A Rebel Heart by Beth White

About the Book
Five years after the final shot was fired in the War Between the States, Selah Daughtry can barely manage to keep herself, her two younger sisters, and their spinster cousin fed and clothed. With their family's Mississippi plantation swamped by debt and the Big House falling down around them, the only option seems to be giving up their ancestral land.
Pinkerton agent and former Union cavalryman Levi Riggins is investigating a series of robberies and sabotage linked to the impoverished Daughtry plantation. Posing as a hotel management agent for the railroad, he tells Selah he'll help her save her home, but only if it is converted into a hotel. With Selah otherwise engaged with renovations, Levi moves onto the property to "supervise" while he actually attends to his real assignment right under her nose.

Selah isn't sure she entirely trusts the handsome Yankee, but she'd do almost anything to save her home. What she never expected to encounter was his assault on her heart.

My Thoughts
I really enjoyed this book and was actually so caught up in the story that I finished it a lot faster than I anticipated. During my middle school days I used to be obsessed with the Civil War time period and I still have a fondness for it. So it was rather fascinating for me to read a book that took place after the fact and focused on characters who were facing the aftermath of those dark years.
I really liked Selah and Levi. They both had endured unspeakable things during the war but they managed to come out stronger for it. I admired the way that Selah didn’t back down and just give up when things got hard. Instead she fought and sacrificed to keep save her family’s legacy. Levi was a great hero, he was still haunted by the war but he found purpose in his detective work. I loved the way he was able to read people.
There was also a bit of mystery and suspense to the story and even though we had some clues I still wasn’t sure how everything turned out!
Overall this was a great read and I enjoyed learning more about this time in history! I’m looking forward to book two and getting Joelle’s story!

Meet the Author
Beth White's day job is teaching music at an inner-city high school in historic Mobile, Alabama. A native Mississippian, she writes historical romance with a Southern drawl and is the author of The Pelican Bride, The Creole Princess, and The Magnolia Duchess. Her novels have won the American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award, the RT Book Club Reviewers' Choice Award, and the Inspirational Reader's Choice Award. Learn more at www.bethwhite.net.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. 

The Magnolia Duchess by Beth White

About the Book
Fiona Lanier is the only woman in the tiny Gulf Coast settlement of Navy Cove. While her shipbuilding family races to fill the demand for American ships brought by the War of 1812, Fiona tries to rescue her brother who was forced into service by the British Navy.

Lieutenant Charlie Kincaid has been undercover for six months, obtaining information vital to the planned British invasion of New Orleans. When a summer storm south of Mobile Bay wrecks his ship and scatters the crew, Charlie suffers a head injury, ultimately collapsing in the arms of a beautiful mermaid who seems eerily familiar. As Charlie's memory returns in agonizing jags and crashes, he and Fiona discover that falling in love may be as inevitable as the tide. But when political loyalties begin to collide, they'll each have to decide where their true heart lies.

My Thoughts
I love how this author writes about the more unknown parts of well known historical events. The history nerd in me just soaks up all of the interesting tidbits that she builds her stories around.
That being said I had mixed feelings about this book. On one hand I absolutely loved it but at the same times there were many instances where I felt pulled out of the story for reasons that I really can't seem to put a finger on. At times it just seemed a little disjointed with lots of time jumps throughout. Thankfully the author always provided a date when she jumped so it kept you from getting to lost. Now please don't take all of that to mean I didn't enjoy this book, I really did! I enjoyed both Fiona and Charlie's characters and I sympathized with them as they were torn apart by circumstances they didn't have control over. Their relationship had it's ups and downs but I admired how they stuck by each other through it all.
The Lanier family can be a little hard to keep track of since the books take place over many many years but it's cool to see once you piece them together!
All in all this really was an enjoyable read!

Meet the Author
Beth White's day job is teaching music at an inner-city high school in historic Mobile, Alabama. A native Mississippian, she writes historical romance with a Southern drawl and is the author of The Pelican Bride and The Creole Princess. Her novels have won the American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award, the RT Book Club Reviewers' Choice Award, and the Inspirational Reader's Choice Award. Learn more at www.bethwhite.net.

I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for my review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Waiting on Wednesday #198: The Magnolia Duchess

Hosted by Breaking the Spine.

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event that spotlights upcoming releases that we're
eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

The Magnolia Duchess by Beth White
Revell-April 19, 2016

About the Book

Fiona Lanier is the only woman in the tiny Gulf Coast settlement of Navy Cove. While her shipbuilding family races to fill the demand for American ships brought by the War of 1812, Fiona tries to rescue her brother who was forced into service by the British Navy.
Lieutenant Charlie Kincaid has been undercover for six months, obtaining information vital to the planned British invasion of New Orleans. When a summer storm south of Mobile Bay wrecks his ship and scatters the crew, Charlie suffers a head injury, ultimately collapsing in the arms of a beautiful mermaid who seems eerily familiar. As Charlie's memory returns in agonizing jags and crashes, he and Fiona discover that falling in love may be as inevitable as the tide. But when political loyalties begin to collide, they'll each have to decide where their true heart lies.

Why I Want It

I have enjoyed the previous books in this series and I'm looking forward to this one!

The Creole Princess by Beth White

About the Book
Torn between loyalties to family and flag, one young woman is about to discover that her most important allegiance is to her heart.
It is 1776, and all along the eastern seaboard the American struggle for independence rages. But in the British-held southern port of Mobile, Alabama, the conflict brewing is much quieter--though no less deadly.
Lyse Lanier may be largely French in heritage, but she spends most of her time in the company of the ebullient daughter of the British commander of Mobile. When a charming young Spanish merchant docks in town, Lyse is immediately struck by his easy wit and flair for the dramatic. But is he truly who he makes himself out to be? Spies abound, and Spain has yet to choose a side in the American conflict. Is Lyse simply an easy mark for Rafael Gonzalez to exploit? Or are his overtures of love as genuine as Spanish gold?

With spectacular detail that brings the cultural gumbo of the Colonial Gulf Coast alive, Beth White invites you to step into a world of intrigue and espionage from a little-known slice of the American Revolutionary War.

My Thoughts 

 This book was an interesting read. This author has a beautiful writing style that just swept me away to another time and place. Usually books set during the Revolutionary War focus on the thirteen colonies so it was really cool to get a look at how the war was affecting other places on the continent. There were several large time jumps which was occasionally confusing, but I understood how it was necessary for the storyline and it didn't detract too much.

Lyse and Rafael were definitely a fun hero and heroine. I loved Lyse's gentle nature and her selfless care for those close to her. Rafael's humor and his confidence that bordered on cockiness made him an endearing hero who you couldn't help but love.

All in all it was a beautiful story that I think historical fiction lovers will thoroughly enjoy!

Meet the Author
Beth White is the award-winning author of The Pelican Bride. A native Mississippian, she teaches music at an inner-city high school in historic Mobile, Alabama. Her novels have won the American Christian Fiction Writers' Carol Award, the RT Book Club Reviewers' Choice Award, and the Inspirational Reader's Choice Award. Learn more at www.bethwhite.net.

I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for my review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

The Pelican Bride by Beth White

About the Book
It is 1704 when Genevieve Gaillain and her sister board a French ship headed for the Louisiana colony as mail-order brides. Both have promised to marry one of the rough-and-tumble Canadian men in this New World in order to escape religious persecution in the Old World. Genevieve knows life won't be easy, but at least here she can establish a home and family without fear of beheading. But when she falls in love with Tristan Lanier, an expatriate cartographer whose courageous stand for fair treatment of native peoples has made him decidedly unpopular in the young colony, Genevieve realizes that even in this land of liberty one is not guaranteed peace. And a secret she harbors could mean the undoing of the colony itself.
Gulf Coast native Beth White brings vividly to life the hot, sultry south in this luscious, layered story of the lengths we must go to in order to be true to ourselves, our faith, and our deepest loves.

My Thoughts
This was my first novel by Beth White and I really liked it! It was written in such a beautiful way and was rich with historical detail. I truly felt transported to another time and place. The characters were all well-written from the hero and heroine to the villain. I really liked both Genevieve and Tristan, they were both strong individuals who stood fast in their beliefs. The one thing I really wasn't a fan of was how little romance there was, there actually weren't all that many scenes of the two of them together and I just felt like it could have been developed more. That's not to say that I didn't like the romance, I did think they were great together, I just wanted a little more.

There were several plot twists throughout the story, some of which I guessed, others that took me by surprise. But everything was woven together beautifully to create a story well worth reading! I can't wait for book two to come out!

Meet the Author
Beth White's day job is teaching music at an inner-city high school in historic Mobile, Alabama. A native Mississippian, she is a pastor's wife, mother of two, and grandmother of one--so far. Her hobbies include playing flute and pennywhistle and painting, but her real passion is writing historical romance with a Southern drawl. Her novels have won the American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award, the RT Book Club Reviewers Choice Award, and the Inspirational Reader's Choice Award. Visit www.bethwhite.net for more information.

I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for my review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.