A Writer's Review of “Love Finds You in Annapolis, Maryland" by Roseanna M. White

{My Review}

After reading Roseanna White's free (kindle format--click here to download) novella this summer, I decided she was someone I needed to read more of. So, I went to my library website and placed a hold on her stand-alone book, Love Finds You in Annapolis, Maryland.

I've only read one other "Love Finds You" book by Summerside Press and took away the idea that they didn't necessarily go by the formulaic way of having a story plotted out or written that so many people write by--which sounded grand to me. It's not really how my ADD-brain creates stories either. In LFY in Annapolis, Maryland, for instance, the heroine is already engaged to someone before the beginning of the book. (In the other book, the hero and heroine do not meet until at least page 140). A little different--but refreshing nonetheless! 

There were also three character POVs in this book, which, at least for half of the book, made me wonder exactly who the true hero was going to be... the inattentive fiance or the new acquaintance who sees the heroine's worth right away?

This was a very entertaining book without being over-the-top in any way, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good Colonial romance.

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{About the Book}

In 1784 peace has been declared, but war still rages in the heart of Lark Benton. Never did Lark think she'd want to escape Emerson Fielding, the man she's loved all her life, but then he betrays her with her cousin. She flees to Annapolis, Maryland, the country's capital, and throws herself into a new circle of friends who force her to examine all she believes. Emerson follows, determined to reclaim his bride. Surprised when she refuses to return with him, he realizes that in this new country he has come to call his own, duty is no longer enough. He must learn to open his heart and soul to something greater... before he loses all he should have been fighting to hold.

~ This book has a rating of 4.23 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. 

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{About the Roseanna M. White}

Roseanna M. White grew up in the mountains of West Virginia, the beauty of which inspired her to begin writing as soon as she learned to pair subjects with verbs. She spent her middle and high school days penning novels in class, and her love of books took her to a school renowned for them.

After graduating from St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland, she and her husband moved back to the Maryland side of the same mountains they equate with home.

Roseanna is the author of two biblical novels, A Stray Drop of Blood and Jewel of Persia, the historical romance, Love Finds You in Annapolis, Maryland, and a suspenseful historical romantic series from Harvest House called the Culper Ring trilogy consisting of Ring of Secrets (March 2013), (yes, the series includes the bonus novella, Fairchild's Lady), Whispers From the Shadows (due out in August 2013) and Circle of Spies (due out in February 2014). The sequel A Stray Drop of Blood, called A Soft Breath of Wind is due out in the fall of 2014). 

She is also the senior reviewer at the Christian Review of Books, which she and her husband founded, the senior editor at WhiteFire Publishing, and a member of ACFW, HisWriters, HEWN Marketing, and Colonial Christian Fiction Writers.

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{Roseanna M. White's Books}

Her Stand-Alones

  

Her Biblical Fiction Series

                                                                                              Due to Release Fall of 2014!

The Culper Ring Series

   

   

        Released August 2013!             Due to Release February 2014!

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A Writer's Review of “Love Finds You In Mackinac Island Michigan" by Melanie Dobson

{My Review}

I’m going to start this post with a list of confessions. First of all, Melanie Dobson is a completely new author to me. Secondly, I’ve never read one of the “Love Finds You” books before, and thirdly, I don’t think I’ve ever read a book published by Summerside Press. So... as always, when I do such daring things, I hoped for the best and dove right in.

I love reading a really good book. And I especially love reading a really good historical romance that takes place during the Gilded Age. It’s what I’ve been called to write myself and it makes me so happy to see the subgenre take off as it has in the last few years. Oh, and in case you were wondering… Love Finds You in Mackinac Island Michigan delivered on both counts. 

I flew through this book once I started it. I couldn’t put it down. The writing, the characters and the setting all made me want to keep reading and reading. EVEN THOUGH the hero and heroine did not meet until page 140… which was roughly about halfway through. It kind of made me impatient at times, but it did nothing to make me like the book less.

It was a little creepy that the premise was much like the next book I have on the docket to write. But as always, when this seems to happen, I remind myself that a dozen writers can go about writing the same premise in a dozen completely differing ways… and that mine would be from first person point of view. I also remind myself that, since this happens often, I must be good at thinking up the kinds of stories that sell. Which is not a bad thing to consider.

The only thing I would have changed about this book… besides having the hero and heroine meet so late in the book… is their amount of time together before deciding they were in love with one another. I know it isn’t impossible for two people to fall in love in two meetings that consisted of eight hours’ time, but I would have liked to see more of their time spent together. But again, this wasn’t enough to keep me from adoring the book.

I will definitely be looking into reading more of Melanie Dobson’s books in the near future.

I would like to thank Litfuse Publicity for giving me a free paperback copy of Melanie Dobson’s Love Finds You in Mackinac Island Michigan in exchange for my honest opinion in this writer’s review. I give this book 5 stars.     

    

{About the Book}

As the Gilded Age comes to a close, Elena Bissette’s once-wealthy family has nearly lost its fortune. The Bissettes still own a home on fashionable Mackinac Island, where they will spend one last summer in the hope of introducing Elena to a wealthy suitor. But Elena is repulsed by the idea of marrying for money.

Quickly tiring of the extravagant balls, Elena spends most evenings escaping back into Mackinac’s rugged forest. There she meets Chase, a handsome laborer who shares her love for the night sky. The two begin to meet in secret at an abandoned lighthouse, where they work together to solve a mystery buried in the pages of a tattered diary.

As Elena falls in love with Chase, her mother relentlessly contrives to introduce her to Chester Darrington, the island’s most eligible bachelor. Marriage to the elusive millionaire would solve the Bissettes’ financial woes, and Elena is torn between duty and love.

{More About Melanie}

Melanie Dobson has written ten contemporary and historical novels including five releases in Summerside’s Love Finds You series. In 2011, two of her releases won Carol Awards: Love Finds You in Homestead, Iowa (for historical romance) and The Silent Order (for romantic suspense).

Melanie received her undergraduate degree in journalism from Liberty University and her master’s degree in communication from Regent University. Prior to her writing career, Melanie was the corporate publicity manager at Focus on the Family and a publicist for The Family Channel. She later launched her own public relations company and worked in the fields of publicity and journalism for more than fifteen years.

Melanie and her family enjoy their home in the Pacific Northwest. The entire Dobson family loves to travel and hike in both the mountains and along the cliffs above the Pacific.

When Melanie isn’t writing or playing with her family, she enjoys exploring ghost towns and dusty back roads, line dancing, and reading inspirational fiction.

For more about Melanie Dobson and her books, visit www.melaniedobson.com.