Book Review & Giveaway!

I’m not gonna lie. I’ve always been a sucker for a good romance. But over the past couple of years I have absolutely fallen in love with “historical romance” and “inspirational historical fiction” novels. I love the idea of taking the bits of knowledge we have from history and weaving a beautiful, creative story from them. There have been a handful of books that have really inspired me and deepened my love for this genre. I’m excited to share two of the books with you today.

Rebecca DeMarino has recently published her second book in The Southold Chronicles series. I fell in love with “A Place in His Heart” so I couldn’t wait to read “To Capture Her Heart”. Rebecca didn’t disappoint! This second tale is filled with a web of “love, legends, and lore” as only Rebecca can spin. The story line… the characters…. the writing, itself…. it all blends together to tell a story you just can’t put down.

So, what’s this book about?

In an uncertain time, Heather Flower faces a choice that will change her life forever.

It is 1653 and Heather Flower, a princess of the Montaukett tribe, is celebrating her wedding feast when a rival tribe attacks, killing the groom and kidnapping her. Though her ransom is paid by an Englishman, she is bound by her captors and left to die—until she finds herself rescued by handsome Dutch Lieutenant Dirk Van Buren.

Still tender from her loss, Heather Flower begins to heal in the home of the Hortons, English friends of her people. Torn between her affection for Dirk and her longtime friendship with Ben Horton, Heather Flower must make a difficult choice—stay true to her friend or follow her heart.

I’ve heard countless people say that they dislike romantic movies or romantic novels because the outcomes are so predictable. Despite the twists and turns, it is usually pretty easy to discern the outcome in most romantic novels. That’s just another reason I loved “To Capture Her Heart”. As each chapter of the story unfolded, I became more and more unsure of what the heroine of our story would do. Even in the final chapter, I was waiting for that surprise ending. And yes, I was pleasantly surprised.

If you’re looking for some enjoyable summer reading, I highly recommend “A Place in His Heart” followed by “To Capture Her Heart”. And if you have teenage daughters, you’ll be happy to know that Rebecca’s novels are truly wholesome novels that encourage the kind of pure, unconditional love that they’re not seeing in the movies. I love that my girls gained a greater historical perspective as well as a better understanding of what it looks like for someone to put their relationships in God’s hands.

Annnnnnnnnnnnnd…..

You know I love to eat. And bake. And eat what I bake. So you know I LOVED that Rebecca included one of her family’s recipes that has been passed down for generations in her book! And I REALLY love that she’s letting me share it with you here!

Grandmother Horton’s Pippin Pie

Pie Crust:
2/3 C lard or 2/3 C + 2T shortening 2 C flour 1 t salt 4-5 T water
Cut lard into flour and salt until combined to the size of peas. Sprinkle in water, one tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork until pastry leaves sides of bowl. Hint: use ice water. Gather into ball, divide in two and roll into two pastry rounds on floured board.

Filling:
¾ C sugar ¼ C flour ½ t cinnamon ½ t ginger pinch of salt
6 medium Newtown Pippin Apples or any tart baking apple 2T butter

Heat oven to 425 degrees
Mix together the dry ingredients in large bowl. Mince apples or slice thin. (Should equal 6 cups) Stir apples into flour mixture to coat. Hint: put apples and flour mixture into a large zip-lock bag and massage until coated. Line a 9” pie pan or plate (Hint: spray with canola oil) with pastry round. Pile apple mixture into pie plate, dot with chunks of butter. Cover with second pastry round, crimp edges to seal. Cut slits in top. Bake 40 – 50 minutes, until top is browned and juice bubbles from slits. Halfway through baking, brush cover (top crust) with rosewater and sprinkle with sugar. Hint: Cover edges with foil last 15 minutes of baking.

THE GIVEAWAY!

Click on the image below to enter Rebecca DeMarino’s giveaway! You could win a gift card, copies of the book, and more!

Rebecca DeMarino

Rebecca DeMarino writes love, legends and lore as a historical romance author and lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. She inherited her love of baking and gardening from her mother, a love of horses, reading and writing from her dad, and the wanderlust gene from both parents. Her travels have taken her from Alaska to Nebraska and Florida, from Long Island to England and Italy, and from Washington DC to Texas, California and Guam. But usually you can find her at home, enjoying her grandchildren and baking crisp little ginger cakes. From Publisher’s Weekly ~ DeMarino’s … strong suit is recreating history and relating it to readers.