The Spinster and I by Rebecca Connolly

 

 About the Book

 

Series: The Spinster Chronicles
Genre:  Adult, New Adult, Romance
Publisher: Phase Publishing
Publication date: November 1, 2018
Poor, unfortunate Spinster…
Prudence Westfall, spinster, has unexpectedly had the greatest misfortune of all: she has inherited a fortune, and is now an heiress. But as a Spinster, and a stammering shy one, nothing could be worse than having a bevy of suitors pay her attention. Opportunity strikes at a house party when the most unlikely person offers the perfect solution.
Camden Vale is no gentleman, and he’s not prone to saving anyone, but something about Prue changes all that. When his offer to befriend her extends beyond the house party, and his feelings extend beyond expectation, no one is more surprised than he. Except, perhaps, for the other Spinsters, and they have much to say on the subject.

GOODREADS| AMAZON

MY REVIEW

 This is a new author for me. I had never heard of her until Singing librarian offered this book for review.
Wow and wow!! I can relate to so many things in this book.
Prue's mother for one. Reminds too much of my mother in law and my Dad especially with the name calling. ( That was my dad).
What Pru came in to. Everyone wanted to be my friend and they came out of the woodworks too!!
I loved the beautiful cover on the book and truth be told that is what made me want to read it.
The author has done a wonderful job in making these characters come alive. She has offered hope and love to those who crave it.
Prue is an amazing lady. She is so very much like me. There are people that I just can't stand and there are people who I just love to be around.
I admire Prue especially when I watched her bloom and grow into the person I knew she could be with God's help and some very good friends

I liked Cam too. He's sort of like me. Especially when he gets in one of his moods. I am going to claim him as my hero. If I had a brother I'd want him to be just like Cam. He kind, gentle and I can imagine him being very good looking too!

 

About the Author

Rebecca Connolly writes romances, both period and contemporary, because she absolutely loves a good love story. She has been creating stories since childhood, and there are home videos to prove it! She started writing them down in elementary school and has never looked back. She currently lives in the Midwest, spends every spare moment away from her day job absorbed in her writing, and is a hot cocoa addict.

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 Author Interview

 (Include the author interview below via SLB or include your own.)

1. Who are some of your favorite Regency authors? Do these authors inspire your own writing?
I love Jen Geigle Johnson, Sarah Eden, Jennifer Moore, Elizabeth Johns… And I am constantly meeting more lovely writers who love the same ears I do! I am inspired by so many authors, but in my time period and outside of it! The best inspiration of all, though, has to be Jane Austen.
2. If you could go to tea with one of your characters, who would you go with and why?
Oh, I think I would want to go to tea with Charlotte Wright. She doesn’t hold anything back, and I bet she has some fantastic stories!
3. What inspired the idea for The Spinster and I?
I had created a group of spinsters that had gotten to that point in their lives for different reasons. This particular story starred a girl who was painfully shy and wanted nothing more than to remain unnoticed by the world, and I wanted someone to notice her in a way that would actually work for her. He just so happens to be the most unlikely candidate, which makes it so deliciously fun!
4. What did you as an author take away from writing The Spinster and I?
I think the biggest thing I took away was that we need to look beneath the surface in everyone. There is so much more to a person than what we can see.
5. What is your current WIP?  What can you tell us about it?
My current WIP is part of the Spinster Chronicles series, and I can tell you that it is a VERY interesting pairing, and it is set at Christmas!

Giveaway

 

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Tour Schedule

November 5
Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen
Remembrancy
Blooming with Books (book 1)

November 6
Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic
Jorie Loves A Story

November 7
Life Is What It’s Called
Emily Yager
Wishful Endings

November 8
Singing Librarian Books
Heidi Reads…
Katie’s Clean Book Collection

November 9
Pause for Tales
My Book a Day
Blooming with Books (book 2)

November 10
Bookworm Lisa
Edits and Reviews by Leslie
Red Headed Book Lady

An Amish Midwife's Secret by Rachel J. Good

ABOUT THE BOOK

An Amish midwife and an Englisch doctor must embrace their differences to rescue a baby in need in this uplifting romance that will "capture your heart and leave you smiling" (Amy Lillard). 

Kyle Miller never planned on becoming a country doctor. But when he's offered a medical practice in his sleepy hometown, Kyle knows he must return... and face the painful past he left behind. Except the Amish community isn't quite ready for Kyle. Especially the pretty midwife who refuses to compromise her traditions with his modern medicine...

The more Leah Stoltzfus works with the handsome Englisch doctor, the more she finds herself caught between the expectations of her family and her own hopes for the future. It will take one surprising revelation and one helpless baby in need of love to show Leah and Kyle that their bond may be greater than their differences... if Leah can find the courage to follow her heart.

MY REVIEW

This book was a delight! I enjoyed it wholeheartedly and I love the author's writing style.

Her books just keep getting better and better!! 

Some secrets aren't worth keeping because in my opinion they'll just fester and fester until they eat you alive!! Leah soon finds this out!! I can relate to Leah this way. Sometimes I feel like I could just burst open so I can get them off my chest! 

Blame and guilt are another thing that I can testify to. And really the only person that you can take all this to is God. God will never tell. He can ease those burdens but you know what? I'm like Leah and Kyle that way. We sometimes feel are not good enough to take it to the Lord in prayer but sometimes you just have to!! 

I can relate to Kyle personally!! Wow!! and Wow!! My mouth fell open and my heart stopped beating for just a couple or maybe 5 minutes I was shock!! I felt that the author was talking directly to me in this touchy subjuct. Oh my it sure made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck that's for sure and certain

I'm wondering when doctors stopped making house calls? I know certain veterinarians still do it.

I do have family members still living during that time. Now, that is what I call great bedside manners!! Not many doctors today have them especially when they first get out of their medical practices. Those are the ones that I'm not sure why they're even in the medical field. 

All said, this is still a wonderful story that kept me turning the pages to see what would happen so I finished late into the night. I was very tired at work the next day but so worth the reading!!

I strongly recommend this book for people who just want a mystery, romance and just daily life all wrapped up into one!! 

I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley. No compensations were received

Gathering of Sisters: A year with my Old Order Mennonite Family by Darla Weaver

ABOUT THE BOOK

Once a week Darla Weaver bundles her children into the buggy, hitches up her spirited mare, and drives six miles to the farm where she grew up. There she gathers with her four sisters and their children for a day with their mother. In Gathering of Sisters, Weaver writes about her horse-and-buggy Mennonite family and the weekly women's gatherings that keep them connected. On warm days, the children play and fish and build houses of hay in the barn. In the winter, everyone stays close to the woodstove, with puzzles and games and crocheting. No matter the weather, the Tuesday get-togethers of this Old Order Mennonite family keep them grounded and centered in their love for God and for each other.

The rest of the week is full of laundry, and errands, and work that never ends. But Tuesdays are about being sisters, daughters, and mothers.

Hear straight from Amish and Mennonite people themselves as they write about their daily lives and deeply rooted faith in the Plainspoken series from Herald Press. Each book includes "A Day in the Life of the Author" and the author's answers to FAQs about the Amish and Mennonites.

MY REVIEW

I did like this book. I enjoyed being a part of a big family. Something I very much missed out on since I was an only child. I loved how Darla's big family made time for the family each week. Amish and Mennonites are know for this. I wished everyone including Englishers would make time for their families. Otherwise, why have them!! 

My family doesn't like that I took Tv away from them. I don't even have internet anymore either. Mainly because we can't afford either. On weekends is when I like to spend whatever time I have with my family. We work such odd hours. 

I especially loved that the author mentions that her horse has it's good days and bad days. They have feelings just like we do. It shows that she treats the horse as a member of the family much like we do our dogs and cats or whatever pet we have. 

My dad is one of the lucky ones who came from a big family. 

There were 8 in his family. I didn't get to know them very well because dad moved us to Kentucky. Which being an only child I thought that was the worst mistake he ever made. I didn't like it. 

I wanted to be a part of that big family. I"m almost a 100 percent Mom didn't like it either.  

My son is 5th generation of only children on my side of the family.  My husband's family isn't very big either. 

I laughed at some of the antics of the children. Especially the boys! Shame on them for doing mean stuff to the girls. 

This reminds of when we were kids and would go outside and play all day and sometimes not bothering to check in with our parents except to tell them where we are going. I sure do miss those days.

I also liked how the story was told in 1st person. My very favorite genre. I like 1st person because I feel like I am that person telling the story. I relate much better to the characters that way. 

I will go back and buy this book when I"m financially stable and reread it again.   

Thank you for a wonderful reminder of my childhood days and a great story!! 

I wish the Englishers  would take some lessons about living in the world and not of it. I think we'd all be better off.

I received a complimentary copy of this book and  no compensations were received. All opinions are my own. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Darla Weaver is a homemaker, gardener, writer, and Old Order Mennonite living in the hills of southern Ohio. Her first book, Many Lighted Windows, was published in 2016, and she has written for Family Life, Ladies Journal, Young Companion, and other magazines for Amish and Old Order Mennonite groups. Before her three children were born she also taught school. Her hobbies are gardening and writing.

 

Eternity between us by Stephenia H. McGee

ABOUT THE BOOK

Two sides. Two hearts. And a gulf between them as deep and wide as eternity. 

"This tale brings a turbulent time to life with nuance and sensitivity."

JOCELYN GREEN, award-winning author of the Heroines Behind the Lines Civil War series

Virginia, 1861

After being forced to use a pistol against invaders, Evelyn Mapleton is no longer the timid girl her extended family expects. The more her aunt and cousin resent her new independence, the more Evelyn is determined she'll make her missing father proud by taking up his cause and aiding Confederate soldiers--even if she has to outmaneuver the Yankees guarding her home to do it. 

Samuel Flynn's life is consumed with two priorities: learning to become a proper guardian for the young orphans he's adopted and obtaining his physicians license. When his final testing sends him to a Federal Army field hospital, the last thing he expects is to be entranced by a mysterious woman. But when Evelyn's misguided exploits put her life in danger, will he risk everything he's worked for to save a woman he thinks is his enemy?

Based on first-hand accounts from the Civil War and with a strong romantic thread, this is a tale of faith, espionage, hope, and courage historical fiction fans won't want to miss.

MY REVIEW

I enjoyed this book as I love historical fiction. 

Stephenia has a way of writing that makes you a part of the story.

It is fast paced and you won't want to put the book down until you finish. I spent most of the night finishing because I didn't want to come back.

I loved the characters. Stephenia has a way of making them come alive and I think I'm going to have to go with Evelyn. Evelyn is a special character in herself. I think because in some ways she's a lot like me. I also admired her because she knew how to stick up for herself. Even though I didn't like the way she was treated I thought that all she went through made her a better person. People can't help their lineage. I think it's a shame we all can't get along. God made us equal in His eyes. I don't even know how hate really got started except through Satan. He's the root of all evil!! Just between you and me I thought Evelyn was pretty and down to earth. She wasn't stuck up like other people. What makes people like that? I have no idea. But I'm pretty sure God does. 

Now I like Stephen the doctor. He knew what he was about and like all human beings he had a certain weakness but he went on about his duties as was expected during that era. I considered him a hero.

You won't want to miss this wonderful novel. I highly recommend this story for all who love the Civil War era or just historical fiction. I want to read all of her other novels. I"m hooked!!

All opinions are my own and no compensations were received. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephenia H. McGee is a wife, mother of two very active little boys, author, and lover of history. She currently lives in Mississippi with her husband and sons where she writes stories of faith, redemption and the deep south.