Showing posts with label Amber Lynn Perry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Amber Lynn Perry. Show all posts

Monday, January 1, 2018

Review: If Not For Thee by Amber Lynn Perry


Heidi Reads... If Not For Thee by Amber Lynn Perry

My rating: 5 stars / It was amazing

http://www.amazon.comhttp://www.amazon.comhttp://www.goodreads.com

Synopsis

With only three days to decide her fate, Margaret Main must make a choice: concede to the demands of her parents, or keep the vow she made to her beloved sister-in-law. The answer is simple, the solution less so. For to keep her word and her freedom, she must marry the only man she’s ever loved, with the knowledge he may never love her in return. 

Holdwell Estate is his home, the place of his youth—his future. To keep it, Marcus Wells must find a woman willing to marry him by morning. For years he was warned against giving away his heart, against the damage love would surely bring upon him. But this woman is far too lovely, far too spirited and kind. How can he keep himself from giving away the one thing he knows, once gone, will be lost forever...

My Review

What a sweet novella set in Colonial America! I liked that Margaret and Marcus already had a past friendship together so that when they are reunited they have a foundation to build on. What begins as a proposal of a marriage of convenience swiftly turns into more as attraction blooms and they realize that there is potential for romance. There is some angst as they work through their feelings and overcome their fears, and overall it was lovely watching them grow closer during a turbulent time in our nation's history.

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)



Be sure to read the full length novels in the Daughters of His Kingdom series!



Saturday, July 1, 2017

Review & Giveaway: So Pure a Heart by Amber Lynn Perry


Heidi Reads... So Pure a Heart by Amber Lynn Perry

My rating: 5 stars / It was amazing

http://www.amazon.comhttp://www.amazon.comhttp://www.goodreads.com

Synopsis

Since the night her dear uncle gave his life for hers, Hannah Young is determined to risk everything by spying for the Patriots in order to seek retribution against the British soldier who killed him. But when her former love, Joseph Wythe, insists on ensuring her safety, she must decide if the vengeance she seeks is worth the danger of his nearness. For the love she once felt is liable to grow deeper and more threatening to her heart than it ever was before.

Leaving his young ward to join the fight for liberty is the hardest thing Joseph Wythe has ever done. Nearly. The most difficult happened ten years past, which he tries his best forget. Seeing Hannah Young again after all this time does something frightening and wonderful to his soul. Though her determination to spy for the Patriots is honorable and brave, he will never allow her to take such a risk without him to protect her, no matter how she protests—and no matter how he knows he will ache all the more for the thing he always wanted and still could never have.


My Review

I've loved the Daughters in His Kingdom series, and this book is a perfect addition as the memorable characters become involved in the Revolutionary War and fight for liberty and independence. The tension and suspense is seriously ramped up in this book since the two main characters, Hannah and Joseph, are involved in espionage and the risks are greater than ever. I absolutely loved the setting and era, and reading this story made me want more- to find some real life accounts of Patriots to study. The language the author uses for her characters and narration reflects the era while still remaining easy to understand. I believe that plays a large part in feeling transported to the time and place of the story, and I felt an instant connection to the characters and their strong emotions during such a turbulent time. The romantic tension between Hannah and Joseph is off the hook and while their bittersweet past brings plenty of angst, there are also  moments and scenes of sweetness and happiness from their relationship. I feel like the message of patriotism and taking a stand for what we believe is more pertinent than ever in our day, and I appreciate the profound thoughts of the characters as they discover what the cause means to them and what they are willing to risk for it.

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

About the Author

A Pacific Northwest native, Amber Lynn Perry lives in Washington state with her husband and two daughters. She studied humanities at Portland State University and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree focused on art history. As a homeschooling mom, Amber spends much of her time teaching everything from Shakespeare to science.

When she isn’t crafting with her kids, making dinner or driving to dance classes, Amber is either reading or writing about her favorite time in American history. The Revolutionary era has captured her imagination from the time she was in middle school. Through her books, Amber hopes to not only give readers a glimpse into the past, but to instill in them a lasting love of liberty.



Giveaway

Happy Independence Day! Amber is generously providing a print copy of So Pure a Heart to give away to one of our commenters! Be sure to enter using the Giveaway Tools widget and increase your chances of winning by following and sharing the giveaway on social media!




Monday, June 26, 2017

Guest Post, Excerpt & Giveaway: So Pure a Heart by Amber Lynn Perry




http://amzn.to/2rU2i6NSeries: Daughters of His Kingdom
Genre: Historical, Romance, Christian
Publisher: Liberty Publishing
Publication date: June 20, 2017
Number of pages: 346

Since the night her dear uncle gave his life for hers, Hannah Young is determined to risk everything by spying for the Patriots in order to seek retribution against the British soldier who killed him. But when her former love, Joseph Wythe, insists on ensuring her safety, she must decide if the vengeance she seeks is worth the danger of his nearness. For the love she once felt is liable to grow deeper and more threatening to her heart than it ever was before.

Leaving his young ward to join the fight for liberty is the hardest thing Joseph Wythe has ever done. Nearly. The most difficult happened ten years past, which he tries his best forget. Seeing Hannah Young again after all this time does something frightening and wonderful to his soul. Though her determination to spy for the 
​Patriots is honorable and brave, he will never allow her to take such a risk without him to protect her, no matter how she protests—and no matter how he knows he will ache all the more for the thing he always wanted and still could never have.

http://www.amazon.comhttp://www.amazon.comhttp://www.goodreads.com



A Pacific Northwest native, Amber Lynn Perry lives in Washington state with her husband and two daughters. She studied humanities at Portland State University and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree focused on art history. As a homeschooling mom, Amber spends much of her time teaching everything from Shakespeare to science.

When she isn’t crafting with her kids, making dinner or driving to dance classes, Amber is either reading or writing about her favorite time in American history. The Revolutionary era has captured her imagination from the time she was in middle school. Through her books, Amber hopes to not only give readers a glimpse into the past, but to instill in them a lasting love of liberty.



Creating a cover is probably one of the most exciting things about the writing process—for me anyway. It brings the story to life and is the first impression that potential readers will have, so it’s got to be good. I knew before my first book was released that I wanted to dress-up and be on the cover because finding good photography or art that depicts the colonial era is difficult. I started saving my money and after I had enough, I purchased a dress straight from Colonial Williamsburg because authenticity is important to me, and I knew I could trust it to be period correct.

One of my friends was willing to take some pictures and, oh, was I thrilled how they turned out! After that, I knew I wanted to be on every cover because the result was just what I’d hoped. At first I didn’t want to make public the fact that I was on the cover, but after a little encouragement from some fellow authors, I decided to make it known—and I’m so glad I did! It’s been a great thing to talk about with readers and I think they really enjoy it. At least I hope they do. ;)

Book four was no exception. I was really excited about this cover shoot because I knew I wanted to feature a hat with my costume—I love hats!! I had it specially made by a woman who owns an incredible Etsy shop and knows more about Colonial era clothing than anyone I’ve ever spoken with. The top I wore for this shoot was also from Colonial Williamsburg, actually, as was the purple apron. I knew from the get-go that it was going to be great, but once I saw the cover all put together…I was over the moon!

I feel so grateful to get to be part of such a fun, creative process and I hope to be able to do a few more in the future. <3
 



Chapter One

Alone, Hannah Young stared at the dirt-covered mound as the chilled air breached the warmth of her heavy cloak.
Graves are sorry things.
The words her uncle had spoken not an hour past replayed in her mind and held solid the reality she wished not to accept, but must. Her dearest aunt Bea, her friend and confidant—the woman she’d loved as a mother—was never coming back.
Hannah looked up, gazing across the lonely hill, straining to gather any rational thought through the thick fog of sorrow. At the sight of the house a hundred paces away, and Uncle Ensign nearing the plot where she stood, Hannah’s eyes burned. There was nothing they could have done to save her. ’Twas Bea’s time, and God had called her home. Such knowledge should strengthen, should it not? Lowering her head, she smoothed her cold fingers around the soft emblem in her hand. It should, but it would never quell the pain. That she knew. For still she grieved the loss of ten years past, as if ’twas only yesterday.
“Hannah, you should not still be here.”
She glanced up at the sound of Ensign’s voice, then turned again to Bea’s cold resting place. “Perhaps.” She could say no more without weeping.
“The others have long since returned home. As should you.” He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close as the gray clouds mourned over them. At long last his heavy tone returned to mingle with the air. “She loved you, my dear. More than you can ever know.”
Nodding, Hannah’s throat grew thick, impeding the reply that wished for release. And I her.
Ensign cleared his throat, but still his words came out thick and broken. “We shall always have the memories of our dear Beatrice. And though she is gone from us in this life, I know we shall see her in the next.”
Hot streams of tears rolled over Hannah’s cold cheeks. “You have such faith, Uncle.”
He released a quivering breath before his solemn reply. “I could not bear the grief if I did not.”
Hannah allowed his words to rest in the wintery air, consumed by both love and heartache, before the thoughts she’d been forming found shape in her voice. “She was so good to me. She loved me anyway.” Hannah glanced down at the tiny knitted booties in her hand, speaking through the tears she could no longer restrain. “Both of you loved me despite everything, and I could never repay such kindness, no matter how I tried.”
He tightened his loving grip and whispered in her ear. “There is nothing to repay, sweet child. She loved you as her own, as do I.” He coughed to clear his throat and straightened his stance. “Your father gave up a great treasure when he left you to us. He is a lost man. We must pray for him.”
The tears halted at the mention of Philo Young, and she glanced up, unrepentant for the truth that spilled out. “I fear I have given up praying for him. He will never...” She couldn’t finish the rest.
“Forgive me.” Ensign looked down at her, the deep lines around his eyes flaring before he kissed her temple. “I should not have mentioned it. I know how it pains you.”
She glanced down at the booties once again and tried to speak through the strain in her throat. “That is not all that pains me.”
An audible sigh left him, and he pulled her closer. “I know.”
Hannah inhaled a choppy breath, attempting to cleanse away the dark clouds that closed upon her mind. “At times...at times it seems as though ’twas only yesterday. Then in the next breath, I feel ’twas a different lifetime.”
The memories she wrestled gathered hard and fast, like storm clouds darkening an already bitter night. She shifted her feet and tucked the booties in her skirt pocket, attempting in vain to tuck away the thoughts with equal ease. “Without Bea—without you both beside me—I...” I would not have lived. Hannah looked away, unable to finish the thought aloud. “And now I shall never again be able to tell her how much I loved her, how grateful I am, how I shall never forget her.”
Ensign released his hold and brushed his knuckles against her cheek. “I heard you speak such to her every day.”
“But it wasn’t enough.”
 “Dear child.” He kissed her hair once more, then moved back, one hand still on her shoulder. “You must return inside—I beg you. You have been too long in this chill.”
He turned and started down the hill, but she called after him, the cold slowing her lips as she spoke. “Only a moment more, Uncle. I cannot leave her just yet.”
Ensign stopped and glanced back at the grave, eyes red. Not moving his gaze, he answered her request with a pained smile to hide the quivering of his chin. Wiping a stray tear from his cheek, he took in a long breath, blinking as if he still struggled to accept the truth, the same as she. His mouth tightened, and he offered a quick nod before striding down the slight slope toward the house.
The cold cinched harder, stinging Hannah’s cheeks as she stared at the earthen catacomb of her only and dearest friend. She looked up, blinking against the moisture in her eyes. She had Ensign, true. And Caroline. But her cousin was in Sandwich, and though their treasured letters brightened every week, Hannah could not fathom how she would endure every day without Bea’s smiles and humor, her light and wisdom.
Again, she dropped her gaze, recalling Caroline’s most recent pleading. Nay. She hugged her arms around her chest under her cloak and rubbed them to fight against the cold. Never would she return there, no matter how her dearest cousin begged, no matter how lonely the years ahead might prove. Sandwich was the place of her youth, the place of her formative years, aye. But ’twas the place where her past still lived and breathed.
She reached into her pocket, eyes trained on the clouded horizon. Circling her fingers against the memory, she pushed back the bitterness that pressed against the doors she’d hidden it behind. Here in Plymouth she had discovered the meaning of true caring, true love of family.
Hannah tightened her fist around the soft wool as the face of the one man she longed to forget filled her vision as real as if he stood before her. She looked to the house to escape the illusion of him, but it lingered, forcing the imprisoned emotions to cry for freedom.
’Twas as much your doing as his, was it not?
The wind whipped harder now, signaling the need to find refuge indoors. Loathing to part, Hannah blew a kiss toward the lonely mound, grateful, almost, for the distraction that allowed her to leave her post without weeping.
Walking across the snow, she gripped her cloak, shivering as the memories thumped harder in her chest. Ten years had passed, and still she thought of him. Foolish. For surely he thought not of her.
At the back step she clutched the handle, breathing away her past before she could enter. The light from the house peeked through the small cracks in the wood, like her hope that refused to die.
After all they had done—after all they had lost— and still her heart betrayed her.
She grasped the handle tighter and pushed the door open.
She had forgiven him, aye. But she could never, ever forget.



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 June 26--Remembrancy | Heidi Reads...
June 27--Paulette's Papers | By The Book
June 28-- Reading Is My SuperPower | Katie's Clean Book Collection
June 29--Joy of Reading | Faithfully Bookish
June 30--Red Headed Book Lady | Singing Librarian Books
July 1--Book by Book | Getting Your Read On


Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Can't Wait Wednesday: So Pure a Heart by Amber Lynn Perry


http://www.wishfulendings.com/2017/06/i-cant-wait-for-secret-of-india-orchid.html

I'm so excited to read the fourth book in Amber Lynn Perry's Daughters of His Kingdom series, So Pure a Heart! The books are set in the pre-Revolutionary Colonial era, although I think the series is now taking us into the fight for liberty. Each book reads well as a stand alone but of course I recommend reading them in order. So Pure a Heart releases June 20th and is now available for a special pre-order price of $2.99 for e-book at Amazon!


http://www.amazon.comhttp://www.amazon.comhttp://www.goodreads.com

Synopsis

Since the night her dear uncle gave his life for hers, Hannah Young is determined to risk everything by spying for the Patriots in order to seek retribution against the British soldier who killed him. But when her former love, Joseph Wythe, insists on ensuring her safety, she must decide if the vengeance she seeks is worth the danger of his nearness. For the love she once felt is liable to grow deeper and more threatening to her heart than it ever was before.

Leaving his young ward to join the fight for liberty is the hardest thing Joseph Wythe has ever done. Nearly. The most difficult happened ten years past, which he tries his best forget. Seeing Hannah Young again after all this time does something frightening and wonderful to his soul. Though her determination to spy for the Patriots is honorable and brave, he will never allow her to take such a risk without him to protect her, no matter how she protests—and no matter how he knows he will ache all the more for the thing he always wanted and still could never have.



Check out the first three books in the Daughters of His Kingdom series . . .

 So Fair a Lady by Amber Perry



http://www.amazon.comhttp://www.amazon.comhttp://www.barnesandnoble.comhttp://www.bookdepository.comhttps://www.goodreads.com/
Synopsis

Boston, MA 1773: Shards of Eliza Campbell's life crash to the ground when she discovers a devastating secret: her father was a spy for the Sons of Liberty. Determined to uncover the truth--at any cost--not even a marriage proposal from the dashing British Officer Samuel Martin can dissuade her. When rescued from British capture by handsome patriot Thomas Watson, Eliza discovers what her father risked his life for and yearns to know more. But will her budding attraction to this courageous patriot damage her already wounded heart?

After years of being blackmailed by Officer Martin, Thomas plans to start a new life in the small town of Sandwich. However, when his actions place Eliza and her sister in danger, he must act quickly to protect them from falling into enemy hands. If the three of them are discovered, their lives will never be the same. Now, not only must he protect Eliza, he must protect his heart from a love that is sure to wound him far greater than any British soldier ever could.





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Synopsis

Kitty Campbell knows that leaving the dangers of Boston behind for a more tranquil life in Sandwich is God's will for her. But not even twenty-four hours after arriving in the small sea-side town, she witnesses a terrible crime and is forced to stay silent or her family will be made to suffer. And yet, as the consequences for remaining quiet threaten more than just her family, Kitty is desperate to unload her burden. When handsome doctor Nathaniel Smith comes to her rescue more than once, she is tempted to risk everything by revealing what she knows, as her hidden attraction to the courageous patriot builds into much more than childish infatuation. When Doctor Nathaniel Smith discovers the town's ammunition stores have been raided, he knows immediately who to blame—the hated Tories. Desperate to keep the remaining powder out of enemy hands, he vows to find the men responsible. Then when Kitty Campbell is brutally assaulted and refuses to name her attacker, he suspects she might know something and keeps a closer watch for her safety, only to discover a fleeting attraction he harbored long ago threatens to grow into something akin to love. Yet, he knows a Tory and a Patriot would make a terrible match.

 Heidi Reads... So Rare a Gift by Amber Lynn Perry


http://www.amazon.comhttp://www.amazon.comhttp://www.goodreads.com

Synopsis

Escape is Anna Rone’s only option. Never again will she be trapped in a loveless marriage. A new life in America means safety—and discovering the truth behind her beloved brother’s death. But when she is nearly captured and forced to return to England, her vow to never marry for anything but love is forgotten when she must marry for protection. Perhaps the handsome man she accepts is truly as caring as he seems. If he is not, her future in America is darker than ever before. 

Captain Henry Donaldson aided the colonists too many times. And now, the British army intends to make him pay with his life. Without his friends in Sandwich, he would be a dead man. He’s already changed his name, and when the kind, courageous woman he rescued offers to become his bride, he accepts despite the risks. His past taught him that women are not to be trusted and that love can cut deeper than the sword. Only time will reveal if this choice will bring the greatest pain he’s ever known.

Friday, January 6, 2017

Favorites of 2016: Historical

I've been inspired by several blogs I follow to make a "Best of 2016" post. But I quickly ran into a problem. Of the 197 books I read last year, 74 of them were ones I rated 5 stars! How do you narrow that down?! I bit the bullet and got it down to 37, but that still seemed like too many for one blog post. So I've divided my favorites up by genre and I'll be sharing them in four separate posts: historical, contemporary, novellas, and series. 

Here are the amazing historical novels I read in 2016 in no particular order. I highly recommend all of them and they are all ones I plan to re-read again in the future!

A Captain for Laura Rose by Stephanie Grace Whitson

Love Unexpected by Jody Hedlund

 Doing No Harm by Carla Kelly

Dawn at Emberwilde by Sarah E. Ladd

The Express Rider's Lady by Stacy Henrie

 No Other Will Do by Karen Witemeyer

 The Moses Chronicles: Deliverance by H. B. Moore

 Willowkeep by Julie Daines

 So Rare a Gift by Amber Lynn Perry

 A Place for Miss Snow by Jennifer Moore

The Governess by Kristen McKendry

What were your favorite historical novels that you read in 2016?