Showing posts with label Quills and Promises. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quills and Promises. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Deceptive Promises by Amber Miller - Book Review



A touching love story with a dash of adventure awaits you in Deceptive Promises (Delaware Brides Series #3) by Amber Miller.

Margret Scott finds herself attracted to enigmatic and charming Samuel Lowe. It does tax her heart, however, that she must keep him a secret from her family. Samuel's duties have him working for both sides in the war between the colonists and the British soldiers, and Margret is not always sure where Samuel's loyalties lie.

As her interest in the political environment surrounding New Castle increases, Margret continues to secretly meet with Samuel when he can briefly escape from his posts. He promises Margret can trust him, and she promises him that she does. But can deceptive promises be trusted? Can a relationship built on such uncertainty survive?

In the third book of the Delaware Brides Series, Miller sets this love story against the backdrop of the American Revolution. As with Quills & Promises before it, the pains of a growing nation during a time of war play a large role in the development of the story. In this book, however, I find that Miller did an even finer job of relaying the events of the day through dialogue, internal thought, and narrative than she did in the previous installment.

Miller's strength has always been her characters, and that is no different in Deceptive Promises. Marget, whose mind was once filled with fashions coming over from England, gains an interest in current events and the war efforts due to her secretive relationship with Samuel. On the other hand, Samuel, finds himself fighting his desire to be with Margret while performing his duties. And while Samuel knows where his loyalties lie, his actions sometimes leave Margret feeling uncertain, making it impossible for her to admit her growing fondness for Samuel to her family. If she can't understand him, how could they?

The Delaware Brides Series follows three generations of the same family. Had I known that at the onset, I would have purchased all three books together and read them in order. However, since these all read well as stand-alones, you'll miss nothing if you read them out of order. Some of the main characters in the first novella, play minor roles in the second, and some of those also appear in the third, so even though the love stories are isolated, it's nice to follow along with the family's history.

My one tiny criticism is that I don't care for the cover art of this book. The woman on the front cover appears much older than Margret would be for the story. We meet her at age fifteen, and though years pass during this story, the cover woman's look appears too old. In addition, her eyes are closed, as if awaiting Samuel's kiss, and it just gives her this air of swooning, which didn't seem to match Margret's overall personality, especially as things progressed throughout the story.

That aside, if you want to be drawn into a touching inspirational love story set during the American Revolution, Deceptive Promises by Amber Miller is the book for you.

Note: The Delaware Brides Series has recently been repackaged by the publisher and is now sold as a three-in-one story collection titled, Liberty's Promise (Romancing America). The author's name has also been updated to Amber Miller Stockton, to reflect her married name. This three-in-one is available at a suggested retail price of $7.97.


Title: Deceptive Promises
Author: Amber Miller
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc HP #823
ISBN-10: 1602601895
ISBN-13: 978-1602601895
SRP: $4.95

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

February Featured Novel - Quills & Promises by Amber Miller



If you're looking for a tender, historical romance novel look no further than Amber Miller's Quills & Promises.

Published by Heartsong Presents, this is the second book in Miller's Delaware Dawning series. In Quills & Promises, young Elanna Hanssen meets Major Madison Scott, but he is soon called away to fight in the French and Indian War. They stay in touch through their correspondence, but when Madison's integrity is called into question, Elanna recalls her brief time with Madison and must put her faith in God to decide if she should follow her heart.

I loved the characters in this novel. Elanna and Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables would have hit it off splendidly. Madison is torn by his contradicting feelings about the war, his duty, and his desire to see Elanna again. And Mr. Witherspoon, a reporter whose intentions Elanna is not always sure of, makes the perfect antagonist.

Read my full review here.

Deceptive Promises, the third book in Amber Miller's Delaware Dawning series is now available. Visit Amber online at www.ambermiller.com for more information.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Quills & Promises by Amber Miller--Book Review



A tender mixing of inspirational romance, historical figures and memorable fictional characters come together for an enjoyable read in Quills & Promises by Amber Miller. This is the second book in Miller's Delaware Brides series.

Set during the French and Indian War, young Elanna Hanssen unexpectedly meets up with Major Madison Scott, a visiting cousin of her best friend. Both Madison and Elanna are taken with each other, but he is soon called away to war. They must depend upon their correspondence to carry on their relationship and to learn more about each other, ever careful not to reveal too much, lest their letters fall into the wrong hands.

An unusual interest in the war puts Elanna in contact with Mr. Witherspoon, a young journalist for the Wilmington Journal. When he shares war reports that question Major Scott's integrity, Elanna must depend upon her initial meetings with Madison and her faith in God to help her decide if she should follow her heart.

As I read through Quills & Promises, I thought Elanna could have been Anne Shirley from Lucy Maud Montgomery's classic Anne of Green Gables. Elanna, like Anne, is constantly trying to reconcile what she would like to do with what is proper in society and for her age. This makes her a sympathetic character from the start. That sympathy increases when she is separated from Madison so quickly and later discovers he may not be the man she thought him to be. The reader is as eager to uncover the truth as Elanna is.

The strength of this book is definitely its characters. Madison is torn between his duty, his hatred of war, and his desire to see Elanna again. The camaraderie between Madison and the men in his regiment is something I very much enjoyed. Edric, Elanna's twin brother, is both protector and supporter of his twin, and ends up being crucial in Elanna getting information about the war. Mama understands Elanna's battle between her desires and what society allows, as well as, providing great insight into what Elanna must do in order to decide if she should follow her head or her heart. And Mr. Witherspoon, whose motives Elanna is not quite sure of, makes the perfect antagonist.

While the history buff in me would have enjoyed a few more historical details, since the writer is limited to a certain word count with Heartsong, that may not have been possible. The focus in these novels is always more on the romance--which this book certainly has from beginning to end as the reader watches the love between Elanna and Madison bloom across the miles.

Fans of inspirational romance and historical fiction will certainly want to read Quills and Promises by Amber Miller.


Title: Quills and Promises
Author: Amber Miller
Publisher: Heartsong Presents
ISBN: 978-1-60260-049-2
U.S. Price: $4.95