In the Shadow of the River by Ann H. Gabhart

 

From the back cover: “If all the word’s a stage, Jacci will play her part. She only hopes her story does not turn out to be a tragedy.”

Review: The action starts in 1881, when a man attempts to kidnap Jacci from the Mary Ellen, a river boat where her mother, Irena, works as a maid. Irena pulls out a gun in self-defense. The man stabs her. Jacci gets ahold of the gun and shoots the man. They manage to get off the Mary Ellen onto The Kingston Floating Palace, a showboat which just happened to be docked next to the Mary Ellen. Irena dies a few days later. The man Jacci thinks is her father is a riverboat gambler. So Jacci ends up in the care of her grandfather, an actor aboard the showboat. Jacci is traumatized by the shooting and the death of her mother. And it will haunt her forever.

Fifteen years later, in 1896, Jacci and Tyrone, her grandfather, are still aboard the Palace, where they entertain crowds at river ports. Jacci considers the Kingston family as her own, including Gabe, who is like a brother to her. But, what Jacci doesn’t know about her personal history comes calling at one of their shows.

Jacci finds out that Irena was not her real mother. And the person she thought was her father, Kelly Reed? Not her father. I’m not giving away the whole story, but Jacci’s birth mother is the wife of a prominent politician. He’ll go to any lengths to protect his reputation, including hiring shady characters to kidnap little girls.

The drama builds when Jacci’s real mother and her husband attend a show on The Palace. Ann Gabhart is very good at building drama. And there’s also Jacci’s love story along with the danger and suspense. I couldn’t put the book down as the story came to a close. It’s a great read!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book compliments of the author and Revell Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

The Apostle's Sister by Angela Hunt

From the back cover:

“She's always longed for more, but what if the path she's chosen requires more than she's willing to give?

Aya, daughter of Zebulun of Tarsus, does not want a traditional life. After years of being overshadowed by her brilliant brother Sha'ul, she wants a chance to use her own gifts beyond being a wife and mother. When her father insists that she marry a Torah student, she reluctantly agrees.

A dedicated scholar, Sha'ul, or Paul, returns to Tarsus to follow the instructions of the Law and wed the woman his father has chosen to raise his profile and help him earn a seat on the Great Sanhedrin--the highest religious court in the land. But when the Nazarene, Yeshua, and his followers bring trouble to the Holy City, Sha'ul will stop at nothing to silence them.

After moving to Jerusalem with her husband, Aya expects to be bored in her role as wife to a Torah student. Instead, she finds herself fascinated by his studies. Then her brother makes a life-altering decision, and she must face a troubling question: Can she remain true to her beliefs and still love her blasphemous brother?”

Aya is the sister of Paul (Saul) of Tarsus, the man to whom Jesus appeared on the road to Damascus. Before this experience, Paul was a student of Gamaliel, one of the most respected teachers of God’s law in Jerusalem. Aya’s a faithful Jewish woman. Her husband was a student of the Torah before an accident took him from her. A widow with a toddler didn’t have an easy time of it in those days. Yet, she manages to raise her son so that he can follow in his father’s footsteps.

The point of view switches from Aya to Sha'ul (Paul) frequently. After Paul’s conversion to Christ, He and Aya don’t get along very well. She doesn’t hear from him much because he travels a lot. But he tries to get back to Jerusalem to check on her periodically. I won’t spoil the story by telling you how it turns out. I recommend you read it yourself. It’s a great book.

Why do I think it’s so good? Because Biblical fiction makes me think about things I’ve never thought about before. And Angela Hunt is an accomplished fiction writer who knows how to weave a story. I never knew Paul had a sister, but she’s mentioned in the Bible. In fact, the fiction is skillfully mixed with the Biblical narrative. If you have questions about this aspect, most questions that occurred to me are answered in the Author’s Note at the end of the book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book compliments of the author and Bethany House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

When the Meadow Blooms by Ann H. Gabhart

Just when I think Ann Gabhart has reached her peak, she exceeds my expectations! This is a wonderful story, set in the 1920s or thereabouts. Dirk Meadows, disfigured in a fire years ago, prefers to be alone. He’s been to college and writes for magazines in addition to taking care of the farm.

But, when he learns that Rose, his brother’s widow (whom he barely knows), is in a sanitarium with tuberculosis, he wants to take her in. He also finds out his nieces, Calla and Sienna, are in an orphanage. He’s determined to bring them all to Meadowland, his family farm. But, he doesn’t want to give up his privacy.

Dirk was injured and scarred in the fire, but his heart was also wounded by a girlfriend whom he intended to marry. She disappeared after the fire because her father didn’t want her to marry Dirk. At least that’s what Dirk had always thought. The promotional material for the book says he “guards his heart from being hurt.”

Because he’s spent years as a recluse, he has trouble adjusting to having the women around his house. He tries to avoid them, but first one and then a second one, and finally the third one win his heart. And the mystery about how the fire started and what happened to his old girlfriend is solved.

Like I said, it’s a great story. I highly recommend it.

#WhenTheMeadowBlooms

Check it out on Ann's website: https://www.annhgabhart.com/books/when-the-meadow-blooms/

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book compliments of the author and Revell Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

 

Along a Storied Trail by Ann H. Gabhart

 

Tansy Calhoun is a packhorse librarian in the eastern Kentucky mountains. During the Great Depression, the U. S. government instituted programs to help people deal with the economic downturn. Packhorse librarians were paid to carry books to people in remote areas. This program didn’t just help the librarians support their families. It also contributed to the education of their “customers.”

As Tansy made her rounds, she got involved in the lives of the people she served. She knew her books and was able to match books and readers well. She had plenty of family, but her father had left home to look for work, and they had not heard from him for months.

Mountain folks were in the habit of taking in people who were down on their luck. It was the Christian thing to do, after all. One of Tansy's customers, Perdita (Perdie) Sweet, a crusty old soul, allowed Cora Lee Embry to live with her after Cora Lee’s father kicked her out of his home. She was pregnant, and her boyfriend deserted her. Then Perdie’s house burned, and Tansy’s family welcomed Perdie and Cora Lee into their home.

In Along a Storied Trail, there’s danger (house fire, thunderstorm, flash flood), romance, and plenty of hill-country wisdom and humor. Tansy has plenty of love interest in Caleb, whom she’s known all her life. But there’s also Damien Felding, a government-sponsored writer who came to the area to write about possible tourist destinations in the mountains and folk stories of the area. Tansy’s younger brother is interested in helping Cora Lee with her dilemma. And Perdie, in her youth, had been interested in Hiram (who married someone else but was now widowed). Hiram is still lives nearby, and there’s love in the air.

The author uses a lot of country sayings in her description and dialog. An example is: “Caleb hadn’t planned to ride over to Tansy’s house until Sunday, but he was too eager to have her in front of his eyes again to wait.” I felt like I was right there with the characters as they dealt with their challenges. This is a great story in which you learn how tough it was for people during the Depression as well as how the government programs affected them.

Learn more about the book and read a sample here.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book compliments of the author and Revell Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Photo by Emily Akin

An Appalachian Summer by Ann H. Gabhart

Ann Gabhart outdoes herself in this wonderful story about society women volunteers who spend the summer working with the frontier nursing service in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky in 1933. The stock market crash of 1929 had bankrupted many “society” families. Piper Danson’s family had come through pretty well, but Jamie Russell’s parents had lost everything. Jamie and Piper had been friends since childhood. She had feelings for Jamie, but Piper’s father had “contracted” for her to marry the wealthy Braxton Crandall, a man she hardly knew.

The story starts with Piper’s debut party in Louisville. She had volunteered to spend the summer caring for the horses and being a courier for the frontier nursing service. Mrs. Breckinridge, a society woman herself, sponsored the service. She often visited the cities in Kentucky to recruit workers for the service. From their headquarters in the mountains, the nurses traveled on horseback to meet the medical needs of the mountain residents. They treated injuries, delivered babies, and offered other health services.

There was one doctor at the center, Dr. Jack. Here’s where it gets even more interesting. Piper’s maiden aunt Truda, with whom she was very close, had met Dr. Jack many years ago. She had been impressed with him (and he with her), but they had met only once.

Mrs. Breckenridge had invited Louisville society folks to visit the center to see the operation and consider donations. Piper's at the center doing her volunteer work. Then Braxton shows up. Aunt Truda comes to visit. And---Jamie comes to stay a while to do a story on the nursing service. So---we have the Piper-Jamie-Braxton love triangle and the suggestion that Aunt Truda and Dr. Jack may have had feelings for one another.That's all I'm going to tell you.

I have always admired Ann Gabhart’s ability to make me feel like I’m present in the story. I can almost feel the mountain breeze. I see the rough mountain trails that the nurses and couriers must travel to do their duty. I feel like I’m there with them.

I enjoyed this story so much. Society girls learn the value of simple things, see how the less fortunate live, and enjoy the beauty of the mountains. Will Piper choose Jamie or Braxton? What about Aunt Truda and Dr. Jack? Experience life in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky in the 1930s. Read An Appalachian Summer!

Links:

Sample: https://www.annhgabhart.com/books/an-appalachian-summer/

Amazon listing

Check out the author bio and author interview (or buy the book) at this link.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book compliments of the author and Revell Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Photo source: https://www.annhgabhart.com/