Saturday, July 30, 2022

Hearts of Briarwall: A Proper Romance By Krista Jensen-An Edwardian Romance Book Review

Book Details

Hearts of Briarwall

by Krista Jensen

Publication Date: 8/2/22

Trade Paperback

ISBN: 9781629729961

Retail Price: $15.99

Page Count: 288

Edwardian Proper Romance

Cover illustration: Toilette de Promenade Fashion Plate from La Mode Artistique, public domain.

Book design: © Shadow Mountain

Art Direction: Richard Erickson

Design: Sheryl Dickert Smith

***I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own***

Book Summary

A TURN OF THE CENTURY ROMANCE

Lydia Wooding is fascinated by the latest inventions the new century brings, including motorcars. She longs for the independence they represent and believes that women should have a say in the future of the industry—just as they should have a say in suffrage, adventure, and, of course, love.

Spencer Hayes is a man of practicality and innovation, but he lacks the financial backing to make his dream a reality. When he contacts his childhood friend, Andrew Wooding, about a promising business venture, he is invited to Briarwall Manor to discuss the terms. Once there, he is surprised to find that Andrew's once shy, younger sister, Lydia, has grown into a young woman of beauty, wit, and a bit of fire. Even better, the two share a passion for motorcars.

Andrew, however, is wary of cars, having lost his parents in a tragic auto accident when he and Lydia were young. And he's not sure a relationship between his sister and Spencer is the best idea—not when Sir Lawrence is available and could match both Lydia's social status and her fortune.

Torn between risking their hearts and being loyal to their dreams in an era of whirlwind change, Spencer and Lydia anchor themselves with the determination they both share: to live life to its fullest.

My Review

The new Proper Romance, Hearts of Briarwall, is set in England during the Edwardian Era in 1906. So much is changing during these shifting times with the automobile taking over the roads, women fighting for the right to vote, and past roles changing. Lydia Wooding would be what you call a "modern" woman of her time. She wants to live her life the way she wants including learning how to drive a car and getting the opportunity to vote. Her old fashioned brother Andrew is training her up to be a proper wife and mother. Since their parents passing years earlier in an automobile accident, Andrew is very firm in his negative views of cars and driving. So you can clearly see that the two siblings do not see eye to eye. Andrew's friend Spencer Hayes has recently returned from America with his goal to open up an automobile parts store. Spencer is looking for people to invest in his new business venture but finds things have truly changed in his absence. Andrew wants nothing to do with Spencer's ideas, and he realizes Lydia isn't a little girl anymore and he shouldn't be attracted to her. This story is set up so cute with close friends that support Lydia in what they call The Wendy League based on the character from Peter Pan. I loved all of Lydia's friends and hope they will also get a book of their own in the future. They helped facilitate many of Lydia's dreams coming true. They also lent a hand in helping Andrew loosen up and loosen his control of everything, including Lydia. I liked Spencer the most and wanted things to work out for him. Even though there's a pretty jubilant feel in the novel, there are struggles for the characters including Spencer.I really loved how things worked out in the end. It's a fun jaunt for readers to see how and if romance is found at Briarwall, if Spencer realizes his dreams, and if Lydia learns how to fly as a modern woman. You need to read Hearts of Briarwall to find all the answers.

Meet Author Krista Jensen

Award-winning author KRISTA JENSEN works and plays in the Pacific Northwest with her spunky little dog and anyone else who wants to tag along. When she’s not exploring the outdoors, she can likely be found with her laptop, a pretty spiral notebook, and a Pilot Precise V7, writing about love, triumph, and really great kisses.

Either that or she’s switching laundry wondering who keeps wearing all these clothes. (It’s her.)

For book info and other good things, follow Krista on Instagram @kristajensenbooks.

For author interview requests, please contact Callie Hansen at chansen@shadowmountain.com

Advance Praise

“Ebullient Edwardian romance...Recurrent motif about attraction and self-empowerment...intriguing discussions about how women's rights dovetail with their personal desires. Chaste interactions tinged with meaningful undertones. Through their clever hot-and-cold exchanges, their relationship mirrors the period: energized by modern possibilities, yet is still bound by traditional propriety. When setbacks loom, it's people's sincere resolve about love being worth saving that resounds. An entertaining historical romance.”

—Foreword Reviews

“Satisfying Edwardian debut pairs a suffragette and an entrepreneur. Lydia's bubbly, forward-thinking friends and the unusual backdrop of the early automotive industry breathe life into the story. Readers will be excited to see what Jensen does next.”

—Publishers Weekly

“This thoroughly satisfying read is as smart as it is charming and is as thought-provoking as it is sigh-worthy. This romance is filled with a cast of characters who 'seize the opportunity to fly' in all the best ways.”

—Julie Wright, author of A Captain for Caroline Gray

Upcoming Appearances:

August 11, 2022

5-7 PM

Deseret Book

City Creek

45 W S Temple

Salt Lake City, UT 84101

With Proper Romance authors, Josi S. Kilpack, Arlem Hawks, Julie Wright, and Becca Wilhite

Novels in the Proper Romance® Series

Nancy Campbell Allen

My Fair Gentleman

Beauty and the Clockwork Beast

The Secret of the India Orchid

Kiss of the Spindle

The Lady in the Coppergate Tower

Brass Carriages and Glass Hearts

The Matchmaker’s Lonely Heart

Rebecca Anderson

Isabelle and Alexander

Julianne Donaldson

Edenbrooke

Blackmoore

Sarah M. Eden

Longing for Home

Longing for Home 2: Hope Springs

The Sheriffs of Savage Wells

Ashes on the Moor

Healing Hearts

The Lady and the Highwayman

The Gentleman and the Thief

The Merchant and the Rogue

Leah Garriott

Promised

Arlem Hawks

Georgana’s Secret

Krista Jensen

Miracle Creek Christmas

Josi S. Kilpack

A Heart Revealed

Lord Fenton’s Folly

Forever and Forever

The Lady of the Lakes

The Vicar’s Daughter

All That Makes Life Bright

Miss Wilton’s Waltz

Promises and Primroses

Daisies and Devotion

Rakes and Roses

Love and Lavender

The Valet’s Secret

Jentry Flint

Games in a Ballroom

Ilima Todd

A Song for the Stars

Megan Walker

Lakeshire Park

Becca Wilhite

Check Me Out

Julie Wright

Lies Jane Austen Told Me

Lies, Love, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Glass Slippers, Ever After, and Me

A Captain for Caroline Gray

Hearts of Briarwall is the 45th installment in the Proper Romance® series, a collection of award-winning, clean romance novels written by 12 authors across a wide spectrum of genres, including Regency, Victorian, and Contemporary. These stories feature relatable heroines, handsome heroes, obstacles to overcome and happy endings. Learn more at www.properromance.com.

Shadow Mountain Publishing is a publisher of New York Times bestselling books and series. We cultivate stories worth telling, questions worth exploring, and beauty worth sharing to improve the lives of families, children, and our society. Learn more at www.shadowmountain.com.

****Purchase a Copy of ****

Hearts of Briarwall HERE:

https://amzn.to/3PJRHWB

Friday, July 29, 2022

Until You Find Strength: A Message of Comfort For When Your Grief Feels Too Heavy By Jason F. Wright-Non-Fiction Book Review

Until You Find Strength

by Jason F. Wright

Publication Date: 8/2/22

Hardcover

ISBN: 9781629729954

Retail Price: $15.99

Page Count: 32

Self-Help, Gift Book

Cover image: © Vector Goddess/Shutterstock.com

Book design: © Shadow Mountain

Art Direction: Richard Erickson

Design: Heather G. Ward

Synopsis:

Everyone experiences loss differently and grieves in their own way, but author Jason F. Wright has learned from his own life some key principles to regaining your footing and finding tranquility after a devastating loss.

This beautifully illustrated book helps remind those who are grieving that they are never alone in their pain and heartache.

Long after funeral services, flowers, and cards, this book can be a more permanent and personal reminder that even in a difficult season of quiet, there are people who want to be supportive and are ready to comfort with just their presence and understanding in what the author calls the "new normal" as routines resumes:

"Life lumbers forward. Your new normal has arrived. The one you didn't order. And we're still here for you. We're busy; it's true. But we still think of you. . . . Even if we don't call as often, or send that perfectly timed text, or knock on your door with hot cookies and warm hugs. We know your heart still aches. And we're still here. . . . If the quiet is unbearably loud, send a text. If the tears are knocking again, and it seems impossible to survive another day, please reach out. Any hour. Any time. Any place."

My Review

This is a beautiful little book that can be given to anyone that has experienced a loss of a loved one in their life. I so appreciate Author Jason F. Wright writing another book that lifts up others as many of his books have done for me and his many readers. Some of my favorites have been The Christmas Jars, The Wednesday Letters, and his latest novel I reviewed, Even The Dog Knows.

It isn't a long book but reads more like a sweet message of hope you'd find in a sympathy card or hear on the phone from a dear friend. I know as I've gone through my own trials of loss and at times I just want to be alone but I still need some lifting up. Until You Find Strength will give you that sense of peace and hope you need to get by hour by hour and day by day. It will make you feel that you don't have to go through grief on your own and remember there are others there to help you as you move forward and heal. This little book makes the perfect, heartfelt gift.

Meet Author Jason F. Wright:

Jason Wright is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author.

Jason also writes an occasional column that has appeared in over 100 newspapers, magazines, and websites across the United States including The Washington Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Deseret News, Forbes, CNN, FoxNews, and others.

Jason is also a popular speaker who speaks on the miracle of opening doors, faith, failure, the Christmas Jars movement, the lost art of letter writing, and many other topics. He has been seen on CNN, Fox News, C-SPAN, and on local television stations around the country.

Each year Jason visits schools across the country and presents assemblies and writing workshops to students of all ages.

Jason grew up in Charlottesville, Virginia, but has also lived in Germany, Illinois, Brazil, Oregon, and Utah. In 2007, while researching Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley for his novel The Wednesday Letters, Jason fell so in love with the area that he moved his family westward from northern Virginia to Woodstock.

Jason is married to Kodi Erekson Wright. They have two girls and two boys they love, and two grandchildren they love even more.

For author interview requests, please contact Callie Hansen at chansen@shadowmountain.com

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