A Place in His Heart- Rebecca DeMarino

★★★

Southold Chronicles #1 

332 Pages, Print and Ebook

24th June 2014, Revell

Anglican Mary Langton longs to marry for love. Puritan Barnabas Horton is still in love with his deceased wife and needs only a mother for his two young sons.

And yet these two very different people with very different expectations will take a leap of faith, wed, and then embark on a life-changing journey across the ocean to the Colonies. Along the way, each must learn to live in harmony, to wait on God, and to recognize true love where they least expect to find it.

This heartfelt tale of love and devotion is based on debut author Rebecca DeMarino’s own ancestors, who came to Long Island in the mid-1600s to establish a life–and a legacy–in the New World.

I've got to confess, Colonial America is not my favourite setting. I just find it hard to get on with and identify with, its not really my favourite period either. To be honest, I've yet to find a book set in this time that has been really immersive.
It was interesting that this book was based on the author's family history, who included some of the earliest settlers on Long Island. I do appreciate stories about real people and their real lives. In that regard, it was not a bad book, and it was in interesting story. It just lagged a bit towards the end.

Some of the historical details were also interesting, such as the interactions with Native Americans, and the the practices and customs that crossed between the cultures.

Personally, I did not find Barnabas convincing as a 17th century puritan. I don't hold to the incorrect view that they were all dour, miserable and solemn, but I think Barnabas seemed to be lacking in real convictions.
All he does is complain about the oppression of the wicked government in the manner one might hear about in a schoolroom- but he does not hold to many of the ideas common to puritanism. Indeed, his ideas are very modern and accomodating.

The langauge is also that strange, eclectic mixture of Archaic and modern American English with 'Prithee' used alongside terms like the modern American 'Bakeshop'- British people would not usually call it that. We would say Bakery, or Baker's shop.

Overall this was a good read, and since I have the third book as a review copy I will read it. For the reader interested in the period of the American founding fathers, and speculative fiction on what the lives of the women of the time would have been like, its a good choice

Around the World in Books- England

I'm taking my cue for this post from Carrie of Reading Is My Superpower a rather spiffing books blog (I hope she does not mind me 'borrowing' her idea). The purpose being to take readers on a geographical and historical tour across the world with some lovely books. 

Naturally, I'm starting with my homeland. If you're worried, the rest of the British Isles and other nations will come.
The only condition is that the books have to be set primarily in the country, and not a work of fantasy set in a fictional land, or with characters of one nationality who spend the duration in another country. (So if it has English characters, but more than half of the book is set in France, or America, it will not be on this the board for England, but for France or whatever country.)

Most of these titles I have read, but not all, so cannot necessarily recommend or endorse them all. I don't pretend to have included every book, so recommendations are welcome.

Roman to Arthurian Britannia (AD60- AD500)- Boudicca, the Romans and after....

Medieval (AD500-1509)- Age of the Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, Normans and Plantagenets to the death of Henry Tudor 

Tudor and Stuart (AD1509-1713) - From the ascension of Henry VIII to the first King George of the House of Hanover



Georgian to Victorian (AD1713- 1837) - The period of the Kings George- of course it includes the ever popular Regency Era


Victorian (AD 1837-1901) - No other explanation required. The Victorian age, obviously.


Edwardian, the Wars and After (AD1901- 1960) - The twentieth century up to 1960. If its after 1960 I don't really count as 'Historical' but contemporary fiction.




Time-Travel and Multi-Period- For the books that don't fit neatly into any particular time period, including Time Travel and Novella collections set in different periods.

A Refuge at Highland Hall- Carrie Turansky

★★★★

Edwardian Brides #3

October 2015, Waterbrook Multnomah 338 Pages,

Print, ebook and Audio  

In this third and final book in the Edwardian Brides Series, you’ll be swept away to England and France in 1915 as the Ramsey family and their staff and friends face the dramatic challenges and losses of World War One, yet they also experience the hope and triumph that comes as they put their trust in God to carry them through. Penny Ramsey helps the family welcome a group of orphaned children to Highland Hall, but she soon discovers caring for them is more difficult than she’d expected. 

She writes to Alex Goodwin, a daring British pilot, who chases German zeppelins across the sky over the Front Line in France, and longs for the day she will see him again. You’ll be delighted by two pure and heartwarming romances: Penny and Alex, and Lydia Chambers and Marius Ritter, a lady’s maid and a prisoner of war. But most of all I hope you’ll be inspired by the characters’ examples of trusting God through the trials they face.

Fans of “Downton Abbey” will find many of the same elements in this series: A wealthy, aristocratic family living on a large English country estate with romance, conflicts, and family drama; and loyal servants with troubles and heartaches of their own. 

I enjoyed this final instalment in the Edwardian Brides trilogy rather more than the last book, which I found too ‘preachy’ and clichéd. It was the story of Penelope, the youngest of the two Ramsey sisters, and set in the midst of the First World War- in the summer of 1916, to be precise. Some other beloved characters also return, including Lydia, the faithful servant of the family and close friend of the Ramsey girls, as well as their young cousins John and Milly, now in their teens.

There is conflict and humour, with Katherine and her husband’s brood of adopted children, whom they bring to Highland Hall to escape Zeppelin raids on London. There is also a chance of love for Lydia, in the form of a man working in the grounds, incarcerated in a local prison camp because of his family’s German roots.
Character’s feelings and relationships are developed slowly and with sensitivity, and not too much ‘instalove’ mushy romance. Personally, I prefer stories that follow and develop characters and their stories over time even after they are married, then traditional romance tropes. Of course, there is some of that, but it’s not overwhelming.

The historical details seemed to be accurate, and those about the early pilots who fought in the First World War were fascinating. Aside from a few Americanisms as I observed in some of the last books, I had no real complaints with this one. Another reviewer did mention a loose end or two that were not tied up with a couple of the characters, and that might bother some readers, but I don't want to give away too much.
The Christian messages and theme seemed to be woven well into the story, and come to the characters quite naturally considering their backgrounds rather than seeming forced or unrealistic. Generally, this was a satisfying conclusion to the series, and a solid work of historical fiction reminiscent of Downton Abbey.

I received an e-book edition of this title from the publisher via Edelweiss for review. I also purchased the audio version of my own volition. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.