Fiction Meets Real Life: Bertha Palmer Edition

This is a fiction-meets-real-life post. I read Jocelyn Green’s Veiled in Smoke back in 2020 and loved the novel.  One of its characters suffered from “soldier’s heart” – what we would call PTSD today. The author handled the situation with sensitivity and the book gave me the push I need to get professional counseling for my own PTSD. I’m still reaping the benefits of that counseling.

This novel also awakened my interest in Bertha Palmer, a side character in the novel, but a wealthy, widowed, businesswoman in real life. Her winter estate in Osprey, FL, sits about 45 minutes from my home and is now known as Historic Spanish Point. I’ve visited many times and I always love walking the grounds.

A year or more ago, I visited a Little Free Library and found the book, Suncoast Empire: Bertha Honore Palmer, Her Family, and the Rise of Sarasota by Frank A. Cassell. It sat in my TBR for months, but in December 2022, I finally cracked open its pages to find a fascinating read that illuminated my hometown's history.

And that's the story behind this book photo.

Read my review of Veiled in Smoke by Jocelyn Green.

Read my review of Suncoast Empire by Frank A. Cassell. 

A Love Like Ours by Becky Wade

About the book: A Love Like Ours (Bethany House, May 2015)

Former Marine Jake Porter has far deeper scars than the one that marks his face. He struggles with symptoms of PTSD, lives a solitary life, and avoids relationships.

When Lyndie James, Jake's childhood best friend, lands back in Holley, Texas, Jake cautiously hires her to exercise his Thoroughbreds. Lyndie is tender-hearted, fiercely determined, and afraid of nothing, just like she was as a child. Jake pairs her with Silver Leaf, a horse full of promise but lacking in results, hoping she can solve the mystery of the stallion's reluctance to run.

Though Jake and Lyndie have grown into very different adults, the bond that existed during their childhood still ties them together. Against Jake's will, Lyndie's sparkling, optimistic personality begins to tear down the walls he's built around his heart. A glimmer of the hope he'd thought he'd lost returns, but fears and regrets still plague him. Will Jake ever be able to love Lyndie like she deserves, or is his heart too shattered to mend?

My thoughts:

A Love Like Ours is Becky Wade's third book featuring the Porter brothers of Holley, Texas and it is my favorite. It works fine as a stand-alone story, but Undeniably Yours and Meant to Be Mine are good as well, so I recommend reading them before A Love Like Ours.

Wade's writing style is good as usual. At no point did the plot drag or rush. Jake and Lyndie are well-developed characters with flaws and strengths that make them authentic, but still remarkable. However, the story is what really enchanted me with this book. I felt like cheering as Lyndie took Silver Leaf out to attempt his first run. Lastly, I appreciated the compassion with which the author treated Jake's PTSD. As someone who's been there, I felt Wade did an excellent job in dealing with the issue without making it too tidy, too easily fixed.

I recommend A Love Like Ours by Becky Wade to fans of clean, Christian romances. It's a keeper for me as I have no doubt I'll read this series again in the future.

Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/1R9Tv8p

Enter the giveaway: Details here

About the author: 

Becky Wade is a native of California who attended Baylor University, met and married a Texan, and moved to Dallas. She published historical romances for the general market, took time off to raise her children, then felt God nudging her to pursue contemporary Christian fiction. Becky's work has been a finalist for both a RITA and an INSPY Award.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Possession by Rene Gutteridge

Vance and Lindy Graegan are ready for a new start. Raising a child, living with terror induced by a past sniper case, and working as a detective has taken a toll on Vance. Lindy has always dreamed of her own deli and the prospect of a new life lures them to California. Entrusting all their possessions to furniture movers in a bright, yellow truck, Lindy and their son, Connor, start out for California with Vance planning to follow quickly. When they expect the furniture and possessions to be delivered, they instead receive a bill for eight thousand dollars. The bill increases daily as do the stakes. The mover has discovered Vance's most-guarded secret and is holding it for ransom. Vance has many secrets from his time on the force, but this secret threatens to shatter his reputation, devastate his family, and hurt numerous others. In the midst of the turmoil, Connor clings to a faith that can move mountains. Vance and Lindy find their son's faith embarrassing, but when their lives are endangered, they realize that faith is the only thing that can save them.

Possession by Rene Gutteridge is filled with mystery and suspense. The content of the prologue keeps the reader slightly confused until the end when everything is exposed. Kudos to the author for creating unique situations and keeping things unpredictable. I also appreciated the way the author approached the topic of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Gutteridge did not ignore the effects that traumatic events can have on people and made everything seem believable. This book was almost addictive. I kept wanting to know what was going to happen! I also enjoyed the Q&A with the author at the end of the book.

To read the first chapter of Possession, Click Here.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Tyndale Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."