The Journey of Josephine Cain
An American Tapestry
By Nancy Moser
Publisher: Summerside Press
Release Date: September 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0824934279
Pages: 336
Buy Link: http://ow.ly/pq47s
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/nmoser

Review:

Fans of AMC's Hell on Wheels are waiting on pins and needles about the questionable fourth season, until then they can sink their teeth in the recently released The Journey of Josephine Cain by Nancy Moser. The plot involves an unmarried socialite, Josephine Cain leaving Washington D.C. to work side-by-side with her general father, who is supervising the day-to-day building of the Transcontinental Railroad.

Life on the great frontier isn't exactly what Josephine thought it would be like, as she is not use to the harsh weather, deadly gunfights and other dangers of the west. Things take an unexpected turn when she falls in love with an Irish railroad worker, Hudson Maguire.

Hudson works along side his brother Raleigh, who both is saving money to send home to their family. He didn't expect to fall in love with a well-educated proper woman, Josephine.

The Courier of Caswell Hall
An American Tapestry series
By Melanie Dobson
Publisher: Sumerside Press
Pub. Date: September 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0824934262
Pages: 336
Buy Link: http://amzn.to/1aLxC9s
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/mdobson 

Review:

During 1781, the Continental and British armies are at war, a war that pits father against son, brother against brother, and neighbor against neighbor. In Virginia, Lydia Caswell only wants the two sides to have peace, unlike her Loyalists parents or even her friend Sarah Hammond, who might just grab a gun and join the fight.

By chance, Lydia finds a wounded man near a riverbank on a snowy night. This happens to be the same night the British made plans on sailing up the James River and raiding the capital. The man is named Nathan, who changes her life forever, introducing her to a world of coded messages, disguises, couriers and spies.

As Lydia starts to fall in love with Nathan, she starts to question her beliefs. She must choose between the loyalty to her family and having freedom. Meanwhile, her friend Sarah is put in a similar position when love and war collide.

Stealing the Preacher
By Karen Witemeyer
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: June 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0764209666
Pages: 352
Buy Link: http://ow.ly/lnKcM
Blog Tour:http://litfusegroup.com/campaigns/stealingthepreacher
 
Review:

Crocket Archer is excited about traveling to Piney Woods, Texas for an interview to be the new pastor, but his plans are quickly ruined when he is forced off the train and kidnapped by the outlaw, Silas Robbins, who plans on giving the preacher to his daughter as a birthday present.

Being an outlaw's daughter hasn't been easy on Joanna, especially after her mother passed away. For months, she has been praying for a preacher to be sent to her community's abandoned church. Someone that may help change her father's way of life. Her prayers are answered when her father brings Crocket Archer home.

At first, Crocket wants nothing more than to escape this madness, but he starts to have a change of heart when he lays eyes on the beautiful Joanna, who quickly steals his heart.

A Hidden Truth
By Judith Miller
Publisher: Bethany House 
Pub. Date: September 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0764210006
ASIN: B008B9HGI6
Pages: 352

Review: 

Over the years, I have become a fan of historical fiction, many involving the Amish, the Mennonites, and the Shakers, but I have never read a book about the Amana Colonies. A Hidden Truth by Judith Miller is about the Amana Colonies and is one of the reasons why I wanted to review it, courtesy of Bethany House in exchange of my honest review.

A Hidden Truth takes place in East Amana, Iowa in 1892 and centers on two women, Karlina Richter and Dovie Cates. The colonies are very strict, with no access to the outside world or the "outsiders". Karlina has lived all her life in Amana, but has always been curious of what life was like outside the colonies.

Just as her father wants to move from Ohio to Texas, Dovie Cates gets permission to visit the Amana Colonies, where her birth mother grew up. She wants to learn more about her mother's past. She stays with the Richter family.

Every Perfect Gift
A Hickory Ridge Romance
By: Dorothy Love
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Pub. Date: December 4, 2012
ISBN: 978-1595549020
ASIN: B008GVYWC2
Pages: 320

Review:

I missed out reading the first book in A Hickory Ridge Romance series, but I did read the second book, Beauty for Ashes, which wasn't my kind of read. Why did I agree to review Every Perfect Gift courtesy of Thomas Nelson in exchange for my honest review? Actually, I didn't realize that the book was part of the series. I've been in a Christmas mood and the beautiful cover reminded me of the holidays. That being said, I eagerly signed up to review it.

Set in 1886, Sophie Caldwell returns to Hickory Ridge, Tennessee, where she grew up in an orphanage. She never knew who her parents were and her slightly dark complication made her an easy target of bullying from other children at the orphanage. Luckily, she was adopted by a loving couple, Wyatt and Ada Caldwell, and moved to Texas, but she has returned to Hickory Ridge to start a new life and maybe find some resolution to her past.