Anita Ojeda Looking for a clean historical romance to curl up with on a cold winter night? Check out these two books from my favorite authors!
I receive free electronic advanced reader copies of these books through an arrangement between the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion on NetGalley’s website. I only review books on my blog that I really love.
Clean Historical Romances for all Ages
I remember reading John Jakes’ historical series as a preteen, and the books scarred me for life. Some things you can’t unread. The older I get, the more I admire authors who can bring vivid detail to a clean historical romance. We have enough R-rated things in this world, books don’t have to be one of them. My students love Melanie Dickerson’s books (and I do, too), and Jody Hedlund always has engaging characters and unique situations in her books. So, if you’re looking for a good read, check out these two books!
Court of Swans (a Dericott Tale)
By Melanie Dickerson, Thomas Nelson, January 2021, 336 pages, MG/YA.
Delia Dericott, daughter of an English earl, loves her peaceful life—until her father remarries. Her stepmother has no time for Delia and her seven brothers, but Delia nurtures the younger boys and leans on the older boys—even though most of them live far from home serving as pages and knights in training for other lords of the realm.
Shortly after Delia’s father dies, Kind Richard II’s soldiers arrive to arrest her brothers for murder and treason against the crown. She instantly hates the captain in charge—how could any man with a conscience arrest mere boys?
When Sir Geoffrey follows orders to arrest the Dericott brothers, he has no idea the youngest is only ten years old. What could they have possibly done to anger the king? But good soldiers follow orders, even if it means earning the ire of the beautiful Delia Dericott. Upon arrival in London with his prisoners, Sir Geoffrey begins to wonder if some evil plot to discredit the Dericotts is underway. How can a man serve his king and his God when asked to do something that goes against his conscience?
Delia flees alone to London in hopes of saving her brothers. Her aunt, an abbess with some influence in court, offers to help Delia procure a job sewing for the king’s household. When his bride-to-be arrives, Delia’s aunt will help her again. But what if the bride-to-be arrives too late?
Sir Geoffrey and Delia meet again near the Tower of London where her brothers are imprisoned. When he offers to help her find creature comforts for her brothers, Delia hopes against hope she has another ally in her quest to save her brothers.
What I Loved About this Book
Pre-teens and teens find Dickerson’s characters relatable and the feisty female characters empowering. Girls also love the sweet romances (and the parents appreciate the chaste nature of relationships as well). Boys enjoy the derring-do and swashbuckling action of these retellings of classic fairy tales.
Don't miss this new YA series by @melanieauthor! It's full of intrigue, adventure, and clean romance. #amreading #bookreview @netgalley @ThomasNelson Click To TweetA Cowboy for Keeps (Colorado Cowboys Book 1)
By Jody Hedlund, Bethany House Publishers, January 2021, 352 pages.
Greta Nilsson will do anything to help her little sister Astrid. The Civil War wages in the East, and the men in her family have gone to fight. Left at home to care for her precocious little sister with her brother’s wives, Greta feels unwanted. Her sisters-in-law encourage her to marry, but when Greta’s fiancé dies in the war, she chooses to strike out on her own with Astrid in tow.
Their destination? Fairplay, Colorado, a mining town high in the Colorado mountains where a lonely bachelor has advertised for a wife. Through their correspondence, he agrees to pay for both Greta and Astrid to travel west and promises to support Astrid.
But nothing about the trip West turns out right. On the last day of travel, bandits hold up the stage and steal Greta’s money. When she arrives in town, she receives the news that her fiancé has perished.
Wyatt McQuaid wants to prove himself, and he feels sure his ranching venture will provide the ticket to bring his mother and siblings to Colorado. Long hours of work slowly pay off, but he needs an infusion of quality beef stock to really prosper.
When he arrives in town to ask the mayor if he’d like to invest in his venture, Wyatt ends up agreeing to marry the newly arrived fiancée his friend had ordered from back East. In return, come next spring, the mayor will help him buy a herd of quality stock.
Wyatt doesn’t want a wife, but the beautiful Greta has no one to help her out. And Wyatt needs an investor. Can two people married under such strange circumstances figure out a way to make their union work?
What I Loved About the Book
Jody Hedlund weaves together history, mystery, and romance into a book about two people struggling to find wholeness. Sometimes, what we think about ourselves becomes our own worst enemy.
Fans of Tracie Peterson, Jeanette Oke, and Cathy Marie Hake will love this inspiring novel set in Colorado.
If you love #cowboys and #history, you'll love this new release from @JodyHedlund! @netgalley @BethanyHouse Click To Tweet
