Sophie Dawson (2)

Norie Chase is returning home to Stones Creek after finishing school and taking care of her dying aunt. She loves her father's ranch and is anxious to once again ride her beautiful stallion across the open fields. You can imagine her surprise when she suddenly finds herself pulled from her horse. Norie pulls a knife on him only to find out it's Linc Pierce, her father's new foreman. He reprimands Norie for being on a horse that is dangerous. Norie explains to Linc that that has been her show more horse for a long time. As they get to know each other, Linc discovers that Norie can ride, throw knives and shoot better than most men he knows, but it's things that girls just shouldn't be doing. Norie is fed-up with the way Linc is always trying to keep her from what he thinks might be harmful. Why can't he see her for who she is? A friendly challenge between Linc and Norie just might be the answer.

Chasing Norie was an extremely fun story from start to finish. I fell in love with Norie and Linc in the first book (Leah's Peace) so was anxious to hear their tale. Chasing Norie and Leah's Peace are parallel stories which is really a neat way to do a series. It's basically the same story from a different point of view. I don't think I've read stories like that before but REALLY liked it. Linc and Norie are a hoot. Their banter and antics kept me smiling and even laughing out loud sometimes. Along with the laughter though, you'll find touching moments too. There was certainly a lot of chemistry between them, which is always a plus for me. For as spirited as Norie was, she always wanted to be pleasing to the Lord, which I appreciated. One person I really liked in this story was Norie's father, Wes. I thought the way he handled things was really neat. You have to read the story to understand what I mean. I honestly hated to see this tale come to an end but I did like the ending. If you enjoy books by Mary Connealy then I think you would definitely enjoy Chasing Norie.

Series: Stones Creek
Paperback: 278 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (May 29, 2013)
ISBN-10: 1489593659
ISBN-13: 978-1489593658

*This complimentary copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*

For information on this book or Sophie Dawson's other books, I encourage you to visit her website at http://www.sophie-dawson.com/ show less

Leah Daniels is ready for a fresh start. Following the death of her father, she moves to Stones Creek, Colorado to forget all the bad memories of helping her surgeon father treat the soldiers during the war. Her cousin Sara and Ben Cuttler are giving her a hand getting settled and helping her set up a dress shop. Dr. Eli Steele came to Stones Creek after his parents rejected him because of his war scars. They felt that no sophisticated person would feel comfortable being treated by a doctor show more with scars. When Leah meets Eli she is stunned! For she is the one responsible for his scars. Guilt causes her to avoid him. Eli is drawn to Leah and can't figure out why she is friendly to everyone but him. When circumstances throw Eli and Leah together, in a life-changing way, they learn what it means trust God for a peace that only He can give.

Leah's Peace was a wonderful story, filled with folks that will win your heart, well, except for a few that is! It was a story that kept me completely captivated from the first page to the very last. Eli and Leah were great and had lots and lots of chemistry, which I love. Two characters that totally captured my attention were Nugget Ryder and Pastor Noah Preston. Both were wise men of God and yet totally unconventional. You really have to read the story to see what I mean. It was also fun to get acquainted with Linc and Norie. They are a hoot and have leading roles in book 2 (which I can't wait to read). The story had a wonderful mix of playfulness and seriousness. It dealt with some serious topics like PTSD, racism, hatred, and the effects of war, just to name a few. But along with that, you'll find encouragement seeing people helping people and watching God do great things through them. This is my first book by Sophie Dawson but I can promise that it won't be my last. She is certainly a gifted storyteller. I would highly recommend this to those who enjoy historical romances with lots of character interaction. Can't wait to read Chasing Norie!

*This complimentary copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*

Series: Stones Creek
Paperback: 278 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (May 29, 2013)
ISBN-10: 1489593659
ISBN-13: 978-1489593658

For more information about this book or the Sophie Dawson's other books, I encourage you to visit her website at http://www.sophie-dawson.com/ show less

A good historical fiction transports it readers back in time, to live, breathe and see through another person's eyes. We should feel that we are right there living the life of our fictional characters, walking in their footsteps and feeling what they feel. Seeing the Life is this type of fiction. The author, Sophie Dawson, successfully transports us back 2,000 years to the time of the Roman Empire at its peak. We get to peer through the eyes of a young couple, Dassa and Micah, who at the show more opening of this story live in Bethlehem, Israel.

Micah Ben Perez was a scribe by trade. He worked for many business owners on their books and accounts, but his first love was copying the Tanahk. He loved God with all his heart. Dassa bat Eli lived with her parents at their Inn. She grew up learning how to cook and serve meals for large crowds. She was at the Inn when Mary and Joseph arrived for the census. She was present at Yeshua's birth and was astounded when the impossible happened: a virgin gave birth to a baby boy. When she told Micah, he knew exactly which Scriptures referred to this incident. He kept this knowledge in his heart.

This story's events are familiar to us, especially once Jesus had begun his ministry as rabbi at the age of 30. Micah kept record of these milestones after Joseph shared with the family what they experienced in Egypt and when they moved again to Nazareth. The author allows us to see these events through Micah and Dassa's eyes. By having the couple's children, now young people themselves, follow Yeshua's steps, we get an up close and personal view of how the family and other local Jewish people viewed his words and actions. Because of the typical mindset of the times, so many were baffled by Jesus' teachings and healings. Was he preparing for a physical kingdom here on earth to deliver them from the Romans or wasn't he?

The most memorable part of the book for me was the ugly realism of the events of Jesus' final weeks on earth. We experience the horror of those days anew as we see them through the lives of Jesus' close friends and family. Their suffering becomes our pain throughout His betrayal, the torture and His death on the Roman cross. We feel with Mary when Dassa rushes to her side to comfort her.

In contrast, the author's retelling of the forty days after Yeshua's resurrection expresses the wonder of discovery, believers' new sense of purpose and hope, and the new direction for believers when they were first called Christians and had begun to be persecuted for their beliefs in Jesus as their Lord and God.

I am impressed with the amount of detailed research the author employed in building this incredible historical fiction. At times it was heartwarming and filled with the love of family, intriguing as some of Yeshua's followers sought to build up a stash of weapons in case He wanted to start His kingdom on earth, and exciting to see new birth, new life when people placed their trust in Him after His resurrection. This book fired up my imagination and challenged me to view familiar biblical events with a fresh perspective.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, especially with works that feature biblical events. The usual precaution needs to be expressed here for the reader to be sure to separate the facts from the fiction and speculation by reading about the actual occurrences in the Scripture. In fact, a really good historical fiction should create in us a desire to read God's Word for ourselves. I believe this books does this successfully.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from The Story Cartel on behalf of the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” show less

Katie Reed is reeling from the death of her husband, as well as her young son Kenny in a house fire, and is unsure how she will go on. Drew Richards has just lost his beloved wife Rachel during the birth of their second child, and knows the only way his newborn daughter will survive is if he can find someone to become her wet nurse, and the only person in town that can help is Katie. The only way that it can work is if she moves into Drew's home to take care of his newborn daughter Anne and show more his two year old son Joel. Katie soon becomes ingrained in the children's lives and they decide for the sake of the children they should marry. Can a marriage for the children's sake ever work?

Sophie Dawson grabbed my emotions from the beginning pages with this story! She weaves together a tale of loss and heartbreak, but blends it well with hope,love and inspiration to make for a satisfyingly rich historical fiction tale that was a real page turner for me.The story revolves around Katie Reed and Drew Richards and his children. The story unfolds so naturally that I felt like I became a part of the characters lives, feeling their hurts, shared in their grief but also glimpsed their love and strong faith in God.I felt true heartbreak not only for the main characters, but for the people who loved Rachel as well. The solution seemed perfectly plausible and I enjoyed seeing the characters grow and move forward as the story progressed.One of my favorite characters had to be young Joel. His character was so endearing, and just seemed so realistic, the author even describes a temper tantrum that he has on his third birthday that was perfectly written.Ms. Dawson creates a story that certainly tugged at the heart, but balanced it well with instances of humor that gave me a few laughs.There are several citizens in town who are a vital part of the story,and keep the plot moving along. Mrs. Taylor was a stand out citizen, as the busybody in town her character reminded me of Harriet Olsen from "Little House On The Praire!" There is also a bit of a mystery surrounding stolen items in town that added an extra element to the story.

While "Giving Love" is the third book in the Cottonwood Series the author provides plenty of background information so that it can be read as a stand alone story, but if your a fan of historical inspirational fiction you are going to want to read all three books in this wonderful series. Filled with endearing characters whose stories beckon you to step back in time, each story in The Cottonwood series leaves me feeling as if I have had a visit with long time friends and has me waiting anxiously for the next installment! Each story in the series has left me feeling blessed for having read it! I highly recommend this entire series!

reviewed for Readersfavorite.com show less