Forsaken Dreams by MaryLu Tyndall

BACK COVER:
THEY LEFT EVERYTHING BEHIND TO BUILD A NEW SOUTHERN UTOPIA...
Colonel Blake Wallace has seen enough death to last a lifetime. Weary and disillusioned, he slumps beneath the weight of defeat and loss. With his entire family murdered by the North and his name appearing on a list of officers wanted for war crimes, Blake organizes a shipload of southerners who, like him, long to escape the horrors of war and start a new life in a verdant land called Brazil.
Eliza Crawford can barely remember the days of her youth spent in opulence and comfort at her Georgian home. She can't help but wonder how different her life would be had she not met her late husband. Stanton Watts, a general in the Northern army. Now a war widow, Eliza is rejected by both the North and South. Desperate to keep her marriage a secret and escape her past and pain, she hopes to start over again in Brazil.
But once the voyage begins, troubles abound. Dangers at sea and enemies from within threaten to keep Blake and Eliza from the new life-and love-they long for.

A PENNY FOR MY THOUGHTS?
 I love the fact that all the characters from this book are from Georgia! (I happen to be from there) It is so much fun to hear about towns and traditions that I have grown up around, and love. And this story is not an uncommon one, in that this happened a lot after the war between the states. Once the North won, the Southerners became 'prisoners' in their own towns. And there were groups that tried to escape from this by sailing away to Brazil. This is why I love historical fiction, You get a great story, but you also get to know a little more about your heritage.
Eliza Crawford. The poor thing, disowned by her family for marrying a Northerner, and once her husband died, disowned by the family that never really accepted her. She has sworn off marriage, and has decided to use her medical experience to help others in Brazil. But can she keep her secret of being a Yankee's Widow for long? And what if someone recognizes her? And what of her heart that isn't listening to her head when it comes to the Colonel?
Colonel Blake Wallace. A Wanted man for his service in the War, and a man running from the war and the horrors found there. His entire family murdered, and now there's a price on his head. And instead of just taking himself and fleeing, he decides to help other Southern families escape from this 'new life'. So he advertises a expedition to Brazil, he arranges everything. A pastor, doctor, nurse, ect. He makes sure that the colony would have everything that it needs to thrive. And a place for him to hide out without having to worry about using his heart...or so he thought.

To the FTC and whomever else it may concern, I received this book MaryLu Tyndall. In return, I have promised to review the book but have been given the freedom by MaryLu to give my honest opinions whether they be positive or negative.

The Tutor's Daughter by Julie Klassen




BACK COVER:

Emma Smallwood, determined to help her widowed father when his boarding school fails, accompanies him to the cliff-top manor of a baronet and his four sons. But soon after they arrive and begin teaching the two younger boys, mysterious things begin to happen. Who does Emma hear playing the pianoforte at night, only to find the music room empty? And who begins sneaking into her bedchamber, leaving behind strange mementoes?

The baronet's older sons, Phillip and Henry Weston, wrestle with problems-and secrets-of their own. They both remember the studious Miss Smallwood from their days at her father's academy. But now one of them finds himself unexpectedly drawn to her....

When suspicious acts escalate, can Emma figure out which brother to blame and which to trust with her heart?

A PENNY FOR MY THOUGHTS?
 This was a really great book! I wasn't completely sure about it at first. But once I got into it, I was really surprised. Emma, grew up with her mother and father who's house was an academy for boys. They would take the wealthy family male heirs, and get them ready for college. Being one of the only girls in the house, Emma was the brunt of many pranks and jokes. Including ones from Henry Weston.