Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

Fiction

Jewel of the Old West: Review of All in Good Time by Maureen Lang

I can’t resist a historical romance set in the Old West, and Maureen Lang’s latest, All in Good Time, set in 1880s Denver, Colorado, doesn’t disappoint. all in good time cover (Also I really love the cover. She means business!)

Dessa Caldwell is on a mission to open a home for women who want to leave a life of prostitution behind. To fulfill her dream, she needs a bank to approve her loan application, and so far, no bank will take a chance on a charitable organization’s success. Hawkins National Bank is her final hope for a loan. An initial meeting with bank clerk Tobias Ridgeway gives Dessa hope that her loan might be approved, but it’s the bank’s owner Henry Hawkins who must give final approval.

Hawkins is skeptical about Dessa’s potential for success but he’s drawn to her passion to live and work in the city’s roughest neighborhood. As their paths continue to cross, both Dessa and Henry must decide if the secrets they are keeping about their respective pasts will keep them from their futures.

This was my first read from Lang, and I was most interested in the main character’s ministry to women leaving prostitution. The story developed a little more slowly than I usually like, and I had almost no interest in Henry Hawkins at the beginning. He’s a recluse because of the secret he keeps and comes off older than he is. I couldn’t picture him as the hero or love interest in this story, especially since I liked Dessa so much. She’s a strong woman with drive and determination, as well as a compassionate spirit.

But as the story progressed, I grew to like the direction it was heading, although the pace never did accelerate. But that doesn’t mean it was a boring book. Far from it. I’ve heard good things about Lang, and I have another of her books awaiting me in my to-read pile. I wouldn’t say this was the best book I’ve ever read, but I liked it enough to read more from this author in the future.

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In exchange for my review, I received a copy of All in Good Time from Tyndale House Publishers.

 

For when you need a Downton Abbey style fix: Review of The Heiress of Winterwood by Sarah Ladd

I won’t lie: I’m having Downton Abbey withdrawal.

Which makes great timing for the release of Sarah Ladd’s debut novel, The Heiress of Winterwood. Heiress-of-Winterwood-e1358525232377

Ladd’s novel takes place a century earlier than the Downton series but it had the same ability to sweep me away to another time and place.

Here’s the gist of the story:

Darbury, England, 1814
Amelia Barrett gave her word. Keeping it could cost her everything.
Amelia Barrett, heiress to an estate nestled in the English moors, defies family expectations and promises to raise her dying friend’s baby. She’ll risk everything to keep her word-even to the point of proposing to the child’s father-a sea captain she’s never met.
When the child vanishes with little more than an ominous ransom note hinting at her whereabouts, Amelia and Graham are driven to test the boundaries of their love for this little one.
Amelia’s detailed plans would normally see her through any trial, but now, desperate and shaken, she’s forced to examine her soul and face her one weakness: pride.
Graham’s strength and self-control have served him well and earned him much respect, but chasing perfection has kept him a prisoner of his own discipline. And away from the family he has sworn to love and protect.
Both must learn to have faith and relinquish control so they can embrace the future ahead of them.

I loved the love and loyalty Amelia Barrett displayed in keeping her friend’s promise and raising a baby that wasn’t her own. She was willing to risk everything–her inheritance, her reputation, her engagement, her family–to keep the child. It’s a position few of us would have the guts to take, and I admired her boldness at proposing marriage to a man she’d never met for the benefit of his daughter.

Ladd creates a believable conflict between the characters and provides enough suspense at just the right time to keep the pages turning. My only regret when I read these sorts of stories is that they’re over too soon because I couldn’t put them down.

There were a couple of scenes from Captain Sterling’s point of view that I found unrealistic. I doubted a sea captain would notice the fabric of the drapes or the style of clothes a lady was wearing. But it was a minor hiccup and didn’t stop me from enjoying the story.

The setting is enchanting, and I look forward to reading more in this series.

For more about the author, click here.

Now for the goodies:

Sarah Ladd is celebrating the release of The Heiress of Winterwood with a Downton Abbey Kindle Prize Pack Giveaway!

Heiress-of-Winterwood-giveaway300
One winner will receive:

  • A brand new Kindle Fire
  • Downton Abbey, seasons 1-3

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on April 30th. Winner will be announced on 5/2/13 {HERE}.

Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning.

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In exchange for my review, I received a free digital copy of The Heiress of Winterwood from the publisher through Litfuse Publicity Group.