Where the Heart Is
by Jennie
Marsland
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Historical
Romance
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
When
Rochelle McShannon moves with her father from Morgan County, Georgia to the
Yorkshire Dales, she thinks she’s leaving behind everything that matters to
her. Her mother has passed away, her twin brother is going west to avoid the
looming Civil War, and her family’s unpopular views on slavery and secession
have destroyed her relationship with the man she hoped to marry. If returning
to her father's childhood home eases his grief, Chelle asks for nothing more.
Martin
Rainnie understands grief. Since the loss of his wife in childbirth, he’s known
little else, except anger. He’s retreated to his farm and turned his back on
the world, including his baby daughter, who’s being fostered by Chelle’s
relatives. With little Leah drawing them together, Martin begins to wonder if
he can love again – and convince Chelle to do the same.
But the
war overseas has far-reaching consequences, even in a small English village.
Can Martin and Chelle overcome danger, loss, and bitterness to make a home
where the heart is?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
A few stray notes from Martin’s fiddle drifted from
the open window. He played the first few bars of a tune, stopped awkwardly and
began again, feeling his way through the waltz as if he hadn’t played it in a
long time. Then he played it again with more assurance. The lilting melody rang
out, warm and full of expression, until Chelle felt like getting up and
dancing. Jessie was right. The man had a gift.
He slid from the waltz into an arrogant march that
he played with a hint of a bounce, as if he were making sly fun of the tune’s
seriousness. Chelle closed her eyes and smiled. Martin followed the march with
a haunting air that sent her soaring over the dales in her imagination, looking
down at their windswept emptiness.
One tune blended into the next until twilight faded
and the stars came out. When Martin stopped playing, Chelle came back to earth
with a jolt. How long had she been sitting there?
The house behind her was dark and silent. Jessie
must have turned out the lamp and gone to bed. Through the open door, she heard
Martin put away his fiddle and come to stand in the doorway. Then she felt his
presence behind her. His voice touched her ear as he sat next to her. “You’d best
come in, lass. It’s gettin’ late.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and
Links:
AUTHOR
BIO: Jennie Marsland lives in
Halifax, Nova Scotia, on Canada’s beautiful East Coast. She has had a lifelong love affair with
words and history, starting with her family’s stories of life in Nova Scotia in
earlier times. Jennie teaches English, science and history at a local private
school, and when she isn’t writing, spends her free time cooking, gardening,
playing guitar, and catering to the whims of her two very spoiled Nova Scotia
Duck Tolling Retrievers.
AUTHOR
WEBSITE(S) (list URLS):
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION
Jennie will be awarding a
digital copy of Where the Heart Is to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter
during the tour.
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