Title: The Mistletoe Countess Author: Pepper Basham Publisher: Barbour Fiction Release Date: September 1, 2021 Genre: Historical Christian Fiction
Will the magic of Christmas bring these two newlyweds closer together, or will the ghosts of the past lead them into a destructive discovery from which not even a Dickens’s Christmas can save them?
Mistletoe is beautiful and dangerous, much like the woman from Lord Frederick’s Percy’s past, so when he turns over a new leaf and arranges to marry for his estate, instead of his heart, he never expects the wrong bride to be the right choice. Gracelynn Ferguson never expected to take her elder sister’s place as a Christmas bride, but when she’s thrust into the choice, she will trust in her faithful novels and overactive imagination to help her not only win Frederick’s heart but also to solve the murder mystery of Havensbrook Hall before the ghosts from Frederick’s past ruin her fairytale future.
Book Review:
This was so much fun from the start and I am so glad that I got the chance to read it! The Mistletoes Countess is only the second book that I have read by Pepper Basham but I greatly enjoyed this book. This book was so much fun!
Grace was a joy to read about! She was a young girl, but she was so full of life. I liked reading about Grace as she learned how to be the wife of an earl and how to love her husband. She knew that love at first sight wasn’t really real, but she wanted to grow a relationship with her husband. She also wanted to help him find peace from his past. However helping her husband wasn’t without troubles, there were times where Grace felt so alone. But Grace had to learn how to trust that God had a plan for her and rest in his kindness. She had to learn that God would be with her even when she felt alone.
Frederick was a kind man, but he had grown up with so many doubts. He didn’t know how to believe in himself or really trust those around him. He had fallen so many times. It was sweet to read about Frederick falling in love with Grace and growing more hopeful as he saw the good in her. He wanted to protect his sweet little wife, and help her feel loved. However, Frederick will have to learn what it means to have Grace by his side and protect her, while they fight to uncover the secrets of his home. Frederick will have to learn that sometimes God gives gifts in the most unlikely of places.
Frederick and Grace had to work together to make their marriage work and protect each other. I was so intrigued by the plot and I didn’t want to put the book down. It had a lovely mix of romance and mystery. I adored the literary easter bunnies in this book. They were a wonderful addition to the story. The side characters were a lot of fun, Blake was such a good friend to Frederick.
The Mistletoe Countess was a wonderful book and I would definitely recommend it! The characters were engaging and the storyline was so interesting. I can’t wait to see what else Basham writes!
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher through Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, a positive review was not required.
Title: Hope Between the Pages Series: Doors to the Past Author: Pepper Basham Publisher: Barbour Fiction Release Date: April 1st , 2021 Genre: Historical Christian
Uncover the Story Behind a One-Hundred-Year-Old Love Letter
Visit historic American landmarks through the Doors to the Past series. History and today collide in stories full of mystery, intrigue, faith, and romance.
Clara Blackwell helps her mother manage a struggling one-hundred-year old family bookshop in Asheville, North Carolina, but the discovery of a forgotten letter opens a mystery of a long-lost romance and undiscovered inheritance which could save its future. Forced to step outside of her predictable world, Clara embarks on an adventure with only the name Oliver as a hint of the man’s identity in her great-great-grandmother’s letter. From the nearby grand estate of the Vanderbilts, to a hamlet in Derbyshire, England, Clara seeks to uncover truth about family and love that may lead to her own unexpected romance.
This was such a complex book and yet I found myself drawn in immediately. I don’t usually read books of this nature with the time splits, but I found it so very interesting. I wasn’t sure how this book would turn out, but it was really good. I had heard great things about Pepper Basham’s writing, so I knew that it would be a good book. Hope Between the Pages is written by Pepper Basham and it is the third book in the multiple author series, Doors to the Past.
It was so interesting to read where the two stories in the book were interconnecting. I really liked how the book was set up. It was easy to follow, and I kept on wanting to turn the pages. Clara and Sadie were such interesting characters, their lives were connected and yet they were years apart. Sadie was a servant girl who never expected to travel or make a difference in the world. But one surprising visitor changes everything and before she knows it her whole life has been changed. It had seemed like she had found her happiness, but life had a way of disrupting things. Clara was struggling to keep the family bookstore afloat, but when she is unable to find the deed to the bookstore, things go from bad to worse. She finds herself searching for answers regarding her great-grandmother Sadie and Sadie’s story that brought about the bookstore.
I liked how Sadie and Clara were so similar and yet they were their own persons. They had a lot going around them and at times looked like the world was stacked against them. But they overcame, they pushed on. I really liked both Clara and Sadie’s stories, I wanted to see what would happen and I was shocked by the evil of those around them.
This was such a great book! I would totally recommend it. It was different then I had expected and yet it was really good. I really enjoyed reading about Sadie as she tried to find her place in life and about Clara as she searched for the bookstore’s deed. I wanted them both to find their happy ending. All in all this was a wonderful book! Hope Between the Pages is a clean, Christian, historical fiction.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, I was not required to write a positive review.
About the Author
Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance peppered with grace and humor with southern Appalachian flair. Both her historical and contemporary novels have garnered recognition in the Grace Awards, Inspys, and ACFW Carol Awards. Her historical romance, The Thorn Healer, was a finalist in the 2018 RT Awards. Her historical romance novels, My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge and The Red Ribbon, and her contemporary novels, the Mitchell’s Crossroads and Pleasant Gap series, showcase her Appalachian heritage, as well as her love for humor and family. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of Asheville, NC where she is the mom of five great kids, a speech-language pathologist to about fifty more, and a lover of chocolate, jazz, hats, and Jesus.
More from Pepper
Books are a uniquely portable magic – Stephen King
Appalachia is known for having a high illiteracy rate. A place of beautiful scenery and rugged landscapes, the people of the mountains developed stories through oral storytelling much more than “book learning”. As a young girl growing up in this world, I loved hearing my granny share tales from up to five generations ago, filling in the narrative gaps between a birth date and a death date on a tombstone – giving flesh and breath to the stone-etched names.
It’s no surprise then, with a heart cultivated from rich oral stories, I fell in love with reading. Books became that “portable magic” that took me places my little Appalachian community couldn’t provide. I fell in love with the Boxcar Children and Nancy Drew. Wept through the end of Bridge to Terabithia and Old Yeller. Traveled to the plains with Sarah Plain and Tall and fell in love with horses with The Black Stallion. But when I was in seventh grade, I read my very first “British” novel, The Secret Garden. In that one introduction, my world expanded into mysterious English manor houses and British classics. Before long, I’d consumed Jane Eyre, Austen’s classics, some Dickens, Dracula, Frankenstein…and the list goes on! And then…I found Tolkien and Lewis – and the ‘real’ world swelled into OTHER worlds.
I’m grateful for true stories of book-loving pioneers traveling into the world of Appalachia to provide books and literacy training to “my people”, because I know some of those books made their way to my tiny elementary school library…and not only brought me the chance to discover stories, but to write them too!
Isn’t it amazing how books can do that?
In Hope Between the Pages, I wanted to bring the same awe and discovery I felt as a child (and continue to feel as an adult reader) to the story of two people whose words had seemed small. Stories stretched their worlds, but the stories also gave them wonderful imaginations and positive perspectives. It’s still amazing to me that ink-and-paper words can make such a lasting impact on hearts and minds. They can lead us to dream, teach us new things, encourage our hearts, help us to think outside the box, swell our imaginations, broaden our horizons, and encourage our hope.
Books are not a replacement for real adventures and relationships, but they certainly provide a beautiful “door” into other lives and worlds that we may never have a chance to experience in real life. Sadie, my historical heroine, and Clara, my contemporary heroine, both have kept close to home but traveled greatly through books…and BOTH are given the opportunity to reach beyond the bindings to discover real-life adventures. I’d like to think that their love for stories helped them have the courage to step away from the page and into their own tales even more prepared than they would have been without stories.
What are some of your favorite books you read as a child? Did any of them influence you to become a more avid reader?
Books and Everyday Life 