With This Pledge by Tamera Alexander

Here is the book summary:

#1 Amazon Bestseller

From the pages of history and the personal accounts of those who endured the Battle of Franklin... 

Elizabeth "Lizzie" Clouston's quietly held principles oppose those of the Southern Cause--but when forty thousand soldiers converge on the fields of Franklin, Tennessee, the war demands an answer. The Carnton home, where she is governess, is converted into a Confederate hospital, and Lizzie is called upon to assist the military doctor with surgeries that determine life or death. Faced with the unimaginable, she must summon fortitude, even as she fears for the life of Towny, her fiancé and lifelong friend.

As a young soldier lies dying in Lizzie's arms, she vows to relay his final words to his mother, but knows little more than the boy's first name. That same night, decorated Mississippi sharpshooter Captain Roland Ward Jones extracts a different promise from Lizzie: that she intervene should the surgeon decide to amputate his leg.

Lizzie is nothing if not a woman of her word, earning the soldiers' respect as she tends to the wounded within Carnton's walls. None is more admiring than Captain Jones, who doesn't realize she is pledged to another. But as Lizzie's heart softens toward the Confederate captain, she discovers his moral ground is at odds with her own. Now torn between love, principles, and pledges made, she struggles to be true to her own heart while standing for what she knows is right--no matter the cost. 

From the pages of history and the personal accounts of those who endured the Battle of Franklin, Tamera Alexander weaves the real-life love letters between Captain Roland Ward Jones and Miss Elizabeth Clouston into a story of unlikely romance first kindled amid the shadows of war.

And now, my review:
With This Pledge by Tamara Alexander was a powerfully real historical fiction read.  This author brings the reader right in to a battle, the Battle of Franklin, which was during the Civil War, and she doesn’t leave much description out.  The realness that she pens is intense and gripping.  She tells the story from a Southern person’s view and I found that to be powerful.  There are battles and that brought about victims.  There is a sense of helplessness in helping the victims and feeling unequipped to do anything of real value…  I felt she did her homework on this one and she shares her findings with us as well. 

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
https://www.amazon.com/this-Pledge-Carnton-Book-ebook/dp/B07BB4MSG2/ref=sr_1_2?crid=9MCEIOH5TSCE&keywords=with+this+pledge+tamera+alexander&qid=1561464721&s=gateway&sprefix=with+this+pledge%2Caps%2C150&sr=8-2#customerReviews

https://www.christianbook.com/with-this-pledge-tamera-alexander/9780718081836/pd/081836?event=ESRCG

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/with-this-pledge-tamera-alexander/1128128094?ean=9780718081836#/

Imagine The Ten Plagues by Matt Koceich

Here is the book summary:

The Second Release in an Epic Bible Adventure Series for Kids
The last thing fourth-grader Kai Wells remembers (before the world as she knew it disappeared) is being surrounded by bullies on her walk home from school. What happens next can't be explained as Kai finds herself on the run for her life in ancient Egypt! Imagine. . .The Ten Plagues is the second release in an exciting, brand-new epic adventure series for kids ages 8 to 12 written by schoolteacher Matt Koceich. The Imagine series brings the Bible to life for today's kids as they ponder what it would be like to live through a monumental biblical event. 

And now, my review:

This book about the 10 plagues mentioned in Exodus all those years ago, was a great adventure that we got to go on together.  We really enjoy the imagination that this author uses in his books.  This is the second book that we have read by him.  When asked, my kids thought it was totally awesome!!  It was a bit scary at one point, but that is what makes an adventure exciting, and really it wasn’t too bad.  It has a way of drawing you into the plagues.  We liked the names he used for his characters.  It also has a great message on dealing with bullies in our lives.  It is an encouraging read to stand up against them and not be subject to their taunting. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing, Netgalley and was under no obligation to post a review.

https://www.amazon.com/Imagine-Ten-Plagues-Book-ebook/dp/B074TYJSQR/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1538323219&sr=8-1&keywords=imagine+the+ten+plagues

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/imagine-the-ten-plagues-matt-koceich/1126627888?ean=9781683223801

https://www.christianbook.com/imagine-the-ten-plagues/matt-koceich/9781683223801/pd/223802?product_redirect=1&Ntt=223802&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP

Bringing Maggie Home by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Here is the book summary:

Decades of Loss, an Unsolved Mystery, 
and a Rift Spanning Three Generations

Hazel DeFord is a woman haunted by her past. While berry picking in a blackberry thicket in 1943, ten-year old Hazel momentarily turns her back on her three-year old sister Maggie and the young girl disappears.

Almost seventy years later, the mystery remains unsolved and the secret guilt Hazel carries has alienated her from her daughter Diane, who can’t understand her mother’s overprotectiveness and near paranoia. While Diane resents her mother’s inexplicable eccentricities, her daughter Meghan—a cold case agent—cherishes her grandmother’s lavish attention and affection.
 
When a traffic accident forces Meghan to take a six-week leave-of-absence to recover, all three generations of DeFord women find themselves unexpectedly under the same roof. Meghan knows she will have to act as a mediator between the two headstrong and contentious women. But when they uncover Hazel’s painful secret, will Meghan also be able to use her investigative prowess to solve the family mystery and help both women recover all that’s been lost?

And now, my review:

Bringing Maggie Home by Kim Vogel Sawyer is an amazing, can’t put down until you’re finished book about love, loss and God’s grace.  A most horrific event turned around realistically.  I felt that this author did a great job of painting an authentic, lifelike story that touches the heart.  There were times that this story had me cringing and other times where I wanted to pray for the lost in the story.  When victories came around it had me jumping for joy as tears streamed down my face.  If you’re looking for a book that has hard issues, mystery, and a very honest presentation, I recommend this one.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.amazon.com/Bringing-Maggie-Home-Vogel-Sawyer-ebook/dp/B01MYYPY15/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1516933898&sr=1-1&keywords=bringing+maggie+home+by+kim+vogel+sawyer

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bringing-maggie-home-kim-vogel-sawyer/1125387095?ean=9780735290037#/

https://www.christianbook.com/bringing-maggie-home-kim-sawyer/9780735290037/pd/290037?product_redirect=1&Ntt=290037&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP

The Long Ride Home by Susan R. Lawrence

Here is the book summary:

The Long Ride Home recounts the journey of two young children from New York to the farmlands of Iowa. Families are willing to adopt young orphans like Emma, but Bert might have to find work on a farm. He has a lot to learn about farm life. Each day brings new lessons, from milking cows to being kind, and new fears. More than a place to live, he needs a family to love. Will he find a home in Iowa with his sister? Or will he take the long train ride back to New York?

And now, my review:

The Long Ride Home by Susan Lawrence is a great read aloud!  Our family really enjoyed the ups and downs of this story and the author has a way of making you experience many emotions while you’re reading.  My daughter says that it sucks you right in.  The historical aspect was really sobering in the area of thinking of the challenges that little ones faced back in the day if they found themselves orphans.  The story really tugged at our hearts and we are really blessed to have read it.  I’m sure that we will be reading it again in the future. 

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.amazon.com/Long-Ride-Home-Susan-Lawrence-ebook/dp/B077GLKMJ9/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1516932809&sr=8-9&keywords=The+long+ride+home

https://www.christianbook.com/the-long-ride-home/susan-lawrence/9781628564457/pd/564458?event=ESRCG#write_review