Author: Dora Hiers

Have You Read DARK ROAD HOME by Elizabeth Ludwig?

/ Dora Hiers / 6 Comments
Dark Road Home by
Elizabeth Ludwig

About the book~
The nightmares of her past have found Ana Kavanagh an ocean away.
Ana Kavanagh’s memories of Ireland are mostly of fire and pain. As a girl she survived a blaze that left her an orphan, left her scarred, and left her angry at God. Now in New York, Ana finds a kindred spirit in Eoghan Hamilton, who’s struggling with his own anger. His twin sister, Cara, betrayed him by falling in love with his enemy.

Cast aside by everyone, Eoghan hopes to rejoin the Fenians, an organization pushing for change back in Ireland, by securing information against Rourke, the man his sister married. Ana, Cara’s friend, may be his best source, and despite the attraction he feels, Eoghan determines to use the girl’s sweet nature to his advantage.

Adding to the danger is a specter from Eoghan’s own past, one whose thirst for vengeance knows no bounds. Eoghan must choose which road to follow–bitterness or forgiveness–and where to finally place his trust.

My Summary…
Irish immigrants Ana Kavanagh and Eoghan Hamilton both vowed never to cross the threshold of a church again, but for different reasons. Beaten and bruised by the Fenians and bitter over his sister’s betrayal, Eoghan wakes, gazing up at a steeple, robbed of his last coin. Father Ed offers a meal in exchange for some work around the church. Ana blames God for the fire that ravaged her home, killing her mother and sister, and leaving her an orphan far away from her home. When Ana’s friend practically drags her to the church to help feed the women and children staying in the mission, Ana discovers Eoghan’s identity. While Eoghan barters to get back in the good graces of the Fenians, Ana hopes to reunite Eoghan with his sister. Neither of them are aware of the rippling effect one circumstance has on the other.  

My Review…

Typically, I’m not a huge history buff, but the author did a great job sparking my interest in 19th century life for Irish immigrants living in New York. 

As circumstances brought Eoghan and Ana together, each had to decide whether to stay bitter or forgive. This was especially true for Eoghan. Faced with a life or death situation, he was forced to choose who to trust. Their faith journey was totally realistic and organic to the story.

What an interesting, intense plot with layers of depth! This isn’t a book you’ll breeze through in a couple of hours. I savored it over a few nights, soaking up the history and the author’s delightful way with words. This was a new author to me, and I’ll definitely be keeping abreast of future books by Elizabeth Ludwig!

To note…

I definitely recommend reading the first book in the series, No Safe Harbor, before Dark Road Home. The plot started with No Safe Harbor and continues, I suspect all the way through the third book in the series. Also, had I read No Safe Harbor first, I believe that my questions about the Fenians would have been resolved sooner. 


Purchase Link

Disclaimer: Sending a big thank you to Elizabeth Ludwig and Bethany House Publishers  for providing me with an advance review copy of Dark Road Home. The opinions expressed in this review are my own, and I received no monetary compensation.

Have you read Dark Road Home? 
Do you agree with my review? What were your thoughts?
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Have you read FIRED UP by Mary Connealy?

/ Dora Hiers / 2 Comments
Fired Up
Purchase Link

About the book~Fired Up, Trouble in Texas Book 2

Dare Riker is a doctor who saves lives, but someone seems determined to end his. It may have something to do with the traitors he dealt with during the Civil War, or it might be related to the recent incident with Flint Greer and the ranch. Whoever the culprit is, he or she seems really fired up, and Dare can’t let his guard down for a moment, which is a challenge, since right now he’s trying to win the heart of the recently widowed Glynna.

Glynna Greer came west as a mail-order bride and ended up in a bad situation. Now her husband, Flint, is dead, and she’s determined to care for her son and daughter on her own. She wants to believe Dare Riker is as decent as he seems, but she’s terrified to lock herself into another marriage. She plans to support her small family by opening a diner–never mind that cooking is not her greatest talent. The men in Broken Wheel, Texas, are so desperate for home cooking that they seem willing to overlook dried-out beef and blackened biscuits.

Glynna can’t help but notice that danger follows Dare wherever he goes. There’s the avalanche. And then the fire. But things really get out of hand when someone plunges a knife from Glynna’s diner into Dare’s back. Are Flint’s cronies still plotting revenge? Is Glynna’s son engaged in a misguided attempt to protect his mother? Is a shadowy outsider still enraged over past injustices? And can Dare survive long enough to convince Glynna to take another chance on love?


My summary~
Feeling like a fraud because of his lack of schooling, Dare Riker isn’t convinced he’s supposed to be a doctor. Glynna and the rest of the town know that he’s the closest thing to a doctor Broken Wheel will ever have. Dare saved Glynna from the rough treatment of her deceased husband, and his heart’s set on marrying her, but Glynna promised her son she’d not marry again without his blessing. When danger strikes Dare more than once, he can only hope it’s not Glynna’s son intent on killing him.

My opinion…

Glynna wasn’t the typical Connealy heroine: headstrong, gun-toting, and a ‘save the hero from himself’ kinda gal, but she wasn’t weak, either. After surviving her second husband’s abuse, she was determined not to marry again and to make it on her own. She opened a diner, but couldn’t cook, and I enjoyed a twist from the normal stereotype.

I also loved how the author set up the chemistry between Vince and Tina, secondary characters. I’m hoping that’s because Vince and Tina’s story is up next in the Trouble in Texas series. 🙂

Sparks always fly in a Connealy novel, and you’re guaranteed a few laughs. This one was no different. A theme of forgiveness weaves throughout the book so naturally, it’s seamless and as essential to the plot as the romance. I enjoyed a few hours reconnecting with Glynna and Dare, and I can’t wait to read Connealy’s next Romantic Comedy with Cowboys. Will it feature Vince and Tina?


Purchase Link

Disclaimer: Sending a big thank you to Bethany House Publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance review copy of Fired Up. The opinions expressed in this review are my own, and I received no monetary compensation.

Have you read Fired Up? 
Do you agree with my review? What were your thoughts?
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Lynn Chandler-Willis shares Chocolate Raspberry Dessert and The Rising

/ Dora Hiers / 5 Comments
Chocolate Raspberry Dessert
Chocolate Raspberry Dessert
Submitted by Lynn Chandler-Willis

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 stick (½ cup) butter or margarine, softened
¼ tsp baking powder
4 eggs
1 ½ cups (16oz can) Hersey’s Syrup            
Raspberry Cream Center (recipe follows)
Chocolate Glaze (recipe follows)

1) Heat oven to 350F. Grease 13x9x2 inch baking pan
2) Combine flour, sugar, butter, baking powder and eggs in large bowl; beat until smooth. Add syrup; blend thoroughly. Pour batter into prepared pan.
3) Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack. Spread Raspberry Cream Center on cake. Cover and refrigerate. Pour Chocolate Glaze over chilled dessert. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour before serving.
Raspberry Cream Center: Combine 2 cups powdered sugar, ½ cup (1 stick) softened butter or margarine, ¼ cup raspberry preserves, and 1 tsp. Water in small bowl. Beat until smooth.
Chocolate Glaze: Melt 6tbs, butter or margarine and 1 cup Hershey’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips in small saucepan over very low heat. Remove from heat; stir until smooth. Cool slightly.

Mmmm. This sounds and looks yummy! Thanks for sharing the recipe, Lynn. Now how about telling us a little about your latest Pelican Book Group release, The Rising?
The Rising
Purchase Link

A little boy, beaten and left to die in an alley. A cop with a personal life out of control. When their worlds collide, God intervenes. Detective Ellie Saunders’s homicide investigation takes a dramatic turn when a young victim “wakes up” in the morgue. The child has no memory prior to his “rising” except walking with his father along a shiny road. Ellie likes dealing with facts. She’d rather leave all the God-talk to her father, a retired minister, and to her partner, Jesse, a former vice cop with an annoying habit of inserting himself into her life. But will the facts she follows puts Ellie’s life in mortal danger? And will she finally allow God into her heart forever?

Excerpt:

“Jack told me you were at lunch. Caper’s is one of my favorites, so I thought I’d take a chance.” He winked at her then sidled closer. “Anyway, I was thinking about your dead kid—“

“He’s not dead.”

A waitress slammed a sandwich down in front of Ellie, and Jesse helped himself to a homemade chip.

“OK, so he’s not dead. You have sent his picture to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children?”

She huffed. “Did Jack send you?”

“No, Jack didn’t send me. I was just thinking if the center didn’t get a hit, I’ve got a few connections with the FBI, and they’ve got some really cool equipment.”

Ellie pulled a piece of bacon from her sandwich and chewed on one end. “Thanks, but no thanks. I really don’t want the Feds involved.”

Jesse snatched another chip and shook his head. “No black suit with shades is going to swoop in and take your case, Detective Saunders.” He grinned and helped himself to another chip. “I thought we could get them to run his picture through the facial recognition scanner. Maybe we’ll get a hit.”

What was with all the we stuff? The case was complicated enough. The last thing she needed was Jesse involved. She didn’t need a constant reminder of her downward spiral.


Sound great? Yeah, I think so, too. You can scoop it up and read the rest by purchasing The Rising here. 

Meet Lynn Chandler-Willis

Lynn Chandler-Willis has worked in the corporate world (hated it!), the television news business (fun job) and the newspaper industry (not a fan of the word “apparently” and phrase “according to”). She keeps coming back to fiction because she likes making stuff up and you just can’t do that in the newspaper or television news business.

She was born, raised, and continues to live in the heart of North Carolina within walking distance to her kids and their spouses and her nine grandchildren. She shares her home, and heart, with Sam the cocker spaniel.

She is the author of the best-selling true crime book, Unholy Covenant. The Rising is her debut novel.

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