About the Book

Book: Avenue of Betrayal

Author: Sandra Merville Hart

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: February 8, 2022

Betrayed by her brother and the man she loves…whom can she trust when tragedy strikes? 

Soldiers are pouring into Washington City every day and have begun drilling in preparation for a battle with the Confederacy. Annie Swanson worries for her brother, whom she’s just discovered is a Confederate officer in his new home state of North Carolina. Even as Annie battles feelings of betrayal toward the big brother she’s always adored, her wealthy banker father swears her and her sister to secrecy about their brother’s actions. How could he forsake their mother’s abolitionist teachings?

Sergeant-Major John Finn camps within a mile of the Swansons’ mansion where his West Point pal once lived. Sweet Annie captured his heart at Will’s wedding last year and he looks forward to reestablishing their relationship—until he’s asked to spy on her father.

To prove her father’s loyalty to the Union, John agrees to spy on the Swanson family, though Annie must never know. Then the war strikes a blow that threatens to destroy them all—including the love that’s grown between them against all odds.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Sandra Merville Hart, award-winning and Amazon bestselling author of inspirational historical romances, loves to discover little-known yet fascinating facts from American history to include in her stories. Her desire is to transport her readers back in time. She is also a blogger, speaker, and conference teacher. Connect with Sandra on her blog, https://sandramervillehart.wordpress.com/.

 

More from Sandra

I’m often asked where ideas for my stories originate. That answer varies because inspiration comes from unexpected sources. Searching for inspiration seems to make it more elusive. Story ideas usually happen when I’m doing something unrelated to my books, like visiting a museum or historical home while on vacation.

Ideas for this series stemmed from research for a “Civil War Women” series of articles I wrote for my blog. There are many women from the North and South featured in that series—and many more that deserve recognition. What surprised me was the number of known female spies from both sides. It’s likely that many others either didn’t seek praise after the war or feared retribution and never revealed their activities.

Rose Greenhow, a Confederate spy living in Washington DC (Washington City, as it was called at that time) in 1861, created an impressive spy network. Coded messages were sent on a “Secret Line.” Several couriers in a chain passed on messages in common places such as docks, taverns, and farmhouses.

Rose’s spy network from Boston to New Orleans was the largest in the war—48 women and 2 men.

Allan Pinkerton, head of Lincoln’s Intelligence Service, was given the task to find Confederate spies and he placed Greenhow under surveillance.

She was arrested in August of 1861.

Though the series is about a fictional family, there are actual historical spies who touch the stories. Rose is one of them.

Avenue of Betrayal is set in Washington City (Washington DC) in 1861, where a surprising number of Confederate sympathizers and spies lived.

Through both real and fictional characters, this series will highlight activities spies were involved in and some of the motives behind their decisions.

I invite you to read Avenue of Betrayal and the rest of the series that will soon follow. I’d love to know what you think!

MY REVIEW

This has been a very nice story with characters that I have come to love. The setting of the story is during a troubling time in our country. Neighbors and friends fighting on opposite sides are disheartening for many. The author illustrates the tension felt among families as their men go off to war. When danger surrounding the town, Annie is cautious of everyone. It was hard for  her family to keep a dangerous secret about her brother. What will happen if word spreads that he was on the opposite side of the war? 

John is a great character who is fighting in the war while being assigned a mission that will cause him to deceit someone he loves. I loved how the author developed the relationship between Annie and John. It was a breath of fresh air to have this couple share their feelings in a nice and clean way. As they draw closer to each other the war draws closer to Annie and her family. 

The secrets in the story are hard to hide as John begins to feel guilty for what  he is doing. Can he keep the truth from Annie? What will happen if she finds out? The war finds John in an unsettling position as his best friend has been captured. What will John do when knowledge of his spy  mission is found what? This part of the story is very good as it offers the question of forgiveness. Can John be forgiven and find love from the woman he betrayed?  Annie is a person who has compassion and grace but this deception may destroy her feelings for John. 

Don’t miss this first book in a series that is emotional as division is felt by all in a war that finds friend fighting against friend, brother against brother and the impact it has on family trust. 

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion l

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 8

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, February 9 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, February 9

Genesis 5020, February 10

For Him and My Family, February 11

Locks, Hooks and Books, February 12

Inklings and notions, February 13

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, February 14

Connie’s History Classroom, February 15

Betti Mace, February 16

deb’s Book Review, February 16

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, February 17

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 18

Blossoms and Blessings, February 19

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, February 20 (Spotlight)

Reflections From My Bookshelves, February 20

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, February 21

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Sandra 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/19bc7/avenue-of-betrayal-celebration-tour-giveaway

 

About the Book

Book: Crooked Paths Straight

Author: Elizabeth Wehman

Genre: Historical Fiction

Release date: June 2021

This is a continuing story of the Baker family who settles in the Michigan Territory in 1833. Establishing the new settlement requires stamina, endurance, compromises with the natives, and most of all a strong trust in God and His provisions. Each character in Crooked Paths Straight is confident that their individual paths will lead to happiness and security, yet when trials arise…they soon realize that God’s path is best. This is the second book in the Newburg Chronicle series.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

This is Elizabeth’s sixth novel and her second complete historical which pulls out her love of research. Her books concentrate on Michigan history, especially in her county along the banks of the Shiawassee River. Elizabeth has lived in Michigan her whole life where she has raised three children and will soon welcome the birth of her first granddaughter. She loves capturing not only the early history of the state but the amazing aspects of living in the Great Lakes state.

 

More from Elizabeth

After working as a newspaper reporter, I soon realized that the best part of writing articles was the research. When I began writing historical fiction, I realized it pulled in that element to the extreme. I then fell in love with history but especially the elements of searching through a cemetery for a specific character, finding significant paragraphs in a newspaper article about a particular family, and then sitting down to fictionalize the details I found. It was fun to mix history with fiction.

 

The Baker family, in the The Newburg Chronicles series, came to life in an era that doesn’t always get much attention in the historical fiction scene…the 1830s. This was the beginning of many small settlements in Michigan due to the opening of the Erie Canal. Settlers would travel the canal into Detroit by steamboat and then purchase oxen in the city to move inland. Often they’d only have a map with their property outlined and would then have to blaze a trail west and north to find that property to build a home and farm the land…often sight unseen.

 

The trips inland were grueling and filled with many unknowns including Indians, rough river crossings, swarms of mosquitoes, and howling wolves. What they’d discover was a vast wilderness with trees to gird, cut, and use to build their homes. They’d then need oxen to help prepare the soil to plant crops. Daily chores were exhausting for not only the men but also the women and children.

 

How did they survive? How did families work together to establish a farm? Did they get help or were they all alone? If you enjoy learning about the early settlers of a new territory, The Newburg Chronicle series is for you!

MY REVIEW 

The story is so well written that the author placed me in 1833 alongside the Baker family. It was a hard life for those coming to the Michigan territory. They had to build a place to live in. At times the winter storms were so fierce you could feel the cold wind as it blew snow everywhere. I’m not much for being  out in the cold and wondered how anyone could survive the winter. I got shivers every time  I read that a family member had to go out in the snow. The author does a good job of describing the hardships families faced as they came to start a new life in the area. 

The Baker family is very  welcoming  to everyone and willing to help in any way they could. There was one character in the story that was difficult to like. She was a very unhappy person who critiqued everything and made those around her uncomfortable. It was refreshing to read how others treated her with kindness and showed God’s love to her. 

There are moments in the story when tensions rise as an accident kills something dear to the Indian chief. I liked how the man responsible wanted to face the chief and tell him the truth. He wanted to protect his family and knew that his honesty was what God wanted him to do. With trouble brewing another tragedy strikes which causes worry among the little community. 

There are relationships that go through trials and new arrivals that bless everyone. There is a nice faith element in the  story  which shows how trusting God can get you through hard times. I loved reading this story that shares hopes, dreams and new beginnings. 

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

Blog Stops

lakesidelivingsite, February 5

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 6

Back Porch Reads, February 6

Texas Book-aholic, February 7

Inklings and notions, February 8

For Him and My Family, February 9

deb’s Book Review, February 10

Locks, Hooks and Books, February 11

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, February 11

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, February 12

Connie’s History Classroom, February 13

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, February 14 (Spotlight)

Pause for Tales, February 14

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, February 15

Lots of Helpers, February 16

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 17

CarpeDiem, February 18

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Elizabeth is giving away the grand prize package of a copy of Crooked Paths Straight and also a $50 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/19bc5/crooked-paths-straight-celebration-tour-giveaway

 

About the Book

Book: Coercion at the Cow Palace

Author: Caryl McAdoo

Genre: Historical Romantic Mystery

Release date: January 12, 2022

There’s more than a hundred witnesses in the room, but no one sees who shot the newspaper reporter. If not for an offhanded bet, Morgan and Charity would never have gotten involved; he’s not one to let a friend down. The truth of who and why DeeDee’s big engagement is wrecked might never be known if they hadn’t, and it still may not be if the Lowells can’t get the right man elected governor of Texas. Crooked civil servants and politicians who think they’re above the law thwart their every effort. It’s a historic mystery wrapped in redemption, love, politics, and coercion at the Cow Palace.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Award-winning author Caryl McAdoo prays her story brings God glory, and her best-selling stories—over sixty published—delight Christian readers around the world. The prolific writer also enjoys singing the new songs the Lord gives her; you may listen at YouTube. Sharing four children and twenty-one grandsugars (three are greats), Caryl and Ron, her high-school-sweetheart-husband of fifty-three years, live in the woods south of Clarksville, seat of Red River County in far Northeast Texas. The McAdoos wait expectantly for God to open the next door.

 

More from Caryl

I have so enjoyed writing these mystery stories with Morgan and Charity Lowell—from several books, but primarily LEAVING TEXAS, book four in the “Cross Timbers Romance Family Saga—as the wise and apt investigators! Of course, I have to throw in a little romance. I just can’t help it!

In COERCION at The Cow Palace, we take a little jaunt from Dallas over to Fort Worth and its Hell’s Half Acre. The city was incorporated in 1873, the year COERCION is set, but already acted as a hub for all the cattle drives coming north through Ft. Worth to the Kansas Railways.

I grew up in Dallas and really hadn’t known that much of Fort Worth’s history, so the research proved so exhilarating! Army General William Worth proposed a string of forts to protect Texas’ new settlers but died with cholera before seeing this come to fruition. His successor named the fort for him thirty years before our story.

It had a booming population of over five thousand—plus almost another thousand slaves—before the Civil War. Afterwards, during the reconstruction, its citizenship dwindled to less than two hundred in the 1860s, but the following decade with the arrival of the railroad in 1976 firmly established “Cowtown, ” Fort Worth’s famous nickname.

I loved setting these characters in this famous Texas town. It’s been said that  Fort Worth was where the West began! I say, “Let the fun begin as we figure out along with the Lowells who done it!”

Blessings, y’all!

MY REVIEW 

This series is one of my favorites by the author. It has humor, mystery , faith and outstanding characters. I wonder if anyone has noticed something about the two characters that reflect the author’s life? Morgan and Charity are an awesome couple who enjoy life, pick at each other and friendly as all get out. Here is the curious thing;  they write books together. Oh I know in this series one of them  is the main writer, but really we know they both contribute to make best sellers. Does this sound familiar to anyone about our author? Just a little nod to their own lives which I didn’t know til recently. 

Now let’s continue with why this story is so much fun to read. Who could imagine that a murder takes  place with say maybe a hundred or more people present? Why is it that no one knows who did it and what is being hidden that will solve the mystery? I know our favorite couple is on the job and we are in for an adventure in the good old western days set in Texas.

It is very funny that people are not forthcoming with Charity when she asks questions. Guess they don’t want to be featured in the next book written by Morgan. But if you don’t ask questions, how do you solve a mystery? Charity is very clever at getting information and I enjoyed reading  how she subtly found answers that some didn’t want to be known. 

The courtroom scene is exciting and full of unforeseen confessions. It was interesting to see how different the prosecutor and defense attorneys approached each witness. With unexpected twists the author gives us a front row seat to how a judge runs a courtroom. It was everything I expected with witnesses trying to back step statements and evidence that made some gasp with  surprise. I was on pins and needles as I waited for the verdict. 

The best part of the book for me was witnessing the redemption of several women who thought their sins were too much for God to forgive. The peace they found as they each surrender their life to Jesus was so emotional. You could feel the chains break from them as they were set free. What a wonderful example of how God loves us unconditionally. No matter what sin you have done, you are forgiven. As I say in every review I do for this author, I always grow closer to God after reading her books. 

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, February 4

For Him and My Family, February 5

Texas Book-aholic, February 6

Through the Fire Blogs, February 7 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 7

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, February 8

Inklings and notions, February 9

Locks, Hooks and Books, February 10

Adventures of a Travelers Wife, February 10 (Author Interview)

deb’s Book Review, February 11

Connie’s History Classroom, February 12

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, February 13 (Spotlight)

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, February 14

A Baker’s Perspective, February 15 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 16

Pause for Tales, February 17

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Caryl is giving away the grand prize of a $25 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/19bc4/coercion-at-the-cow-palace-celebration-tour-giveaway

 

About the Book

Book: The Well of the Soul

Author: Doug Powell

Genre: Action/Adventure/Suspense

Release date: October 15, 2021

A list of hiding places on a strip of papyrus found inside a mummy mask thrusts Graham Eliot, Ancient Near East scholar, into a hunt for the treasures of the second temple. The list has already cost the life of a colleague, and now he is being pursued as he races to recover what has been lost for almost 2,000 years.

As he literally digs into Jerusalem, he is haunted by the recent deaths of his wife and daughter, which have left him doubting the existence of God. His spiritual and archaeological struggles become more entwined as his life is repeatedly threatened the longer the work continues. When he reaches the final site—the cisterns below the Temple Mount, a network of caves and tunnel no one has entered in 150 years and that no one has ever explored—Graham discovers far greater treasure than he ever imagined.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Doug Powell is the best-selling author of more than a dozen books on Christian apologetics, a speaker, musician, songwriter, graphic designer, and a very amateur magician. He has performed on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and has been featured on CNN and NPR, and appears on two songs he co-wrote with Alan Parsons for the album The Secret. He lives outside Nashville, Tennessee.

 

More from Doug

In December 2013, I attended a private event where an Ancient Near East scholar demonstrated a method he had developed for deconstructing certain kinds of mummy masks. He explained that many mummy masks were made with an early form of papier-mâché called cartonnage. Instead of paper as we know it, the material that was molded and shaped was papyrus, an early form of paper made from the leaves of a papyrus plant. However, papyrus was too expensive to justify using it for mummy’s. So a funerary attendant would collect discarded books, letters, and documents—whatever he could find—and use them construct the mask.

 

The scholar then explained that if a mask could be found from the right location and the right time period, then it might contain fragments of biblical manuscripts. The problem was how to dissolve the adhesive to separate and extract the individual fragments. After much trial and error, he had hit on a solution—a liquid key, of sorts—to unlock the mask. He then went to the pantry where the event was taking place and turned on a camera mounted above the sink that fed video back to the auditorium where I watched the big screen along with more than a hundred other apologists and scholars.

 

He submerged the mask into what look like bubbles from dishwashing liquid, narrating what was happening as he worked the solution into the mask. After a few moments, he announced something had just come loose, then pulled a hand from the bubbles, an ancient fragment pinched between his fingers. He repositioned it in this palm and identified the text as Coptic. He set it aside to dry, then repeated the process, pulling fragments more quickly as the mask disintegrated.

 

The mask yielded several dozen fragments, many with writing on them. After letting them dry, the scholars who had watched the demonstration then tried to read and identify each of the texts on the fragments by entering the words they could make out into a database of ancient writings. Full disclosure: out of the entire batch, I could read only one word, which was and. So I didn’t exactly do any heavy-lifting to help move the body of scholarly knowledge forward. By the end of the next day, five fragments from the New Testament had been identified, and one from Jeremiah.

 

As fascinating as the experience was, I found myself wondering, What would be the craziest thing that could possibly be found inside the mask? At the time, I had no plans to write a novel. But somehow the question was a seed that grew in the dark, given that I didn’t actively pursue it. Years later—quite unexpectedly—I found an answer to the question. And I realized I was sitting on a premise to a novel. The presentation became the first scene in the book that became The Well of the Soul.

MY REVIEW 

This is a very different kind of book that offers intrigue as well as historical facts. The beginning is what drew me in. I wanted to know what was found on the mask . Like the people in the audience I was glued to the screen in anticipation of an ancient find. What happens next starts the book on a journey to a foreign land where danger is well known in the country.

Graham is still having issues with his wife and daughter’s death so I wasn’t sure he was the right person to send overseas to recover an historical treasure.  Maybe being there he will find his relationship with God restored. The author provides in depth details relating to Biblical times. It was like being placed back in time to witness what had taken place many, many years ago.  

As the dig starts Graham is met with gun fire. Someone is out there to stop him from discovering a hidden treasure. I don’t blame Graham from wanting to stop and go home. I don’t think he signed up for risking his life to uncover a deep secret hidden for centuries.   I did enjoy the action in the story and how quickly Graham and his team were discovered. Whatever the artifact is someone is willing to do harm to retrieve it from Graham. At times I wondered who could be trusted. 

The story is good and I think for me I was more interested in Graham finding his way back to God. During his time looking for the treasure he had moments where he knew his life was in danger. It reminds me of when you face a crisis you cry out to God for help. Graham knew the only way he would survive the men who were after him was to believe that God was there to protect him. The book is not so much of a mystery as it is more of historical facts that I really liked reading about. The ending is good  and wraps up everything nicely. 

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, February 3

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 4

Texas Book-aholic, February 5

Pause for Tales, February 5

Inklings and notions, February 6

For the Love of Literature, February 6

For Him and My Family, February 7

deb’s Book Review, February 8

Locks, Hooks and Books, February 9

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, February 10

The Sacred Line, February 10

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, February 11

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, February 12 (Spotlight)

Blogging With Carol, February 12

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, February 13

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 14

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

Mary Hake, February 15

Little Homeschool on the Prairie, February 16

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, Doug is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card and a signed copy of the book!!

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/19bc3/the-well-of-the-soul-celebration-tour-giveaway