Rebel: A Novel, by Linda Windsor

The Brides of Alba Series

David C. Cook Publishing

Kella O’Toole is a language expert and scribe for Queen Gwenhyfar, and has just discovered that she is pregnant by her fiancé, Lorne. Alyn just returned from his six years of studies in the East. There Alyn learned many new things, but when his teacher was killed during some research, he begins to question his commitment to the priesthood. The court is rife with rumors with the death of Merlin and the arrival of Cassian, the archbishop of the Roman church. When word of a battle that leaves many dead, including Kella’s fiancé as well as her father, a contingent starts out and Kella sneaks into the company. Alyn notices her and immediately puts her under his protection as they move toward their home, not knowing whom to trust.

The setting for Rebel is during the King Arthur era, highly researched by Linda Windsor making the story vivid for readers. She portrays the characters with such depth that the reader easily empathizes with and understands their struggles. The history included creates a complete picture of the era making the reader feel as if they are living there with the other characters. This is the last of the trilogy, but the first one I have read. I will definitely be picking up the others to read, as well as finding other books written by Windsor. If you enjoy history and romance joined with Christian growth, then you definitely need to pick up this novel, as well as the other two.

Received Galley from NetGalley.com

Published by David C. Cook on June 1, 2012.

Mariah's Quest, by Dianna Crawford and Sally Laity

Barbour Publishing

Mariah relied on her beauty all her life to catch eyes and gather marriage proposals. Now, she and her sisters have sold themselves into indentured servitude to help their father and she believes that her beauty will catch her a wealthy bachelor. When she stands on the block a good looking, young man calls out the winning bid and she rides next to him to live with his family. When she gets there, though, his mother is a powerful woman who has other ideas for her son than to marry a bondswoman. Just when things are looking up, Colin goes off to war against the French with George Washington. Mariah doesn’t know if he will ever come back, and if he does, will he still want to marry her?

This is a fun well-written Christian romance that follows the silly Mariah as she grows up and learns to rely on Jesus instead of her looks. The historical setting is during the pre-Revolutionary War era, when most of the east coast was still unsettled. If you enjoy Christian historical romances, put this one on your list.

Received Galley from NetGalley.com

Published by Barbour Publishing on July 1, 2012.

Lily, by Diane T. Ashley and Aaron McGrovern

Barbour Publishing

Lily is a young Southern girl in the years before the Civil War. Her mother was killed in a riverboat accident, and her father abandoned Lily and her sisters.  After the accident, lily and her sisters lived with her grandparents, but when her grandfather dies, her aunt and uncle pressure her to marry a widowerer almost twenty years her senior.  Aft asking for her dowry money from her grandmother, she purchases half of a riverboat and moves in with her sisters, much to the dismay of the other owner, a riverboat gambler. Negotiating agreements with her parter, her sisters, and the river as well as villains, keeps Lily almost too busy to fall in love and find the path the Lord has chosen for her.

The story is rich with the south and the problems facing the people of the day.  Lily's story is fun to read and affirming, especially for the women who has to choose to be alone rather than become unequally yoked. As Lilly attempts to make solid choices in her life, the application of passages of the Bible lift up the Christian reader and help to strengthen one’s choices today. I would recommend this for readers who enjoy historical romances with heroines who look to the Lord for their dtrength. This one is definitely appealing to the heart.

Received Galley from NetGalley.com

Published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. on June 1, 2012.

Arms of Love, by Kelly Long

Arms of Love, by Kelly Long

Thomas Nelson

Set in colonial America, the Amish families suffer persecution from the colonists because they do not fight against the British and from the British because they are colonists.  Adam is the son of an Amish family that holds some authority in their neighborhood Amish community.  Adam has loved Lena for several years and they look forward to marrying, but on her deathbed, Lena's mother Mary makes Adam promise to stay away from Lena until he is no longer under a dark cloud.  When Adam tells Lena that the can no longer be together, she vows to marry is brother.  Between the difficulties of life, Adam discovers a truth that he has tried to forget for many years, and comes to forgive his father for beating him.

This is a very tender story of strength, forgiveness, and love, with well thought out characters, and involving plot twists.  One rarely remembers that while fighting for their own freedom, colonists were lax to extend those same ideas to others.  Viewing the Amish way of life through a historical lens adds interest to the story, as does other elements of the setting such as the frequent deaths that surrounded everybody's lives.  This is a book for readers that enjoy a love story deeper than a mere romance, along with the interesting history of the setting.

Received Galley from NetGalley.com

Published by Thomas Nelson on May 2, 2012.