Review: Bachelor Buttons by Kathleen Maher

Novella Summary:

The daughter of immigrants who fled the Irish Potato Famine, Rose Meehan longs for a better life than the tenements of New York City. Courted by two men–a young doctor who represents material security, and a poor violin instructor who has captured her heart–she must choose between a life of advantage-grabbing or a life of faith. When Manhattan explodes in mob rule following Lincoln’s unpopular draft, the heroic action of one suitor brings provision for Rose’s loved ones, and reveals God’s plan.

 

 

Writing short fiction is often harder than writing full-length fiction. Though every word should count in a novel, that rule is especially true in a novella where the author has to tell a full-fledged story in less than forty thousand words. With Bachelor Buttons, Ms. Maher packs a lot into less than twenty thousand and proves good things can come in small packages. 

This story (the author’s debut) is included in Murray Pura’s American Civil War Series: Cry of Freedom, Volume 3. It’s available as an ebook only.

Because Ms. Maher does a superb job with the terminology and expressions, I couldn’t help but read this novella with a strong Irish brogue. And learning the author based it on the real-life romance of her great-great grandmother made it even more interesting.

Rose is in love with one man, but courted by two. In the beginning, there were times I wondered if I was going to like her or why the men even liked her. It seemed she was a bit vain and was stringing both of them along. Once her family situation became clear, I understood her actions better and sympathized with her over her quandary. The true hero of this book is, literally the romantic hero. Rose learns a lot from him, including how to talk to God. 

While this is a romance, when she’s taken to an area considered off limits, Rose must face her bigotry—a bigotry that contributes to the Irish community’s riot against what they consider an unfair practice during the war. (Read Kathleen Maher’s guest post about the riot here.) Bachelor Buttons moves quickly with well-drawn characters and writing that sweeps the reader into New York City in the 1860′s. 

So, if you enjoy romance and/or stories about lesser known events involving the Civil War, you’ll enjoy spending the time with Rose, William, and Ian as they “live through” a sad era in America’s history.

P. S.: There’s even a romantic twist at the end of this tale.

It seems to me novellas are becoming more popular. Do you like to read them? If so, why? If not, why not?

Disclosure of Material Connection: This story came to me free from the author with the hope that I would mention it on this blog. There was no requirement for me to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed above are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

 

Writing Prompts & Thoughts & Ideas…Oh My!

I’m on the Writing Prompts blog today giving my opinions (what else is new?) on 3 Questions Wednesday. Come join us and give yours.  

And, since this is Wednesday, it’s also my day to host on the Seriously Write blog. Johnnie Alexander Donley discusses “Breathing Life into Your Heroine.” Do you have a particular method for bringing a character to life?

 

Trailer Tuesday: Talon…Combat Tracking Team

Last Friday I posted a review of this novel by Ronie Kendig here. Then I discovered a trailer, and you know how I love to run book trailers. Enjoy!

Her brother is missing. And her only chance of finding him lies with a combat dog that has lost his edge.

All Air Force veteran Aspen Courtland wants is her brother back. The US Marine Corps says he’s dead, but Aspen won’t believe it till she sees his body. Her only hope is her brother’s tracking dog, Talon, but a brutal attack has left the dog afraid of his own shadow.The truth is something Military Intelligence Operative Dane Markoski has never faced. But now it’s the only thing that can save him—along with Talon’s help. But working with Talon means teaming up with Aspen as well, and Dane swore he’d never work with a woman.

Eventually they join forces to battle the elements and extremists. But if Talon can’t rise up to his former glory for one last mission, the only outcome for all three will be game over.

I have received no compensation for this post and have no material connection with any product(s) mentioned. Embedded links are strictly for the convenience of my readers.

 

Review: Talon…Combat Tracking Team

Her brother is missing. And her only chance of finding him lies with a combat dog that has lost his edge.

All Air Force veteran Aspen Courtland wants is her brother back. The US Marine Corps says he’s dead, but Aspen won’t believe it till she sees his body. Her only hope is her brother’s tracking dog, Talon, but a brutal attack has left the dog afraid of his own shadow.The truth is something Military Intelligence Operative Dane Markoski has never faced. But now it’s the only thing that can save him—along with Talon’s help. But working with Talon means teaming up with Aspen as well, and Dane swore he’d never work with a woman.

Eventually they join forces to battle the elements and extremists. But if Talon can’t rise up to his former glory for one last mission, the only outcome for all three will be game over.

Talon is the second book in Ronie Kendig’s A Breed Apart series. You’ll find my review for Trinity (the first novel) here. The third novel, Beowulf…Explosives Detection Dog releases in January 2014.

“Don’t. Trust. Me….Don’t ever trust me.” While Aspen isn’t sure how to take Dane’s warning, the reader isn’t sure who to trust in this story. The twists and turns are everywhere. But this is romantic suspense, so we know she trusts him at some point. Or do we?

Dane is the ultimate bad boy. His tragic and violent past has bled into his present. He’s built a figurative stone wall around himself and suppresses his emotions. At the same time, he’s craves that emotion as well as evidence of God’s presence. It’s why, when he feels threatened or confused, his sanctuary is…a church sanctuary.

Aspen, a dog handler for A Breed Apart, knocks a hole in Dane’s protective wall while they pursue her missing brother…each for a different reason. She wants the truth behind Austin’s presumed death, and Dane wants to know what happened to his protégé. The key to finding Aspen’s brother lies in the abilities of a highly-trained, tracking dog suffering from PTSD. Together, they come face-to-face with evil for a thrilling climax in which Talon plays a key role. 

The cast of characters in this story involves many from the first one, and Ms. Kendig does a great job in ratcheting up the reader’s anticipation over the next romance. 

There was one question about siblings left unanswered. To keep the cat in the bag, I won’t ask it here, but maybe the author will answer it in a future book. Also, a few chapters in the first third of the novel moved a bit slow for me (compared to the rest)—though, definitely not ho-hum. Afterwards, the action flies. So, do yourself a favor and eliminate frustration by allowing yourself plenty time in each sitting to read. Once you open it, you won’t want to shut the book.

In summary, all I have to say is, “Bring on Beowulf!”

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think of it? Of Trinity? Have you ever met/handled a military war dog? A police dog? 

Disclosure of Material Connection: This story came to me free from Barbour Publishing with the hope that I would mention it on this blog. There was no requirement for me to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed above are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

 

Historical Flavor: The Sinking of the Lusitania

RMS Lusitania coming into port, possibly in New York, 1907-13 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Part of being a writer is research. Part of being a historical writer is going back in time to find those little tidbits that make a story interesting and factual. 

Shows like Downton Abbey have revived an interest in the early years of the 20th century, particularly the World War I era. Added to that was last year’s 100-year anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. I remember learning about the ill-fated ship as a child.

But I also learned about the sinking of the Lusitania, and for some reason, that one truly stuck in my mind. What I didn’t know, or didn’t remember, was the mystery surrounding the sinking—one that is still being explored today.

The Lusitania was a British passenger ship of the Cunard line, the sister ship of the Mauritania, and had its maiden voyage in September of 1907. On May 1, 1915, it left New York on its way to Liverpool with 1,959 people on board—159 of them Americans.  

Its last day came a week later, on May 7, when it was struck by a torpedo from a German u-boat eight miles off Ireland’s coast. It sank in eighteen minutes. The death toll was 1,198—128 Americans. An especially sad note: there were 35 infants on board. All but four perished.

Due to the German u-boats that terrorized the Atlantic during World War I, ships’ captains were instructed to travel at the highest rates of speeds possible and zigzag their way through the water, always on the lookout for submarines.

Two explosions rocked the ship that day, and some survivors said they saw more than one submarine. The Germans claimed they fired only one torpedo and that the ship carried munitions—the suspected source of the second explosion—and that made it a legitimate military target. For years the British (as well as the American) government denied knowing anything about war materials being on board, but the captain and other naval experts said one torpedo would not have sunk the ship without it striking explosive materials.

In 2008, Gregg Bemis, an American who owns the rights to the shipwreck, financed an exploration of the Lusitania that discovered almost 4 million rounds of .303 Remington bullets (U. S. made). An April 30, 2013 article in the Irish Times referred to a possible future exploration by Mr. Bemis, who wants to discover what else might have been on board that ship that could have contributed to its rapid sinking.

So the question remains: Were the excessive amounts of butter, lard, and cheese on the manifest really butter, lard, and cheese?

This is just an overview of the sinking of the Lusitania, but it’s these mysteries of the past that make researching novel settings so interesting. 

Whether you’re a writer or not, what event in history stands out to you, and have you discovered something fascinating about it that you hadn’t realized before?

You can find more information at websites like www.lusitania.net.