Midnight's Budding Morrow (Regency Wallflowers #2) by Carolyn Miller from Kregel Publications [Review & Giveaway]

ISBN: 9780825446542
Kregel Publications

My thoughts: I found this story particularly moving. To consider the plight of women historically and their lack of worth, being unappreciated, taken advantage of at many levels, deceived and managed is hard as a women in today's free world to comprehend.

Snubbed at a society event and then later visiting at a friend's home of obvious wealth, our heroine finds herself "contracted" to become manager of the home for her friend's elderly father. Things run smoothly in the home under Sarah's management and yet it seems that some of the servants are at odds and try to undermine her.

Of course, the story needs a male lead and there is one. He is a bit of a wastrel and his father has a plan to reign him in. That plan includes marriage to Sarah.

The story only gets more interesting and conflicted. 

I found this to be a rewarding read and highly recommend it.

Other books I've reviewed by Carolyn Miller:

• Dusk's Darkest Shores
• The Captivating Lady Charlotte 
• The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey 
• The Elusive Miss Ellison 
• (novella) Joy To The World 

About the book: Can real love grow between a wallflower and an unrepentant rogue?

Sarah Drayton is eager to spend time with her best friend at her crumbling Northumberland castle estate. Matrimony is the last thing on her mind and the last thing she expects to be faced with on a holiday. Yet she finds herself being inveigled into a marriage of convenience with her friend's rakish brother.

When James Langley returns to his family's estate, he can't be bothered to pay attention to his responsibilities as the heir. War is raging and he wants only distraction, not serious tethers. But his roguish ways have backed him into a corner, and he has little choice but to obey his father's stunning decree: marry before returning to war, or else. Suddenly he finds himself wedded to a clever and capable woman he does not love.

Sarah craves love and a place to belong, neither of which James offered before returning to the battlefront. Now everyone around her thinks she married above her station, and they have no intention of rewarding her for such impertinence. It isn't until her husband returns from war seemingly changed that she begins to hope they may find real happiness. But can she trust that this rake has truly reformed?

When tragedy strikes, this pair must learn to trust God and his plans. Will they be destroyed . . . or will they discover that even in the darkest depths of night, the morning still holds hope?

Click here to read an excerpt.

About the Series: While most stories set in Regency England focus on the rich, the young, and the beautiful, award-winning author Carolyn Miller decided she wanted to give readers something different for a change. Her new Regency Wallflowers series follows the commoners, away from the hustle and bustle of 1810s London, out in the Lake District of England. She tells the stories of women who are slightly older and have few prospects for marriage, women who might be considered “wallflowers.”

Midnight’s Budding Morrow is the second book in the Regency Wallflowers series. The first book in the series is Dusk’s Darkest Shores.

About the Author: Carolyn Miller is an inspirational romance author who lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and four children.

A longtime lover of romance, especially that of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer’s Regency era, Carolyn holds a BA in English literature and loves drawing readers into fictional worlds that show the truth of God’s grace in our lives. She enjoys music, films, gardens, art, travel, and food.

Miller’s novels have won a number of RWA and ACFW contests. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Australasian Christian Writers. Learn more about Carolyn at www.carolynmillerauthor.com, or find her on Facebook (Carolyn Miller Author), Instagram (@CarolynMillerAuthor), and Twitter (@CarolynMAuthor).

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DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given. Winner's prize is provided and shipped directly to winner by publisher or publicist. This is a Read With Audra blog tour.

The Lady of Cofitachequi A South Carolina Native American Folktale.... & .... Fire and Forgiveness: A Nun’s Truce with General Sherman

Young Palmetto Books, an educational children's and young adult book series, is a publishing partnership between the University of South Carolina Press and the South Carolina Center for Children's Books and Literacy, a unit of the USC School of Library and Information Science.
CLICK HERE FOR WEBSITE

Two recent publications from Young Palmetto Books are historical picture storybooks about people and events in South Carolina history.

The Lady of Cofitachequi A South Carolina Native American Folktale by Kate Salley Palmer & Illustrated by James H. Palmer, Jr.

My thoughts:  A picture book told from the viewpoint of a Otter would seem destined to hold the interest of preschoolers and early elementary age children. However, this is a wordy book and a person's disappearance might age it out to those in upper elementary. It is a legend of Indian lore for a time when the Americas were being discovered and conquered by the Spanish.

Published by the University of South Carolina's children's book division, it addresses a piece of history of South Carolina and those early days. History can hold fascination for the reader when recounted in an entertaining, yet historically correct manner.

Children can enjoy this book and it would be especially nice in the classroom or school libraries.

About the book: More than 500 years ago, a tribe of Native Americans lived peacefully next to a river in an area called Cofitachequi, near what is now Camden, South Carolina. A kind and generous woman, who was a member of the Otter Clan, ruled this tribe. She became known as the Lady of Cofitachequi. All the people of the tribe and animals in the area loved the Lady.

An adoring otter tells this true historical account of what happened to the Lady and her kin when Spanish explorers led by Hernando de Soto came looking for gold and silver. De Soto demanded that the tribe hand over precious metals and gems, but all the people had to offer were freshwater pearls and copper. In anger de Soto ordered his army to loot the temples and take all the food. Before leaving, they took the Lady captive and forced her to go with them. Otter watched with tears in his eyes as the Lady was taken away.

Where did the Lady of Cofitachequi go, and would Otter and the people of the town ever see her again?

Fire and Forgiveness: A Nun’s Truce with General Sherman by Martha Dunsky & Illustrated by Monica Wyrick

My thoughts:  Not many in the South can speak of General Sherman and "forgiveness" in the same sentence. The Civil War was a brutal period in United States history and remains a controversial topic to this day. This story of Fire and Forgiveness doesn't excuse Sherman's burning of Columbia, South Carolina (as he did much of the South) nor does it condone his actions.

It tells of a group of Catholic Convent girls and the nuns who were responsible for their safekeeping. It tells about a nun's previously knowing General Sherman and eliciting a promise to spare the girl's convent. That promise was not kept, though.

General Sherman excuses the burning by saying the wind was strong and his men were excited. Still he apologized. And still the nun forgave him.

I had mixed feelings about this book but will still recommend it as a worthy book for classrooms and school libraries.

About the book: A captivating tale about forgiveness and peacemaking based on first-person accounts of true events

Making peace with her spiteful classmate Clara seems impossible to Jane. Despite encouragement from Mother Baptista, the mother superior at their convent school, Jane and Clara dig in their heels. As the girls brood they hear the cannons of the Civil War explode outside their school as General Sherman and the Union army attack the city of Columbia, South Carolina, in February 1865.

Mother Baptista asks Sherman for protection for her nuns and students, and he promises they will be safe inside their convent school. But despite his promise they have to flee in the middle of the night through a chaotic, burning city. Will Mother Baptista forgive Sherman for breaking his promise? Can Jane and Clara make peace when the adults in their world are at odds and at war?

Set during the most deadly and divisive war in U.S. history, this compelling story is based on first-person accounts of true events. Fire and Forgiveness is a reminder of the important role forgiveness and peacemaking play in life’s conflicts big and small, whether between quarreling children, proud adults, or warring nations.

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions expressed are mine, alone and are freely given. My copies will be donated to a school library.

The Patriot Bride (Daughters of the Mayflower) by Kimberly Woodhouse [Review & 5-Winner Giveaway]

My thoughts: I do love to dive into a good book that takes me back in time to experience in my mind's eye events complete with imagined sights, sounds, feelings, smells. That is just what Kimberley Woodhouse has done with this short novel about the time just before the American Colonies declared their independence from Britain.

War was brewing. People were not sure who could be trusted and what to say and to whom. It was a fearful time.

Woodhouse deftly weaves towering historical figures such as George Washington and Benjamin Franklin into this tale. She has gracious ladies who hold Bible studies and Bible readings in their home whilst gowned in beautiful silk gowns and sipping tea. She has these same gracious ladies slipping out into the night on errands to carry messages to spies.

It was a dangerous time, but also a glorious time when the American colonists overthrew the tyranny of Britain. This is a short, gentle read with a nice helping of romance thrown into the mix. And it is another opportunity to read about descendants of those who journeyed to America aboard the Mayflower.

About the book: Spies Work Together for the Patriot Cause

Faith Jackson is a wealthy widow, friend of George Washington, and staunch supporter of the Patriot cause. Matthew Weber is friends with both Ben Franklin and his son William, who increasingly differ in their political views; and Matthew finds himself privy to information on both sides of the conflict. When a message needs to get to a spy among the Loyalists, Faith bravely steps up and in turn meets Matthew Weber. Suddenly she believes she could love again. But someone else has his eye on the Faith she portrays in elite social circles. What will Matthew and Faith have to sacrifice for the sake of their fledgling country?

GIVEAWAY

5 winners for 1 copy each

Begins August 3

ENDS August 20 @ 12:01 a.m. EDT

Open to USA addresses only.

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DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher to review. Winners' copies for this giveaway are provided and shipped by Barbour Publishing directly to each winner.

A Beauty Refined by Tracie Peterson [Giveaway]

What does it take to reveal the true beauty of a hidden gem?

Phoebe Von Bergen, the daughter of a German count, is excited to visit America for the first time while her father purchases sapphires in Helena, Montana. Little does she know, however, that her father's intentions---both for her and the gemstones---are not what she thinks.

Ian Harper, a lapidary working in Helena, finds the dignified young woman staying at the Broadwater Hotel more than a little intriguing. Yet the more he gets to know her, the more he realizes that her family story is based on a lie---a lie she has no knowledge of. And Ian believes he knows the only path that will lead her to freedom.

Meeting Ian has changed everything for Phoebe, and she begins to consider staying in America, regardless of her father's plans. But she may not be prepared for the unexpected danger that results when her family's deception begins to unravel.

GIVEAWAY

Begins July 22

ENDS August 7 @ 12:02 a.m. EDT

Open to USA addresses only.

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Watch for Chat With Vera's review coming soon!