The Promise of Jesse Woods by Chris Fabry

★★★★★
Goodreads | Amazon

The summer of 1972 was the most pivotal of Matt Plumley’s childhood. While his beloved Pirates battle for back-to-back World Series titles, Matt’s family moves from Pittsburgh to Dogwood, West Virginia, where his father steps into the pulpit of a church under the thumb of town leader Basil Blackwood. A fish out of water, Matt is relieved to forge a fast bond with two unlikely friends: Dickie Darrel Lee Hancock, a mixed-race boy, and Jesse Woods, a tough-as-nails girl with a sister on her hip and no dad in sight.

As the trio traipses the hills and hollers, Matt begins to fall for Jesse, and their promises to each other draw him deeper into her terrifying reality. One night, the wrath of the Blackwoods and the secrets of Jesse’s family collide, and Matt joins Jesse in a rescue that saves one life and ends another . . . and severs the bond of their friendship.

Years later, Matt is pulled back to Dogwood and to memories of that momentous summer by news of Jesse’s upcoming wedding. He could never shake the feeling that there was more to the story of that fateful night, and he’s determined to learn the truth behind the only promise Jesse Woods ever broke.

Chris Fabry’s The Promise of Jesse Woods is a compelling coming of age story. From the start, the characters and their unlikely but budding friendship made me love them, and the historical setting around them seemed vividly authentic. As the plot of the novel progressed, I felt thoroughly engaged, and all my emotions went through the ups and downs with the characters. It’s easy to say that I absolutely loved The Promise of Jesse Woods, and I now highly recommend it!

Thanks to Tyndale BlogNetwork, I received a copy of The Promise of Jesse Woods and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own.

The Loyal Heart by Shelley Shepard Gray

★★★★
Goodreads | Amazon

Robert came to Galveston to fulfill his promise to a dying man and look after his widow. He didn’t expect to find love in the unlikeliest of places.

Robert Truax, former Second Lieutenant and Confederate officer in the Civil War, made a promise to his comrade Phillip Markham. If anything happened to Phillip, Robert would look after his beloved wife, Miranda. She was his life, his world, his everything.

After the war, Robert is left to pick up the pieces and fulfill his pact. When he arrives at Miranda's home in Galveston, Texas, things are worse than he imagined. Phillip's name has been dragged through the mud, everyone in town believes him to be a traitor, and his widow is treated as an outcast. Even more disturbing is her emotional well-being. Miranda seems hopeless, lost, and so very alone.

Robert had thought his duty would be simple. He would help Miranda as quickly as possible in order to honor a promise. But the moment Robert laid eyes on her, his plans changed. He's mesmerized by her beauty and yearns to help her in any way he can.

He makes it his duty to protect Miranda, turn her reputation around, and to find some way to help her smile again. But it doesn't prove to be an easy task—Robert knows something about Phillip that could shake Miranda to the core and alter her view of the man she thought she knew so well.

What an enjoyable start to Shelley Shepard Gray’s Lone Star Hero series. A character-driven post-Civil War story, The Loyal Heart focuses on an officer who made a promise to a dying man and a widow struggling with grief and rumors. With suspense, mystery, and romance, the relationship develops between these two characters, and their story kept me interested from beginning to end. Fans of historical fiction will not want to miss The Loyal Heart - I really liked it and can’t wait to read An Uncommon Protector now.

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers, I received a copy of The Loyal Heart and the opportunity to honestly review it. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own. (I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)

The Ringmaster's Wife by Kristy Cambron

About the Book

★★★★★
Goodreads | Amazon

An ounce of courage. A split-second leap of faith. Together, they propel two young women to chase a new life---one that's reimagined from what they might have become.

In turn-of-the-century America, a young girl dreams of a world that stretches beyond the confines of a quiet life on the family farm. With little more than her wit and a cigar box of treasures to call her own, Mable steps away from all she knows, seeking the limitless marvels of the Chicago World's Fair. There, a chance encounter triggers her destiny---a life with a famed showman by the name of John Ringling.

A quarter of a century later, Lady Rosamund Easling of Yorkshire, England, boards a ship to America as a last adventure before her life is planned out for her. There, the twenties are roaring, and the rich and famous gather at opulent, Gatsby-esque parties in the grandest ballrooms the country has to offer. The Jazz Age has arrived, and with it, the golden era of the American circus, whose queen is none other than the enigmatic Mable Ringling.

When Rosamund's path crosses with Mable's and the Ringlings' glittering world, she makes the life-altering decision to leave behind a comfortable future of estates and propriety, instead choosing the nomadic life of a trick rider in the Ringling Brothers' circus.

A novel that is at once captivating, deeply poignant, and swirling with exquisite historical details of a bygone world, The Ringmaster's Wife will escort readers into the center ring, with its bright lights, exotic animals, and a dazzling performance that can only be described as the greatest show on earth!

Once again, Kristy Cambron exhibits her ability to bring history to life with her beautiful storytelling and shares an entirely transporting historical story in her latest novel The Ringmaster’s Wife. Fans of historical fiction, I highly recommend this book to you - you won’t be disappointed; I know I wasn’t.

As I read The Ringmaster’s Wife, I was completely captivated and enchanted. Departing from the World-War-II focus of Cambron’s previous books, this novel looks into life around the circus in the early twentieth century. Cambron depicts vividly exquisite scenes from the world of the “Greatest Show on Earth” through the experiences of characters Mable, Rosamund, and Colin, and this detail-rich setting nicely supports the characters’ stories of adventure, friendship, romance, and their hopes for dreams, freedom, and redemption. It’s a lovely read.

Thanks to LitFuse Publicity Group, I received a copy of The Ringmaster’s Wife and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own. To read other opinions, be sure to check out what other reviewers think here, and purchase a copy of the book here.

About the Author

Kristy Cambron fancies life as a vintage-inspired storyteller. Her second novel, A Sparrow in Terezin, was named Library Journal Reviews' "Pick of the Month (Christian Fiction)" for February 2015.

Cambron is an art/design manager at TheGROVEstory.com storytelling ministry. She holds a degree in art history from Indiana University and has nearly 15 years of experience in instructional design and communications for a Fortune-100 company. She lives in Indiana with her husband and three football-loving sons, where she can probably be bribed with a coconut mocha latte and a good Christian fiction read.

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When Mountains Move by Julie Cantrell

★★★★★
Goodreads | Amazon

In a few hours, Millie will say “I do” to Bump Anderson, a man who loves her through and through. But would he love her if he knew the secret she keeps?

Millie’s mind is racing and there seems to be no clear line between right and wrong. Either path leads to pain, and she’ll do anything to protect the ones she loves. So she decides to bury the truth and begin again, helping Bump launch a ranch in the wilds of Colorado. But just when she thinks she’s left her old Mississippi life behind, the facts surface in the most challenging way.

That’s when Millie’s grandmother, Oka, arrives to help. Relying on her age-old Choctaw traditions, Oka teaches Millie the power of second chances. Millie resists, believing redemption is about as likely as moving mountains. But Oka stands strong, modeling forgiveness as the only true path to freedom.

Together, Bump, Millie, and Oka fight against all odds to create a sustainable ranch, all while learning that the important lessons of their pasts can be used to build a beautiful future.

Julie Cantrell’s When Mountains Move continues Millie’s story that began in Into the Free. While I haven’t yet read Into the Free, I still very much enjoyed reading When Mountains Move. Millie’s story is full of ups and downs as she marries, moves across the country, and faces the challenges of both starting a new life and keeping a secret of the past. It’s a well-told story of second chances and forgiveness, and I loved seeing Millie grow throughout the novel. I highly recommend When Mountains Move (but readers who like to read books in order, definitely start with Into the Free - I know I’m now eager to pick this one up soon).

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers, I received a copy of When Mountains Move and the opportunity to honestly review it. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own. (I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)

Waiting on Wednesday: Missing & No Way Up

Hosted weekly by Breaking the Spine 
to spotlight eagerly-anticipated upcoming releases.

Title: Missing

Author: Lisa Harris

Publisher: Revell

Expected Publication Date: 5 July 2016

Nikki Boyd enters the deadly world of counterfeit drugs to find a missing woman.

Nikki Boyd isn't usually called in on homicides; her forte is missing persons. But when a case with two murdered and two missing pops up on a quiet suburban street, she's ready to start the investigation and find missing homeowners Mac and Lucy Hudson. When the first clues lead her to the boat of her friend Tyler Grant-and another dead body-Nikki must untangle what ties Tyler to the Hudsons. The clues pull her into a deadly maze of counterfeit drugs and a killer who will stop at nothing to silence anyone who threatens his business-including Nikki. 

Christy Award-winning and bestselling author Lisa Harris puts readers right into the action in this fast-paced thriller that will have them turning pages long into the night.

Title: No Way Up

Author: Mary Connealy

Publisher: Bethany House

Expected Publication Date: 5 July 2015

When Cimarron ranch patriarch Chance Boden is caught in an avalanche, the quick actions of hired hand Heath Kincaid save him. Badly injured, Chance demands that his will be read and its conditions be enforced immediately. 

Without anyone else to serve as a witness, Heath is pressed into reading the will. If Justin, Sadie, and Cole Boden don't live and work at home for the entire year, the ranch will go to their low-down cousin Mike. 

Then Heath discovers the avalanche was a murder attempt, and more danger might follow. Deeply involved with the family, Heath's desire to protect Sadie goes far beyond friendship. The danger keeps them close together, and their feelings grow until being apart is the last thing on their minds.