An Appalachian Summer

An Appalachian SummerAn Appalachian Summer by Ann H. Gabhart
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Yet another wonderful story from Ann Gabhart! In this book, she takes us back to Hyden with the Frontier Nursing Service. This time we meet a debutant fresh from her coming-out ball who winds up mucking stalls in the Appalachian Mountains while running from the man she doesn’t want to marry. It’s a fun cast of characters who will tug at your heart – and surprise you! – throughout the story. I’m a long-time Ann Gabhart fan and this one certainly doesn’t disappoint.

Dakota Peace

Dakota PeaceDakota Peace by Megan Kinney
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the third contemporary book I’ve read this year – I’m generally a history-only gal – but I really enjoyed Dakota Peace. The setting is part of its charm. You don’t find too many books set in the Black Hills. Megan Kinney does a great job of bringing that setting to life. The hero and heroine are believable and likable, but not perfect, so also relatable. And that cover … honestly! … that cover would suck anyone into the book. Impressive debut novel for this author. I look forward to reading more from her.

Books You May Have Missed Mid-Pandemic

It’s been a disheartening few months for many reasons. A pandemic really puts a damper on life. But the publishing industry carried on, albeit in a very muted fashion with bookstores and libraries closed. However, there were some good releases that came out during the pandemic. Listed below is one of my own and several from other authors with the same agent as me. If your bookstore hasn’t reopened yet, you can always find them on Amazon and other online retailers.

The Blacksmith Brides released May 1st and is getting wonderful reviews!

“I could not put this collection down until the very end. Each story grabbed you and wouldn’t let go.” ~Amazon Reviewer

The Socialite released April 14th.

“This book was so well written that I had to remind myself that it was fictional.” ~Amazon Reviewer

Spring Splash released March 2nd.

“What a wonderful and unique story! From the first few chapters I was completely hooked! ” ~Amazon Reviewer

Traces released on March 5th.

“It was well written and full of intrigue, suspense and romance. I didn’t want to put it down.”

Collision of Lies released February 4th.

“It grabbed me from the first page and kept me wondering right up to the conclusion!” ~Amazon Reviewer

Copper Halo at Mustang Pass released May 15th.

This one hasn’t been reviewed yet … you could be the first!

Warleggan

Warleggan (Poldark, #4)Warleggan by Winston Graham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I still love this series, but this book really annoyed me at the end. It doesn’t have “an ending,” it just quits. I hate that! Thankfully, I’ve watched the entire TV series that Masterpiece Theater did so I know how it was supposed to end. And it sort of does, it hints at it, but the TV version did a whole lot better job of showing it. Just sayin’. Even so, I have to give it four stars because aside from the ending … it was good.

(Note to those who watched the TV version: there is no slap in the book. That was one of my favorite scenes in the TV version!)

My reviews in this series:
Book 1) Poldark
Book 2) Demelza
Book 3) Jeremy Poldark

 

Popp’s Journal

Popp's Journal, 1777-1783;Popp’s Journal, 1777-1783; by Stephan Popp
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was expecting something with … details. This is as minimalistic as possible. However, I did find one fact I was looking for to corroborate a historical fact I needed to research. So it was worth it. But seriously, it’s very shy of details.

One More River to Cross

One More River to CrossOne More River to Cross by Jane Kirkpatrick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: I love Jane Kirkpatrick’s books! I haven’t read a clunker yet. She writes about real historical people who survived incredible hardships to settle America’s far western states. Her stories are gritty, realistic, and I can get lost in them in a heartbeat. This one is no different. It’s the story of a wagon train that broke new ground getting over the mountains and into California. They faced incredible hardships, things our modern-day softness would not survive. It was a little difficult to follow the whole cast of characters (there are a lot of them) but worth the effort to figure them out.

The Siege of Detroit in 1763

The Siege Of Detroit In 1763: The Journal Of Pontiac's Conspiracy And John Rutherfurd's Narrative Of A CaptivityThe Siege Of Detroit In 1763: The Journal Of Pontiac’s Conspiracy And John Rutherfurd’s Narrative Of A Captivity by John Rutherfurd
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh my word … where to start? This book contains two first-hand experiences of what happened during Pontiac’s Rebellion in the northern theater of the war. It’s graphic, horrifying in parts, and hard to wrap one’s mind around the atrocities that happened. It’s not a literary book, it’s raw and rough and written by men who had just survived one of the most barbaric wars on our shores. While I’d known some of the things in here, it was still unsettling to read the first-hand accounts of them. We don’t think of cannibalism among the Native American tribes, but it was there. In the two separate accounts, both noted it among two of the tribes. We often hear about how the white man didn’t keep his word to the natives, but in these chapters are numerous citing of the natives not keeping their word to the white man. Proof that the evil in mankind is not assigned to skin color. Both sides were arrogant and overconfident in some aspects, both were unprepared and ignorant in others. The book is peppered with footnotes citing more facts than the first-hand accounts included. If you love history and want to read some unvarnished accounts, this would be a great choice.

New England Citizen Soldiers of the Revolutionary War

New England Citizen Soldiers of the Revolutionary War: Minutemen MarinersNew England Citizen Soldiers of the Revolutionary War: Minutemen Mariners by Robert A. Geake
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Very good information, a lot of it new to me, about the Patriot militia. I found parts of it a bit hard to follow, however, so I can’t call it an easy read. More – and clearer – maps would have been a huge help. Still, there were some really good nuggets in this book and I’m glad I read it.