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A Bookchat about Yesterday’s Tides with Roseanna M. White

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About the author

Today we are talking with Roseanna M. White about her spring release Yesterday’s Tides. Rosanna is a bestselling, Christy Award–winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself.

To start us off, I ran across an interesting bookish conundrum on Facebook the other day that I thought would be fun to ask.

  1. Would you rather never be able to finish reading a series, or never be able to reread a favorite novel?
  2. Readers debate all the time about the benefits of not finishing a book that doesn’t capture your interest. Have you ever read a book (or author) you disliked at first but grew to enjoy?
  3. Which of your books cost you the most emotionally to write, and why?
  4. Is there anything especially interesting that you haven’t covered in other interviews that you could share with us or perhaps there is something God has laid on your heart that you would like to share with your readers? 

About the book: Yesterday’s Tides

In 1942, Evie Farrow is used to life on Ocracoke Island, where every day is the same—until the German U-boats haunting their waters begin to wreak havoc. And when special agent Sterling Bertrand is washed ashore at Evie’s inn, her life is turned upside down. While Sterling’s injuries keep him inn-bound for weeks, making him even more anxious about the man he’s tracking, he becomes increasingly intrigued by Evie, who seems to be hiding secrets of her own. 

Decades earlier, in 1914, Englishman Remington Culbreth arrives at the Ocracoke Inn for the summer, but he doesn’t count on falling in love with Louisa Adair, the innkeeper’s daughter. When war breaks out in Europe, and their relationship is put in jeopardy, will their love survive?

As Evie and Sterling work to track down an elusive German agent, they unravel mysteries that go back a generation. The ripples from the Great War are still rocking their lives, and it seems yesterday’s tides may sweep them all into danger again today.

Both World Wars in the same novel, plus two romances and intertwined intrigue. This is quite a premise!

  1. What inspired you to write a novel with timelines in both world wars?
  2. Yesterday’s Tides addresses themes such as giving up and reclaiming your dreams. Can you tell us a little more about how this idea comes into play in the lives of your two female protagonists, Louisa and Evie?
  3. Who is your favorite secondary character in this story and why? (Share one from each timeline if you like!) 😀
  4. What are you working on next?

Connect with Roseanna: Newsletter, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Instagram.

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A Book about A Brighter Dawn by Leslie Gould

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Leslie Gould joins us for a chat about Amish and Mennonite History, WW2, beloved readers, and her novel A Brighter Dawn. Don’t forget to enter to win a copy of this great book!

About Leslie

My strongest memories from childhood include stories of hope and grace—and how those stories connected me to family and friends. I also soaked up stories of redemption in the small-town churches we attended.

I’ve written a large collection of dual-time, Amish, and contemporary novels, set in a variety of places—from the Pacific Northwest to Amish Country to France to Vietnam.

My husband, Peter, and I have been married forty years and have four adult children and one grandchild. We live in Portland, Oregon and enjoy traveling, urban hikes, and hanging out with family and friends!

About the Book

Ivy Zimmerman is successfully navigating her life as a young Mennonite woman, one generation removed from her parents’ Old Order Amish upbringing. But when her parents are killed in a tragic accident, Ivy’s way of life is upended. As she deals with her grief, her younger sisters’ needs, the relationship with her boyfriend, and her Dawdi and Mammi’s strict rules, Ivy finds solace in both an upcoming trip to Germany for an international Mennonite youth gathering and in her great-great-aunt’s story about Clare Simons, another young woman who visited Germany in the late 1930s.

As Ivy grows suspicious that her parents’ deaths weren’t, in fact, an accident, she gains courage from what she learns of Clare’s time in pre-World War II Germany. With the encouragement and inspiration of the women who have gone before her, Ivy seeks justice for her parents, her sisters, and herself.

Connect with Leslie

Newsletter, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Instagram.

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Episode 67: A Bookchat about A Match in the Making with Jen Turano

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Jen Turano joins us for a chat about fashion, Gilded Age matchmaking, her writing quirks, and her novel A Match in the Making. Don’t forget to enter to win a copy of this great book!

About Jen

Named One of the Funniest Voices in Inspirational Romance by Booklist, Jen Turano is a USA Today Best-Selling Author, known for penning quirky historical romances set in the Gilded Age. Her books have earned Publisher Weekly and Booklist starred reviews, top picks from Romantic Times, and praise from Library Journal. She’s been a finalist twice for the RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards and had two of her books listed in the top 100 romances of the past decade from Booklist. When she’s not writing, she spends her time outside of Denver, Colorado.

About the book

Miss Gwendolyn Brinley accepted a temporary paid companion position for the Newport summer season, believing it would be a lark to spend the summer in America’s most exclusive town. She suddenly finds her summer turning anything but amusing when her employer expects her to take over responsibilities as an assistant matchmaker. Tasked with the daunting prospect of attaining advantageous matches for her clients, Gwendolyn soon finds herself in the company of Mr. Walter Townsend, the catch of the Season, but a gentleman Gwendolyn finds beyond annoying.

Walter is reluctantly in search of a wife for the sake of his unruly motherless children. What he wasn’t expecting was Miss Brinley, who turns his quest for a new wife into a complete and utter debacle.

The more time they spend together throughout the Newport Season, the harder it is for Gwendolyn to find Walter a wife when she realizes his perfect match might be . . . her.

USA Today bestselling author Jen Turano’s trademark wit, sweet romance, and hilarious mischief will keep you turning the pages of this lively Gilded Age tale.

Connect with Jen

Jen’s free novella Gentleman of Her Dreams which was mentioned on the show.  

Connect with  Jen: Newsletter, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Instagram.

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Remember Me by Tracie Peterson

The audio version of this review was first shared in Episode 66:A Bookchat about After the Shadows with Amanda Cabot & a Review of Remember Me by Tracie Peterson

The Book

From the Yukon to Seattle, the hope of a new beginning waits just around the corner.

Addie Bryant is haunted by her past of heartbreak and betrayal. After her beau, Isaac Hanson, left the Yukon, she made a vow to wait for him. When she’s sold to a brothel owner after the death of her father, Addie manages to escape with the hope that she can forever hide her past and the belief that she will never have the future she’s always dreamed of.

Years later, Addie has found peace in her new life as a photographer, training Camera Girls to operate and sell the Brownie camera. During the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Expo in Seattle, Addie is reunited with Isaac, but after the path her life has taken, she’s afraid to expose the ugliness of her former life and to move toward the future they had pledged to each other.

When her past catches up with her, Addie must decide whether to run or to stay and face her wounds in order to embrace her life, her future, and her hope in God.

The Review

Remember Me is a moving tale of tragic upbringing, healing, and redeeming love. With the stunning backdrop of Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Expo in Seattle, Tracie Peterson explores the question of why God allows horrible things to happen to good people. The question and the answer are expertly woven into her story that keeps the reader rooting for Addie, the heroine, who is attempting to outrun a bitter and tragic past . . . even if it means leaving behind the man she has loved since her girlhood.

With a hero’s unconditional love, a mother figure’s guiding hand, and the Lord’s redeeming love, Addie finds freedom in Christ to release the ugliness of a past that had been thrust upon her and embrace a future filled with hope and love.

My Rating: FIVE STARS! Action-packed! Great world building! Haunting! Happily Ever After! Page-turner! Romantic! Tear-jerker! Tragic! Unpredictable! Wonderful characters! Original!

Remember Me is a story that I will remember for years to come. If you love historical fiction rich in setting and voice, check out Tracie Peterson’s book today! Happy Reading, Friends!

The Author

Tracie Peterson is the award-winning author of over 100 novels, both historical and contemporary. Her avid research resonates in her many bestselling series. Tracie and her family make their home in Montana. Visit www.traciepeterson.com to learn more. Learn more about Tracie at TraciePeterson.com.

REVIEWED BY

Grace Hitchcock is the award-winning author of multiple historical novels and novellas. She holds a Masters in Creative Writing and a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in History. Grace lives in the New Orleans area with her husband, Dakota, sons, and daughter. Connect with her online at GraceHitchcockBooks.com.

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A Bookchat about After the Shadows with Amanda Cabot & a Review of Remember Me by Tracie Peterson

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Amanda Cabot joins us for a chat about her latest release After the Shadows. Don’t forget to enter to win a copy of this great book!

For today’s Pinch of the Past, we’re looking at the largest earthquake in California’s recorded history and comparable to the 1906 San Francisco quake.

Today’s Bookworm Review is bought to you by Grace Hitchcock shares her review of Remember Me by Tracie Peterson. (Full review here.)

Connect with Amanda Cabot: Newsletter, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, her blog, and BookBub.

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A Bookchat about The Metropolitan Affair with Jocelyn Green & a Review of Fairest of Heart by Karen Witemeyer.

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Jocelyn Green joins us for a chat about her favorite books, Egyptomania, and her latest release The Metropolitan Affair. Don’t forget to enter to win a copy of this great book!

For today’s Pinch of the Past, we’re looking at masked heroes of television including Zorro and The Loan Ranger. 

Today’s Bookworm Review features Fairest of Heart by Karen Witemeyer.  (Full review here.)


Connect with Jocelyn Green: her website, Newsletter, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Instagram.

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Fairest of Heart by Karen Witemeyer

The audio version of this review was first shared in Episode 65: A Bookchat about The Metropolitan Affair with Jocelyn Green & a Review of Fairest of Heart by Karen Witemeyer.

The Book

Beauty has been nothing but a curse to Penelope Snow. When she becomes a personal maid for a famous actress whose troupe is leaving Chicago to tour the west, she hides her figure beneath shapeless dresses and keeps her head down. But she still manages to attract the wrong attention, leaving her prospects in tatters—and her jealous mistress plotting her demise.

After his brother lost his life over a woman, Texas Ranger Titus Kingsley has learned to expect the worst from females and is rarely disappointed. So when a young woman found in suspicious circumstances takes up residence with the seven old drovers living at his grandfather’s ranch, Titus is determined to keep a close eye on her.

With a promotion hanging in the balance, Titus investigates a robbery case tied to Penelope’s old acting troupe. The evidence points to her guilt, but Titus’s heart divines a different truth—one that might just get Penelope killed.

An enchanting Western take on the classic Snow White fairy tale, Fairest of Heart will sweep you away from once upon a time to happily ever after.

The Review

I just finished reading Fairest of Heart by Karen Witemeyer and I absolutely loved it. This is  a book that gets you tight in the throat in a good way.

The spirit of Snow White is so well captivated in sweet, strong Penelope that I found myself connecting with her on an emotional level. True, she is nearly angelic, but Karen’s portrayal of her goodness is so authentic one could hardly claim it contrived, at least—that is— if you know your Bible. Why, is this you ask? More than her personality or characteristics, what makes Penelope a princess is her kind and gentle spirit of Godly love and selflessness.

As for the Seven Dwarfs, that is seven retired ranch hands, Doc had me missing my childhood pastor while sweet Rowdy (who portrays Dopey from Disney’s classic version) had me wanting to dive into the pages and wrap my arms around him. And did I mention Grumpy. I mean Jeb. Nothing like a cantankerous, loving old man to make you want to watch a John Wayne movie.

As for the hero—Titus Kingsley (I love that name!) is a hardened man though not so much he treats Penelope, or anyone else, like a doormat. He is wise when confronted with Narcissa—the beautiful actress extraordinaire. I really enjoyed reading about a heroic man who was flawed yet didn’t turn into a complete numbskull in the face of a seductress like the female villain. This is by far, my favorite retelling of Snow White.

If you are feeling reminiscent for the old Disney we grew up on but want something wholesome and endearing with a Western spin, pick up a copy of Karen Witemeyer’s Fairest of heart!

The Author

For those who love to smile as they read, bestselling author Karen Witemeyer offers warmhearted historical romance with a flair for humor, feisty heroines, and swoon-worthy Texas heroes. 

Voted #1 Readers’ Favorite Christian Historical Author in 2023 by Family Fiction Magazine, Karen is a multiple award-winning author and a firm believer in the power of happy endings. 

She is an avid cross-stitcher, tea drinker, and gospel hymn singer who makes her home in Abilene, TX with her heroic husband who vanquishes laundry dragons and dirty dish villains whenever she’s on deadline.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

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A Bookchat about Remember Me with Tracie Peterson & a Review of The Blackout Book Club by Amy Lynn Green

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Tracie Peterson joins us for a chat about the World’s Fair, Seattle, historical cameras, and her latest release REMEMBER ME. Don’t forget to enter to win a copy of this great book!

For today’s Pinch of the Past, we’re looking at Houses of Refuge with Crystal Caudill  (You can read the blog version on Crystal’s website www.CrystalCaudill.com.)

Today’s Bookworm Review features The Blackout Book Club by Amy Lynn Green.  “World War II, a plethora of wonderful books, and a diverse cast of characters make up the latest book from Amy Lynn Green known as The Blackout Book Club.” (Full review here.)

Connect with  TRACIE PETERSON: Newsletter, Amazon, Facebook, Goodreads, and Instagram.

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The Blackout Book Club by Amy Lynn Green

The audio version of this review was first shared in Episode 64: A Bookchat about Remember Me with Tracie Peterson & a Review of The Blackout Book Club by Amy Lynn Green

The Book

In 1942, an impulsive promise to her brother before he goes off to the European front puts Avis Montgomery in the unlikely position of head librarian in small-town Maine. Though she has never been much of a reader, when wartime needs threaten to close the library, she invents a book club to keep its doors open. The women she convinces to attend the first meeting couldn’t be more different–a wealthy spinster determined to aid the war effort, an exhausted mother looking for a fresh start, and a determined young war worker.

At first, the struggles of the home front are all the club members have in common, but over time, the books they choose become more than an escape from the hardships of life and the fear of the U-boat battles that rage just past their shores. As the women face personal challenges and band together in the face of danger, they find they have more in common than they think. But when their growing friendships are tested by secrets of the past and present, they must decide whether depending on each other is worth the cost.

The Review

World War II, a plethora of wonderful books, and a diverse cast of characters make up the latest book from Amy Lynn Green known as The Blackout Book Club.  Each chapter features the daily life and sometimes history of one of four main characters. Avis is the first one we meet, and she’s been thrust into the role of librarian on behalf of her brother who is enlisting in the war. 

We also meet Martina and Ginny, two women who are as different as night and day, but each with their own unique struggles.

 Louise is the owner of the library, though she does not intend for it to be open much longer.  Avis comes up with the idea of the book club as a way to save it from being turned into a nursery school. 

These four women are the founding members of The Blackout Book Club, and as time goes on, they slowly start adding more townspeople to their ranks.  The “minutes” are taken at each meeting, and these are a fun glimpse into the personality of whoever steps into the roll of secretary.  

As time goes by, each woman must deal with the hand life has dealt them, all while trying to do their part for the war effort and praying that all their men will return home.

For fans of World War II fiction, this is a different take on the history of that era.  There is mention of victory gardens, women working in factories, and men taking on roles that would have ordinarily made them unfit for traditional military duty.  Fans of Christian fiction will be disappointed not to find much faith-based content throughout, though it is a clean read. 

The Author

Amy Lynn Green is a lifelong lover of books, history, and library cards. She worked in publishing for six years before writing her first historical fiction novel. She and her husband live in Minnesota, where she teaches virtual classes on marketing at writer’s conferences, engages with book clubs, and regularly encourages established and aspiring authors in their publication journeys. Connect with her on Facebook or Instagram (@amygreenbooks), or sign up for her newsletter at amygreenbooks.com to get quarterly emails filled with bookish fun.

You can read reviews by Christy by clicking here. Find Christy Janes on Instagram @blissbooksandjewels, Twitter @Blissbooksandj1, Facebook, and her website BlissBooksAndJewels.com

Disclaimer: I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

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A Bookchat about The All-American with Susie Finkbeiner & a Review of Where the Last Rose Blooms by Ashley Clark

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Susie Finkbeiner joins us for a chat about her beloved state of Michigan, what draws her to write stories set in the 50s and 60s, and her latest release The All-American. Don’t forget to enter to win a copy of this great book! Widow Minerva Jenkins has lived alone in her small mountain home for 40 years where she has guarded her husband’s deathbed request. When a young reporter comes calling and inquires about a rumored box of gold on her property, an unlikely friendship forms. Will she go to her grave with her husband’s secret, or will the weight of it be the death of her?

For today’s Pinch of the Past we are looking at some little-known facts about sequences. Did you know that Egyptomania thrust sequences into the fashion spotlight in the 1920s? For more, listen to the episode. 

Today’s Bookworm Review is bought to you by Angela Bell. “Where the Last Rose Blooms by Ashley Clark is everything I’d hoped it would be. Poignant. Beautiful. With the warmth and southern charm of my Granny’s hand-stitched quilt.” (Full review here.)

Connect with  Susie Finkbeiner: Facebook, BookBub, Twitter, Goodreads, Instagram, YouTube, her Newsletter, and Amazon.