Scandals and Mercies

 

About the Book

Book: Scandals and Mercies

Author: Kathleen Rouser

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: April 23, 2024

He’s a reporter determined to uncover the truth, but the secrets he finds could crush her family—and their second chance at love.

Taken from her family’s farm to be raised by her wealthy aunt and uncle, Nora Armstrong has accepted that not only will she never realize her dream of becoming a teacher, she’d also rather be a spinster than submit to her cruel aunt’s society selection of a suitable husband. The one man who caught her eye betrayed her best friend. And she’s got enough on her hands, hiding her sister’s shameful secret from her aunt.

When the local home for unwed mothers burns down, the arson investigation brings big-city reporter James Cooper back to Stone Creek—and back into Nora’s life. James also has a meddling aunt who raises more questions than she answers about his past. Not to mention, he can’t figure out why Nora constantly rebuffs him. When his reporting casts aspersions on the local church and lays the blame for the fire and a series of robberies at the wrong feet, he risks losing his new position at the paper.

As they seek to unravel the town’s mystery, rescue endangered mothers and children, and navigate their own family secrets forced to light, James and Nora increasingly turn to each other for help. But can they overcome James’s lack of faith and the disapproval of Nora’s guardians to find a second chance at love?

 

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 My Review: 

Nora Armstrong is a young woman who exemplifies what it means to turn the other cheek. She is really a saint!  Nora's Aunt Gertrude with whom she lives is a domineering, harsh, bitter woman, continually berating and finding fault with Nora at every turn. I admired her for loving her aunt when it wasn't easy and choosing to put her faith in action. She shows that, "love is patient, love is kind."

Secrets  and their impact on people's lives are at the heart of this story. You never really know what is behind someone's actions until you hear what they have been through. Choosing to forgive and love is powerful and life-giving and shown in the lives of James and Nora. I can see that the relationships in their families will grow stronger and better from here forward.

I was glad to see James's faith grow throughout the book. However, I did feel that his attitude changed very quickly from being skeptical and antagonistic to following God. I'd like to have seen just one more instance of his heart softening and changing. 

This is the first book I have read in the Stone Creek Brides series, and I feel that I would have benefited from reading the other two books to know more about some of the characters. I received a complimentary copy of this book through Celebrate Lit. All opinions in this review are my own.

About the Author

Kathleen Rouser is a multi-published, award-winning author of historical and contemporary Christian romance. She is a longtime member of American Christian Fiction Writers and a member of Faith, Hope and Love Christian Writers. She resides in southeast Michigan, a location which she often uses in her novels, with her hero and husband of forty-some years and two sweet cats who found a home in their empty nest.

 

 

 

More from Kathleen

Writing Scandals and Mercies: A Personal Spiritual Journey

By Kathleen Rouser

Scandals and Mercies has been my hardest story to write thus far. It seems that as I work through issues in my life it may come out in my characters. And I can relate to Nora Armstrong, my heroine. I can understand some of her struggles, her tender heart toward the Coping children, and figuring out who she is in Jesus. The challenges I had in writing this book are reflected in the theme which came through as I wrote it—identity in Christ. Then I became more purposeful in exploring the theme. Nora felt alone and had doubts at the beginning, but then she learned what it meant for her to trust in God despite her difficulties.

Though I’d been a believer for nearly forty years when I began writing Scandals and Mercies, I was—and still am—going through some difficult trials that forced me to really think about what my identity in Christ is. Who am I in Him? Will I depend on Jesus through one of the worst trials of my life? Or will I become bitter? I think of when Jesus said some hard things and many of His disciples deserted Him. He said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” And Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

Jesus is truly the only One who has the answers, the words of eternal life. Where else would I turn? And when He doesn’t directly answer, especially the way I want, it’s for me to trust in Him.

And it’s also about sharing in the fellowship of His sufferings, not that we can add anything to our salvation, but that trials and suffering are a part of the Christian life, meant to mold us and grow us in our faith. And if we allow it, to be changed more closely into the someone who projects the image of Christ to others. My husband likes to say we are “Jesus with skin on” for each other.

Working through all of that while writing how Nora grew in her faith took a lot of emotional energy, but God strengthened me and I finished her story, while He is still writing mine!

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 7

Texas Book-aholic, May 8

Life on Chickadee Lane, May 9

Lighthouse Academy Blog, May 9 (Guest Review from Marilyn Ridgway)

Betti Mace, May 10

Devoted To Hope, May 10

Locks, Hooks and Books, May 11

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 12

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 13

lakesidelivingsite, May 14

For Him and My Family, May 15

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, May 16 (Author Interview)

The Lofty Pages, May 16

Book Looks by Lisa, May 17

Connie’s History Classroom, May 18

Holly’s Book Corner, May 19

Pause for Tales, May 20

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Kathleen is giving away the grand prize package 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/2b58d/scandals-and-mercies-celebration-tour-giveaway

Winning Winnie's Hand

 

About the Book: 

She’s no damsel, but dang…this knight in shining armor kinda makes her want to be.

Born into a driven and successful family, Winnie Knox tries—and fails—to impress her parents and siblings as she bounces from career to career, year to year. In a last-ditch effort, Winnie takes on consulting work at a stately home in England, hoping to gain a nice bit of prestige as she improves the massive British estate.

In true Knox Fashion, Winnie dives headfirst into her new position. In true Winnie Fashion, she ends up with her car headfirst...in the mud. But what does she see coming to her rescue? Nothing short of a knight in shining armor.

Literally. A knight in shining armor. On a horse. What century is this again? Well, whatever it is, Winnie doesn’t mind lingering in it if she gets to stare at a man like him all day. This job is going to be a walk in the park.

Of course, nothing is ever as easy as it should be with Winnie as she puts her foot in her mouth and straightaway offends the knight—who just so happens to be someone far more important than the simple thespian he appears to be.

But Winnie Knox is a professional. She can charm anyone.

Can't she?

My Review: 

From the opening scene of a knight in shining armor emerging from the trees, I was caught up in the story of Winnie and Matthew. Wanting so desperately to please her father with her consulting business, she runs over everyone to help make the Medieval festival more successful. Winnie’s take charge attitude and ignorance of the history of the period causes her to not see the importance of what Matthew is trying to accomplish. It takes a lot of patience and a ride into the countryside for Winnie to see what is all around her.

I loved that Matthew and Winnie help each other see that failures are opportunities to grow. Winnie’s fear of that caused her to nearly give up her heart’s desire. Matthew’s fear of no one longer caring about the festival makes him almost forsake his passion of teaching history and seeing the next generation get excited about the past. The solution for both of them was perfect and what I liked the most about the story.

Things to love:
Knight to the rescue
Medieval festival
Riding through the countryside
Hide and seek
“Minnie” Cooper
Enemies to more

I highly recommend this first book in the Men of the Isles series. You will love this if you like clean romantic comedies.

I received a complimentary copy of the book. All opinions are my own and voluntarily provided.

For a Lifetime

 

About the Book:

Grace and Hope are identical twin sisters born with the ability to time-cross together between 1692 Salem, Massachusetts, and 1912 New York City. As their twenty-fifth birthday approaches, they will have to choose one life to keep and one to leave behind forever--no matter the cost.

In 1692, they live and work in their father's tavern, where they must watch helplessly as the witch trials unfold in their village, threatening everyone. With the help of a handsome childhood friend, they search for the truth behind their mother's mysterious death, risking everything to expose a secret that could save their lives--or be their undoing.

In 1912, Hope dreams of becoming one of the first female pilots in America, and Grace works as an investigative journalist, uncovering corruption and injustice. After their parents' orphanage is threatened by an adversary, they enter a contest to complete a perilous cross-country flight under the guidance of a daring French aviator.

My Review: 

Twins Hope and Grace are living in two very signifiant periods in our country’s history. One time being the Salem Witch Trials and the other the start of the age of aviation. The research that Ms. Meyer did for this story was amazing as she was able to bring events to life. I learned quite a few new things, some of it was sad and shocking, while other events were encouraging and exciting. I stopped reading a couple of times to look further into some of the things that happened in the story. 

I loved how different the girls were and the perspectives they each brought to the story. Grace is cautious and careful while Hope is daring and takes risks. The twists and turns that the story took were a pleasant surprise and made this hard to put down.  I highly recommend this and the other books in the Timeless series. You do not need to read the other books to enjoy this one, but it was nice to see some of the women from past books. 

Hope finds that there are more time crossers in their extended family, so this will be fun to see which characters Ms. Meyer will choose to write about. I am also curious and excited about the time periods we will get to explore. 

I received a complimentary copy of the book through Austen Prose. All opinions are my own and voluntarily provided.

Flat Deception

 About the Book: 

Lady Sophie Henderson has worked tirelessly to establish a breeding stable for racehorses on her family’s Scottish estate. But when her father cuts her funding, she’s desperate to find a way to achieve her life’s ambition. Selling precious heirloom jewels enables Sophie to care for her thoroughbreds, though it’s a temporary solution—and one that does not go unnoticed.

Zander Matthews is painfully aware of the role he played in Sophie’s loss of sponsorship. Now, he’s determined to use his hard-earned wealth to help her achieve her dreams. When Zander shocks Sophie with the offer of a business investment, it seems her aspirations are finally within reach. But the new partners discover that finding success will not be simple. There is a dark side to the posh British racing community, and Sophie and Zander have captured the attention of an enemy whose greed knows no bounds. Even as their partnership develops into something more, their happy ending is just beyond reach. Because in a world where people are willing to do anything to win, it’s impossible to know who to trust.

My Review: 

Paige Edwards has become a favorite author of mine. She does an excellent job with interweaving subplots to create a suspenseful and hard to put down story. I never did figure out who was the mastermind behind the illegal horse racing activities. Maybe you’ll have better success than me! With a romantic suspense you of course need a couple, and Zander Matthews and Sophie Henderson are the perfect pair. Sophie is a horse expert in a male dominated sport, having to be careful in every decision she makes. One misstep and her tireless efforts of creating a stud farm will just be a dream. I love how Zander steps in to provide her with the financial backing to follow her heart. He is patient, kind, and generous in showing Sophie he believes in her. Ms. Edwards provides a glossary of Scottish words at the beginning of the book in case you need them. I appreciate that this was given, but I really only needed it for a couple of words because the context of the words helped me to figure out the word with no extra effort. Things I enjoyed: Crafty villains Lovable hero Horse racing Scottish dialect The staff I highly recommend this second book in the Roxbury Heirs series. You can read this as a standalone, but you’ll want to read the other book too because it is just that good. I received an advanced complimentary copy. All opinions are my own and voluntarily provided.

A Casualty of the Heart

 About the Book: 

Her first London Season has arrived, but Clare Compton is far from enthusiastic. In fact, she finds the experience positively nauseating, and when her first ball ends in disaster, the consequences threaten to upend her entire Season. She wants nothing more than to retreat to her country home away from Society’s judgmental stares. Instead, respite comes from a most unexpected source. Patrick Milton, Clare’s childhood enemy, offers a cunning he will serve as her escort for the final five weeks of festivities to help repair Clare’s reputation. The plan seems foolproof. But can she repair her reputation without forfeiting her heart?

Patrick has more than Clare’s welfare in mind when he proposes his ruse. He needs to stay close to the ballrooms of the ton, where he can keep an eye on his wayward twin brother—and serving as Clare’s escort offers the perfect pretense, with the added advantage of saving himself from matrimonial matchmakers. But as the weeks fly by in a whirlwind of candlelit ballrooms and dizzying dances, Patrick’s scheme takes on a life of its own, forcing the now friends to navigate feelings they never expected.

My Review: 

Did you have a childhood enemy? Clare Compton has one (Patrick Milton) and he is just as to her annoying now as he was all those years ago. When Clare has a terribly embarrassing thing happen to her that ruins a ball, Patrick is there to help her rebuild her reputation among Society. I wasn’t sure of his willingness to come to her aid, but that is one of the intriguing parts of the story.

I thought Patrick was a bit clueless when it came to Clare and her feelings. At times he seemed to be one to be able to get his way, regardless of Clare’s plans. For this reason, he wasn’t my favorite, until the end! His grand gesture was hilarious and very original.

Things to enjoy:
Twins
Molly- childhood friend
archery competition
secret mission
farmyard animals
Regency era
Clean and wholesome romance

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of the book that was provided to me. All opinions are my own.

Secondary Target

About the Book:

A ruthless murderer. A deadly secret. An unbreakable love.

After the brutal murder of her mother and brother twelve years ago, Corina Roberts built a new life in Kentucky. But when strange things begin to happen, she is thrust into a perilous game of life and death. With nowhere else to turn, her best hope of survival depends on her ex-boyfriend, army veteran Bryce Jessup.

Recently returned from service, Bryce has every intention of staying away from Corina, but when threats close in around her, he isn't willing to leave her safety to chance. As their search for answers uncovers lethal secrets her detective father kept hidden, Bryce and Corina must untangle the mystery of the merciless killer intent on terrorizing and eliminating Corina's family before it's too late.

My Review: 

“Vengeance, as well as justice, demanded that debts always be repaid.” 

It’s hard to believe this is the debut novel of author, Angela Carlisle. It is an edge of your seat, action-packed, cat-and-mouse suspense that also has a second chance at love. You are sure to become involved in this story and be looking out for Corina Roberts as there are several points of view, one being the murderer.

The slow reveal of what actually happened to Corina’s family and the clues she finds hidden in crime scene photos keep you guessing and added intrigue as to their significance in the case. I enjoyed seeing the broken relationship between Corina and Bryce repaired and loved that they were going to get their HEA.  I am looking forward to reading more stories set in the small town of Kincaid, Kentucky. 

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of the book that was provided to me. All opinions are my own.

Loyally, Luke

About the Book:

Sometimes love means embracing the good, the bad . . . and even the impossible.

Dear Reader,

My name is Luke Edgewood, and there are few things in life that I require. Mainly black coffee. And flannel. And lots of solitude. And my dogs, Chewy and Indie. What I don’t need is romance, so I have no plans to change my thirty-year-old bachelor status anytime soon.

But my youngest sister thinks that by accepting a short-term construction job in the small European country of Skymar, I’m going to follow along in her footsteps and discover my own romantic adventure. Nope. Bah humbug. The End. This time, her rom-com-movie senses are totally wrong.

Or maybe not. Because I’ve met a Grace Kelly look-alike who is annoying . . . until she isn’t. But she is impossible. As in, nothing can happen between us because she is a literal princess. Even though that’s easy to forget when we’re working together to restore a castle-like orphanage in a secluded mountain town and “forced proximity” includes a small closet, a secret one-hundred-year-old journal, and the tactile memory of an off-limits royal in my arms.

Basically, the whole situation has turned into an ooey gooey magical snow globe of romantic tropes complete with cute kids and an actual ball. Now, even my sentences are starting to sound like mush. Ugh. Send high levels of testosterone my way—I’m going to need it.

Loyally,

Luke

My Review: 

Bravo, author Pepper Basham, on sharing the love story of Luke who is the practical, solid rock of his family. A man who secretly would love to find the right woman, but outwardly is a bit crusty and is adamantly opposed to the mushy Hallmark romance movies. I have enjoyed getting to know him through the other two books in the series and was so happy to read his love story.  

There are just so many wonderful things to love about this book. The humor throughout was perfect.  This includes the airport (not) meet cute, an incident with a royal guard, and the texting between Luke and his sisters. Ms. Basham portrayed Luke just as I thought he would be, a feat not easily achieved when he was written as a secondary character for the other two books.

Even though it seems Luke and Ellie’s romantic relationship won’t work out, Luke doesn’t let that deter him from being so thoughtful and helping her complete items on her list of simple things to do. I enjoyed how others were part of the equation of helping them with their HEA. 

Things to love: 

flannel 

Skymar

royals

second chances

multiple romance tropes

friends and family

Skymar school and its students

I loved this third book the Skymar series and heartily recommend reading it. In order to enjoy this book fully, you should begin with Authentically, Izzy. I hope you will enjoy this book and the rest of the series as much as I do. 

I received a complimentary advanced copy of the book from the publisher through NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.