Gift Card and a copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/3d00b/unending-hope-celebration-tour-giveaway

My Thoughts and More on A Lesson in Love by Linda Shenton Matchett

 

About the Book

Book: A Lesson in Love

Author: Linda Shenton Matchett

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: July 8, 2025

He thinks he’s too old. She thinks she’s too young. Can these teachers learn that love defies all boundaries?

Born and raised in London, Isobel Turvine knows nothing about farming, but after most of the students in her school evacuate during Operation Pied Piper, she’s left with little to do. Then her friend Margery talks her into joining the Women’s Land Army, and she finds herself working the land at a manor home in Yorkshire that’s been converted to a boys’ school. A teacher at heart, she is drawn to the lads, but the handsome yet stiff-necked headmaster wants her to stick to farming.

Left with an arm that barely works from the last “war to end all wars,” Gavin Emerson agrees to take on the job of headmaster when his school moves from London to Yorkshire, but he’s saddled with the quirky manor owner, bickering among his teachers, and a gaggle of Land Army girls who have turned the grounds into a farm. When the group’s blue-eyed, raven-haired leader nearly runs him down in a car, he admonishes her to stay in the fields, but they are thrown together at every turn. Can he trust her not to break his heart?

 

Click here to get your copy!

My Thoughts:

The war is changing so many peoples plans and futures. Children are being shipped off to the country to keep them safe and young men are being shipped off to the battlefields. The country still has to eat and be taken care of. That is what this historical is about. It gives us a glimpse into the home war efforts and how large estates and farms, with women workers, kept Great Britain fed.

Isobel Turvine is a teacher not a farmer. However, with no students and needing a job, she signs up with the Women's Land Army, and she will learn a lot. She and the other women will be sharing an estate with a private boy's school who also has been relocated. This is where the headmaster, Gavin Emerson steps in.

Gavin was a soldier in WW1, which left him with a severe injury to his arm. But he is willing to do his part as headmaster, and he takes keeping these boys in check seriously. What he didn't count on was meeting Isobel, the very first time she nearly ran him over with a tractor. Love can bloom even in hard times.

I found this historical interesting as it looked at a different part of WW2. The people who still had to live and keep the country going even while the war was going on around them and taking their loved ones to fight. Very interesting.

I was provided a copy of this novel from the author. I was not required to post a positive review, and all views and opinions are my own. 

About the Author

Linda Shenton Matchett writes happily-ever-after historical Christian fiction about second chances and women who overcome life’s challenges to be better versions of themselves.

A native of Baltimore, Maryland, she was born a stone’s throw from Fort McHenry (of Star-Spangled Banner fame) and has lived in historical places all her life. She is a volunteer docent and archivist at the Wright Museum of WWII and a former trustee for her local public library. She now lives in central New Hampshire where she explores the history of this great state and immerses herself in the imaginary worlds created by other authors.

 

More from Linda

The Women’s Land Army was originally formed in 1917, during The Great War to help Britain with its food production. After the men returned home, the group was disbanded. Once again at war in 1939, the WLA was reestablished, and over the course of the conflict, more than 200,000 women served all over the United Kingdom. Many came from cities and towns and knew very little about working on a farm. Most had to be taught how to drive, milk cows, collect eggs, sow, and reap the harvest in addition to the many other tasks associated with farms.

Among the largest crops to be produced were potatoes. They were cheap, and several varieties matured quickly providing food to citizens, troops, and refugees. Rationing was a necessary part of wartime life to ensure everyone had enough to eat. The government issued pamphlets and cookbooks with easy-to-follow recipes made with readily available food (tinned and fresh).

Lord Woolton Pie, a vegetarian potpie named after the Minister of Food, is one of those recipes. By all reports it was not well-received, however, I’ve made it on several occasions and find it quite tasty.

Pie

1lb cauliflower
1lb rutabaga (I use parsnips)
1lb carrots
1lb potatoes
Bunch of spring onions chopped
2 teaspoons of Marmite (yeast extract – or you can use a stock cube)
Tablespoon of rolled oats
Salt and pepper to taste once cooked.
Parsley (fresh or dried)

Pastry

8oz wholemeal/wholewheat flour
4oz mashed potato
3oz margarine or lard
2 tsp of baking powder
couple large pinches of salt
Dash of water if needed.

Procedure

• Chop up the vegetables into chunks with those that take longest to cook into smaller pieces.
• Place in pot and bring to simmer with just enough water to reach 3/4 of the way up the veg in the pot.
• Add in Marmite and rolled oats, salt and pepper and cook until tender and most of the water has been absorbed.
• Place mixture in deep pie dish and sprinkle with fresh parsley (or add dry parsley to mixture and mix in)
• Make the pastry by mixing the flour with the baking powder and salt and then rubbing in the margarine.
• Mix the mashed potato in to form a dough and knead (add a little water to the mixture if too dry)
• Roll out to form pie crust and place on top and decorate then brush with milk.
• Place in oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or so until top is form and browned.

Photo credits:

Newspaper recipe: Bromley & District Times, February 1941

Lord Woolton Pie: By autumnroseuk – Woolton pie, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46161211

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, November 4

She Lives to Read, November 5

Simple Harvest Reads, November 6 (Author Interview)

Patti Wolf – Scribbling Spiritual Sand, November 6

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 7

Texas Book-aholic, November 8

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 9

Guild Master, November 10 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 11

For Him and My Family, November 12

Pause for Tales, November 13

Mary Hake, November 14

Fiction Book Lover, November 15 (Author Interview)

The Mommies Reviews, November 15

Life on Chickadee Lane, November 16

Leslie’s Library Escape, November 17

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Linda is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Visa Gift Card & copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/3d001/a-lesson-in-love-celebration-tour-giveaway