CelebrateLit Tour: Review: A Counterfeit Betrothal by Denise Weimer

About the Book

Book: A Counterfeit Betrothal

Author: Denise Weimer

Genre: Christian Historical Fiction

Release Date: September 6, 2023

A frontier scout, a healing widow, and a desperate fight for peace.

At the farthest Georgia outpost this side of hostile Creek Territory in 1813, Jared Lockridge serves his country as a scout to redeem his father’s botched heritage. If he can help secure peace against Indians allied to the British, he can bring his betrothed to the home he’s building and open his cabinetry shop. Then he comes across a burning cabin and a traumatized woman just widowed by a fatal shot.

Freed from a cruel marriage, Esther Andrews agrees to winter at the Lockridge homestead to help Jared’s pregnant sister-in-law. Lame in one foot, Esther has always known she is secondhand goods, but the gentle carpenter-turned-scout draws her heart with as much skill as he creates furniture from wood. His family’s love offers hope even as violence erupts along the frontier—and Jared’s investigation into local incidents brings danger to their doorstep. Yet how could Esther ever hope a loyal man like Jared would choose her over a fine lady?

 

Click here to get your copy!

Review

 It isn't often I read books set during the war of 1812, and I really found it refreshing to get into that frontier era again. I appreciated the positive relations with the Cherokee that the author portrayed, and Esther's connection especially made my heart happy. The plot, overall, was intriguing and I enjoyed it. There was a definite character arc and growth in even side characters throughout. I'm also completely in LOVE with Duchess. Now, the writing style itself was not my favorite, and I did struggle a bit with flow. However, I enjoyed the story and the epilogue definitely brought everything to nice closure. 

I did receive a copy of this for review, but all opinions are my own.

About the Author

North Georgia native Denise Weimer has authored over a dozen traditionally published novels and a number of novellas—historical and contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and time slip. As a freelance editor and Acquisitions & Editorial Liaison for Wild Heart Books, she’s helped other authors reach their publishing dreams. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise always pauses for coffee, chocolate, and old houses.

 

 

More from Denise

Romance on the Colonial Georgia Frontier

Near my home north of Atlanta, we have plenty of history, which is great for a lifelong history buff like me. But apart from some Colonial-era settlement in Savannah and Augusta, most of it (at least, the recorded part) doesn’t trace back much before the Civil War. Many town and river names hint of the native people and earlier times.

Imagine my surprise when I learned that a War of 1812 fort existed in what is currently Gwinnett County—then Jackson County—less than forty miles northeast of current downtown Atlanta. That evidence of this fort was plowed up in someone’s back yard in 2009 made it even more intriguing. And the fact that I grew up in Jackson County and later briefly lived and worked in Gwinnett (as a historical interpreter, of all things) made my connection to Fort Daniel a close one. The location is now an archeological site with a small museum maintained by the Fort Daniel Foundation.

Most folks, even those who live around here, aren’t aware that the Creek War (or Red Stick War) fought in modern-day Alabama was part of the War of 1812. Or that the Cherokees fought alongside the Americans against the Creeks, allied to the British. The military side of that story is explored in my earlier novel, Bent Tree Bride. But when I learned about Fort Daniel, a home front romance, A Counterfeit Betrothal, book one in my Scouts of the Georgia Frontier Series, was born.

1813

At the farthest Georgia outpost this side of hostile Creek Territory, Jared Lockridge serves his country as a scout to redeem his father’s botched heritage. If he can help secure the peace against Indians allied to the British, he can bring his betrothed to the home he’s building and open his cabinetry shop. Then he comes across a burning cabin and a traumatized woman just widowed by a fatal shot.

 

Freed from a cruel marriage, Esther Andrews agrees to winter at the Lockridge homestead to help Jared’s pregnant sister-in-law. Lame in one foot, Esther has always known she is secondhand goods, but the gentle carpenter-turned-scout draws her heart with as much skill as he creates furniture from wood. His family’s love offers hope even as violence erupts along the frontier—and Jared’s investigation into local incidents brings danger to their doorstep. Yet how could Esther ever hope a loyal man like Jared would choose her over a fine lady?

 

Esther seems to have everything against her—a physical handicap, an abusive past, and then being stranded on the frontier without money, friends, or relatives. Not to mention, the assailant who killed her husband still appears to be stalking her. Her only skill? The herbal remedies learned from a Cherokee woman. The harshest winter in Georgia history closes in, threatening to extinguish all hope. Yet through the example of the loving Lockridge family who take Esther in, she finds her identity and strength in God’s love…and eventually, the love of a good man.

In writing this story, I drew on real history and folklore as related in History of Gwinnett County Georgia 1818-1943 Vol. I by J.C. Flanigan and The Early History of Jackson County Georgia: The Writings of the Late G.J.N. Wilson. The panther attack Esther and Tabitha Lockridge face during the hard winter is based on an 1830s account of a Missouri settler. And the Wog? This strange creature of legend is not only mentioned in the History of Jackson County, but I grew up hearing tales about it as late as the 1980s.

A Counterfeit Betrothal is a story of how healing and redemption can happen among the harshest circumstances. But it’s not just a survival tale. Its sweet romance and loyal friendship will take you back to bayberry candles and syllabub at Christmas, the scratch of a fiddle at a spring log rolling, and the laughter of loved ones gathered around a crackling fire. I hope you enjoy the journey!

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Denise is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/2813a/a-counterfeit-betrothal-celebration-tour-giveaway

Blog Stops

Texas Book-aholic, September 6

For him and My Family, September 7

Life on Chickadee Lane, September 7

Connie’s History Classroom, September 8

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, September 9

Avid Reader Nurse, September 9

Bizwings Book Blog, September 10

Books You Can Feel Good About, September 11

Blossoms and Blessings, September 11

lakesidelivingsite, September 12

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 13

Holly’s Book Corner, September 13

Locks, Hooks and Books, September 14

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, September 15 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, September 15

Cover Lover Book Review, September 16

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, September 17

Pause for Tales, September 17

Simple Harvest Reads, September 18 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

She Lives To Read, September 19

Love. Love. Read., September 19 (YOU ARE HERE)

Review: The Secrets Beneath by Kimberley Woodhouse

Some secrets can only stay buried for so long. . . .

Anna Lakeman has spent her life working alongside her paleontologist father, drawing intricate sketches at every dig. When they find dinosaur bones near their home in Wyoming Territory, they're given the opportunity of a lifetime and are swiftly caught up in the competitive era of the Bone Wars. But after her father becomes sick and Joshua Ziegler, an old beau, returns for the summer, Anna's world is upended, and the practical, orderly life she has made for herself shatters.

Medical student Joshua Ziegler left his hometown to forget Anna, the one woman he truly loved and deeply hurt. But when he returns, time hasn't erased the feelings they've always had for each other. After Joshua's nephew goes missing--just like his sister did years ago--and Anna's job is threatened, tensions mount and dangerous secrets are unearthed.

 Listen, when I tell you I finished this book like 9 minutes ago. I swear, I love it so much. Like, I don't even know where to start! First off, dinosaurs! Who doesn't love a great book about dinosaurs and women paleontologists and Wyoming? Second, Josh is just about the cutest little derp ever! I'll be honest, Anna is pretty much a spoiled brat, but she grows on you, and her dad is the most precious! Julian... he gives me the creeps, and Damian, I had him pegged for at least 200 pages. Don't tell me how, I just did. The plot... I was so glad that Rosemary was just a minor inconvenience, because it would have made me mad if she were any more annoying. I loved watching the relationships play out. The parallels between Caleb and Mary were heartbreaking. Honestly, I was hooked from the prologue. 

Fair warning: Kimberley Woodhouse was temporarily, I believe, possessed by Jaime Jo Wright, and for the first time ever, I had to put one of her books down because I was afraid I would have nightmares. Seriously, preorder the stupid book. Okay! 

Here, I'll even help you: Preorder Link

I did receive a copy of this as part of the review crew, but all opinions are my own.

Review: Finding Us by Tracie Peterson

One candid photograph will change the lives of four people forever.

While taking photographs at an exposition in Seattle in 1909, Camera Girl Eleanor Bennett snaps an image of a woman in widow's clothes with deep sorrow etched in her expression and a young infant in her arms.

Eleanor longs to study botany at the University of Washington and soon becomes fast friends with botanist Bill Reed, but she can't stop thinking about the widow in the photograph. She is stunned to learn Bill recognizes the woman as the sister-in-law he believed lost in a shipwreck.

As Eleanor and Bill hunt for Amelia Reed to reunite her with her grief-stricken husband, they must stand together to face the danger that follows and learn to trust that God will direct their paths.   

 Alright guys, you know I love me some Tracie Peterson books. I devour all her work, and lots of it gets rereads because it's just so good. Finding Us was a good book. I did thoroughly enjoy the characters. The setting was nice. (I realllllllly wanted to be able to go to Alaska with them though. I love her Alaska books the best.) The concept was cool, considering I had never heard of the event that the book is centered around, and old time photography is always fun to read about. I will say that the pacing on this book was hard for me. I felt like everything was moving so fast, and at times it felt forced. I mean, the main characters are basically ready for marriage by chapter three. Also, the situation with the sister-in-law was extremely reminiscent of an incident that occurred with Miranda during the Yukon Quest series. It was a quick read, and an enjoyable one. Maybe not one I would put on my consistent reread list, but there were parts that I would really like to read back over and savor. Overall, yes I recommend it, but I would recommend others of her work more.

I received a copy through NetGalley and these are clearly my honest thoughts and opinions.

Review: A Beautiful Disguise by Roseanna M. White

In Edwardian London, not all that glitters is gold as a lady and an intelligence officer's secret mission take them from the city's dazzling ballrooms to its covert intelligence offices.

Sir Merritt Livingstone has spent a decade serving the monarch in the field, but when pneumonia lands him behind a desk in the War Office Intelligence Division just as they're creating a new secret intelligence branch, he's intent on showing his worth. He suspects an aristocrat of leaking information to Germany as tensions mount between the two countries, but he needs someone to help him prove it, so he turns to The Imposters, Ltd. No one knows who they are, but their results are beyond compare.

Left with an estate on the brink of bankruptcy after their father's death, Lady Marigold Fairfax and her brother open a private investigation firm for the elite to spy on the elite. Dubbed The Imposters, Ltd., their anonymous group soon becomes the go-to for the crème of society who want answers delivered surreptitiously. But the many secrets Marigold learns about her peers pale in comparison to her shock when she and her brother are hired to investigate her best friend's father as a potential traitor.

Lady Marigold is determined to discover the truth for her friend's sake, and she's more determined still to keep her heart from getting involved with this enigmatic new client . . . who can't possibly be as noble as he seems.

 Lionfeathers! It's been a minute since I've read/reviewed a book by Roseanna M. White. (Okay... maybe since like February, but it feels like longer...) I really thought, once upon a time, that Lost Heiress was my favorite. And then it was A Name Unknown. And then Portrait of Loyalty. And every book between. But honestly, I'm really digging Beautiful Disguise right now and I don't know what to say about that except that this author literally always keeps me engaged with her quick wit, likeable characters, and the fact that she really does cameo her characters in other books, which keeps me happy when I have to leave certain favorites behind. (Looking at you, Brooke, Margot, and Barclay!) And tell me why, the Imposters are just such a special and unique troupe of characters. I love them ALL. (Although, I'd pay good money to know what Gemma and Graham are fighting about! Sheesh!) I love that Marigold is so good at what she does. I love that Merritt sees the real her. I adore that Yates is such a doting tease of a little brother. I love that Leonidas is exactly who he is. I love that the Caesars stay and take care of Marigold and Yates still. I love that I got caught off guard there at the end because I did not see the ending coming like that. Yes, if you enjoy elements of suspense, theatre, the circus, the London Season, pre-WW1 espionage, and subtle (or not so subtle) humor, take a flying leap on your trapeze and for pete's sake read the book. It's so good, I swear.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley, but I promise, it's all my own nonsense, per usual.