Book Review and GIVEAWAY!! (The Governess of Highland Hall by Carrie Turansky)

I became aware of Carrie Turansky’s books when I read Surrendered Hearts . . . and I loved it! Her style of writing immediately drew me into the drama of the story and connected me to the characters in a very real and personal way. And I definitely found this to be true when I was blessed to receive an advanced copy of The Governess of Highland Hall.

As an avid reader of books from this time period and general story line, I found The Governess of Highland Hall to be vastly intriguing. The beginning of the story was riveting and it didn’t take long for me to visualize each of the characters, which is a huge pet peeve of mine. If I find myself struggling with taking the authors descriptions and making a mental image of what each of the main characters look like, I end up wanting to put the book aside . . . even if the storyline itself could be worthwhile.

As some of you know already, this book could easily be seen as the Christian version of Downton Abbey. Having just watched the full series of Downton Abbey before I received Carrie’s book, I really enjoyed reading and visualizing her story all the more, especially with the Christian basis. I also enjoyed the genuineness of the characters struggles and the fact that it wasn’t always focused on the two characters and their budding relationship. As a reader, I felt I had the pleasure of learning a great deal about the many other characters involved in the lives of the two main characters. They each added richness to the story itself, in their own unique way. To me, the story came across as real and thus, very refreshing to read and experience.

Special note: I love when authors are able to describe, perfectly, something you have always felt or thought, but could never put into words – and Carrie was able to do just that, for me!

In addition, if you have been a teacher or a parent, I believe you will connect with the main character, Julia, in a very real and personal way. Through the experience I have gained as a teacher, I quickly connected with Julia’s thoughts and actions in a special way. Also, I really enjoyed the insight into William’s responsibilities. Something I haven’t found in reading other stories from this time period.  

And, just for fun, I’d like to post a couple questions for Carrie Turansky to answer concerning her story. I think I’m safe in saying that these questions should not give anything away from the story line so, for those worried about a spoiler alert, you should have no need to worry.

Questions for Carrie:

• I don’t know why, but the fact that William held devotion time and at a certain time of the day, really struck me as out of the ordinary when I was reading. Were morning devotions typical of this time period or of this certain class in society? Did you do research to back that up or was that a personal addition to the story?

• What research did you do to add the detail behind what Williams’ workload and a typical day looked like? I found that addition very helpful and intriguing as an avid reader of books form this time period.

• Did you have any particular children in mind when describing the behavior, attitudes, etc . . . of the children in this story? I think this is the first book, in a long time – and one from this time period, where the children actually seemed real. I even made a note while reading that said, “Why do we automatically assume children of this era would not behave like the children of today?” 

GIVEAWAY!!

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Book Review: Time and Again by Deborah Heal

Purchase HERE

What I liked . . . 

• Let me start by saying that Deborah Heal really knows how to "hook" a reader! This book seemed to contain more "hooks" then I have ever experienced while reading. I realized quickly that this could have been overdone, but in my opinion - it wasn't. 
• There were so many layers to the story that could have been easily overdone, but (again) in my opinion - they weren't. 
• There were nuggets of truth and great mini-lessons for the reader throughout the story.
• If you like history, you will enjoy reading this book. If you like contemporary fiction, you will enjoy reading this book. I found it intriguing to observe how smoothly she connected the contemporary story with the historical.  
• I greatly appreciated the notes from the Author at the end of the book, which she indicated as recommended reading before diving into book 2 in the series! She shared some interesting historical background!
• Every once in awhile I would think, Aha! I caught her. She missed this . . . Now I have something to point out in my book review! Oh wait, she just read my mind and had the characters answer my question . . . again . . . Touché!
• However, I did catch something that made me grin from ear to ear! "We lock onto her and go with." Do you notice anything funny about the way that sentence ends? I had to wonder if that was done on purpose or by accident. Let me know in the comment area if you caught what I'm referring to. :-)
• Even though this book was hard to categorize (age group of readers), I thought it would easily fit in the young adult category, however it is a great fit for any age reader. I would recommend this for older teenagers, young adults, teachers/tutors, and those who love suspense, time travel and history.  

• Overall, I enjoyed the concept of the story. I love history and especially the way it came alive for the main characters, Abby & Merredith.

Side note: I went into the story without reading any detailed descriptions or other reviews of this book. I prefer to approach books this way, especially when I am planning on sharing a review of it on here. And, I'm particularly glad I did that with this one.

What I didn't like . . .

• The ending . . . I know by now that Deborah loves "hooking" the reader . . . . and that couldn't have been any clearer than at the end of the book! My note in my Kindle was literally, "The end???????" There is no question in my mind about wanting to read the second book in the series, Unclaimed Legacy.
• In all seriousness, there was just one or two spots for me where the spiritual lesson seemed a little disjointed with how it was approached and I found myself wishing that the spiritual concept being presented would have been explained a little better to the character (and for the sake of the readers). 

And finally, I have question for the author . . . Deborah, may I please have what Merrideth had on her computer?? I'm definitely jealous! ;-)  

The series: 

START the series. Purchase "Time and Again" HERE.

CONNECT WITH DEBORAH HEAL:

Website ~ Goodreads ~ Facebook

Disclaimer: I requested this book through Body and Soul Publishing and the author provided a copy of each book in the series in return for a fair and honest review.