CFBA: Sixteen Brides by Stephanie Grace Whitson

This week, the



Christian Fiction Blog Alliance



is introducing



Sixteen Brides



Bethany House (April 2010)



by



Stephanie Grace Whitson





ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A native of southern Illinois, Stephanie Grace Whitson has lived in Nebraska since 1975. She began what she calls "playing with imaginary friends" (writing fiction) when, as a result of teaching her four home schooled children Nebraska history.



She was personally encouraged and challenged by the lives of pioneer women in the West. Since her first book, Walks the Fire, was published in 1995, Stephanie's fiction titles have appeared on the ECPA bestseller list numerous times and been finalists for the Christy Award, the Inspirational Reader's Choice Award, and ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year.



Her first nonfiction work, How to Help a Grieving Friend, was released in 2005. In addition to serving in her local church and keeping up with two married children, two college students, and a high school senior, Stephanie enjoys motorcycle trips with her family and church friends.



Her passionate interests in pioneer women's history, antique quilts, and French, Italian, and Hawaiian language and culture provide endless story-telling possibilities.



ABOUT THE BOOK

In 1872, sixteen Civil War widows living in St. Louis respond to a series of meetings conducted by a land speculator who lures them west by promising "prime homesteads" in a "booming community."



Unbeknownst to them, the speculator's true motive is to find an excuse to bring women to the fledgling community of Plum Grove, Nebraska, in hopes they will accept marriage proposals shortly after their arrival! Sparks fly when these unsuspecting widows meet the men who are waiting for them.



These women are going to need all the courage and faith they can muster to survive these unwanted circumstances--especially when they begin to discover that none of them is exactly who she appears to be.



If you would like to read the first chapter of Sixteen Brides, go HERE.

My Other reviews of Stephanie Grace Whitson titles. (This will be my first historical). 

A Garden in Paris
A Hilltop in Tuscany (sequel)

Review: A Hilltop in Tuscany

A Hilltop in Tuscany by Stephanie Grace Whitson

Liz Davis' life is going exactly as planned. But just as things seem to be perfect, her whole world comes crashing down. Can she find her hilltop in this valley? The sequel to the bestselling A Garden in Paris.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book is a sequel to A Garden in Paris and it could be read without the prequel, but I do not suggest it because you would miss a lot of character growth from the first book. I must admit that I really enjoyed the first novel better, but I did enjoy this one greatly as well. Here you have some characters that you have grown to love struggling through life's problems and learning how things will not always turn out how you once thought, but they will turn out fine if you leave God in charge.

View all my reviews >>

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House Publishers (March 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764229362
• ISBN-13: 978-0764229367
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches

Review: A Garden in Paris

A Garden in Paris by Stephanie Grace Whitson

Mary Kathleen Davis finds the framed motto in the back of a dusty antique shop, and it haunts her. After 26 years as the trophy wife of a powerful man, Mary is a widow with no sense of identity. She finds herself wondering ''what might have been,'' and torments herself with guilt over her treatment of an old flame. She has the notion that if she can return to Paris with her increasingly distant daughter, perhaps she'll be able to reconcile with the past and find a new future. The trip to Paris will change everything for these two women, in ways neither could imagine.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Ugh! That's what I have to say. The entire book has a few questions that sit in the back of your mind and you expect them to be answered in the next page turn or the next chapter. The book then ends with absolutely nothing answered and the promise of a sequel. I'm not even sure that I want to read the sequel because I spent so much time wondering what would happen just to be left in the dark. VERY FRUSTRATING!

But basic synopsis... A newly widowed mother realizes that just because her spouse has gone does not mean her life is over. She decides to take a new enjoyment in life and goes back to all the old things she put aside for her marriage. It opens closed doors and brings in mystery. There is heartache and romance and a bit of new Christianity. But then the book ends and nothing is revealed. Answers are left blank to the millions of questions formed.

Bah.

View all my reviews >>

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House (April 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764229354
• ISBN-13: 978-0764229350
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches