BLOGWORDS – Tuesday 18 January 2022 – TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – HARMONY ON THE HORIZON by KATHLEEN DENLY
TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – HARMONY ON THE HORIZON by KATHLEEN DENLY
THE BLURB
Her calling to change the world may be his downfall.
On the heels of the Great Rebellion, Margaret Foster, an abolitionist northerner, takes a teaching position in 1865 San Diego—a town dominated by Southern sympathizers. At thirty-seven years of age, Margaret has accepted spinsterhood and embraced her role as teacher. So, when Everett Thompson, the handsomest member of the School Board, reveals his interest in her, it’s a dream come true. Until her passionate ideals drive a wedge between them.
After two decades of hard work, Everett Thompson is on the verge of having everything he’s dreamed of. Even the beautiful new teacher has agreed to his courtship. Then two investments go south and a blackmailer threatens everything Everett has and dreams of.
As Everett scrambles to shore up the crumbling pieces of his life, Margaret unwittingly sets off a scandal that divides the small community and threatens her position as teacher. With the blackmailer still whispering threats, Everett must decide if he’s willing to risk everything for the woman still keeping him at arm’s length.
THE AUTHOR
Kathleen Denly lives in sunny Southern California with her loving husband, four young children, and two cats. As a member of the adoption and foster community, children in need are a cause dear to her heart and she finds they make frequent appearances in her stories. When she isn’t writing, researching, or caring for children, Kathleen spends her time reading, visiting historical sites, hiking, and crafting.
Kathleen is the award-winning author of Chaparral Hearts, a three-book series of stand-alone novels set in nineteenth century Southern California (plus a prequel novella available exclusively to her newsletter subscribers).
Kathleen would love it if you visited her website at KathleenDenly.com.
You can also connect with her on social media:
Instagram & Twitter @KathleenDenly
Facebook Author Page: KathleenDenly.author
FB Group: Armchair Adventure Krew
To see photos that inspired her novels, follow her on Pinterest.
MY REVIEW
When a Boston teacher lands a job in fledgling Southern sympathizer San Diego, sparks fly.
Ms. Denly layers conflict upon conflict, twist knotted against twist. The historical accuracy and descriptive details bring the story to life. The author’s level of research is evident, tucking bits of history in a taut and compelling tale.
Dialogue, dialects, and jargon can make the story for this reader. As with her historical details, Ms. Denly has neatly fit Katie’s speech into the story without disrupting the flow; while giving her meaning, it does not take the reader out of the story.
At first, it felt like two separate stories—Katie and Fletcher, and Margaret and Everett—and I read eagerly to find how the two meshed. As with any historical story, my heart aches for the limitations society places on women. The unfathomable hardships Katie endured, the crushing [SPOILER] Margaret bore. I eagerly awaited—hoped for—Fletcher’s accepting Christ, and Everett’s yielding his plans and will to God’s; both very real struggles.
The supporting characters are colorful and vivid, people we all know and meet in our lives, antagonists, manipulators, liars and cheats and thieves. But also kind folk who encourage us along the way, random strangers and friends who brighten our lives.
This story takes root, pulling the reader forward, page after page, to the very end.
ROBIN’S FEATHERS
FOUR FEATHERS
I received a complimentary copy of this book, but was under no obligation to read the book or to post a review. I offer my review of my own free will. The opinions expressed in my review are my honest thoughts and reaction to this book.
Kathleen Denly writes stories to entertain, encourage, and inspire readers toward a better understanding of our amazing God and how He sees us. She enjoys finding the lesser known pockets of history and bringing them to life through the joys and struggles of her characters.
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