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04 October 2011

Diana's Corner - Book Review of Fairer than Morning by Rosslyn Elliot


cover coming
Fairer Than Morning 
by Rosslyn Elliot
May 2011 from Thomas Nelson Publishers


4 1/2 stars~


From The Darkness Into His Marvelous Light!

In Fairer Than Morning, debut author Rosslyn Elliot takes us away to Ohio in the early 1800s, an era of indentured servants and runaway slaves; a time of gross darkness and light, prosperity and poverty. Our heroine, Ann Miller, lives with her father, a master saddler, and a good Christian man who helps lead runaway slaves to the underground railroad. As he travels on a business trip to Pittsburgh, Ann, nursing a broken heart from her sweetheart, Eli, decides to go with her father.There she meets Will Hanby, a saddler's apprentice.

Will has indentured himself to Master Good to learn the fine art of saddle making, not realizing that he is a cruel man, who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Will is tormented, beaten, and broken in spirit when he meets the lovely Ann, and her kind father, and when they return to Ohio he vows to run away and find them at any cost. In his despair, loneliness, and need for love, Will reaches out to an impoverished young lady, Emmie, and compromises her. Feeling tremendous regret and shame, Will is determined to learn the saddle trade and come back for Emmie, and make things right by marrying her and taking her to live at the Miller's home.

Once there, under the tutelage of Mr. Miller, Will learns more than just saddle making. He learns of God's love that reaches down into his dark, love-starved soul, and of forgiveness, and immediately begins to seek God's will for his once broken life. What are God's plans, and what happens when Will decides to return to his ex-master with Mr. Miller to make things right? When Emmie accepts his marriage proposal, what's to become of Will's attraction for the lovely, kindhearted Ann? And when Ann's ex-sweetheart proposes, what is to become of her overwhelming feelings for Will?

Rosslyn Elliot's debut novel is powerful, realistic, and heartwrenching at times. Her research of this fiction novel based on factual people and events is impressive, and is truly a page-turner! Although there is romance in this book it isn't oozing with it, and it is actually more of a historical tale, than a lighthearted romance novel. With a strong spiritual thread throughout, I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading the next in the series!

This book was sent to me by the author and I was not required to give a favorable opinion. Available for purchase through CBD and through Amazon as well as other retailers.


Giveaway:  Leave a comment and your email address for a chance to win a copy of Fairer than Morning!
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43 comments:

  1. Rosslyn ElliottOctober 5, 2011 at 10:51 AM

    Diana and Carrie, thank you for writing and featuring this kind review! I look forward to seeing who wins a free copy. I'll stop back in to check for comments and respond.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Laura FrantzOctober 5, 2011 at 11:17 AM

    So good to see Rosslyn here! I really enjoyed FTM for so many reasons. It portrayed the struggles of the time period so vividly without being maudlin or melodramatic, a trend I'm seeing more and more in historicals. It was a thoughtful, insightful read on many levels. I like all of your reviews, dear Diana, but I think this is my favorite yet:) So glad you and Carrie have met Rosslyn. She's a keeper, as is this book! Please don't enter me in the drawing as I already have a copy.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Diana FlowersOctober 5, 2011 at 11:55 AM

    Thank you, Carrie, for posting!

    Rosslyn, you're welcome, and thank you for writing such an awesome book and for offering a copy to some blessed winner! It's hard for me to believe this is your first published novel. Wow! There was certainly nothing amateurish about it. Enthralling...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Diana FlowersOctober 5, 2011 at 12:04 PM

    Thank you so much, Laura. I wrote this review right on the heels of finishing this book and my emotions were at a peak. I agree with you, this book was insightful and full of depth. Definitely a keeper! I can't wait to see what Rosslyn has in store for us (bookwise) in the future!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Debra E. MarvinOctober 5, 2011 at 12:35 PM

    Ladies, I always seem to have to search for the place to comment here. Is it just me or not? :) sigh...

    I've heard about this story throughout the last couple of years and I'm so happy to see it in print with a beautiful cover and great reviews! Like this one. very nicely done, Diana!

    I love historical fiction with a romantic thread and the background of this story fascinates me. I'd love to be in the drawing and I look forward to seeing more of Rosslyn as she visits around cyberspace!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Diana FlowersOctober 5, 2011 at 12:44 PM

    Debra, you always tickle me with your comments. I think we should give you the Ms. Persistent Award! I would show up as anonymous on here if I didn't click on to another browser...Google Chrome.

    Thank you for your nice compliment and here's hoping for a win for you! I know you will love this story!

    ReplyDelete
  7. JenOctober 5, 2011 at 12:45 PM

    Thanks for a great review! This book looks so good and I have been wanting to read it ever since I first heard about it last month at Rossyln's facebook party.

    I agree with Debra, that I also love historical fiction with romance weaved into it. I also love learning about the past and the way people lived and so much more.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Diana FlowersOctober 5, 2011 at 1:03 PM

    Jen, welcome to OTT, and thank you for your kind words! I would love to see you win this book, but we must have your email, dear. Please come back so we can know where to find you, should you win!

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousOctober 5, 2011 at 1:23 PM

    I wanted this review to go on and on. I was that engrossed in it. I can't wait to read Fairer than Morning and would love to win a copy of it.

    I have a question for Rosslyn. I love the cover of this book. Did you or your publisher come up with it?

    Blessings,
    Judy B

    judyjohn2004[at]yahoo[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  10. Diana FlowersOctober 5, 2011 at 1:44 PM

    What a sweet thing for you to say, Judy! Thank you! And the book will do you the same way, only much more so, I assure you.:)

    I LOVE this cover, too, Judy. Hopefully, Rosslyn will come back on later and answer that one for you.

    ReplyDelete
  11. JenOctober 5, 2011 at 3:49 PM

    Here is my email jen.whitney08[at]gmail[dot]com!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Diana FlowersOctober 5, 2011 at 4:11 PM

    YAY, Jen! I'm so relieved you came back, because it breaks my heart when random number generator picks someone and I have to pass them up, b/c I don't know their email addy and have no last name to search for them either.:(

    ReplyDelete
  13. JenOctober 5, 2011 at 4:30 PM

    Aww thanks! Yup I am back, I really like your blog. I have found a new love of reading reviews on books and writing my own.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Pegg ThomasOctober 5, 2011 at 4:57 PM

    Oooh! What a tangled web! Sounds like a good read to me. :)
    twinwillowsfarm at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  15. Diana FlowersOctober 5, 2011 at 5:06 PM

    A very tangled web, Pegg! I was worried the author wasn't going to be able to untangle it in time...hmmm, perhaps she didn't. lol

    ReplyDelete
  16. Diana FlowersOctober 5, 2011 at 5:12 PM

    Thank you, Jen! We really like you visiting, too. We have alot of Godly fun over here, and we've been known to shed a few tears over one another, pray for one another, share some good testimonies, AND give away alot of great books! What's not to like?:)

    ReplyDelete
  17. karenkOctober 5, 2011 at 10:03 PM

    thanks for the chance to read this fabulous novel :)

    karenk
    kmkuka at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  18. Diana FlowersOctober 5, 2011 at 10:43 PM

    Fabulous it is, Karen! Thanks for entering and hoping for a win for you!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Diana FlowersOctober 5, 2011 at 11:07 PM

    Entering a comment for my sis-in-law who is not able to enter one:

    This book sounds intriguing! I would love to win! Thank you!

    ~Barbara Smith
    thatoldgal@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  20. Rosslyn ElliottOctober 5, 2011 at 11:26 PM

    Wow! Look at all the comments! What a pleasant thing to find after a day's homeschooling.

    Laura, Debra, and Jen--thanks so much for coming by, and for your support over the last months.

    Judy--Thank you for your compliment on the cover. My publisher designs my covers. They ask my opinion, but in the end, they go with what they think is best. I'm glad so many people like my covers thus far! :-)

    Pegg, Karen, and Barbara - It's good to meet you! Thanks for your interest.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Carrie Fancett PagelsOctober 6, 2011 at 8:53 AM

    Thomas Nelson has been good about taking some risks with books and pushing the typical CBA boundaries. This sounds like a great book for my TBR on the Kindle. Will go find the links for purchases right now!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Carrie Fancett PagelsOctober 6, 2011 at 9:00 AM

    Confession - I just ordered the Kindle copy. Shhhh!!! Don't tell my husband. Rosslyn, can you tell your readers where they can be in contact with you and I will also put that up in the post. Any chance this might come out on audio?

    ReplyDelete
  23. Diana FlowersOctober 6, 2011 at 9:19 AM

    Carrie, you keep book secrets from your hubby? For shame...so do I. LOL! Of course you had to put this one on your Kindle, for to add it to your TBR stack of paperbacks might cause it to go tumbling over, which mine isn't because I just made two stacks.;-) One little teenage gal did a vlog on her blog, and videoed her reviews for a change, and her TBR stack behind her was literally almost to the ceiling and there was more than one pile! Which made me feel better instantly. haha

    And just tell hubs this one is MY fault.:-)

    ReplyDelete
  24. Pegg ThomasOctober 6, 2011 at 9:54 AM

    Oh-oh... I read that I should put a BC on here somewhere, eh? What do you ladies have up your sleeves???

    ReplyDelete
  25. Diana FlowersOctober 6, 2011 at 10:55 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Diana FlowersOctober 6, 2011 at 11:26 AM

    HMMM...don't know, Pegg. It may be something Carrie Pagels has up her sleeve...she's good at that you know.;)She LOVES surprises, but then so do I!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Carrie Fancett PagelsOctober 6, 2011 at 4:07 PM

    WE HAVE OUR 100TH (AND 101ST!!!) FOLLOWERS!!! Tiffany Amber Stockton, who has written a colonial, emailed me AND I see Kathy Maher up there, a writer friend of mine. Tiff emailed me and said she thought she was the 100th follower. I think Kathy has books up to her eyeballs if I remember right from conference. Thanks for the follows and yes, BC, which means Before Cassandra at my house, also stands for Book Club and a mystery giveaway.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Diana FlowersOctober 6, 2011 at 4:28 PM

    We were both right, Pegg. She does have something up her sleeve, a mystery giveaway! And with Carrie, it will be something good!

    ReplyDelete
  29. AnonymousOctober 6, 2011 at 5:30 PM

    would love to read and review...sounds so good

    thanks LeeAnn


    polaris1@safelink.net

    ReplyDelete
  30. Pam K.October 6, 2011 at 5:53 PM

    I've heard many good things about this book which is especially exciting since it is a debut book. It is always fun to discover new authors. I like that you said it is more of a historical tale, rather than a lighthearted romance. It sounds like there are plenty of plot twists to keep us wanting to read more. I would be very happy to win a copy of "Fairer Than Morning." Thanks for giving away a copy.
    pmk56[at]sbcglobal[dot]net

    ReplyDelete
  31. Diana FlowersOctober 6, 2011 at 7:32 PM

    Welcome to OTT LeeAnn! Throwing your name in the proverbial hat, friend!

    Pam, we certainly have a great group of new authors coming along, and it is exciting! There is indeed alot of depth in Rosslyn's new novel and I learned alot from reading it, as it is a fiction based on fact book.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Rosslyn ElliottOctober 6, 2011 at 11:33 PM

    I love reading these comments!

    Carrie, if there is a plan for an audiobook, I will let you know right away. At the moment, I haven't heard anything on the subject from TN. And thank you very much for buying the Kindle version. There's nothing more generous a fellow writer (or reader) can do than buy a book and support an author.

    I'd be delighted to hear from anyone who has a question or comment or just wants to stay in touch. You can find me at my website, www.rosslynelliott.com. There, you'll find a link to my blog, where my friends and I talk about books, life, and faith. There's also a contact form there and you're always welcome to get in touch with me that way.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Rosslyn ElliottOctober 6, 2011 at 11:34 PM

    I love reading these comments!

    Carrie, if there is a plan for an audiobook, I will let you know right away. At the moment, I haven't heard anything on the subject from TN. And thank you very much for buying the Kindle version. There's nothing more generous a fellow writer (or reader) can do than buy a book and support an author.

    I'd be delighted to hear from anyone who has a question or comment or just wants to stay in touch. You can find me at my website, www.rosslynelliott.com. There, you'll find a link to my blog, where my friends and I talk about books, life, and faith. There's also a contact form there and you're always welcome to get in touch with me that way.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Marian BaayOctober 7, 2011 at 9:44 AM

    This sounds like a book I would love. Am I too late for a chance to win?
    I've been on vacation and am trying to keep up with things again.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Diana FlowersOctober 7, 2011 at 11:27 AM

    Hey, Marian! Next time don't take such a long vacation, I've missed you!;) Giveaway is going through tomorrow, so you're good! Thanks for stopping by!

    ReplyDelete
  36. JoOctober 8, 2011 at 3:31 PM

    I was told to put BC on here. Great cover and great review.

    Blessings,
    Jo
    ladijo40(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  37. JoOctober 8, 2011 at 3:31 PM

    I was told to put BC on here. Great cover and great review.

    Blessings,
    Jo
    ladijo40(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  38. JoOctober 8, 2011 at 3:31 PM

    I was told to put BC on here. Great cover and great review.

    Blessings,
    Jo
    ladijo40(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  39. JoOctober 8, 2011 at 3:31 PM

    I was told to put BC on here. Great cover and great review.

    Blessings,
    Jo
    ladijo40(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  40. Diana FlowersOctober 8, 2011 at 8:26 PM

    Hi, Jo! Yes, Carrie has something up her sleeve involving a mystery giveaway! Hmmm...it's such a mystery I don't even know what it is.;-)

    ReplyDelete
  41. Diana FlowersOctober 9, 2011 at 4:47 PM

    Congrats to Pam K! Random number generator picked you as our winner of FAIRER THAN MORNING!

    Thanks to all of you, for your delightful and encouraging comments!

    ReplyDelete
  42. rickOctober 9, 2011 at 4:52 PM

    Looks like a great book, sign me up for the giveaway, please.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Diana FlowersOctober 9, 2011 at 5:00 PM

    I'm so sorry, Rick, you missed the drawing by 5 minutes.:( Thank you for coming over to "see" us, though, at Overcoming Through Time!

    ReplyDelete

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