The Spark of Love, by Amanda Cabot, 2022, Revell (Baker Publishing Group)

1957 Small Town Texas

1857 small town Texas with a mix of charming and nefarious characters. Alexandra arrives from New York and must keep her wits on alert. Having escaped from a threatening suitor, she has come to be with her father. Sadly, she is not welcomed by him.

The Spark of Love

However, Mesquite Springs is a very friendly community. As is the guardian angel, in the form of Gabe, who feels compelled to protect her. He takes her under his wing, but all isn’t as it seems.

Who Can She Trust?

He happened to travel on the same coach, and both were surprised to find the hotel still under construction. The townspeople immediately find them lodging and befriend them. But they aren’t the only newcomers, and some are not to be trusted.

My Favourite Kind of Story

This is the third in the Mesquite Springs series. I read the first book, Out of the Embers, but missed the second one. It was nice to run into some of the characters again. I wish the series could carry on.

Amanda Cabot has a very likable writing style. I love her use of words. The characters are charming and the plot intriguing. The setting makes me wish to live in a place like that.

Visit AmandaCabot.com to learn more about the author, sign up for her newsletter, and see what other books she is writing.

Thanks to Revell for sending me this beautiful paperback to review. I’m so glad I chose it–it’s my favourite kind of story.

the Lady of Galway Manor, by Jennifer Deibel, 2022, Revell (Baker Publishing Group

the Lady of Galway ManorAn English lady falls in love with an Irish man in 1920 Galway.

Forbidden Love

Her father has been assigned the position of landlord and moved the family to dwell in the Irish manor. Lady Annabeth has lived the life of a titled daughter in England, and all that was entailed for her. That was actually quite a restricted life. She was expected to dress well, eat only the best foods, and do only those activities appropriate for one of her class. The expectations even went so far as who she could marry. So far, she’d received one proposal, from an older man who was also titled. He could give her a posh lifestyle, but could she learn to love him? He’d given her a year to answer.

As long as the family lived in England and their lives revolved in this society, it was normal to Annabeth. But here in Galway there were no other families like themselves to associate with. Seclusion in the manor was stifling. Her father, seeing her restlessness, took pity on her and arranged an apprenticeship with a jewelry maker.

The son of the jewelry maker was disillusioned with love. Selling rings to lovers only sickened him. He wanted out of the business. But then, along came Annabeth… You’ll have to read the book to find out what happens between them.

History

War between the Irish and the English has gone on for centuries. The Irish want independence; the British want to rule them. Annabeth had been taught quite a different view of the Irish from what she found out when she worked amongst them.

Deibel captures a bit of the history of the era in Galway, bringing it alive through this tale of forbidden love. I wonder if the story is anything like that of some of my own English and Irish mix of ancestors. By 1920 my father’s parents lived in Canada. Both of them were from a mix of English and Irish descent, so the history would go back pretty far. Could one of my own great great grandmothers have been an English lady who fell in love with an Irish man?

To find out more about the author, go to JENNIFERDEIBEL.COM. You can sign up for her newsletter and see what her plans are for future books.

Thanks to the publisher for sending me this beautiful paperback to read and review. I thoroughly enjoyed it. This is my unbiased review. See more books published by Revell at www.RevellBooks.com.

home new arrivals

This website is a participant in the Indigo Affiliates Program which allows it to earn commissions from Indigo if you make a purchase on indigo.ca after linking through this website. 5 for $25 Select Fiction Bargains (Ends March 28) Find this book at https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-lady-of-galway-manor/9780800738426-item.html?ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0#algoliaQueryId=4debc309a7ed35c3929f66a28927a700.