Through Rushing Water

GIVEAWAY

RICHMOND, CATHERINE
THROUGH RUSHING WATER

Sophia has her life all planned out-but her plan didn't include being jilted or ending up in Dakota Territory.

Sophia Makinoff is certain 1876 is the year that she'll become the wife of a certain US Congressman, and happily plans her debut into the Capitol city. But when he proposes to her roommate instead, Sophia is stunned. Hoping to flee her heartache and humiliation, she signs up with the Board of Foreign Missions on a whim.

With dreams of a romantic posting to the Far East, Sophia is dismayed to find she's being sent to the Ponca Indian Agency in the bleak Dakota Territory. She can't even run away effectively and begins to wonder how on earth she'll be able to guide others as a missionary. But teaching the Ponca children provides her with a joy she has never known-and never expected-and ignites in her a passion for the people she's sent to serve.

It's a passion shared by the Agency carpenter, Willoughby Dunn, a man whose integrity and selflessness are unmatched. The Poncas are barely surviving. When US policy decrees that they be uprooted from their land and marched hundreds of miles away in the middle of winter, Sophia and Will wade into rushing waters to fight for their friends, their love, and their destiny.

My Review:

A historical romance with substance. You'll relive a piece of American history that should never be forgotten. The plight of Native Americans is heart-wrenching to read -- the blatant prejudice, well-meaning ignorance, mis-guided charity -- well let's just say there's enough fodder to drive a tender-hearted reader into despair.

Thank goodness for Sophia and Will. Their passion for the Ponca people and their way of life is a refreshing change -- though will it be enough to change the course of the tribe's fate? Well, you'll just have to read  Through Rushing Water to find out.

When I first started reading I wasn't sure if I would like Sophia. She wasn't shallow exactly, but definitely single-minded with a teensy lean towards entitlement -- looking forward to becoming a congressman's wife and the place in society that would afford her. Those dreams are quickly dashed and on the rebound she volunteers as a missionary to exotic China. It's when she finds herself in the Dakota Territories instead that we really see what Sophia is made of. Richmond has given her a fascinating background which has uniquely prepared her for all she encounters.

And it's as I watched Sophia come into her own that I came to love her. Much like Will, I was dubious at first, but quickly enchanted, astonished, and entertained by Sophia's antics. And humour in unexpected places! Oh my, I'm still grinning!

This is the kind of the book that has your alternately laughing and crying and screaming out in frustration not to mention sighing over the slow and exacting romantic development. Definitely a fulfilling and thought-provoking read. Bravo, Catherine Richmond


Giveaway Opportunity:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of Through Rushing Water, please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you post a comment and add your email address, please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in the address to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so that it's easy for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday July 29 2012. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!

Spring for Susannah

GIVEAWAY!!!!!

RICHMOND, CATHERINE
SPRING FOR SUSANNAH

Hundreds of miles from home, Susannah faces an uncertain future as a mail-order bride on the untamed Dakota prairie.

When her parents die suddenly and no suitors call, Susannah resigns herself to the only option available: becoming a mail-order bride. Agreeing to marry her pastor's brother, Jesse, Susannah leaves the only home she's ever known for the untamed frontier of the Dakota territories.

Her new husband is more loving and patient with her than she believes she deserves. Still, there is also a wildness to him that mirrors the wilderness surrounding them. And Susannah finds herself constantly on edge. But Jesse's confidence in her -- and his faith in God's perfect plan - slowly begin to chip at the wall she hides behind.

When she miscarries in the brutal Dakota winter, Susannah's fledgling faith in herself and in God begins to crumble. Still, Jesse's love is unwavering. Just when it seems like winter will never end, Susannah finally sees the first tentative evidence of spring. And with it, the realization that more than the landscape has changed.

She looks to the future with a renewed heart. Yet in her wildest dreams, she couldn't predict all that awaits.

My Review:

I adored the Little House books when I was a kid. I read the whole series every year right into my teens. I became obsessed with all things pioneers to the point that I made all my dolls pioneer dresses and nearly set the house on fire when I tried to yellow letters from my grandmother in the oven so I could pretend I was a pioneer girl getting mail from the old country. I searched the library shelves for pioneer stories like the ones penned by Laura Ingalls Wilder, but though a few came close (like Caddie Woodlawn), the Little House books were in a league of their own.

Why am I telling you all this? Because I've discovered a grown-up Little House book. My child's heart is singing even as my adult one is swooning. LOL. This is an amazing read and I'm not quite sure that I will be able to do it justice with this review but I aim to try.

Incredible characterization -- and dynamics! Jesse has me all but swooning one second and then wheezing with laughter the next. He's larger than life with his grandiose gestures and loose tongue that spouts the most surprising things! He's earnest and loves God and delights in his farm, the land...in his wife who he has determined to love before he ever set eyes on her! He'd be perfect if he wasn't so exasperating at times and a little titched in the head. I swear he's ADD.

Each chapter in the book starts out with a quote -- from Jesse. An intimate glimpse into the man's conversations with God. My favourite: "Your idea about becoming one flesh, God -- it's the best."

By contrast Susannah is timid and shy and contained, so terrified of not meeting expectations that she almost sets herself up for failure. But deep in the core of her being the real Susannah is yearning to be let out and Jesse's just the man to set her free. His unflagging attempts to draw her out of her shell so that he can get to know her -- his insistence that she have an opinion, that she make her own decisions -- his pride in her accomplishments -- his delight in the surprises he uncovers -- well, let's just say this was an incredible read from beginning to end. Definitely a book to savor.

Richmond has captured the essence of the pioneer spirit. Susannah's personal journey is inspiring, especially when you realize that the hardships she endured are the exact ones our ancestors faced over a hundred years ago. Homesteading the west was not for the faint of heart!

You might have noted the controversy in other reviews regarding some of the romantic content in Spring for Susannah. Frankly I am surprised by them. Jesse and Susannah are already married at the beginning of the story and we witness the development of that relationship. There is absolutely nothing untoward in anything Richmond has written, but she does reference the fact that their union involves intimacy. These scenes are filled with tenderness and humour and I find it difficult to understand how they might offend a reader. To my mind they bring a greater depth to the story.

Spring for Susannah is a rich, robust epic pioneer tale that well stay with you long after finish reading the last page. Definitely not a book to miss this summer. So...

Giveaway Opportunity: If you would like to win a copy of Spring for Susannah by Catherine Richmond please leave a comment below. Or if blogger is still giving you fits, email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca and let me know you would like to be in the draw. Winner will be announced on Sunday July 31. Open internationally.