Lisa Belcastro

I picked this book up after reading Lisa Belcastro’s first book, Shenandoah Nights. Shenandoah Crossings is a continuation of this book but now focuses on one of the minor characters from the first story, Tess Roberts, and her adventure in 1775. Whereas in the first story, Rebecca travels accidentally and falls in love, Tess goes intentionally, both to escape her frustrations with her own life and to find her best friend Rebecca.

Tess is a complicated character. I both like her and dislike her. She is 25 but extremely immature and selfish and much of what comes out of her mouth in the story made me want to slap some sense into her. However, she is also passionate, fiercely independent, and determined to be an equal in her family and this is what drives her. It may drive the reader a bit batty but they are qualities to be admired. In the story, Tess has been in love with Hawk for two years. He is the first mate of her father’s ship, the Shenandoah, and because she is the captain’s daughter, he will have nothing to do with her. As Tess sees everyone around her getting what they want, and knowing Rebecca found happiness in 1775, she also decides to time travel. When her family realizes what she has done, they are furious and frightened and Hawk volunteers to travel back to find her. Without spoilers, the story mostly revolves around she and Hawk in 1776 and at this point, you won’t want to put the book down. The history and the romance will keep you turning the pages until the end.

There is also a small side story that focuses on Tess’s brother Andy but it kind of drops off once the main story in 1776 takes over. We see him again briefly at the end of the book but I felt like his story had a huge hole in it. I would have liked the book to be a bit longer and have the stories flow together in a way that would keep his story alive.

Although I did enjoy Shenandoah Nights a bit more, this was also a great story with both intrigue and romance and history. A wonderful combination. The only reason I favor Shenandoah Nights is the personality of the main character, Tess. She just upset me at times with her irrational thoughts and decisions. Otherwise, both books were engaging and fun to read. Enjoy them!
… (mer)

This book was a winner for several reasons. I've mentioned in previous reviews how much I enjoy historical time travel books, especially when they involve a romance. The added bonus for me with this particular story is the fact that the time travel setting is during the Revolutionary War period. I taught this period to my students for years and still find it to be fascinating. The time travel scenes where Rebecca goes back to 1775 flowed easily and much of the story was told in the past. The Shenandoah, which is the ship and the main setting, is running gunpowder to the Continental Army and George Washington even makes a brief appearance toward the end of the book.

Cabin 8 is the only cabin that is completely original, with every board it the exact place it was on the ship before it was renovated. This is given as the reason for the time travel. I liked that when Rebecca went back in time, she was in her 21st century clothes. I have read many a book where the clothing magically changes to match the time period and always found it to be a flaw. She only goes back when she goes to sleep at night and she has to be in that specific cabin or she won't travel. Everything made sense and it was easy to understand. There were no complicated explanations that took away from the main story.

The book has both mystery and romance. The slow growing romance between Ben and Rebecca in 1775 is portrayed perfectly, not overdone in any way and I found myself wanting her to somehow get stuck in the past. There is the mystery of what happened to Melissa, who disappeared on the ship five years before and a bit of intrigue and suspense in both time periods as the story begins to present some possible paths for the ending. As usual, I won't give away any spoilers but I was very satisfied when I put the book down and was delighted when I realized there was a second story that focuses on a few of the minor characters in this book.… (mer)

Shenandoah Family Christmas by Lisa Belcastro is from a novella series. I was given this book with no knowledge of it belonging to a series, so I was unaware of the situation. It felt off at first, but I can adapt, adjust and move on like any Reading Soldier!

This story is about a few people in the 1600-1700's. A set of sisters, Rebecca and Melissa, have evidently walked into a time portal and found themselves here. They've met men, explained their pasts- er, futures and chose to stay behind. Rebecca has a daughter, Felicity who's caught smallpox, a deadly virus that turned plague in those days. Her husband is also ill. So Melissa's family and a few others set out to find cures.

​ Shenandoah Family Christmas was lovely. The base message was to lean on God, no matter what is going wrong, or right in life. Find appreciation for the good that's been given, and leave the rest for God to fix. The theme was very strong and sure to make those who love The Lord proud, but for those who are offended by any form of faith or religion, they'd be put off by it. For me, it was perfectly fine but I didn't like a few things....

For the rest of this review: http://tinyurl.com/o4n8k3j
*eBook provided by Celebrate Lit Bloggers… (mer)