Steadfast Heart

Lenore Fulcher isn't pretentious despite her spoiled upbringing.

Her deepest desire at the age of twenty is to find true love. However, her father believes she's wasted enough time searching for a suitable husband, and he wants to marry her off to one of his business partners--thirty-seven-year-old James Rybus. But the idea of marriage to a man so much older is out of the question for Lenore.

Kolbein Booth, a lawyer from Chicago, arrives in Seattle looking for his headstrong sister who he believes may have answered an advertisement for mail-order brides. Sick with worry, he storms the Madison Bridal School, demanding to see his sister, only to learn she isn't there. But Lenore Fulcher is, and something about her captures his attention. Is this the man Lenore has been searching for? She may not have long to find out...


Cafe Lily's Review:

I thought this book was interesting though I had a hard time with the character names.  They were so unusual they distracted me a bit.  I felt a little frustrated with waiting and waiting and waiting...........and WAITING for Lenore and Kolbein to finally meet back up. 

Much of this book has them in different locations and a mutual friend as a go between. 

It was a very unusual relationship because there's no real communication between Kolbein and Lenore. It's not your standard long distance courtship.  Abrianna has more interaction with him as their mutual friend and it was perplexing as a reader. I couldn't quite figure out where the story was going.

I loved the ladies who ran the bridal school.  Some of their comments and actions reminded me of the Baldwin sisters from "The Waltons" TV series. They were my favorite characters in this story.

Not my favorite Tracie Peterson book, but it won't discourage me from reading her books again.



 

When Night Comes

If you've read my blog for any length of time, you already know I am a HUGE fan of Dan Walsh.

I discovered Dan's books in 2011.  If you are interested, you can read about it here.

I instantly connected with Dan's style.  His books are emotional, easy to connect with, and easy to sink into. If I want to get lost in a book - I reach for a Dan Walsh novel.  If like me, you are used to reading Dan's romance novels - brace yourself.

When Night Comes is a completely different work.  His author's note in this book explains why he took the risk, and I knew this was going to be different.

Suspense and mystery are not my preferred genre to read, so I knew I probably wouldn't connect as deeply with this one as I had in the past with Dan's other books.  Without giving too much of the book away, this is the one to pick up if you want an intense, gritty suspenseful read.  And don't worry - there's romance too.   For those who want more "thriller killer" type books - definitely check this one out.

The beautiful thing about Dan self publishing and writing something like this is that he can appeal to a broader audience of readers.  That takes some talent.  Was this book my favorite?  No.  But I am still a huge Dan Walsh fan and have no doubts he'll attract a larger following of readers by stepping into this genre.

Dan is a great writer and whether you prefer his suspense novels or his earlier books - you will not be disappointed.

Read more about the reviews this book is getting over at Dan's website.   He did a great job and took a huge risk by putting himself out there and venturing off the beaten path.  I like that. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.