Review of A Lady Like Sarah
January 22, 2010
This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
A Lady Like Sarah
Thomas Nelson; Original edition (December 22, 2009)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Thrills, mystery, suspense, romance: Margaret penned it all. Nothing wrong with this, except Margaret happened to be writing for the church newsletter. After making the church picnic read like a Grisham novel, her former pastor took her aside and said, “Maybe God’s calling you to write fiction.”
It turns out God was and Margaret did. She now has more than 20 novels to her credit. In addition, she’s written many Christian articles and a non-fiction book. Still, it took a lot of prodding from God before Margaret tried her hand at writing inspirational fiction which led to her Rocky Creek series. “I love writing about characters at different stages of faith,” she says of the new direction her writing career has taken, “and I’m here to stay.”
Happily married to her real-life hero, Margaret and her husband live in Southern California.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Sarah Prescott has never known a respectable life; just a hardscrabble childhood and brothers who taught her to shoot straight.
Justin Wells left Boston in disgrace, heading out alone on the dusty trail to Texas. But when the once-respected clergyman encounters a feisty redhead in handcuffs with a dying US Marshall at her side, their journey takes a dramatic turn.
His high society expectations and Sarah’s outlaw habits clash from the start. With a price on her head and a sweet orphan in tow, Justin and Sarah make the difficult journey toward Rocky Creek. There justice will be meted out hopefully with a portion of grace.
If you would like to read the first chapter of A Lady Like Sarah, go HERE
Sally Says: A Lady Like Sarah has everything fans of historical romance and westerns could ask for. There’s a family of outlaws, a rough Texas town, and a dusty journey through the Wild West. While Sarah is very much what I expected, Justin was not. He’s from cultured, civilized Boston and is very much out of his element.
I decided to read the book because I wondered how things would work evolve between a pastor and an outlaw. How was that romance going to work out, you know? And while the two were as opposite as, welll, a pastor and an outlaw, the romance between them was believable and fun.
There were some episodic moments during the story, a few things that felt a bit cliche thrown in, but I think that the target audience for this book will enjoy the story anyway. If you love genre or historical romance and find the Old West fascinating, then buy this book. You’ll enjoy Justin and Sarah’s journey.
The Silent Governess, Reviewed
January 6, 2010
This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
The Silent Governess
Bethany House; Original edition (January 1, 2010)
by
Julie Klassen
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Julie says: My background is in advertising and marketing, but I am blessed with a dream job—working as an editor of Christian fiction. I have been writing since childhood, but Lady of Milkweed Manor was my first novel. It was a finalist for a Christy Award and won second place in the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Awards. My second novel, The Apothecary’s Daughter, was a finalist in the ACFW Book of the Year awards. I am currently writing one novel a year.
I graduated from the University of Illinois and enjoy travel, research, BBC period dramas, long hikes, short naps, and coffee with friends.
My husband and I have two sons and live near St. Paul, Minnesota.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Olivia Keene is fleeing her own secret. She never intended to overhear his.
But now that she has, what is Lord Bradley to do with her? He cannot let her go, for were the truth to get out, he would lose everything–his reputation, his inheritance, his very home.
He gives Miss Keene little choice but to accept a post at Brightwell Court, where he can make certain she does not spread what she heard. Keeping an eye on the young woman as she cares for the children, he finds himself drawn to her, even as he struggles against the growing attraction. The clever Miss Keene is definitely hiding something.
Moving, mysterious, and romantic, The Silent Governess takes readers inside the intriguing life of a nineteenth-century governess in an English manor house where all is not as it appears.
If you would like to read the prologue and first chapter of The Silent Governess, go HERE. You can also sign up as a Follower when you get to that page, and get announcements of the first chapters for all the great books we tour!
Sally Says: The Silent Governess is the second book by Julie Klassen that I’ve read, and I found the story as intriguing as it claimed.
The book begins with Olivia Keene fleeing her home after her involvement in a domestic dispute. The first several chapters of the book left me extremely thankful to be a woman living today instead of in the Regency period — over and over Olivia had no rights, no ability to stand up and protect herself, and that led to her being forced into a position in Lord Bradley’s home with him even demanding that she pretend to be a mute to ensure she wouldn’t give away his secret.
I love a really good, thick novel, and The Silent Governess delivers. It’s a relaxing, enjoyable romance with plenty of secrets and intrigue that kept me guessing (and guessing incorrectly) up to the end. Fans of historical fiction and Regencies will enjoy the book, but I think the book will appeal to an even broader audience than that. The Silent Governess is a perfect book to spend a snowed-in winter weekend with.