Friday, November 29, 2013

Carolina Gold by Dorothy Love

I picked up this book because it was set near where I lived and that appealed to me.  I enjoyed the story even though I felt like it was moving a little slow at times.  I recognized many of the street names in Charleston and am familiar with where Georgetown and Pawley's Island are, even though I've never been to Pawley's Island before.  I've visited the plantations here in Charleston and have seen how they grew rice during that time.  I definitely could picture that in my head while reading the story as well as what it must have been like to live then.

Here is the summary from the author's website:

The war is over, but her struggle is just beginning.

Charlotte Fraser returns to her late father’s once-flourishing rice plantation on the Waccamaw River, determined to continue growing the special kind of rice known as Carolina Gold. But Fairhaven Plantation is in ruins, the bondsmen are free, and money is scarce.

To make ends meet, Charlotte reluctantly accepts a position as tutor to the young daughters of Nicholas Betancourt, heir to the neighboring Willowood Plantation. Then Nick’s quest to prove his ownership of Willowood sends Charlotte on a dangerous journey that reveals an old family mystery—and threatens all that she holds dear.

Inspired by the life of a 19th century woman rice planter, CAROLINA GOLD continues Dorothy Love’s winning tradition of weaving together mystery, romance, and rich historical detail, bringing to life the story of one young woman’s struggle to restore her ruined world.

I received this book for free from NetGalley.  I was not required to write a positive review for receiving this book.

This book is expected to be published on December 10, 2013.

Dorothy Love's Site

Below is a picture of a rice field at Middleton Place I took this past summer.


This is a picture of Drayton Hall.  One of only a few plantation homes that survived the civil war.  It is being preserved so you can go in and get an authentic feel for how they lived back then.


Thursday, November 14, 2013

Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay

I saw this book and thought it would be a fun, interesting read. When I first started reading it, I wasn't to sure about it. The book is written in letter form to Mr. Knightley from Samantha Moore. In each letter, she talks about what is going on in her life. This confused me at first but once I was used to the writing style, I enjoyed the story. If you like Jane Austen and similar books, this book is filled with references that you will understand.

The author is hosting a facebook giveaway November 14-December 3 for a chance to win a kindle HDX and an Austen-themed prize pack. Enter here if you want to enter.

Here is the excerpt from the author's goodreads page:

Dear Mr. Knightley is a contemporary epistolary novel with a delightful dash of Jane Austen.

Samantha Moore survived years of darkness in the foster care system by hiding behind her favorite characters in literature, even adopting their very words. Her fictional friends give her an identity, albeit a borrowed one. But most importantly, they protect her from revealing her true self and encountering more pain.

After college, Samantha receives an extraordinary opportunity. The anonymous “Mr. Knightley” offers her a full scholarship to earn her graduate degree at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. The sole condition is that Sam write to Mr. Knightley regularly to keep him apprised of her progress.

As Sam’s true identity begins to reveal itself through her letters, her heart begins to soften to those around her—a damaged teenager and fellow inhabitant of Grace House, her classmates at Medill, and, most powerfully, successful novelist Alex Powell. But just as Sam finally begins to trust, she learns that Alex has secrets of his own—secrets that, for better or for worse, make it impossible for Sam to hide behind either her characters or her letters.

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Invention of Sarah Cummings by Olivia Newport

This is the third book in the Avenue of Dreams trilogy.  I have not read the first two but they focus on characters who are secondary in this story.  I enjoyed reading this book and was pleasantly surprised at the story.  I was a little hesitant at first but once I started reading, I enjoyed it.  Eventually, I hope to be able to go back and read the first two books in this series to read about those characters.

Here is the book information from the author's site:

Sarah Cummings has one goal in life-to break into Chicago’s high society. Desperate to stop serving dinner and to start eating at society tables, Sarah alters cast-off gowns from the wealthy Banning women to create lustrous, flattering dresses of her own. On a whim at a chance meeting, she presents herself as Serena Cuthbert, weaving a fictitious past to go with her fictitious name. But as she gets closer to Simon Tewell, the director of St. Andrew’s Orphanage, Sarah finds that she must choose between the life she has and the life she dreams of. Will she sacrifice love to continue her pretense? Or can Simon show her that sometimes you don’t have to pretend for dreams to come true?

I received this book for free from NetGalley.  I was not required to write a positive review for receiving this book.

Olivia Newport's Site

Friday, November 1, 2013

The Alaska Brides Collection by Various

I loved these stories.  I had read a few of them in a previous book.  The first three centered around siblings.  I enjoyed getting to know the Rafferty family in those stories.  The other two were not related to the first three except for the fact that they were set in Alaska.  Each of the stories were a little longer to read than most other stories in these type of Collection books.

I received this book for free from NetGalley.  I was not required to write a positive review for receiving this book.

This book is expected to be released on December 1, 2013.

Mississippi Brides by Diane T. Ashley and Aaron McCarver

The first story centers on Alexandra.  She is devastated by a scandal surrounding her father's death.  She and her mother move to Natchez to live with relatives.  Jeremiah is working for his uncle's shipping company.  He escorts a friend back to his plantation in Natchez. He has radical ideas about things on the plantation and how to accomplish them.  He has faith in God that that he will guide him correctly.  Alexandra is stuck in her family's beliefs on how she should live her life.  She has to learn to rely on God before she can find the love that is in front of her.  The second story focuses on Abigail, the daughter of Alexandra and Jeremiah.  She is extremely independent and wants to remain single so that she does not have to submit to any man.  Nathan becomes a preacher in order to atone for an incident in his past. He has let his past guide his future and blind him.  Abigail and Nathan are drawn to each other but let their own views get in the way.  Until Nathan can truly understand God and his love and Abigail can let go of being independent, they will have a hard time opening themselves up to the love in front of them.  The final story is about Abigail and Nathan's daughter, Caroline.  She and her family travel to Vicksburg so that her father can preach for a week.  While there, Caroline attracts the attention of Luke, a commanding officer in the confederate army.  He is on furlough visiting with his grandmother, who wants to see him wed.  Caroline and Luke quickly fall in love and get married.    However, the both quickly realize that the other person is not quite the person they thought.  They both have to turn to God before their marriage can be in harmony.

I enjoyed all three stories.  I liked being able to follow the family from one generation to the next.  The stories weren't extremely long so they made for a quick read.

I received this book for free from NetGalley.  I was not required to write a positive review for receiving this book.

This book is expected to be released on December 1, 2013.

Matchmaker Weddings by Annalisa Daughety and Kim O'Brien

The first story is about Millie Hogan.  She helps in her mom's cafe and is constantly breaking hearts.  Her mother is constantly trying to set her up on blind dates even though she doesn't want to go.  Her mom once again sets her up on a blind date with David.  Millie reluctantly agrees to go if her mother will promise to stop the matchmaking.  What ends up happening is Millie and David agree to having a pretend dating relationship in order to keep their family and friends from bothering them.  This causes lots of complications and ends up bringing the past to the forefront.  The characters definitely learn to trust, forgive and to let the past go.

The second story in this book centers around Violet.  She is a lawyer in her father's firm until the day comes when her sister's boyfriend is made partner and they announce their engagement.  She realizes that she isn't happy there and resigns to open her own bakery.  In the meantime, she has to find a date for her sister's wedding.  Jackson is looking for a date for his high school homecoming where he is being honored.  They both sign up for a matchmaker and get matched with each other.  The problem is that they already know each other from college and Violet wants nothing to do with him.  She has to deal with the anger she has towards him as well as the resentment she has towards her sister.

I enjoyed both of these stories.  They both are contemporary fiction which I enjoy almost as much as historical fiction.

I received this book for free from NetGalley.  I was not required to write a positive review for receiving this book.

This book is expected to be released on December 1, 2013.