Anita Ojeda If you love intrigue, inspiration, and romance set in the Gilded Age, you’ll love these two new releases from some of the best inspirational authors writing today.
The Gilded Age with Intrigue, Inspiration, and Romance
If you loved the movie Titanic, you’ll love these two new inspirational novels set in the Gilded Age. That era in United States history before women had rights but change was in the air. The era of unimaginable wealth for a few and soul-crushing poverty for others. As modern readers, we often forget the Gilded Age had more to it than lavish dresses with big bustles and leg-o-mutton sleeves. These authors delve deeper into problems we still struggle with today: social responsibility, equality for women, and understanding God’s calling in our lives.
Carved in Stone
By Elizabeth Camden, Bethany House Publishers, August 2021, 352 pages.
Gwendolyn Blackstone Kellerman lives in serenity on the campus of her beloved Blackstone College. Her gardens, the house she designed, and the stimulating visitors to her home keep her occupied. And help her forget her widowhood. Although women in 1900 have more options open to them than even a decade earlier, Gwen secretly wishes she had pursued her doctorate in botany instead of marrying at a young age. But for a woman during the Gilded Age, it often felt like a gilded cage.
When a tell-all book and libel suit drag up painful family memories and her uncle threatens to cut off funding for the college, Gwen bargains with her grandfather, the infamous financier Frederick Blackstone, to help squash the book in exchange for ongoing financing for Blackstone College.
Patrick O’Neill defends the downtrodden and marginalized. Their guilt or innocence doesn’t matter because Patrick believes everyone deserves representation in court. He also feels guilty over not taking orders when he finished law school. Deep in his heart, he knows God wants him to help others, but he doesn’t have to become a priest to do so. He longs for a family of his own.
But when clients pay him with sacks of potatoes, shoes, or new suits, it might take a while to realize his dream of hearth and home.
When a beautiful gentlewoman stops by his office asking him to advise his client, the notorious Mick Malone, to take his tell-all memoir out of production. Duty binds him to present the request to Mick Malone, but Patrick has little hope he’ll take it. He secretly hopes to see more of the intriguing Mrs. Kellerman, especially once he finds out her widowed status.
Can two people from such vastly different walks of life find enough in common to forge a lasting relationship?
Why I Loved This Book
Once again, Camden takes unusual characters and puts them in difficult situations. This time, an heiress and a cash-strapped Irish immigrant. Throw in an unsolved kidnapping case, a snobby family, and a few death threats, and you have the perfect recipe for a can’t-put-it-down inspirational novel.
If you love history, mystery, and romance, you’ll fall in love with Carved in Stone. Fans of Roseanna M. White, Cathy Marie Hake, and Tracie Petersen will enjoy this book.
Don't miss this fascinating dive into the Gilded Age filled with intrigue, second chances, and suspense. You'll love this new release by @ElizabethCamdn @bethany_house #netgalley #amreading #inspy Click To TweetTo Write a Wrong
By Jen Turano, Bethany House, August 2021, 364 pages.
Miss Daphne Beekman has created a place for herself at the Bleecker Street boardinghouse. A respectable place where a Victorian woman can exercise a bit of independence. When the muse hits, Daphne follows her career of writing mysteries under the pseudonym of Montague Moreland. The rest of the time, she collaborates with the other women at the boardinghouse to run the Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency.
She prefers to place her protagonists in perilous situations over seeking out perilous situations. Her fainting habit makes it difficult to deal with unexpected situations. When a client enters the inquiry office late one night, Daphne courageously crosses swords with him—even if her sword consists of pasteboard. Even though she tries to dissuade the stranger from hiring their agency (after all, they’ve only had female clients up to this point), he makes a strong case for the agency needs to investigate the attempts on his life.
When Mr. Herman Henderson stops by the Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency, he doesn’t expect to face a sword-wielding female pirate. But the more she tries to convince him they can’t take his case, the more convinced he becomes that they should. As a mystery writer, the attempts on his life have rattled him. He prefers to write about life-or-death situations, not live them.
As they team up to solve the mystery, they soon discover Daphne has drawn the would-be murderer’s attention. Can they learn to trust each other enough to solve the mystery and become each other’s heroes in the process?
Why I Loved this Book
Turano’s latest rollicking adventure will keep you laughing and guessing to the last page. She surrounds Daphne and Herman with a delightful cast of supporting characters—many of who seem to harbor secrets of their own. Above all, Turano shows readers the possibilities one experiences when one steps out of one’s comfort zone and grabs hold of an abundant life.
Fans of Roseanna M. White and Emma St. Clair will enjoy this book.
I couldn't stop laughing, giggling, guffawing, and snorting out loud as I read #ToWriteaWrong by @JenTurano. You'll love it, too! #amreading #inspy #newrelease @bethany_house Click To Tweet
This was. really good review Anita!
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