I am once again working with The Coffee Pot Book Club to introduce you to your next favourite read! I was really lucky to receive an ARC of Gifford MacShane's new book, but before we get to my review, let's first check out the blurb!
Daniel Donovan wants nothing more than to get married, unless it's to restore his friendship with his closest friend, Alec Twelve Trees.
Alec is raging about his mother's murderer, whose identity Daniel knows but will not reveal, as the killer is dead and the family he left behind would be compromised if the knowledge became public. But Alec cannot recognize any needs but his own, and the rift between the friends grows wider every day.
Daniel's fiancée, Annie, is a delicate girl, her health frail and her future uncertain. Prone to vicious headaches that at times rock her to her knees, she’s accepted Daniel’s ring but is hesitant to name their wedding date, worried that marriage and possible pregnancy will exacerbate her physical problems.
Annie inherited the gift of insight from her Welsh mother and digs into the past, searching for a way to help Alec and Daniel mend their relationship. But when she discovers the secret behind the murder, it’s more horrifying than she could have imagined.
It may take more than Annie’s small strength and inherited skills to bring the friends together again. And that’s before a new enemy shows his face.
My Review
The Woodsman’s Rose, was ever a book so aptly named? This novel really did have all the feels. There is enough swoon-worthy, though tender, romance to melt even the coldest of hearts, and there is plenty of action and adventure for those who enjoy novels that keep them on the edge of their seat.
The author has certainly penned a very compelling story. This novel tells the story of the Donovan family—a family that really knows how to look after its own. It is a tale of family loyalty, love, and the challenges that were faced in Arizona in the 1880s. This small community of farmers and tradesmen are brought vividly back to life, as is the often thwart relationship between the community and the native residents. I really did feel like I had stepped back in time.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel from the beginning to the very end. It was exactly the kind of book I needed to read to pass away a couple of hours on a cold winter’s afternoon. I will certainly look forward to the publication of Book 3 of this very beguiling series.
Buy this Book
Click HERE!
Gifford MacShane
Gifford MacShane is the author of historical fiction that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit.
Her novels feature a family of Irish immigrants who settle in the Arizona Territory in the late 1800s. With an accessible literary style, MacShane draws out her characters' hidden flaws and strengths as they grapple with both physical and emotional conflicts.
Singing almost before she could talk, MacShane has always loved folk music, whether it be Irish, Appalachian, spirituals, or the songs of the cowboys. Her love of the Old West goes back to childhood, when her father introduced her to the works of Zane Grey. Later she became interested in the Irish diaspora, having realized her ancestors must have lived through An Gorta Mor, the Great Irish Potato Famine of the mid-1800s. Writing allows her to combine her three great interests into a series of family stories, each including romance, traditional song lyrics, and a dash of Celtic mysticism. Having grown up in a large & often boisterous Irish-American family, she is intimately acquainted with the workings of such a clan and uses those experiences to good purpose (though no names will be named!)
MacShane is a member of the Historical Novel Society, and is an #OwnVoices writer. A self-professed grammar nerd who still loves diagramming sentences, Giff currently lives in Pennsylvania with her husband Richard, the Pied Piper of stray cats.
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I am so glad you enjoyed The Woodsman Rose.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for hosting today's tour stop.