A Writer's Review of “The Courier of Caswell Hall" by Melanie Dobson

{My Review}

I'm not sure why I've been reading so many books set in the Colonial era lately, I guess it's perhaps what's becoming popular with the publishers these days. Not that I mind. I'll read any well-written book by my favorite go-to authors.

I was excited to sign up for this blog tour and to read another one of Melanie Dobson's books. I've only read one of her many books (Love Finds You in Mackinac Island, Michigan... also for a blog tour) and enjoyed it tremendously.

The Courier of Caswell Hall was another book I thoroughly enjoyed. There were a few things done differently than usual. The use of a third POV besides the hero and heroine, the second story-line involving this third character... and her ultimate fate were a little distracting from what was going on with the main characters, but well-written nonetheless.

The main characters, Nathan and Lydia, spent much of their time apart dealing with different aspects of the Revolutionary War, but the reader is rewarded throughout the story with the sweet romance that develops between them. This book was written very well, and I look forward to what else Melanie Dobson brings her readers next.

I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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{About the Book}

An unlikely spy discovers freedom and love in the midst of the American Revolution.

As the British and Continental armies wage war in 1781, the daughter of a wealthy Virginia plantation owner feels conflict raging in her own heart. Lydia Caswell comes from a family of staunch Loyalists, but she cares only about peace. Her friend Sarah Hammond, however, longs to join the fight. Both women's families have already been divided by a costly war that sets father against son and neighbor against neighbor; a war that makes it impossible to guess who can be trusted.

One snowy night Lydia discovers a wounded man on the riverbank near Caswell Hall, and her decision to save him will change her life. Nathan introduces her to a secret network of spies, couriers, disguises, and coded messages---a network that may be the Patriots' only hope for winning the war. When British officers take over Caswell Hall and wreak havoc on neighboring plantations, Lydia will have to choose between loyalty and freedom; between her family's protection and her own heart's desires.

As both armies gather near Williamsburg for a pivotal battle, both Lydia and Sarah must decide how high a price they are willing to pay to help the men they love.

Part of the American Tapestries™ series: Each standalone novel in this line sets a heart-stirring love story against the backdrop of an epic moment in American history. This is the fifth book in the series.

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{About Melanie Dobson}

Melanie and her husband, Jon, met in Colorado Springs in 1997 at Vanguard Church. Since they've been married, the Dobsons have relocated numerous times including stints in Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Colorado, Berlin, and Southern California. These days they are enjoying their home in the Pacific Northwest.

Prior to launching her own public relations company in 1999, Melanie was the corporate publicity manager at Focus on the Family where she was responsible for the publicity of both events and products. Melanie received her undergraduate degree in journalism from Liberty University and her master's degree in communication from Regent University. She worked in the fields of publicity and journalism for more than fifteen years including two years as a publicist for The Family Channel.

Melanie, her husband Jon, and their two daughters love 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 historical fiction.

Connect with Melanie at: http://melaniedobson.com

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Melanie Dobson's latest release, The Courier of Caswell Hall, is a riveting story you won't want to miss. The newest offering in the American Tapestries™ series, it follows an unlikely spy who discovers freedom and love in the midst of the American Revolution.

Enter to win 1 of 5 copies of the book!

  Five winners will receive:

• The Courier of Caswell Hall by Melanie Dobson

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on October 5th. All winners will be announced October 7th at the Litfuse blog. 

 

Don't miss a moment of the fun; enter today and be sure to visit the Litfuse blog on the 7th to see if you won one of the books!

 

My Top 12 Reads of 2012

Well, I did it.  

My goal was to read 48 books this year, and I have. There were a few in there I might have given up on before ACTUALLY finishing, but I did try. Here is a list of my Top Twelve  Reads for the year 2012.  

(They are listed in the order I read them with a link to my review)

 

The Accidental Bride by Denise Hunter

(Contemporary Romance, Thomas Nelson) 

I loved the love-hate tension Denise Hunter created between the two main characters of this book. I really didn't know which side I was on concerning the hurts they both caused one another in the past.

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The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen
(Regency Historical Romance, Bethany House)

Julie Klassen always amazes me with her fleshed out characters and flawless plots.
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My Stubborn Heart by Becky Wade
(Contemporary Romance, Bethany House)

This book came out of nowhere and totally blew me (and all of my friends!) away. I'd never heard of Becky Wade before last spring, but I sure am going to keep my eye on her books in the future!

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Short Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer
(Historical Romance, Bethany House)

Karen Witemeyer is another author I can always count on for true-to-life characters and plots that make me sigh all the way to her satisfying endings.
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The Messenger by Siri Mitchell
(Revolutionary Historical Romance, First Person, Bethany House)

Hannah Sunderland and Jeremiah Jones were, quite possibly, my favorite couple of the year. Which is funny, because the story is about so much more than them falling in love. I blame the fact that it was written from both of their perspectives in first person.
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Love Finds You in Mackinac Island, Michigan 
by Melanie Dobson
(Historical Romance, Summerside Press

Melanie Dobson was another new author for me. I loved the suspense in this book, even if part of it was not having the hero and heroine meet until close to the middle of the book.   

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The Rose of Winslow Street by Elizabeth Camden
(Historical Romance, Bethany House)

Atmosphere. Dark and gothic. And real.

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Unending Devotion by Jody Hedlund
(Historical Romance, Bethany House)

I blazed through this book so fast, I wished it was twice as long! Actually, I wish any of Jody Hedlund's books were twice as long.

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A Love Surrendered by Julie Lessman
(1920's Historical Romance, Revell)

AMAZING wrap up for the O'Connor Family. I think Steven was my favorite of them all... but that might only because his was the last book. I think that every time I read any of Julie's books. 

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Wonderland Creek by Lynn Austin
(1920's Historical Romance, First Person, Bethany House)

This was such a touching story written from first person perspective about a young woman finding her true place in the world.   

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Against The Tide by Elizabeth Camden
(Historical Romance, Bethany House)

Translating foreign codes for the Navy, bringing down drug rings, and going undercover at a secluded, palatial mansion. Oh, and Alexander Banebridge. Lydia Pallas's heart never had a chance. 
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The Tutor’s Daughter by Julie Klassen
(Regency Historical Romance, Bethany House)

Oh, how I love a good, sigh-worthy Regency! And this one had it all! A Country House, masters and servants--and everyone in between, the sea-weathered cliffs and bluffs off of the coast of Cornwall, and a brooding hero who saves the heroine from certain death! (yes, I love the melodramatic...)
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I hope you enjoyed my list and will look these titles up in the coming months! I'd love to hear what you thought of them!
  

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.