Thursday, April 30, 2009

First Review


I received the first review, that I know of, for Surrender the Wind yesterday, by Michelle Gripe author of Gallimore.
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Review - Surrender the Wind

April 2009


American Revolutionary patriot Seth Braxton is torn between the land he shed his blood for and the prospect of reuniting with his sister Caroline, who was a motherless child taken to England at the onset of the war.


With no intention of staying permanently, Seth arrives in Devonshire to find his sister grieving over the death of her young son. In the midst of such tragedy, Seth meets Juleah, the daughter of an eccentric landed gentleman. Her independent spirit and gentle soul steal Seth’s heart, enraging the man who once sought her hand and schemed to make Ten Width, the ancestral home of Seth’s loyalist grandfather, his own.


Will Seth and Juleah’s love and faith survive a sinister plot of murder, abduction, and betrayal? You’ll have to read it yourself to find out.


As much as I enjoyed getting to know the hero/heroine, what I like most about Rita Gerlach’s writing is her characterization of secondary characters. Sir Henry is the heroine’s father, and though he plays a small but significant part in the story, I looked forward to scenes that included him. His off-the-wall antics and dialogue are due to dementia, which gives one a certain sympathy for the old fellow, but nonetheless are pretty humorous.


Liking Sir Henry is as easy as hating Constable Latterbuck. Bluntly stated, he’s a schmuck. Gerlach’s portrayal of him is as complete as if he were a main character, which pulled me more into the story.


I have to admit there is one point in the story where I skipped to the end just to make sure a character I loved would survive. Without giving it away, the point is that Gerlach includes plenty of action throughout.


Surrender the Wind is a release from the new fiction line at Abingdon Press. I applaud Abingdon’s daring for publishing historicals that aren’t limited to Americana. I am anxious to read a variety of Abingdon’s different eras and settings, and of course…more from author Rita Gerlach!


Reviewed by Michelle Griep for Novel Review

www.novelreviews.blogspot.com

4 comments:

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Rita -

Congratulations on the great review! I'm looking forward to reading your book. :)

Blessins,
Susan

Jaime Wright said...

wooo hoooo!!!! hurry up and publish, Abingdon! :)

Bonnie Toews said...

HooRAH!!!! That's our Rita. Finally getting the recognition you deserve. Waiting to read "Surrender the Wind" is so hard to do.

Jessica Nelson said...

Yay! Congrats on the awesome review. :-)