Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

Fiction

And now I need to read some Shakespeare: Review of Courting Cate by Leslie Gould

Amish Shakespeare. If this was a game of Apples to Apples, it would be a stretch of a combination. Author Leslie Gould takes a chance on the combination in her new book, Courting Cate.

Loosely based on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, Courting Cate brings together the “prickly” Cate Miller, oldest daughter of a widower, and the persistent Pete Treger, an Amish drifter looking for work at Cate’s father’s business. Theirs is a fiery relationship from the start as they hold fast to their pride, as well as past hurts they’ve both experienced. Cate, who is well-known for her temper and biting tongue can’t believe a man would ever want to court her. So, when Pete asks, she falls hard, only to discover that it might have all been a cruel bet instigated by some other bachelors in the community.

First, a word about the genre. I’ve been burnt out on Amish fiction, but every now and then, a novel comes along that surprises me, and this is one of them. Cate and Pete’s relationship takes place in the confines of an Amish community, but the intensity of their emotions and struggles made me forget I was reading Amish fiction. For me, that’s a good thing, though living near Lancaster County gives me an affection for stories set there. So, being an Amish novel does not detract from the quality of this book. I was so engrossed I fixed my kids lunch with one hand while holding my Kindle in the other! I’m actually looking forward to more books in this series.

I’m a big fan of Shakespeare. I’ve never read The Taming of the Shrew, though, so I can’t comment on whether the plot of this book follows the play. However, I intend to add Shakespeare’s play to my reading list.

Overall, I’d call this a successful story. If you’re not into Amish fiction, you might want to give this one a try anyway. It’s not overly Amish, and I found myself identifying with Cate’s temperament and insecurities. She’s an inspiring heroine, and I ached along with her for the hurts she suffered (sometimes of her own doing).

Gould’s next book in the series, Adoring Addie, releases in May. That, too, will be on my reading list.

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In exchange for this review, I received an electronic copy of Courting Cate from Bethany House Publishers.

 

A warm story for a cold night: a review of Unending Devotion by Jody Hedlund

It’s no secret: Jody Hedlund is one of my new favorite authors. She is skilled at taking historical people and events, wrapping them in a compelling plot, and writing can’t-put-them-down novels. Her two previous releases The Preacher’s Bride and The Doctor’s Lady are fun AND informative. Hedlund does her research.

And as much as I enjoyed those books, I LOVED her latest, Unending Devotion, even more. I was looking forward to the release so much that I bought an ebook copy before I’d heard that I’d be given a copy from the publisher to review. (So, lucky you, I’m going to give my copy away! Read on to find out how to win.)

Unending Devotion is the story of a passionate woman driven to make things right. Lily Young travels through Central Michigan logging towns in search of her sister, whom she fears is living in forced prostitution. Along the way, she rescues other women caught in the bondage of an overlooked slavery. In one such town, she meets Connell McCormick (who is just as enchanting on the page as his name sounds!), whom she doesn’t realize is the son of a lumber baron.

Sparks fly between the two, who don’t see eye-to-eye when it comes to the lumber business and the houses of ill repute that some think are necessary for a logging camp to thrive. Lily is reckless when it comes to tracking down her sister. Connell is cautious and eager to please his father. Both are in search of truth and freedom, and it’s a journey I couldn’t turn away from.

I don’t often read a work of fiction twice, but I would read this book again.

Lily is an inspiring heroine, even if she is sometimes blinded to danger by her love for her sister. And Connell is a conflicted hero who wants to do right by everybody but finds himself needing to choose whom he’s going to please and whether the consequences of that choice will be worth it.

This is a beautiful story of calling, purpose, freedom, redemption and love. And while the characters themselves are fictional, the circumstances about which Hedlund writes are historical. I’ve learned a lot lately about the current tragedy of human sex trafficking but never considered that sexual slavery is not a new problem, and even in the 19th century in the United States, it was a problem.

I would 100 percent recommend this book. Total winner.

If you still aren’t convinced, then check out the book trailer below. You won’t be sorry about reading this book.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OssvMSaSeQ4&feature=g-upl]

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In exchange for my review, I received a free copy of Unending Devotion from Bethany House Publishers.

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AND NOW … the moment you’ve all been waiting for! I have ONE copy of Unending Devotion to give away. So, how can you win?

1. Leave a comment below telling me your favorite setting (time period and/or geographical location) for a historical novel. That’ll get you ONE entry.

2. Check out Jody Hedlund’s Facebook page and “like” her. Come back here and leave a comment that you’ve done that. (Or if you already “like” her, tell me that, too.) That’s another entry.

3. Share this giveaway! Post it to Facebook, tweet about it (tag me @lmbartelt and Jody @jodyhedlund in your message) or e-mail it to a friend. Comment telling me what you did. You’ll get one entry for however you share about the giveaway.

Overall, that’s THREE chances to win.

I’ll pick a winner via Random.org and post the name on Monday, December 3. Good luck to all!