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Walk on Earth a Stranger

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Title: Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson

Format: Book

Who’s it For: Teens and Adults

Leah Westfall is able to sense the location of gold. In 1847, Leah’s secret ability is a blessing for her family. However, when her parents are murdered for their stash of gold, it becomes a curse. What is an orphaned fifteen-year old to do? Hacking off her long braid and donning men’s clothes, Leah, now “Lee,” flees on her trusty horse, Peony. Her best friend, Jefferson, who is half Irish and half Indian, has already headed off for the Gold Rush. Will Lee be able to catch up with Jeff? And will the murderer catch up with her?

I enjoyed this historical fiction with a fantasy twist.  Although it is a work of fiction, this story was true to its setting.  Through Lee, the reader experiences travel in the Old West, from flatboat to covered wagon.  Socially, the story is also accurate.  Lee is frustrated when she realizes that on the trail, she is allowed to hunt for food and wrangle cattle as a man but is relegated to washing the family laundry as a woman.  Also on the wagon trail, Jeff, as a “half breed,”  often suffers snide racial comments from fellow travelers.  The varied characters in this tale, from feisty Lee to the German immigrant Hoffmans, to the rough wagon train cowboys, enhance the rich tapestry of the tale as well as the time period.

The good news is that this is just the first book in the Gold Seer series!

Are you intrigued? Please check out this enjoyable tale of family, friends, budding romance, and life in the Old West!

 

A Defense of Honor

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Title: A Defense of Honor by Kristi Ann Hunter
Format: Book
Who’s it For: Teens and Adults

Katherine FitzGilbert, “Kit,” was cautiously optimistic when she met Graham, Lord Wharton, behind a potted plant at a London ball. If she didn’t need to escape from two thugs who wanted her papers, she wouldn’t be at the ball. And if she hadn’t met Graham, she might not have believed that there were truly kind and respectable men who were also titled. Could he actually be trustworthy?

Kit and Graham’s paths next crossed in the countryside of Marlboro. Graham had arrived with his friend Oliver to track down Oliver’s missing sister, Priscilla. While Oliver rested at an inn, Graham explored the forest nearby. He arrived on horseback at a manor bearing two children, Alice and Henry, the latter who’d injured himself while playing in a tree.

“What are you doing here?” asked Kit.

Graham was likewise puzzled. What were Kit, two other women, and about a dozen children doing at a secluded country manor? Was there a connection between Kit being in Marlboro and her visit to the ball in London?

When the  local bridge flooded, Graham was pleased to stay longer with Kit and the children. Meanwhile, Kit dreaded that Graham would discover more about their hidden life at Hope Manor. Would Kit and Graham discover each other’s secrets?

I enjoyed this well-written story of illegitimacy and love in Regency England.

Read all about it!

Pacifica

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Title: Pacifica by Kristen Simmons
Format: Book
Who’s It For: Teens and Adults

Perhaps Ross Torres started it.  Tall, athletic, good-looking, the son of the President of the United States, Ross wanted for nothing.  And yet he was curious about the Shorelings rioting down at the docks.  Ross persuaded Adam, his best friend and the vice-president’s son, to slip out of the Torres’ political party. They’d ditch Ross’ bodyguard and see the riots firsthand.

Marin Carey was transporting jars of tar in her backpack through the crowds of the riot.  Her friends and the children they’d taken in depended on Marin.  She had to sell the addictive substance to afford food and water.  Surely she would find a buyer among the crowds at the docks?

The Shorelings rioted because their land was being confiscated.  What else did they have left?  Many hoped to win the lottery and to be transported to Pacifica, a land somewhere out among the rising waters.  However, Marin had been raised at sea.  She’d never seen unoccupied land or an ocean unmired by floating trash.  Was Pacifica real?

The Limpieza, the police, pushed against the growing masses at the docks.  “Curfew! Go home!”

In the confusion, Marin’s bag of contraband was jostled and the jars broke on the ground.  Phew!  She had to get away from its dizzying smell.

“Adam!  Let’s go!” shouted Ross as blood dripped from his black hair.  Marin stumbled into Ross and Adam.  As the police raised their billy clubs, the three fled from the growing threat.

Would Ross, Marin, and Adam solve the mystery of Pacifica and stop the riots?

I was intrigued by this tale of teen friendship, loyalties, and love.  Also, I found the issues of trash, recycling, and resources very real.

Would you like to read it?

Book: The Traitor’s Kiss by Erin Beaty

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Book: The Traitor’s Kiss
Author: Erin Beaty
Who’s It For: Teens and Adults

Sage Fowler knew she wasn’t marriage material. She was independent and outspoken. And as Madame Rodelle, the Matchmaker, confirmed, her looks, though pleasing, would not dazzle men. Sage didn’t want to disappoint her guardian, Uncle William Broadmoor. Yet, Sage would not be chosen as a Concordian bride. Ironically, Madame Rodelle wanted Sage as her apprentice. “Matchmaking is primarily a task of reading people, collecting information, and piecing it together.” Sage was to ferret out information from the soldiers who escorted the brides to be. Which men would best suit which Concordian brides?

Meanwhile, Captain Alexander Quinn was on a mission too. He and his men needed to safely escort the brides to Cambria, traversing the land that seemed to be infiltrated by the enemy Kimisara. Moreover, he needed to protect the prince, his cousin, Rob. And who was Lady Sage Broadmoor, the inquisitive one who seemed adept at collecting information from his soldiers? Could she help him in his cause? When Sage befriended soldier Ash Carter, promising to teach him to read, Quinn wondered, who is spying on whom?

This book kept me entranced with its blend of history, romantic suspense, and a surprise identity.

Here’s the book!