CFBA: An Unlikely Suitor by Nancy Moser

Song Stuck on the Brain: The Last Goodbye by David Cook

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing:



An Unlikely Suitor
Bethany House (May 1, 2011)




by



Nancy Moser

MY TAKE:

Nancy Moser gave us three great love stories all for the price of one fantastic read. The main story begins with the devoted and practical Lucy and her self-sacrificing ways. She walks away from a chance at a life of her own to take care of her widowed mother and selfish little sister. You can't help but both root for Lucy to break free and find love, and feel a little frustrated by her stubbornness to take the opportunities she's given. But it's a good kind of frustration, the kind that has you flipping pages as fast as you can and talking out loud to the characters in the book. Lucy's story is compelling and intriguing all on it's own. Then...

You have the rich and heroic, but disabled Rowena. A true sister in spirit to Lucy. Friends despite their social barriers. Rowena isn't just a nice secondary character that helps to propagate the story, she has a whole complex story of love and sacrifice of her own to pull you in.

And of course there's baby sister, Sofia, the selfish young girl struggling to move from childhood to womanhood. I saw my own teenage niece in her so many times, that I empathized with Lucy and their mother, Lea, over Sofia's frustrating behavior. But Sofia does grow, and in a lovely story line of her own, you see her mature and become the caring woman that changes those around her for the better.

A nice touch, was the snippets of wisdom that Lucy's father Dante spoke when he was still alive. Throughout the story, his proverbs were repeated with love and fond memories, always giving needed help. A wise and loving father speaking softly through memory and beyond time. A lovely illustration for our own Heavenly Father that speaks through the voice of the Holy Spirit to encourage us and bring us wisdom when needed.

The setting is beautiful and I loved the great details, such as the famous home of the Astor's, the gossipy tid-bits of the rich and famous of the time, and the beauty of the costumes that were daily life. If you enjoy the genre even a little, you'll love this book.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

New York dressmaker Lucy Scarpelli befriends socialite Rowena Langdon as she's designing her 1895 summer wardrobe. Grateful for Lucy's skill in creating fashions that hide her physical injury, Rowena invites Lucy to the family mansion in Newport, Rhode Island, encouraging the unusual friendship.

One day Lucy encounters an intriguing man on the Cliff Walk, and love begins to blossom. Yet Lucy resists, for what Newport man would want to marry an Italian dressmaker working to support her family?

Rowena faces an arranged marriage to a wealthy heir she doesn't love, but dare a crippled girl hope for anything better?

And Lucy's teenage sister, Sofia, falls for a man well above her social class--but is he willing to give up everything to marry a woman below his station?

As the lives of three young woman--and their unlikely suitors--become entangled in a web of secrets and sacrifice, will the season end with any of them finding true happiness?

If you would like to read the first chapter of An Unlikely Suitor, go HERE.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Nancy Moser is the award-winning author of over twenty inspirational novels. Her genres include contemporary stories including John 3:16 and Time Lottery a Christy Award winner, and historical novels of real women-of-history including Just Jane (Jane Austen) and Washington's Lady (Martha Washington). Her newest historical novels are Masquerade and An Unlikely Suitor. Nancy and her husband Mark live in the

Midwest. She’s earned a degree in architecture, traveled extensively in Europe, and has performed in numerous theaters, symphonies, and choirs. She gives Sister Circle Seminars around the country, helping women identify their gifts as they celebrate their sisterhood. She is a fan of anything antique—humans included. Find out more at http://www.nancymoser.com/ and http://www.sistercircles.com/ and her historical blog: http://footnotesfromhistory.blogspot.com/

CFBA: Masquerade by Nancy Moser

Song Stuck on the Brain: Ours by The Bravery

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing:



MasqueradeBethany House (August 1, 2010)


by



Nancy Moser



MY TAKE:

Nancy has a way with words and her characters reflect that gift. Dora and Lottie each have a unique personality and it's their conversations and flirtations that showcase that the best. You can tell that she has drawn bits of inspiration from many classic novels and created her own unique story. The Prince and the Pauper is probably the most obvious, but I could feel bits of Les Miserables, Pride and Prejudice, and even a dash of Twelfth Night.

The premise of maid and lady switching places is fun and obviously leads to many humorous and delightful moments, but it's the darker, deeper places that Nancy leads her characters that makes this book truly memorable. New York City is often romanticized, but she shows us a much more gritty and moving view through the eyes of someone who is an outsider. Much like a good portion of her readers, we see it for all that it is and grow with Lottie as she finds her real purpose.

A fantastic, fun and moving story.



ABOUT THE BOOK:

They risk it all for adventure and romance, but find that love only flourishes in truth...

1886, New York City: Charlotte Gleason, a rich heiress from England, escapes a family crisis by traveling to America in order to marry the even wealthier Conrad Tremaine.

She soon decides that an arranged marriage is not for her and persuades her maid, Dora, to take her place. She wants a chance at "real life," even if it means giving up financial security. For Charlotte, it's a risk she's willing to take. What begins as the whim of a spoiled rich girl wanting adventure becomes a test of survival amid poverty beyond Charlotte's blackest nightmares.

As for Dora, it's the chance of a lifetime. She lives a fairy tale complete with gowns, jewels, and lavish mansions--yet is tormented by guilt from the possibility of discovery and the presence of another love that will not die. Is this what her heart truly longs for?

Will their masquerade be discovered? Will one of them have second thoughts? There is no guarantee the switch will work. It's a risk. It's the chance of a lifetime.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Masquerade, go HERE.

View the book trailer:






ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Nancy Moser is the award-winning author of over twenty inspirational novels. Her genres include contemporary stories including John 3:16 and Time Lottery, and historical novels of real women-of-history including Just Jane(Jane Austen) and Washington's Lady (Martha Washington). Her newest historical novel is Masquerade. Nancy and her husband Mark live in the Midwest. She’s earned a degree in architecture, traveled extensively in Europe, and has performed in numerous theaters, symphonies, and choirs. She gives Sister Circle Seminars around the country, helping women identify their gifts as they celebrate their sisterhood. She is a fan of anything antique—humans included. Find out more at

http://www.nancymoser.com/ and http://www.sistercircles.com/.

CFBA: John 3:16 by Nancy Moser

Song Stuck on the Brain: All Summer Long by Kid Rock

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing:


John 3:16


by


Nancy MoserTyndale House Publishers (September 9, 2008)




ABOUT THE BOOK:

Five people looking for a reason to keep living are about to find it in the last place they expect... In my usual "big cast" style comes a story of what happens when one man puts his faith on the line and holds up a John 3:16 sign at a sporting event. Roman Paulson's life revolves around his son, Billy, a University of Nebraska football hero with a promising life ahead of him. But when Billy's coach encroaches on Roman's relationship with his son, Roman fears he'll lose Billy forever. Roman isn't the only one whose world turns upside down. He's one of five unsuspecting people whose lives intersect on a bright fall day.

If you would like to read the first chapter of John 3:16, go HERE



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Nancy Moser is the author of three inspirational humor books and eighteen novels, including Solemnly Swear, Time Lottery, a Christy Award winner, and her latest historical, Washington's Lady.

Nancy and her husband Mark live in the Midwest. She’s earned a degree in architecture, traveled extensively in Europe, and has performed in numerous theaters,
symphonies, and choirs. She gives Said So Sister Seminars around the country, helping women identify their gifts as they celebrate their sisterhood. She is a fan of anything antique—humans included.

Find out more at Nancy Moser.com and Sister Circles.com

CFBA: Washington's Lady by Nancy Moser

Song Stuck on the Brain: Who Knew by Pink

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing:

Washington's Lady
by
Nancy Moser(Bethany House June 1, 2008)

ABOUT THE BOOK:

It has been said that without George Washington there would be no United States. But without Martha, there would be no George Washington. He called her "my other self."

Who was this woman who captured the heart of our country's founder? She dreams of a quiet life with her beloved George, but war looms...

Though still a young woman, Martha Dandridge Custis was a wealthy, attractive widow and the mother of two small children with no desire to remarry. But when a striking war hero steps into her life, she realizes that she is ready to love again. She is courted by, then marries the French and Indian War hero.

Yet she wonders whether this man, accustomed to courageous military exploits, can settle down to a simple life of farming and being a father to her children. Even as she longs for domestic bliss, Martha soon realizes she will have to risk everything dear to her and find the courage to get behind a dream much larger than her own.

Her new life as Martha Washington took her through blissful times at Mount Vernon, family tragedies, six years of her husband's absence during the Revolutionary War, and her position as a reluctant First Lady.

Known for moving first-person novels of Nannerl Mozart and Jane Austen, in Washington's Lady, Nancy Moser now brings to life the loves and trials of the First First Lady of the United States.

If you would like to read the first chapter, go HERE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Nancy Moser is the author of three inspirational humor books and eighteen novels, including Solemnly Swear, Just Jane, and Time Lottery, a Christy Award winner. She is an inspirational speaker, giving seminars around the country. She has earned a degree in architecture; run a business with her husband; traveled extensively in Europe; and has performed in various theaters, symphonies, and choirs. She and her husband have three grown children and make their home in the Midwest.