Christmas at Carnton by Tamera Alexander -- Audiobook Review by Carrie Fancett Pagels

Blurb: Captain Jake Winston is a Confederate sharpshooter who suffers a head injury that may cause blindness. While he waits for his diagnosis, and still has his sight, he sketches and journals events of the war. As he heals, Jake receives orders to help with the local Women’s Relief Society Christmas auction. A society which supports Confederate and Federal soldiers, makes a difference in soldiers lives. Aletta Prescott is a widow with a six-year-old son and a child on the way. She applies for a job at the auction, only to find the position is no longer available. She meets Jake and as she gets to know him she must try to let go of the fear begins to grow inside her.

Christmas at Carnton by Tamera Alexander --
Audiobook Review by Carrie Fancett Pagels

A Southern Christmas Tale by a Master Storyteller

My Review
I listened to Christmas at Carnton as an Audible.com download via my membership. As usual, master storyteller, Tamera Alexander delivers a powerful read (listen) in her newest release, the first book in a series set at Carnton Plantation in Tennessee. I thought Aletta's name was Arletta, as I was listening. I've not heard the name Aletta but had heard Arletta before. Regardless, Aletta is a very sympathetic heroine. As indicated in the blurb, Jake is an injured sharp shooter. I confess that gave me great pause. I felt that was a risky thing for Tamera to have a hero doing, especially a Confederate. Having been raised in the North, this gave me great pause. I don't know if I'd have continued listening had it not been Tamera Alexander who had written the story. I really had to deliberately force myself to overlook this Confederate sharpshooter soldier's misbegotten loyalties to keep listening. He's a lovely hero. If only he'd been a Union soldier! My father was a sharpshooter in WWII and I know that that means, but it isn't something I have tried to dwell on. So I think this story also stirred up in me some conflicted thoughts of my nerdy dad having been a sharpshooter. And the Southern ladies raising money for "The Cause" -- I confess I cringed. When I discovered a Confederate ancestor a few years back in my genealogy I had a meltdown. My husband's reaction was -- "You're family was from the South, what did you expect?" Since as far as I knew they were all in Kentucky at that time I wasn't sure what I'd find. And there was another George Washington Danner I'd found from Kentucky who'd been a Union deserter (apparently not my ancestor by the same name who was enlisted in Staunton, Virginia.) Sorry, but I digress.

Tamera Alexander's story is a truly Southern tale and and a reflection of history. I learned something I'd never heard before -- that many slave-owners had sent their slaves deeper into the South. What a tragedy. I've seen pictures of post-Civil War freed slaves gathering at various places trying to find as many of their kin as they could. Very sad. And imagine being freed in Mississippi and having loved ones back in Tennessee to find. How did they make those journeys? So I found myself having a number of tangential thoughts while listening to this story.

The story carries on at a brisk pace with well-developed characters and a plot line with plenty of layers. Even despite my reservations, I found myself rooting for Aletta and Jake who are a great heroine/hero combo. Aletta has such a difficult situation but carries herself as a lady. And caring for a son while pregnant and a widow, that makes her very sympathetic. Jake, too, is a very likable sympathetic character struggling with his own losses.

The novel is available in multiple formats including ebook, audiobook, paperback, and hardcover large print, which makes this lovely story accessible to many people. Looking for a little different kind of Christmas story this year -- check out this new audiobook! You can't go wrong with Tamera Alexander!

Tracie Peterson's "A Treasure Concealed" - Audiobook Review by Carrie Fancett Pagels

Blurb: Emily Carver wants a home where she can put down roots instead of following her gold-hungry father from one mining camp to another. She also longs for tenderness and love, both of which are missing in her life. Yet when she realizes she's losing her heart to the intriguing new man in camp, she fiercely fights her feelings, afraid that love will only result in disappointment and heartache.

Caeden Thibault, a young geologist, comes to Montana to catalog minerals indigenous to the state. He's a serious and guarded young man trying to escape the pain of his past. He has avoided all romantic entanglements, fearing he might become like his abusive father. But something about Emily Carver has caught his attention, something he never expected. . . .

Will these two broken souls allow God to bring healing and hope to their hurting hearts?

Carrie Fancett Pagels' Audiobook Review

Five Stars *****

A Gem of a Story!

First of all, since I didn't read the blurb closely on the audiobook listing, I didn't know the characters' names. So I found myself wondering at the name Caden Tebow (sounded like football player Tim Tebow's name) and I thought that was a little odd. Now that I see in the blurb that the name is Thibault, that makes sense to me. We have lots of Thibaults where I grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, but after not hearing that name in decades, but having heard so much about Tim Tebow, I thought that was interesting that Tracie was borrowing his last name -- which she wasn't!!!

This is the first book in a new 1890's series set in Montana, where Tracie lives. Emily is a sweet and very sympathetic heroine. She's known so much hardship in her life and she's losing her mother to a prolonged illness. Caeden hasn't known what family is. While Emily longs for a home (really she longs for a house that is a real house and not a tent or a rickety cabin) Caeden seeks to avoid making the mistakes his parents made and to find a home based on love and respect. Both have a tough spiritual journey and need to get straight with God about their hardened hearts. Tracie masterfully weaves the redemption thread into the story.

With lots of action and bad guys you want to string up yourself, this also has a strong romance. Great narrator, who is perfect for the story.

What are those rocks that Mr. Carver keeps finding? They aren't gold, but are they sapphires?  There are two more books coming in this series -- looking forward to hearing more!

Bibliotherapy elements: Poverty, loss, death of a parent, injuries, and the need to find faith. 

Giveaway: This week on OWG blog we're giving away a copy of A Treasure Concealed, winner's choice of format. Winner's choice of format (OPEN to international readers also, A Treasure Concealed is available through Book Depository!) 

Giveaway and Review of Regina Jennings's New Release - A Most Inconvenient Marriage

A Most Inconvenient Marriage by Regina Jennings

Review by Carrie Fancett Pagels
Set aside a chunk of uninterrupted time for this novel--because you won't want to put it down once you start reading!  Regina Jennings has really come into her own with this book. Abigail, a nurse for the Union, promises "Jeremiah Calhoun", that she will marry him and go and care for his sister, an invalid with Rheumatic Fever, and his mother, and his farm. Abigail has no one to turn to as the Civil War comes to a close and accepts the dying man's offer. Except that the real Jeremiah is alive and has been waiting four long years to be reunited with his fiancee Laurel. Set in the Ozark mountains and faced with criminals who are stealing horses and killing people, the tension in the story will keep you turning page after page.

Laurel Wallace, in Jeremiah's absence, and having heard that Abigail had married "Jeremiah", who was pronounced as dead has become romantically attached to the local doctor. When the real Jeremiah arrives home and goes looking for his fiancee, he's not about to give up so easily despite the doctor's maneuvering to keep him at bay.

bibliotherapy: Jeremiah has suffered a mini ball injury through his thigh and initially his one leg is not even able to tough the ground because of muscle contractions. Abigail Stuart is a nurse and has leaned some new techniques to help recover muscle usage.

Jeremiah's sister, Rachel, suffers greatly with recurring Rheumatic Fever which has damaged her heart. I could really feel for Rachel, because I have rheumatoid arthritis and I know how those hot and swollen joints can pain you. But Rachel's issue is really more to do with unforgiveness.

A powerful romance! Highly recommend.

Giveaway: Winner's choice of paperback or ebook. USA only unless ebook or available through Book Depository.

The Westward Christmas Brides Collection - Review of Vickie McDonough's Novella

The Westward Christmas Brides Collection

Forging a Family by Vickie McDonough
The Westward Christmas Brides Collection (Barbour Books, 2014)
Reviewed by Carrie Fancett Pagels 

In Forging a Family, Vickie McDonough has crafted a beautiful Christmas novella. Beth Ruskin is accompanying her father, a physician, west and is bringing one last (of ten) orphan on the train, hopeful to find little Lizzie a home. Meanwhile burly blacksmith Cade Maddox, a widower, is trying to figure out how he can possibly take care of his daughter, Annie, three, by himself.

The bridge washed out and the train passengers all must find places in a tiny town to stay.  When little Annie is injured, Beth and Dr. Ruskin must help.

Sparks fly when Beth meets Cade. He's the first man she can really imagine herself falling in love with. But her father would never approve of a smithy. And Cade thinks the same thing. He has tried unsuccessfully to find a caregiver for Annie, in his small town.

As Beth helps Cade and Annie, bringing little Lizzie along with her, you can see they were meant to be a family. But when Cade goes through some difficult struggles and is seriously injured, all bets are off. But of course there is a satisfying happy-ever-after or I wouldn't give it five stars~

This story was a real page-turner yet the author managed to make sure you were grounded in the setting in each scene.

Five out of Five Stars *****

Bibliotherapy elements: Loss of spouse, adoption, injuries, making difficult life choices.

Giveaway: We're giving away an ebook or paperback copy of The Westward Brides Collection this week. Have you read any other stories about orphan trains?

Review of Jen Turano's "A Match of Wits," by Carrie Fancett Pagels

A Match of Wits by Jen Turano

Jen Turano delivers again in this witty book!  Agatha Watson, having been sent West with a body guard (Spoiler alert: two body guards!) hasn't seen Zayne Beckett in two years. Although she had strong feelings for him, he was engaged to another woman. Agatha sends back articles to New York, for the newspaper but someone there is trying to kill her. She comes across a filthy mountain man, who turns out to be Zayne, with a serious leg injury that has left him with a limp. She determines to get him back home, and does.

Zayne was dumped by his fiancee. He doesn't want to go home, but when he and Agatha and the guards are attacked at his mine, he heads back East with his old friend, Agatha. As will the other Jen Turano novels there are enough shenanigans to keep the reader continuously turning those pages forward.

Very entertaining. A little different from the previous books in that there is much more dialogue and far less description of the various settings.

Bibliotherapy: Accept who you are, as God made you. Also, Zayne has succumbed to addictive behavior, which he overcomes. He has to cope with and learn to overcome a serious injury, also. This was nicely done.

Disclaimer: I read this as a NetGalley download and am under no requirement to post a positive review.

Giveaway: Choice of Jen Turano book and choice of format (ebook only or paperback if available through Book Depository for international.)

Teresa Mathews Reviews Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer

Short-Straw Bride

Short-Straw Bride
by Karen Witemeyer
(Bethany House 2012)

Reviewed by Teresa Mathews
5 stars~*****

In this heart-warming tale, Karen Witemeyer weaves a beautiful story of love and trust. Since the death of their Pa fourteen years ago, as per his dying request, not one of the Archer brothers have set foot off their land. Except for the day Travis rescues a sweet little blonde that had become ensnared in one of his coyote traps. The pretty ten year old with the vivid beautiful blue eyes was very brave, hardly whimpering at all, while Travis freed her leg.

Since that day twelve years ago Meredith has never forgotten the sight of Travis Archer and how tender he treated her when she had gotten her leg caught in a trap on his land. Travis was always the hero of her thoughts and dreams as a child and even now that she is a grown woman she still finds no one seems to measure up to him. Not even Roy Mitchell, the man whom her aunt and uncle wish her to marry, the man she is sure is only wanting to marry her for the land her Pa left her when he passed away.

Spoiler alert:
After praying that the Lord would show her what she should do about marrying Roy, she gets her answer when she overhears him talking to one of his hired hands and she hears him call her a “cripple”. But worst than that she hears him sanction a plot that will burn the Archers barn that night so they will finally give up and sell him their land.

Meredith Hayes once again displays her bravery when she shows up on Archer land uninvited, and ends up at the wrong end of a rifle. Meredith is greeted by all four brothers and she has a hard time making them believe she is telling the truth about who she is and about Roy’s plot. When she finally raises her skirt a tad and shows Travis her leg, and he sees where the trap left a permanent mark on Meredith’s leg and he sees the limp that she is left with, he remembers the beautiful brave ten year old. Even after being told to stay in the house, Meredith jumps in to help prepare for the coming attack even at the risk of her own safety. When someone cuts the fence and slips in to set fire to the barn, Meredith find she is all alone, since all the Archer men are at different places guarding the land. So Meredith jumps in to put out the fire and is hurt in the process.

When Meredith’s uncle shows up to check on her, the only thing he is worried about is that she has been alone in the company of four men, so he demands that one of them marry her. Will Meredith really get her heart’s desire? Or will the Archer brothers leave her fate to chance by drawing straws? Will Travis really leave it to chance or does he already know he will be the one to take responsibility for Meredith, just like he has done with his brothers and their land?

Summary:

I have read three other books by Karen and thoroughly enjoyed all of them and this one was no different. It was such a sweet read I didn’t want to put it down. I promise this one should be placed at the top of that TBR list, you won’t want to miss it!

Thanks Karen, great job!

Karen Witemeyer's books can be purchased at Amazon, CBD, B & N, Lifeway and other Christian book stores. 

GIVEAWAY: Leave a comment and your email to be entered in this week's contest. Drawing will be late Saturday. Your choice of Karen's books and choice of format*. Void where prohibited by law. *International winners will only receive the book in ebook format, not as a paperback.

Additional giveaway: Karen has a signed copy of Short-Straw Bride for an American winner.

Carrie Fancett Pagels Interviews Candace Calvert

CandaceCalvert  is the author of Trauma Plan and of the Mercy Hospital series. I met Candace through Facebook and fellow ACFW members.

Candace, welcome to Overcoming Through Time.  Would you share either the most difficult thing in your life you have had to overcome, with God’s help, or the most tragic situation or circumstance one of your character’s has had to get past?

God blessed me with a quirky wit and buoyant optimism, but I didn’t come to really know Him until after a “triple whammy” turned my life into a bad country song. In a span of eighteen months, I experienced a painful and unexpected divorce, the Northern California floods of 1997, and (just when I was coping like a champ, no problem) an equestrian accident that left me with fractured ribs, a bleeding lung, broken back, neck fractures and a spinal cord injury. With no warning, my comfortable life was gone and I became a single mother, a disaster evacuee, and a patient in my own trauma room. I sometimes say that God took drastic measures to get my attention!

In the months of rehabilitation, I healed in body and spirit. And came to fully understand the difference between being a “strong” woman and a woman of strength. The difference is faith, and that lesson has been my biggest blessing. My story, “By Accident,” appears in Chicken Soup for the Nurse’s Soul, and launched my writing career. Readers of my Mercy Hospital and Grace Medical series will find that my fictional characters struggle with similar issues. In fact Riley Hale, heroine of Trauma Plan, suffers from lingering disability after a spinal cord injury.

What is your favorite bible verse and why?

Though it’s hard to choose a favorite, I’d have to say Jeremiah 29:11, the verse that became the Scriptural base for my first novel, Critical Care. I love that it so beautifully shows God’s loving plan for our lives and that it speaks of hope. Hope is a recurrent theme in my work, and I’m always pleased when folks call me the author of “medical hope opera.”

Disability friendliness:

Is this latest release available in audio format or do you have any other works available on audio?  Do your e-books have audio capability? Do you have any in large print.

The first book in my Mercy Hospital series, Critical Care, is available in large print and has recently been recorded by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. It is my hope that my other books will follow suit. All of my e-books have audio capability.

What has been the most important thing you hope your readers will get from your books and why?

As I mentioned before, my medical fiction themes all center around hope—and healing. I offer exciting glimpses into the world of emergency medicine and, more importantly, into the hearts behind the stethoscopes, people with wounds—physical, emotional, and spiritual.  I love when readers call these characters “relatable,” telling me that these struggles, doubts, fear—and joys—mirror their own.  We are all flawed human beings; we make mistakes and need second chances. My characters may be medical heroes, but it is through the grace of God that they find true hope and healing. I’m heartened when readers feel encouraged by that.

As you researched your books, did you learn anything that particularly touched your heart?

At the core of my stories—in both the Mercy Hospital & Grace Medical series—is the issue of post traumatic stress. I address the serious emotional toll taken on rescue, fire, medical, and law enforcement teams who put their hearts and lives on the line in service to others. In my book, Disaster Status, I needed to write from the point of view of a hospital worker suffering PTSD as a result of his service in the Gulf War. A member of my church, a retired Army Lt. Colonel, offered to sit down with me and share his memories of fighting in that desert conflict. Some of it was difficult for him to voice—and for me to hear. His input added much to the character of Sarge Gunther, and I was deeply touched that he wanted to help with my story so that it might offer “hope to other people.”

In this latest work, do you have any topics useful for bibliotherapy, or therapeutic influence through reading about a disorder or situation?

Yes, absolutely. As mentioned earlier, all of my books deal with the subject of critical stress (“burn out,” post traumatic stress disorder). Trauma Plan offers coping strategies for people (medical teams as well as civilians) who have been emotionally affected by tragedy. It also gives encouragement to victims of violent crime, and for those who must cope with debilitating injury in its aftermath. Fear (vs. faith) is an overarching theme, and the subject of agoraphobia is explored via a secondary character.

Thank you Candace for agreeing to answer these questions.  Have a blessed day and keep on writing!!

Website Link: http://candacecalvert.com/

You can purchase Trauma Plan through Amazon 

through Barnes and Noble, as well as CBD and other book stores.

Candace Calvert is a former ER nurse who believes love, laughter and faith are the best medicines. Her Mercy Hospital and Grace Medical series offer readers a chance to “scrub in” on the exciting world of emergency medicine—along with a soul-soothing prescription for hope. Wife, mother, and very proud grandmother, she makes her home in northern California. 

GIVEAWAY:  Leave a comment and your email to be entered in this week’s contest.  Drawing will be late Saturday.  Candace is offering two paperback giveaways of each of the books reviewed this week and we are offering an e-book of either one, for a total of five possible chances to win this week!