Month: June 2020

The Sugar Baron’s Ring – Celebrate Lit – Giveaway

About the Book

Book:  The Sugar Baron’s Ring

Author: Lorri Dudley

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: June 23, 2020

A ring is her only tie to a distant homeland, until a marooned Englishman anchors her heart.

Hannah Rose Barrington is the island misfit. Orphaned at a young age, Hannah struggles to provide for her future, while her guardian, a weak-hearted island drunk, bleeds Hannah of her father’s inheritance. Caught between the classes of elite planters and white beggars, Hannah yearns to find a place to belong.

University life has never been Bradlee Granville’s forte. His only hope to graduate is to impress his professors by documenting his travels. After claiming unforeseeable circumstances, he delays his final exams and sets out early on his Grand Tour. However, when his ship wrecks off the coast of the Leeward Islands, Bradlee is left without means to return to England, a mounting deadline, and ruined journals.

When Hannah rescues passengers from a ship breaking apart in the bay, she’s unexpectedly drawn to the witty charm of one of the men. Helping him settle into island life will be a pleasure. However, as creditors, like sharks, begin to circle and her guardian’s desperation becomes life threatening, Hannah finds herself in need of rescue. Will Bradlee look past her pitiful situation to see who she truly is—the sugar baron’s daughter?

Click here to get your copy!

My Thoughts

I continued to enjoy getting to know an area of the world I’m not very familiar with in The Sugar Baron’s Ring. In this story we get to know more about the tension of the era in the West Indies as the minority power struggles to maintain control over those deemed beneath them.

While I read book 1 in this series, I missed book, but don’t feel like I missed anything as any needed background Lorri provided. This series can definitely be read stand-alone.

I liked the three main characters instantly: Hannah, Bradlee, and Collin. Bradlee and Collin are men not only of good character, but of laughter and fun. Colline especially brought many smiles to the pages. Hannah has learned how to be resilient, feeling that she’s along, but learning that in the end she had been surrounded by those who cared.

Checking back in the Mr. and Lady Clark and other characters from the series was nice as well, giving us a peak at the after “happily ever after.”

Overall an enjoyable read. I hope you give it a read.

I was provided a copy of this story by the author for the purpose of this tour. A positive review was not required. All opinions are my own.

About the Author

Lorri Dudley has been a finalist in numerous writing contests and has a master’s degree in Psychology. She lives in Ashland, Massachusetts with her husband and three teenage sons, where writing romance allows her an escape from her testosterone filled household. Find her online at www.lorridudley.com.

More from Lorri

The Sugar Baron’s Ring is the third book in the Leeward Island series. My heroine is caught between social classes as the daughter of a sugar baron and an impoverished white beggar since her guardian sold her inheritance to pay his debts. To generate the feeling of being a misfit, I delved back to those awkward years of middle and high school, where we often struggle to discover where we belong. Before my senior year, my family and I moved to New England for a job change. I’d had a great group of friends at my old school, but at my new school, I was a stranger—an outsider—trying to find acceptance, much like Hannah.

Bradlee, the hero, on the other hand, was fashioned in a completely different manner. At my house, the slang terms “bruh” and “noob” are tossed around by my three boys, along with constant fraternal teasing. A lot of their sarcastic wit and camaraderie are portrayed through Bradlee and his grand tour companion, Colin. Their light-hearted banter depicts the tight bonds of a deep relationship where faults may be mocked, but offenses are overlooked, and if ever in trouble, they have each other’s backs. Hannah is drawn to Bradlee, craving a similar connection but loses her heart to him in the process.

The first opening scene came about because my family loves Discovery Channel’s Shark Week. After binge-watching practically every episode, I knew my hero and heroine would meet under the duress of a shiny, steel-gray fin plowing through the water. (Queue the Jaws theme song.) However, our resourceful heroine contains the strength to rescue the hero as opposed to the other way around.

All these things, being a misfit, teasing, and shark attacks, playout in a grander scheme to show how God never leaves us nor forsakes us. He’s laying out the pieces of our happily-ever-after while developing our character and purpose. The Sugar Baron’s Ring demonstrates how God’s light shines bright even in the darkness.

To learn more, check out my website at lorridudley.com or click here to watch The Sugar Baron’s Ring book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWRQr3drZY8&feature=youtu.be

Blog Stops

Through the Fire Blogs, June 23

A Baker’s Perspective, June 23

For Him and My Family, June 24

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 24

Texas Book-aholic, June 25

Genesis 5020, June 25

Daysong Reflections, June 25

Inklings and notions, June 26

Rebecca Tews, June 26

Betti Mace, June 27

Remembrancy, June 27

Reflections From My Bookshelves, June 28

deb’s Book Review, June 28

For the Love of Literature, June 29

Britt Reads Fiction, June 29

Locks, Hooks and Books, June 29

Kat’s Corner Books, June 30

She Lives To Read, June 30

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, July 1

D’S QUILTS & BOOKS, July 1

Reading Is My SuperPower, July 2

Emily Yager, July 2

Pause for Tales, July 2

KarenSueHadley, July 3

Books, Life, and Christ, July 3

Blossoms and Blessings, July 4

Read Review Rejoice, July 4

Artistic Nobody, July 5 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

Batya’s Bits, July 5

Adventures of a Travelers Wife, July 6

Hallie Reads, July 6

Life of Literature, July 6

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Lorri is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/fcd4/the-sugar-baron-s-ring-celebration-tour-giveaway

Storing Up Trouble

About the Book

When Miss Beatrix Waterbury’s Chicago-bound train ride is interrupted by a heist, Mr. Norman Nesbit, a man of science who believes his research was the target of the heist, comes to her aid. Despite the fact that they immediately butt heads, they join forces to make a quick escape.

Upon her arrival in Chicago, Beatrix is surprised to discover her supposedly querulous Aunt Gladys shares her own suffragette passions. Encouraged by Gladys to leave her sheltered world, Beatrix begins working as a salesclerk at the Marshall Field and Company department store. When she again encounters Norman on a shopping expedition, he is quickly swept up in the havoc she always seems to attract.

But when another attempt is made to part Norman from his research papers, and it becomes clear Beatrix’s safety is also at risk, they soon discover the curious way feelings can grow between two very different people in the midst of chaos.

My Review

First, if you haven’t heard, Jen’s welcomed a new family member: Remee. She’s cattle dog rescue, is as adorable as can be, but apparently doesn’t like cats. It’s ok Remee, we love you anyway. I stole this photo from Jen’s Instagram account where you can learn all about her royal cuteness.

Now on to the review.

I enjoyed traveling outside of New York to a new setting with Beatrix: Chicago! This story opened with intriguing action and a very annoyed heroine. It made me smile and wonder what was in store for Beatrix and Noman, but I knew they had to get along somehow.

Norman made me smile right away, from his ungainly ride on a horse to his devotion to running past a certain house. While it made him endearing to both me and the heroine, there were times when he got her in trouble at work that I wanted to yell at him to leave. Learning about the disparity in women’s wages and how they were judged differently made me thankful for the century of progress of women’s rights in the workplace.

The house full of women was a new home life setting for Jen’s books, but I loved all the women and their interactions. The way they embraced whoever came their way (except the villain) put them right in my heart. I enjoyed the variety of personalities and how they were each unique.

You have your usual quirky banter, slapstick comedy, and animal antics that make her unique style shine. Though, there were a few times that I felt like the banter was over-the-top in the no-one-would-ever-come-up-with-that-good-of-comeback kind of way that is the beauty of being able to write what one says rather than come up with it on the spot.

Bonus: you also get a small secondary love story with the delightful Theodoasia.

If you’re looking for a fun read that’s clean with enough faith but not getting preachy, give this one a read. I received a copy from the publisher, but was not required to post a positive review. All opinions are my own.

About the Author

Named One of the Funniest Voices in Inspirational Romance by Booklist, Jen Turano is a USA Today Best-Selling Author, known for penning quirky historical romances set in the Gilded Age. Her books have earned Publisher Weekly and Booklist starred reviews, top picks from Romantic Times, and praise from Library Journal. She’s been a finalist twice for the RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards and had two of her books listed in the top 100 romances of the past decade from Booklist. When she’s not writing, she spends her time outside of Denver, CO. She can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and www.jenturano.com

Giveaway

To celebrate Jen’s new release, I’m giving away a print copy of Flights of Fancy, Book 1 in the American Heiresses series. U.S. addresses only. Please see my giveaway page for rules. Giveaway ends June 22 at midnight.

Enter via Rafflecopter. For extra entries, hop over to Instagram!