Tag Archive | 1800’s

My Dear Hamilton by Stephanie Dray & Laura Kamoie-5 Shining Stars

Mar30

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Don’t Miss This Brilliant & Unforgettable Historical Fiction Novel!

My Dear Hamilton, Coming 4/3/18

 

My Dear Hamilton is a compelling and magnificently crafted historical fiction novel. It’s the second one that I’ve read by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie. And, just like the first book, I devoured it. My Dear Hamilton is a five-star, beautifully written and well-researched read. Although I don’t normally read political books, these two, The First American Daughter, and My Dear Hamilton had me captivated until the very last page. Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie brought the founding fathers, and Eliza Schuyler Hamilton alive for me.

My knowledge of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton’s accomplishments, before reading My Dear Hamilton was limited, but now, after finishing the book, Eliza has my complete admiration. She was strong, elegant, and independent. Eliza Hamilton carried herself with grace, even in the face of humiliation, multiple betrayals, and several devastating losses. Mrs. Hamilton’s loyalty to her country and her husband was nothing short of extraordinary.

Eliza tells her husband’s story, his greatness, his flaws and his crushing secrets. Although this book is a historical fiction novel, it reads like a biography. I know I’ll be rereading it, while anxiously waiting for the next book crafted by these talented writers. Highly recommended.

Thank you, William Morrow Publishing and Edelweiss, for my advanced review copy. I loved it!

~5 out of 5 Shining Stars~ Review by Peg Glover

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Bio (from Author’s Page on Amazon)
STEPHANIE DRAY is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal & USA Today bestselling author of historical women’s fiction. Her award-winning work has been translated into eight languages and tops lists for the most anticipated reads of the year. Before she became a novelist, she was a lawyer and a teacher. Now she lives near the nation’s capital with her husband, cats, and history books.

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Bio (from Author’s Page on Amazon)
A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of historical fiction, Laura Kamoie has always been fascinated by the people, stories, and physical presence of the past, which led her to a lifetime of historical and archaeological study and training. She holds a doctoral degree in early American history from The College of William and Mary, published two non-fiction books on early America, and most recently held the position of Associate Professor of History at the U.S. Naval Academy before transitioning to a full-time career writing genre fiction. She is the author of AMERICA’S FIRST DAUGHTER and MY DEAR HAMILTON, co-authored with Stephanie Dray, allowing her the exciting opportunity to combine her love of history with her passion for storytelling. Laura lives among the colonial charm of Annapolis, Maryland with her husband and two daughters. http://www.LauraKamoie.com

Join Laura’s Occasional Newsletter to receive new release information, news about contests, giveaways, and reader events, sneak peaks and teasers, signings and appearances, and more! To subscribe, copy and paste this into your browser’s address window: http://eepurl.com/bz6bIr

 

 

 

*The Highlander*by Kerrigan Byrne*5-Stars

Aug2

The highlander

The Highlander is a well crafted, compelling romance that takes place in Scotland, during the 19th century.

Lieutenant Colonel Liam Mackenzie, aka, the Demon Highlander, was famous for his violent temper and fierce fighting skills. He was feared by his enemies, his soldiers, and even his own clan.

Lady Philomela had never been the recipient of violence until she married the despicable, Lord Gordon St.Vincent. And, although, Lady Philomela knew that her sadistic husband had no qualms about hurting her, she never thought that he would lock her away in an insane asylum.

Lady Philomela suffered horrific atrocities while in the hospital and was tearfully relieved when she was rescued. Once out of the insane asylum, Philomela needed a new identity. It was decided that she would pose as a governess and be sent to the one place where no one would even dare to look for her, in the castle of the Demon Highlander. Lady Philomela was petrified. What would happen if the most feared warrior in all of Scotland were to find out that the person teaching his children was not a governess at all, but a woman living a lie?

The Highlander is a highly entertaining historical fiction romance. I finished the book in one day. The characters are unique, fully developed and likable, and their dialogue, realistic and witty. If you enjoy reading historical fiction romance, you’ll love The Highlander.

5 out of 5 stars~Review by Peg Glover

*Mystic Montana Sky*by Debra Holland*5-Stars

Jun28

Mystic Montana Sky

Mystic Montana Sky is a heartfelt historical fiction romance; that takes place during the 1800’s, in Sweetwater Springs, Montana.

The only thing Magdalena felt after being told that her husband had died, was relief. She had received her last beating from the mean, abusive drunkard. Magdalena decided that she never wanted to remarry and be dependent on a man again. She would guard her heart and make her own way in the world. Fate, however, had something else in mind for the beautiful Gypsy woman.

Caleb Livingston heard a scream after nearly colliding with a fast moving caravan. Guilt and remorse stabbed at his heart when he found a crashed caravan, a dead man, and an injured pregnant woman. Caleb Livingston was a person who could be depended on, to take control of a situation and keep a cool head. However, when Magdalena started to have labor pains, panic took over his usual self-assured, calm demeanor. The wealthy businessman knew nothing about delivering a child. But, since there was no one else around to help with the birthing process, he knew that responsibility sat squarely on his shoulders.

Stripped of his stuffy, confident manner, Caleb donned an apron and began with trembling hands his midwifery duties. Caleb was never one to take directions from another person, but since he didn’t want three deaths on his conscience, he paid close attention to everything Magdalena demanded of him. Little did Caleb know that delivering this child was going to change him and his life forever.

This book captured my attention from the start. I quickly became engrossed in the story and cared for the characters, especially Caleb and Magdalena, who had both been hurt in relationships before and were afraid to love again.

Mystic Montana Sky is a sweet inspirational romance about love, forgiveness, and acceptance. Highly recommended.

I received this ARC from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

5 out of 5 stars~Review by Peg Glover

*The Gilded Years*by Karin Tanabe*5-Stars

Jun7

The Gilded Years

The Gilded years is a compelling, fictional story based on a true and fascinating African-American woman, Anita Hemmings, who posed as a white student in order to enroll in Vassar, a prestigious women’s college, during the late 1800’s.

Anita Hemmings succeeded in her goal, of blending in with the college crowd, until her senior year when Lottie Taylor, the richest and most popular girl in school became her roommate. Lottie Taylor drew people to herself like a magnet. Anita knew that her days of being invisible were numbered, and that staying vigilant was crucial in order to keep her secret. But life with Lottie was infectious and exciting, that not even Anita could resist stepping into the limelight with her until pieces of Anita’s background were unearthed, and she found herself backpedaling.

The Gilded Years tore at my heart as I walked with Anita through her trials, feeling her guilt, shame, and humiliation. Life can be unfair, and people terribly judgmental. In 1897, Anita Hemmings felt the sting of that cruelty first hand.

Historical fiction is my favorite genre. I love it when a writer can make history come alive; Karin Tanabe is such an author. I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Gilded Years and would highly recommend it to lovers of historical fiction. The author’s characters are well-drawn, their dialogue realistic and the story captivating.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

5 out of 5 stars ~Review by Peg Glover

*The Kitchen House*by Kathleen Grissom*5-Stars

May3

The kitchen house is a beautifully written, powerful and moving novel.

The Kitchen House

This emotional and heart-wrenching story is told from two viewpoints, Lavinia, an Irish indentured servant, and her adoptive mother, a black slave. The Kitchen House takes place in Virginia, on Tall Oaks Plantation, during the late1700s and early1800’s.

Lavinia was only seven-years-old when she was bought by Captain Pike. Her parents had died during the voyage to America from Ireland on one of his ships. Captain Pike placed the traumatized child in the care of his secret daughter, Belle, one of his Kitchen House black slaves. Lavinia quickly grew to love her new adopted family. It wasn’t until ten years later that she would realize what it truly meant to be owned, black, and working, in the fields of a rich man’s plantation.

Captain Pike, was not an evil slave master, but his overseer was. Captain Pike was rarely home, so he didn’t have a true picture of what was happening on his plantation. If he did, he would have stopped the inhuman treatment of his slaves by the overseer. And he certainly would have never allowed his son Marshall to be taken advantage of and abused by the tutor he hired. But Captain Pike wasn’t around, and these things did occur.

At age seventeen, Lavinia was freed from her indentured servanthood. She quickly married into the family and became the mistress of Tall Oaks Plantation. Her goal was to make a better life for the slaves. She had always treated them like family. Unfortunately, as a mistress, she was no longer permitted to treat black slaves as equals. Any kindnesses she showed towards them were swiftly met with a harsh beating from her husband. The slaves of Tall Oaks didn’t abandon Lavinia during this dark period of her life. They stood by her until she was no longer just a beaten down shell of a person.

The kitchen house is not for the faint-hearted. Each page is filled with raw emotion, as it portrays for the reader, a realistic view of slavery, in all of its hateful, brutal ugliness.

5 out of 5 stars~Review by Peg Glover

**Dark Shadows**by Jana Petken*5-Solid Stars

Nov1

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Dark Shadows, is the first five-star book in Jana Petken’s exciting Mercy Carver series. This meticulously crafted and riveting tale had me captivated from the very first page. It takes place during the 19th century, in London, England and Virginia, USA.

Mercy Carver never knew her parents, only of them. Her father had brought shame upon the Carver name. And because of his suicide, Mercy, was brought up by overbearing grandparents. They schemed behind her back and sold her out to Big Joe. Today was Mercy’s eighteen birthday, and she knew that she’d have to marry big Joe at the end of the day, but she was going to have some fun first. Mercy was going to cross the forbidden London Bridge and have tea, disguised as a lady who came from money. Yes, this was her day, and she planned on fully enjoying herself, before, she was stuck behind a store counter and in Big Joe’s bed.

Mercy had no idea that her secret undertaking would bring her into the bowels of a brothel where she would meet the very devil herself. Mercy’s savior would come in the form of a handsome Virginia plantation owner, Jacob Stone. He would take her to America. But Jacob had a secret, a secret that would break Mercy Carver’s heart and have her running from the devil once again.

Dark Shadows is a magnificently crafted, and all engrossing novel with non-stop action. I love it when a book is so compelling, written with realistic characters and situations that I lose all track of time while reading it. Dark Shadows is such a book, and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves historical fiction. I’ve read two solid five-star books by Jana Petken and plan on working my way through all of her works. Dark Shadows is over five hundred pages, and I read it in two days. That should tell you something about the book. Don’t miss out on discovering this talented author.

~5 out of 5 stars~Review by Peg Glover

*The Maid’s Quarters* by Holly Bush- 5-Stars

Jul8

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It was 1893, on a cold winter day in Boston, when Alice returned home from Texas to find her mother and sick brother living in a church. Alice had been paying her mom’s rent for years, so she was furious to find that her mother and brother had been evicted.

Alice suspected that her no-good drunkard father had played a significant role in making her mother and brother homeless. She surmised, that he probably pestered her mom until she gave in and gave him money, leaving her unable to make the rent that month. Alice’s mother had kicked her father out years ago because of his drunken and immoral behavior, but Alice suspected that she was allowing him to come around now and then. She was right too. Her father had always been a bad influence, and it was because of him that Alice’s reputation had been ruined. She accepted the fact years ago that she would never marry and that taking service jobs, such as being a maid, would be her lot in life. But that was all about to change.

The Maid’s Quarters is a sweet story about forgiveness, acceptance, and love. Alice would find the love of her life and get her happy-ever-after, but not until she faced and confessed her most shameful secret.

I enjoyed this well-written novella, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading sweet historical romances.

~5 out of 5 stars