Monday, May 3, 2021

About the Book

Book: Journey to Joy

Author: Anne Perrault

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: April 23, 2019

Can she find joy where there has only been defeat and dishonor?

Tricked into indentured servitude, Joy Richards finds herself working for an abusive innkeeper. Her life is so destitute, she feels God has forsaken her. After one last desperate cry to God, a kind stranger steps in to take her away.

Can she trust this new circumstance?

Andrew Lloyd-Foxx abhors injustice. He can’t walk away from it. When he steps in on the young woman’s behalf, his own life is turned upside down. Burdened with his own loss, he has no room for anyone else.

Will the journey prove too difficult?

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Anne Perreault was born and raised in Germany. By the time she was 14 years old, her family moved to Dubai, UAE. While living in this exotic place, she traveled extensively to various countries around the world. After graduating from an American boarding school in Austria, she attended college in England, where she met her husband. She graduated from New England College with a degree in biology, and settled down in Connecticut. Anne became a horseback riding instructor as well as a certified therapeutic riding instructor. She and a group of friends started a therapeutic riding center in Bristol, CT. During that time, Anne also received a masters degree in secondary education and began to homeschool her three children. While raising their three children, she began to write an inspirational story primarily for her daughter. Anne, her husband, and two of their grown children now reside in Southern Vermont, where they are building their home. Besides writing, Anne enjoys reading, spending time with her husband, grown children, and grand-dogger.

More from Anne

This book came about when my youngest son and I were studying the second awakening and some of the preachers that started to talk about abolition. I was fascinated by their passion and could see myself in the crowd, listening to them preach.

At the same time, I was probably reading a historical fiction, possibly by Tamera Alexander, and she included horses. I think it was the Bell Meade series. I thought to myself, Myself, you love history more than anything else. Why don’t you write a historical fiction and include horses?

Talk about catching two stones with one bird. Believe it or not, even though I spent most of my life on or around horses, taught horseback riding for about 15 years, competed very extensively in both dressage and equitation, and owned an off-the-track racehorse, my knowledge of racing was… limited.

But I know horses. And I love history. And, research is fun.

So, I thought back to which book had a ton of influence on me, a book that highlighted racehorses. King of the Wind, by Marguerite Henry popped into my mind immediately. I have a very special love of the Arabian horse and boy if there was ever a story, I would want to tell something like that one.

I began researching how and when and why and who imported the Godolphin Arabian to the United States and… I found out some amazing things not just about the Thoroughbreds, who greatly benefited from the influence of the Godolphin Arabian – as he came to be known – but also our very own Quarter Horses. Did you know that the reason they are called Quarter Horses is because they have incredible speed over the quarter mile. That was news to me. The first place to make a home for the Godolphin in this country was in the South, at Fenwick Park. I researched that place and the story started to come together.

I had the horses. I wanted to place the story in New England, since I live there. I had the place, pictured what it would look like, but the characters were still illusive. Abolition had to be part of the story. So, what if one of them was a slave? That didn’t quite fit history well. But what if one of them was an indentured servant?

Bada-bing bada-bang. Hello, my friends. The characters just jumped out at me and I enjoyed watching them scramble around in their relationship with each other, as well as the relationship with those around them. This book really has an amazing supporting cast of characters. I never imagined them to be so… fun.

I hope you enjoy this peek inside an author’s head. Enjoy Journey for Joy as much as I loved writing it.

MY REVIEW

This has been a delightful story that had me turning pages quickly. I had to know where Joy would end up. Her life has been one of despair. I was a little upset when her family decided her fate in order for them to get money. The theme of the book is trust and that is tested many times. Is it possible to rescue a character from her environment? Well I wanted to run into the story and scoop Joy up and take her to safety. The thought of men treating her so disrespectful angered me. Joy has this spirit of survival and I loved how she never gave up.

Andrew was Joy’s knight in shining armor. He found her at her darkest moment and took her in. That was a turning point for Joy. Her battered body needed mending and Andrew opened his home for her to recuperate. Andrew was a fascinating character and I absolutely adored reading about his horses. I could picture the horses as they run around the track with their mane flying in the wind. The author has definitely done her homework with details about horses and what it takes to care for them.

The story was fun to read and I thought Andrew’s mother was kinda funny. I know she was all prim and proper but still there was a bit of mischievous side to her. It is easy to guess that she is transforming Joy into a woman who will catch her son’s attention. I loved how we witness Joy realizing that she is important and not something to be used and tossed away. There are some emotional scenes in the story where Joy pours her heart out to God. I liked the secret that Andrew had which changed many lives. His heart is full of love for others and to me he is an example of being God’s hands and feet to help others. It is a wonderful story that shares unconditional love, pride, trust and finding God in the darkness.

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