CelebrateLit Tour: Review: The Heart's Appeal by Jennifer Delamere

Strong-minded and independent, Julia Bernay has come to London to study medicine and become a doctor–a profession that has only just opened up to women. When she witnesses a serious accident, her quick action saves the life of an ambitious young barrister named Michael Stephenson. It’s only later that she learns he could be instrumental in destroying her dreams for the future.

Coming from a family that long ago lost its status, Michael Stephenson has achieved what many would have thought impossible. Hard work and an aptitude for the law have enabled him to regain the path to wealth and recognition. His latest case puts him in the middle of a debate over the future of a women’s medical school. He’s supposed to remain objective, but when the beguiling and determined Julia reappears with an unexpected entreaty, he begins to question what he’s made most important in his life. But Julia may be hiding her own motivations. As the two are tangled into spending more time together, will their own goals be too much to overcome?

I'm going with 4.5 stars. I loved this book. Of course! I expected nothing less after reading The Captain's Daughter last year and being completely in love! Julia's story was no less wonderful. There wasn't a lot about Rosalyn in this book, which means that if you haven't read the first book, you won't be super lost in this one. It's almost stand alone, but I'll tell you now, it'll be much better in order. It's a deeper love for all the characters and the setting. London was going through so much change at this time, and putting these strong women into this time is brilliant! I enjoy living through the changes vicariously, and did I mention how much I love Julia??? Oh goodness! I loved Michael and Julia's interactions. It was completely anti-stereotypical as Julia is the moving force in this relationship. Her strong determination, meshed with her even stronger faith in God, make her a stellar lead character. Add to that the character development, the sweetness of the romance, and the incredible plot with it's twists and turns... Ah! What a great way to spend Spring Break. Also, if you listen to the Gilbert and Sullivan soundtrack for Patience, well... it's just the only way to do it, that's all! The subplot with Edith and her father was really neat-o! And I'm not doing my best at describing how much I enjoyed this book. Oh bother! Also, one of my favorite books of all time is Bleak House by Charles Dickens, and I'd like to say that the legal matters were so much more enjoyable in this book 😂😂😂 That being said, You should absolutely go find a copy of this book and sit down with some tea and fuzzy socks and Gilbert and Sullivan and just enjoy it.  (P.S. Sorry for the weird font/put together-ness issues. Blogger is giving me fits today and I'm not sure why.)

I received this book from Celebrate Lit in exchange for my honest review.

About the Author

Jennifer Delamere’s debut Victorian romance, An Heiress at Heart, was a 2013 RITA Award finalist in the inspirational category. Her follow-up novel, A Lady Most Lovely, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and the Maggie Award for Excellence from Georgia Romance Writers. Jennifer earned a BA in English from McGill University in Montreal, where she became fluent in French and developed an abiding passion for winter sports. She’s been an editor of nonfiction and educational materials for nearly two decades, and lives in North Carolina with her husband.

Guest Post from Jennifer Delamere

Power couples?

Perhaps that’s not a concept that initially comes to mind when one thinks of Victorian England! And yet, they did exist. I love to include real people from history in my books, and in The Heart’s Appeal, Julia Bernayts two inspiring real-life couples who will make a positive impact in her life.

In 1865, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson became the first woman to qualify as a physician in Britain. She did this through a legal loophole, but soon the laws were changed to open the medical field to all women. In 1874, Dr. Anderson co-founded the London School of Medicine for Women. She remained involved in the school in various capacities for the rest of her life, even as she continued to run her own busy practice. In The Heart’s Appeal, she becomes a mentor for Julia, opening doors for her education and introducing Julia to people who can help her succeed in medical school.

Dr. Anderson’s husband, James Anderson (Jamie), was the joint-owner of a successful shipping line and also served on the boards of several organizations (including a children’s hospital). He was a handsome man, very much in love with his wife, and fervent in supporting her choice of a career.

In a letter he wrote to her while they were engaged, Jamie explained his vision for their future—how they could keep their professional and private lives separate, yet still give each other plenty of love and support:

“I think we had better lay it down once for all as a rule that I am under no circumstances to bring people ‘favorably under your notice’ or ‘exert any influence’ or anything of the sort. It will give people a wrong idea of you unless I take a decided line in this matter — and as I mean to be if I can a successful man of business, neither interfering with your pursuits nor being interfered with by you (but having our confidences on all feasible subjects at off times of the day and week and mutually advising and fortifying one another), I must let people know unmistakably not to come bothering me about your public affairs. Will you think about this, dearest?”

Who couldn’t love a man like that?

 Jamie Anderson’s outlook on life comes into play later on in The Heart’s Appeal, when he provides advice and aid to Michael Stephenson, the book’s hero, at a critical time.

Julia also has an inspiring encounter with Dr. Anderson’s sister, Millicent Fawcett. Millicent was married to a Member of Parliament and actively supported her husband’s career in many ways, including acting as a scribe for him since he was blind. She is most remembered for her role in the women’s suffrage movement. In fact, a statue of her will be placed in Parliament Square in London this summer. She was not a militant suffragette, but rather campaigned for suffrage under the banner “Law-Abiding Suffragists.”

Both couples raised families, too, and their children’s successes in life show they were raised to have the same energetic and “can-do” attitudes that their parents had.

Julia initially believes she must remain single to achieve her life’s goals. But soon she finds her heart drawn to successful barrister Michael Stephenson, who admires Julia’s intelligence and ambition. She learns that love and the freedom to pursue her dreams do not have to be mutually exclusive. A meeting of minds to spark a true romance? Yes, please! I hope readers will agree this can be the most satisfying of all.

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Jennifer is giving away a grand prize package of that includes All four March Bethany House historical releases (The Heart’s Appeal, plus A Most Noble Heir by Susan Anne Mason, A Chance at Forever by Melissa Jagears, In Places Hidden by Tracie Peterson) and a $20 Starbucks gift card!!

Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/cacd

Blog Stops

Reading Is My SuperPower, March 22

Inspiration Clothesline, March 22

Texas Book-aholic, March 22

A Greater Yes, March 23

Among the Reads, March 23

D’S QUILTS & BOOKS, March 23

Splashes of Joy, March 23

Fiction Aficionado, March 24

History, Mystery & Faith, March 24

Red Headed Book Lady, March 24

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 24

The Power of Words, March 25

Mary Hake, March 25

Remembrancy, March 25

Janices book reviews, March 25

Cordially, Barbara, March 26

Genesis 5020, March 26

Moments Dipped in Ink, March 26

Jeanette’s Thoughts, March 26

Kat’s Corner Books, March 27

The Fizzy Pop Collection, March 27

Maureen’s Musings, March 27

Carpe Diem, March 27

Reflections From My Bookshelves, March 28

Seasons of opportunities, March 28

Singing Librarian Books, March 28

A Baker’s Perspective, March 28

Baker Kella, March 29

All-of-a-kind Mom, March 29

Inklings and Notions, March 29

Simple Harvest Reads, March 29 (Guest post from Mindy)

Pause for Tales, March 30

Cafinated Reads, March 30

Have A Wonderful Day, March 30

Pursuing Stacie, March 30

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 31

Connie’s History Classroom, March 31

Book by Book, March 31

Bigreadersite, March 31

Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses, April 1

Neverending Stories, April 1

Ladybug Chronicles, April 1

Smiling Book Reviews, April 2

Two Points of Interest, April 2

Vicky Sluiter, April 2

Kaylee’s Kind Of Writes, April 3

proud to be an autism mom, April 3

Bibliophile Reviews, April 3

Karen Sue Hadley, April 4

(You are here! ->) Live Love Read, April 4

Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, April 4

Faery Tales Are Real, April 4

Giveaway Winner!

The giveaway is over, and the winner has been selected!! Congrats Susan! Thanks for entering! Hope you enjoy! 

Have a Blessed Easter!!!

HE IS RISEN!!!!

Review: In Places Hidden by Tracie Peterson

On her way to San Francisco to find her brother, Caleb, who went missing three months ago, Camriann Coulter meets Judith and Kenzie, who both have their own mysteries to solve in the booming West Coast city. The women decide to help each other, including rooming together and working at Kenzie's cousin's chocolate factory.

Camri's search for her brother, an attorney, leads her deep into the political corruption of the city--and into the acquaintance of Patrick Murdock, a handsome Irishman who was saved from a false murder charge by Caleb. Patrick challenges all of Camri's privileged beliefs, but he knows more about what happened to her brother than anyone else. Together, they move closer to the truth behind Caleb's disappearance. But as the stakes rise and threats loom, will Patrick be able to protect Camri from the dangers he knows lie in the hidden places of the city?

I've been super excited about this book ever since I found out it was coming. I've especially been looking forward to it since I met Tracie and Kim when they came to Bob Jones a few months ago. I give this book 5 stars. It completely captured the corruption of San Francisco in such a way that I was holding my breath several times. I think this might be one of the highest concentrations of suspense I've felt while reading her historical fiction. Almost to the point where I had to get away, which usually only happens with straight up suspense novels. The characters were great! I especially loved the changes that I saw in Camri. There at the beginning she reminded me (just slightly!) of Helaina Beecham, one of my all-time favorite characters! If you haven't read Tracie's Alaskan (and Yukon) Quest trilogies, then you absolutely should! They are my absolute favorites of hers! (Side Note...with possibly spoiler... Karen was my favorite character and I'm not sure that I'm ever going to get over those books! I've cried myself to sleep every time I've read them. And that is probably half a dozen times!) Anywho, I digress. You want to know about San Francisco.... actually, you probably don't cause the more you know the more likely you are to wind up dead. This book was very full of spiritual truths and I absolutely loved seeing what the characters were learning. I have to say, the semi-resolution came MUCH sooner than I had anticipated. But that didn't bother me any. Of course, you may want to keep a few tissues close by. This book can be a tear-jerker. One of the things that I love the most in books is a tear-jerker moment. Tracie generally gives me them in abundance! <3 I was completely into this book, all the way. I let myself fly away to California. And it was wonderful. I read it in almost one sitting. You wont' regret reading this new adventure. Now I need to find room for it on my Tracie shelf. I'm thinking it should go between the Oregon and the Montana books. (I organize my Tracie books geographically, in case you were wondering ;) )

Sorry for the slightly ADD-ness of that review. I don't think that there is any rhyme or reason to it. I hope that you enjoy it anyway, and that you will go find this book and enjoy IT even more. This one is a keeper.  I honestly can't remember finishing the book, and I think now that's because I've only finished a third of the story. I can't wait to get my hands on the next bits.

Thank you Bethany House for allowing me to be a part of your Blogger Review program.

Waiting-On-Wednesday: A Breath of Hope by Lauraine Snelling

Lauraine Snelling is definitely a great author, and I've been a fan since my early teen years, starting with the Golden Filly series. Most recently I've enjoyed her book From This Day Forward. A Breath of Hope is publishing April 2018.

About

Nilda Carlson has been trying to save enough money to go to America for months, so when a letter arrives, with an offer to pay her passage, she jumps at the chance. Her younger brother Ivar accompanies her, and they are thrilled to join older brother Rune and his family in the northern forests of Minnesota.

But America is not everything Nilda imagined. A terrifying experience in a lumber camp shakes Nilda's confidence and trust in men, but a job helping a young widow raise her children and run her farm gives her a chance to build her own life. When she meets Fritz, the children's schoolteacher, she is initially unimpressed and uninterested. His kindness and passion for learning begin to win her over, but how can she sacrifice her dreams for the future for a man she's still not sure of?

Waiting-on-Wednesday is hosted by Breaking The Spine.

Blogversary 2!!!!

WOW!!! How did we get here??? It's crazy! Now, I'm not gonna go into a crazy long over-sharing of emotions like last year ;) If you want to know all that... just read the one from last year! But I will say, it's pretty crazy to see how my style has changed. But I know you really just want to know if there is going to be something special, and the answer is yes.
 It's open until the end of March! Share every day if you want!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/bedbf51f2/?


Thank you all for your support and for continuing to read my blog. Love you guys!

(P.S. Sorry I don't post more... College is tres tres time consuming!)

Review: Magnificent Obsession by Lloyd C Douglas

Here is one that I read over the summer. I hope you enjoy. (Really though, this was a strange, yet great, book!)

This is the trickiest book to describe. I'm going to go find an official blurb....


When Robert Merrick's life is saved at the expense of the life of an eccentric but adored surgeon, the carefree playboy is forced to reevaluate his own path. Merrick embarks on a course of anonymous philanthropy, inspired by reading the doctor's private papers. An engaging and dramatic story of personal redemption and private sacrifice, this spiritual tale has served as an inspiration for both the stage and screen.

(Mind now. I didn't write that!)

I'm giving this book 4 stars.

1: I'm not even sure where to start. I think with "I read this book after watching the movie, the one with Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson." And I am 99% positive that had I read first, watched second, I would have been very very let down by the movie. It was a great movie, but the story was so much deeper than the movie let on. And so much different. There were definitely plot differences.

2: I was a little shocked. I wasn't quite sure what to think of this book. It's religious, surely. But not biblical. Not quite. Between the scientology and the "Major Personality" bits, I was thoroughly confused. But let confusion reign, for when I get a book like this, I'm going to finish it. It was quite the story.

3: Definitely wanted a Sharpie.... for sure a Sharpie was needed. But I chugged along, always trying to understand the exact method for this "personality infusion" going on.

4: It's a book with characters on every page that you'll love. Nancy and her motherly role towards Bobby. Helen and her heart-ache and uncontrollable step-daughter. Bobby himself, with quite a few things going for and against him. You find yourself drawn into their quarrels and fun and studies and lives without your knowledge and almost without your consent.

5: I guess it is a romance, and yet.... it's the softest dose of romance ever put in a romance novel. You hardly think of it for pages on end, and then Bobby can't do a thing for Helen on his mind.

All-in-all, a successful adventure, I reckon. I'm not sorry I read it. In fact, I was hard-pressed to put it down.

Review: A Home in Drayton Valley by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Here's a book that I enjoyed over Christmas Break! I hope you'll read this awesome book.

Joss and Mary head West with their two kids and Mary's best friend Tarsie. Mary needs to get Joss away from all the saloons in New York City, and Tarsie is convinced that fresh air will help Mary get better. But just as they are about to cross the river to get into Kansas, Mary's strength fails, and Tarsie and Joss are married in a deal that she made with Mary at the end. Emmy and Nathaniel are easy to love, but Joss... well he's insufferable. Can the two of them make this work?

I'm giving this lovely book 5 stars. You know, every time I start a new book by Kim Vogel Sawyer I get a little worried the first two or three chapters... What if I don't love this one as much as the others.... What if it's not as good... PHOOEY!!! They haven't been bad yet, not a one of them. And this was certainly no exception. I enjoyed reading this so much. I loved the setting and the people and the time. I enjoyed seeing change and growth happen. I loved seeing the overcoming of prejudice. And the overcoming of other things that I can't tell you because I strive to not have spoilers here. (And yes, I do realize that I fail miserably sometimes.) I enjoyed the strange plot twist with prohibition. And the spiritual awakening of certain characters was about enough to make me rejoice, forgetting for a second the fictionality (is that a made up word?) of their existence. I love how Kim always writes out the accents. And the accents give everyone an extra dimension, an added layer to their personality. Bottom line... I tried to just read a chapter or two at a time but instead I was up past midnight last night reading.