My 2 “Teaser” Sentences for today:

Anne slipped the notice back into her pocket. “I’d be a fool not to take Mr. Rivington up on his offer.”

~ p. 229, “The Tory Widow (Uncorrected Proof Edition)” by Christine Blevins

[Please note that this Teaser was taken from an Uncorrected Proof, and there may be differences in the final edition!]

From Amazon:
From the “talented”(Bertrice Small) author of Midwife of the Blue Ridge, a stirring novel set on the brink of the American Revolution.

On a bright May day in New York City, Anne Peabody receives an unexpected kiss from a stranger. Bringing news of the repeal of the Stamp Act, Jack Hampton, a member of the Sons of Liberty, abruptly sweeps Anne into his arms, kisses her—and then leaves her to her fate of an arranged marriage…

1775: Nearly ten years have passed and Anne, now the Widow Merrick, continues her late husband’s business printing Tory propaganda, not because she believes in the cause, but because she needs the money to survive. When her shop is ransacked by the Sons of Liberty, Anne once again comes face to face with Jack and finds herself drawn to the ardent patriot and his rebel cause.

As shots ring out at Lexington and war erupts, Anne is faced with a life-altering decision: sit back and watch her world torn apart, or stand and fight for both her country’s independence and her own.

~ Wendi

Grand Prize Winner

The winner of a copy of Midwife of the Blue Ridge, a bar of homemade lavender soap, and a bag of tea leaves is:

Tammy Sorrell!

Runner Up

The winner of a bag of tea leaves is:

Kristi!

Congratulations!

Tammy, I have your mailing information.  I’ll send off your package this weekend.  Kristi, please send me your mailing address.

Maggie Duncan lost her family as a very young girl during a massacre between the British and the Scottish.  Her destiny falls into place when she helps a injured man find his way home to his wife, Hannah.  Hannah, a midwife and local healer, realizes almost instantly that her husband’s gangrene will end his life.  Childless, she sees Maggie’s arrival as the blessing to bloom from her husband’s death.  She takes Maggie under her wings and teaches her healing and midwifery.  Unfortunately, the little Scottish town in which they live is superstitious.  They think that Maggie is bad luck given what happened to her parents.  They believe she possesses the powers of the evil eye.  When Hannah gets sick with consumption, she gives Maggie one last gift before she dies – she plants the seed about going to the America.  After Hannah’s death, Maggie is living hand to mouth.  When she’s offered the opportunity to sale to America at the cost of spending four years as an indentured servant, Hannah’s words come back to her and she travels to find her destiny in the New World.

The Midwife of the Blue Ridge is an engaging novel about the joys, struggles, and courage of those who took the risk of leaving their home land in order to make their own way in Virginia.  From the very beginning, America was seen as a land of opportunity to those whose futures in their home countries was set from the moment of their conception.  It says a great deal that people would knowingly agree to four years of indentured service under unknown masters in order to have a shot at creating their own fortunes and secure their own land.  Christine Blevins brings this all to life through Maggie, Seth Martin and Tom Roberts.  Just as vividly, Blevins writes of those who were forced to go to the New World by their privileged and wealthy families found them to be an embarrassment best kept an ocean away.  Their resentment over their circumstances colored their view of this new land and how they treated other people.  In the Colonial Virginia painted in this novel, it is a toss up as to who was more savage, the Shawnee warriors or the disgraced lords of England.

Maggie Duncan is one of the most delightful heroines I’ve encountered in a long time.  Although her accent was difficult for me to catch on to at first, I was soon caught up in the story of this clever, sassy, and giving young woman.  The very scrappiness that was viewed suspiciously by her Scottish kinsmen was what kept her safe and gave her the advantage she needed to get off to a good start as Seth’s servant.  She endeared herself to Seth, Naomi and their children by her generous spirit and her strong work ethic.  Her sarcastic spunkiness endeared her to almost every single man she encountered.  I admired her optimistic yet pragmatic attitude toward life and the courage she displayed under the most stressful conditions found in the Virginia wilderness.  I enjoyed every minute I spent with her and hope that my daughters growing up in the Blue Ridge of Virginia four centuries later will develop her same strength of character.

Over the past couple of years I’ve read a great deal of wonderful historical fiction.  For the most part, I’ve shied away from historical fiction set in my own country.  I have read The Winthrop Woman and Devil Water by Anya Seton and, while they were both novels I enjoyed, they did not ignite in me the same excitement for my country’s history that Midwife of the Blue Ridge has.  Colonial America, just like Tudor England and Venice has its own charms and dangers to explore.  After reading Blevins’ novel, I am looking forward to spending some more time at home.

+++++

Christine Blevins was kind enough to send me two copies of Midwife of the Blue Ridge, but that’s not all.  She also sent some wonderful smelling goodies!  If you would like a chance to win your own copy of Midwife of the Blue Ridge, a bar of handmade lavender soap and a bag of tea leaves, please leave a comment below about your favorite heroine or your favorite destination when you read historical fiction by 11:59pm EST on Monday, November 24.  I’ll take all the entries and add them to the List Randomizer.  The first name in the list will win the grand prize.  The last name in the list will also win a bag of tea leaves.  Based on the way the tea leaves smell, they will make a wonderful and relaxing cup of hot goodness during the winter.  The winners will be announced by noon EST on the 25th.  Good luck!

******
To buy this novel on Amazon.com, click here.

Jenn Hollowell: Author and Mixed Media Artist for a review of The River, By Moonlight by Camille Marchetta

Vitesis for a review of Midwife of the Blue Ridge by Christine Blevins

The beginning of a book sets the tone and cadence, and reveals its voice.  If I were an author promoting a book, I would absolutely post the first chapter, at Amazon and on my website.  Hook those readers while their nibbling!

You can read excerpts of the three books on tour this month at the authors’ websites.

Kathleen Kent – The Heretic’s Daughter

Christine Blevins – Midwife of the Blue Ridge

Camille Marchetta – The River, By Moonlight

So no bloggy today, just us and our books.  See that book on the coffee table?  That’s Midwife of the Blue Ridge…it’s actually pretty good so far.  Thanks Christine Blevins for giving me an advanced copy to review it for you!  Books based in the past are ALWAYS my favorite (ESPECIALLY when you throw in a bit of romance and some sort of struggle)!!  When I’m done with the book review (which I’ve promised to have posted by the 8th, you’ll be able to check it out at my book review site…The Book Faery Reviews.  Stop by sometime and let me know what you think.  

See you girls tomorrow sometime!

Persuaded to sail to America as an indentured servant, Maggie faces four years of uncertainty as the slave of whoever buys her contract. After catching the eye of a ruthless English nobleman, she is saved when Seth, a poor farmer, buys her contract to secure help for his sickly wife who is about to give birth. Maggie soon finds a home and friends with Seth and Naomi, and finds her skills as healer and midwife in great demand. However, threats from Native tribes, as well as the return of the evil nobleman, threaten Maggie’s newfound happiness. Can she truly have her own happy ending, or is she cursed, as people have believed all along?

First time novelist Christine Blevins has certainly started out with a bang! Midwife catches your attention from the first lines, and keeps you turning pages until the very end. Blevins creates a cast of characters that is lively and believable, and her heroine, Maggie, is unforgettable. Level-headed and wise, but with wit and spunk, and a big heart, you can’t help rooting for Maggie through all her highs and lows. Blevins’ writing is excellent, with the ability to transport the reader to villages in Scotland and America in such a way that it almost seems you are there.

Blevins also paints an incredibly realistic portrait of life for women in the 1700s. It was hard and full of danger, and Blevins illustrates both. At times the violence might be too much for some readers, but I felt it was justified to truly show the life Maggie was forced to live. The action is quick and consistent, making it extremely difficult to stop once you have started reading this excellent novel. I would recommend this novel to fans of historical fiction, and sincerely hope this is just the beginning of a long career for Christine Blevins!

Finished: 9/1/08
Source: Christine Blevins
Rating: 8/10

Reviewed by: Elizabeth