A Promise Engraved

About the Book

Book: A Promise Engraved

Author: Liz Tolsma

Genre: Christian Fiction/Historical Fiction/Romance

Release date: May, 2022

Can Promises Made in Times of Struggle Endure 200 Years?

Visit historic American landmarks through the Doors to the Past series. History and today collide in stories full of mystery, intrigue, faith, and romance.

Young, spirited Josie Wilkins life is about to take a turn when faced with political turmoil and forbidden love in San Antonio of 1836. John Gilbert has won her heart, despite being a Protestant preacher who is forbidden to practice his faith in Texas. Will either of them survive an epic battle for liberty to create a legacy of love?

Nearly 200 years later, Kayleigh Hernandez takes breaks from her demanding job as a refugee coordinator working with Mexican migrants to attend flea markets where she has found a uniquely engraved ring. Enlisting the help of appraiser Brandon Shuman, they piece together a love story long forgotten. But will dangers linked to Kayleigh’s work end her own hopes for leaving a legacy built on hope, faith, and love?

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About the Author

Liz Tolsma is the author of several WWII novels, romantic suspense novels, prairie romance novellas, and an Amish romance. She is a popular speaker and an editor and resides next to a Wisconsin farm field with her husband and their youngest daughter. Her son is a US Marine, and her oldest daughter is a college student. Liz enjoys reading, walking, working in her large perennial garden, kayaking, and camping. Please visit her website at www.liztolsma.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter (@LizTolsma), Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest. She is also the host of the Christian Historical Fiction Talk podcast.

More from Liz

The Story of Susannah Dickinson, Alamo Survivor

When asked how many died at the Alamo, many would answer that everyone did. While it’s true that all fighting on the side of Texas independence perished, there were survivors, all women and children and one slave. The only white woman (the rest were of Mexican descent) was Susannah Dickinson, along with her daughter Angelina. Susannah had followed her husband, Almaron, to Mexican Texas in 1831. They had married two years before when Susannah was just fifteen. She never learned to read or write.

She and the other women hid in the sacristy of the church, one of the surviving buildings in the mission and what we now think of as the Alamo. Her husband died, but Mexican General Santa Anna found them and spared their lives, sending them to Sam Houston with $2 each and a blanket.

She married again the following year but divorced him almost immediately on the grounds of cruelty. She married a third time the following year and was married for five years until her husband died of alcoholism. A fourth marriage occurred in 1847, but she divorced again in 1857, this time allegedly because she was having an affair. That same year, she married for a fifth time. This marriage lasted until her death in 1883.

The ring in A Promise Engraved is based on a cat’s eye ring supposedly given to Angelina by William Travis before the battle. Angelina was Susannah’s only child. She married and had three children, but that marriage ended in divorce. She gave the ring to a man she’d become involved with in New Orleans. She married again and had one more child but died in 1869 from a uterine hemorrhage.

Today there are many descendants of Susannah Dickinson. If you visit the Susannah Dickinson house in Austin, you’ll see a quilt that is signed by many of her living descendants.

MY REVIEW

This dual-time story captures a historic time that features the Alamo. I remember visiting the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas and found it to be smaller than I imagined. It is rich in artifacts and historic facts that make you feel like you traveled back in time. I looked forward to seeing how the author would illustrate this tine period. I was not disappointed in how much details the author provided and brought this time period back to life with outstanding characters.

Let’s talk about Josie and how much I admired her. She is young, fierce and very much a determined young woman. When she rides her horse, she is in control and feels free from anything that may be weighing her down emotionally. Josie has knowledge of both the Spanish and Indians which made her valuable. It also was an advantage for her to be able to blend into areas where her skills of being unnoticed were very important. I liked how she made sure that people around the town and outlying areas were informed of the danger that was threatening them.

Kayleigh brings us to the present where we find out about the tragic way her parents died. Somehow I knew there was a connection to the past and the author grabbed my attention. When Kayleigh finds a very old ring in a shop it brought back a memory that brought her sadness. It reminded her of a ring her mother use to wear. Had she found a clue that would solve her parent’s murder? The inscription was very hard to decipher and I wanted to follow Kayleigh on her quest to find out the truth that has plagued her for so long. It was quite interesting to discover that Kayleigh’s job of refugee coordinator was an important part of who she was as a person. Her compassion was evident as she tried her best to make everyone who came to her feel safe.

With the past and present lingering parallel to each other, the author gives us a look at the danger and heartache Josie suffered through. The ring becomes very significant to both Josie and Kayleigh. With Kayleigh securing help from Brandon whom she met at the jewelry store they are focused on finding out the history of the ring. Josie goes through so much tragedy but still continued to be faithful to God. It is hard to put into words how much I loved this story. It is without a doubt one of the best books about the Alamo. The author completed her mission of tying the past to the present in a way that reminds us to hold on to our faith and learn to trust those who God puts in our path.

“Don’t miss out on the future because of what you lost in the past.”

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