The Runaway: a deeper look into the people behind historical events

The Runaway is the second book in the Legacy of Love series by Melanie Dobson. In 1850, as the Fugitive Slave Act is about to be signed in law, Anna Brent is a Quaker woman in Indiana who secretly hides runaway slaves in her home. Just one station in the network known as the Underground Railroad. Her work requires the utmost secrecy with code names and unique signals to identify each other. Daniel Stanton is a local newspaper editor who doesn’t shy away from his abolitionist views. When Anna’s work with the Railroad is threatened, can she trust Daniel to help ensure the safety of the slaves she cares so much for? Will Daniel be able to put his words into action? 

The Legacy of Love is a series of historical romance novels based on courageous people and significant events that wove together the rich tapestry of America's freedom and faith. The Runaway is a great look into a piece of history that we learn about in school but often leaves out the personal stories. Ms. Dobson offers a personal portrait of these faceless, unsung heroes of history. She doesn’t shy away from the horrors and dangers these individuals faced along the Railroad. I enjoyed Anna. As I read, I asked myself would I have the same courage to do what Anna does for her fellow man? I highly recommend The Runaway as well as the other books in the Legacy of Love series. 

The Runaway is available in paperback and eBook. 

The Winter Rose: a story of survival, forgiveness and reconciliation

The Winter Rose by Melanie Dobson is a story of survival and forgiveness. Grace Tonquin is an American Quaker who works tirelessly in Vichy France to rescue Jewish children from the Nazis. After crossing the treacherous Pyrenees, the children are sent to awaiting families except two. Elias and Marguerite Dupont lost their parents and no clear evidence of family waiting for them, Grace returns home to her family’s Oregon farm to care for them. Even though they are loved and cared for, the horrific experiences they had to endure would come back to haunt them, threatening to tear their family apart. Fifty years later, Addie Hoult arrives at Tonquin Lake looking for the family. It is a matter of life and death for her beloved mentor and father figure, Charlie, who is battling a genetic disease. Though Charlies refuses to discuss his relationship or ties to the Tonquin family, Addie knows that finding them is the only way to save his life. Could it also heal the wounds of the past? 

The Winter Rose is a beautiful story about a piece of history I didn’t know about and I’m sure many have not heard. It is a story to honor the effects of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), a Quaker organization which in part of their wartime efforts, helped rescue thousands of Jewish children during World War II. Grace, as a member of this organization, risks life and limb for the chance that these children can have a chance at life. Ms. Dobson writes a detailed story with many mysteries, twists and turns.. It is a story about the bonds of family with faith and forgiveness. As more and more authors are bringing to light stories like the AFSC, we learn that many organizations, groups and people worked tirelessly and with no qualms about their own safety to help those who were under attack. I enjoyed Grace’s faith and even in her moments of fear, doubts and trouble, she turned to God for guidance and strength. I recommend The Winter Rose. 

The Winter Rose will be available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook on January 11th. 

River of Lights: a fun adventure for young readers

River of Lights by Melanie Dobson is the first book in the Magical Mortal series. Katie Andrews doesn’t fit in with the other girls at her French boarding school. During a field trip in Paris, Katie falls into the river Seine and discovers a colorful fairy world hidden below. In the mysterious Land of Light, all is not well. An evil wizard named Gaul has captured the queen and stolen the fairy light. With the help of her new friend, Princess Lilly, and the firefly fairies, Katie discovers there is an ancient prophecy that can help defeat Gaul and save the Land of Light. In the process, she discovers a secret that will change everything she knows about her family. 

With a Narnia-like journey, River of Lights is a great introduction to a new magical series. A book for young readers, particularly girls, filled with fairies, princesses and evil wizards. It is a sweet and fun adventure and as a fairly easy and fast read, I see younger readers really enjoying this series either reading independently or as a family. I look forward to introducing these books to my daughters. If you enjoy magical kingdom adventures, you will enjoy River of Lights. 

River of Lights is available in paperback and eBook. 

The Imposter: a story of love, family, and loyalty set during the Revolutionary War

The Imposter by Melanie Dobson is another book in the Legacy of Love series. Set in the final months of the Revolutionary War, as the battle for independence comes to a head, Lydia Caswell is faced with a choice: follow her family as Loyalists to King George III or follow the country she loves to independence. One snowy night, Lydia discovers an injured man on the riverbank near her family’s estate, Caswell Hall, and her decision to save him changes her life. Nathan introduces her to a secret network of spies, couriers, disguises, and coded messages, a network that may be the only hope to winning the war. When British officers stay at Caswell Hall, which brings havoc to the area, Lydia must choose between loyalty and freedom, between her family’s protection and her own heart’s desires. Every one must decide how high a price they are willing to pay to help the ones they love as well as their homes. 

I love Melanie Dobson’s Legacy of Love series which features historical romance among the significant events of America and the courageous people who lived through these events. So far, I have read 5 of the 8 books. The Imposter was particularly interesting because the Revolutionary War has been on the forefront of my mind since I have been watching Hamilton (2015) and reading more about the events of the war. While I knew of Washington’s spy network, I enjoyed reading more about how the network was able to work. I loved Lydia as a woman caught between two worlds: her Loyalist parents and America, the only home she has ever known. A woman driven by her faith to help her fellow man and less by seeing them as enemies. I also enjoyed seeing how some Loyalists were driven to support King George simply as a preservation because they didn’t think the Continental Army had a chance to win. I highly recommend The Imposter as well as the other books of the Legacy of Love series. 

The Imposter is available in eBook

The other books of the Legacy of Love series: (also available in eBook)

The Masquerade

The Silent Order

The Runaway

The Christmas Bride

The Journey

The Society

The Stranger

The Journey: a story of determination and survival on the Oregon Trail

The Journey is another book in Melanie Dobson’s Legacy of Love series. This story is just one of the many people who took the trip from Missouri to the Willamette Valley known as the Oregon Trail. Samantha Waldron is only 18 but she already suffered so much loss. After her mother’s death after a long illness, her father, Hiriam, decided to take the family on the planned trek across the plains. Along with her brother, 7 year old Micah, Samantha and her family join the wagon train and set out on an uncertain journey in the hopes for new opportunities. After much tragedy and heartache, Samantha makes it to Fort Vancouver where she must stay for the winter before continuing on to the valley. There she meets British Alexander Clarke. Alexander was raised with a great sense of duty but at the same time yearns for something else. He knows once spring comes he is to return to England, take his place in the family business and marry the woman he has promised to marry. As many men vie for Samantha’s attention and affection, only Alex has intrigued her but she cannot have him. Will Samantha make it to the valley? Will Alex find the belonging he has been looking for? 

The people who gathered all they had and left all they knew behind to travel across the plains in hopes of a new and better life has always intrigued me. Would I have the same courage and determination as Samantha and her wagon train to make it to the valley? Would I even survive? I enjoyed Samantha’s tenacity and spunk from the very beginning. A young woman who has been taught to stand up for herself and yet finds resistance from those who don’t care to hear her thoughts and opinions. Alex is a character I had to grow to love. From the beginning, he was a bit of an ass with a poor opinion of Americans. However, as he sees Samantha and all she went through, he realizes that Americans are built of stronger stuff than he realized. One of my favorite scenes is when Samantha is at the dinner table and the men are questioning her journey and after she details all she went through, they ask how did she accomplish all that? I love her answer. She says “We had no choice but to keep walking. We simply put one foot in front of the other for two thousand miles.” The Journey is a great inspirational story that will leave you in awe of what people went through to seek a better life. I highly recommend The Journey. 

The Journey is available in eBook. 

The Silent Order: when secrets can't stay secret forever

The Silent Order by Melanie Dobson is another title in her Legacy of Love series. Set during Prohibition, Detective Rollin Wells is determined the take down the Cardano crime family. After he and his partner are gunned down deep in the country of the Ohio Valley, he is nursed back to health by the Lehmans, an Amish family who have their own secrets to hide. Katie Lehman is trying to raise her son and doesn’t want the trouble that this outsider will bring. As Rollin continues to find evidence against the Cardano family, Katie struggles to keep her deepest, darkest secret hidden. Will Katie trust Rollin and finally reveal the truth? Will Rollin be able to bring down the family?

This is the second book I’ve read in the Legacy of Love series and once again it was a great book. I loved The Silent Order. It is an excellent story with lots of twists and turns. From the opening scene to the final chapter, the story held my attention that I didn’t want to put it down. I love a story in which I cannot reveal too much as it would spoil plot points. When Katie reveals the secrets she has been hiding, I can say I did not see it coming. Once again, Ms. Dobson’s historical details are spot on and I enjoyed seeing more of the Prohibition era than just Chicago or New York. The characters of the Cardano family were terrifying and I was afraid of the Cardano family and held my breath as Rollin got closer to a final showdown. I highly recommend The Silent Order!

The Silent Order

is available in eBook and paperback

The Masquerade: a love story set in the Gilded Age

The Masquerade by Melanie Dobson is a novel in her Legacy of Love series. Set in the Gilded Age, on Mackinac Island, Elena Bissette has the summer ahead of her. A summer of trying to find a husband, if her mother has anything to say about it. After the financial fallout of her father’s business partnership being dissolved, the family is in dire straits and their once high society position has left them scrambling to find their way back up. Every single girl will be eyeing the most eligible bachelor of the summer, Chester “Chase” Darrington, who wants nothing to do with the girls but focus on his own business ventures. Elena and Chase meet, by accident, in an isolated place and neither one tells the other who they really are. Under the night sky of the island, they fall in love, but the real world and their social obligations threatens to bring it all crashing down on them. Will they fight against their true feelings for each other?

I have been a fan of Melanie Dobson’s since I read her book, Catching the Wind, and with each new book I enjoy her stories even more. I enjoy the historical settings with the issues of the time as well as the faith and struggles with God of her characters. The questions the characters have are relatable to questions that many believers have had or will have in their life. While the story formula is familiar, I call it the “Pride and Prejudice” formula, it is a formula that works. I loved reading Chase and Elena fall in love. I screamed with frustration when they missed “meeting” each other at the social events on the island. And cried when the truth revealed themselves and the animosity that ensued. However, I loved the ending and closed the book with satisfaction. I loved each character in this beautiful love story. I highly recommend The Masquerade.

The Masquerade

is available in eBook

Refuge on Crescent Hill: where the truth will set you free

Refuge on Crescent Hill by Melanie Dobson is a story of family secrets and one woman’s journey home. Camden Bristow was a photographer who traveled the world taking photos of amazing sights and documenting tragic events. Until one day when the calls for her work stopped. Left destitute, her only option is return to her grandmother’s home on Crescent Hill. As she heads there, she has no idea what awaits her or what secrets will be revealed once she gets there. Alex Yates is the charge of the economic development for the same town of Etherton but every one of his ideas has been shot down by the city council and he is desperate for the next idea. Alex is running from his own past and a secret he’s desperate to keep hidden. Stephanie Ellison-Carter is a student writing a research paper about the Ellison family. She learns that her family had some jewels stolen and the theft could be linked to the disappearance of one of the Ellison’s slaves. As their journeys began to merge, their own personal secrets will be revealed. Will Camden finally find a home? Is there someone who is trying to sabotage Alex’s attempts to boost the town? How are Camden, Alex and Stephanie linked to the Crescent Hill?

I thoroughly enjoyed Refuge on Crescent Hill. Having read Ms. Dobson’s books before, I was eager to dive into this one and it did not disappoint. From the opening page to the closing epilogue, the story is driven family secrets, evil plots and twists and turns of a great mystery. I enjoyed all the characters, even the villains fit well especially the ones you wouldn’t suspect. When the connection between the three characters are revealed, it is an emotional moment for the characters as well for the reader. It reminds you that we might be strangers but our family pasts may be connection through an amazing story of strength, courage and bravery.  Even though I wanted to strangle Camden at times for being an idiot, I cheered for her by the end. I highly recommend Refuge on Crescent Hill. 

Refuge on Crescent Hill

is available in paperback and eBook

Enchanted Isle: a story of mystery and family redemption

Enchanted Isle by Melanie Dobson is the story of one family’s dream turned into a nightmare when one man is accused of murder. A mystery hovers over the family and the village as the decades pass. The story opens in Lakeland, England, 1935 as Gilbert Kemp high on his recent marriage proposal to his love, Liz. He heads to the island amusement park that his brother created and runs. He comes across a scene which shocks him. His brother, Simon, is standing over the dead body of his partner, Curtis Sloan. Fast forward, 1958, a young girl named Jenny Winter is staying with a family friend in the village. She is almost twenty one and having her last hurrah before heading home to marry the man her grandfather has chosen for her. She soon becomes fascinated with the Enchanted Isle, the amusement park which now lay in ruins and no one is allowed in. She soon befriends Adrian Kemp and his sister, Emma as she learns more and more about the mystery that the town tries hard to ignore. Can she discover the truth behind the murder of Curtis Sloan? Will the Enchanted Isle ever reveal its secrets?

Enchanted Isle is a wonderful story of a mystery whose truth can redeem a family’s past or continue to haunt their lives. This is the second book I’ve read of Ms. Dobson and she is an amazing storyteller who weaves an intriguing tale with self-discovery and the power in become who you are truly meant to be. I love Jenny’s story as she’s trying to discover her place in the world and find the strength to stand up to her grandfather’s life plan for her. I enjoyed Adrian and felt for him as he’s trying to overcome of the shadow and rumors of what his family’s past. I highly recommend Enchanted Isle for its mystery, its uplifting self-discovery story and a cast of great characters.

Enchanted Isle

is available in paperback, eBook, and audio CD

Catching the Wind: a story of promises kept despite the years past

Catching the Wind by Melanie Dobson is a story of one man’s determination to find his childhood friend and fulfill a promise. The story opens in Germany July 1940 where Dietmar Roth, 13, is playing with his friend, Brigitte, when men come to take him away. At his mother’s urging, Dietmar and Brigitte run. Fast forward to 2017, Quenby Vaughn is a reporter for the World News Syndicate where she is on the story of Lady Ricker and the rumor that she help spy on the Britain for the Nazis. She gets a call from Lucas Hough, a lawyer for wealthy businessman, Daniel Knight. They have a job proposition for her. Mr. Knight is Dietmar who changed his name when he arrived in England in October 1940. He and Brigitte were separated after their arrival in England and he has been searching for her ever since. As Quenby begins her search, she learns about their dangerous journey from Germany to England. She also learns that Brigitte’s story may be tied to Lady Ricker’s activities during the war. As she gets closer to find Brigitte, Quenby gets the sense that something or someone is trying to stop her. Will she be able to find Brigitte and reunite the two friends? Will she discover the secrets hidden for 70 years?

Catching the Wind is a beautiful story of a lifelong search, of promises kept intertwined with the dark days of World War II. It is a story of redemption and the truth about a family’s past. It was filled with twists and turns, surprise after surprise. I read this book over the course of two days. I could not put it down. I sat on the edge of my seat as I turned the pages eager to see if Quenby would find Brigitte and renuite her with Daniel. I highly, highly recommend Catching the Wind!

Catching the Wind

is available all major booksellers

in paperback and eBook