Friday, February 1, 2019

"On the Rails" by Linda Shenton Matchett --Book Review, Blog Tour, and Giveaway

About the Book

On the RailsTitle: On the Rails
Author: Linda Shenton Matchett
Genre: Historical Romance
Release date: February 6, 2017
Warren, Ohio, 1910: Katherine Newman loves being a teacher, but she loves Henry Jorgensen more, which is why she’s willing to give up her job to marry him. But instead of proposing, Henry breaks up with her. Devastated, Katherine seeks to escape the probing eyes and wagging tongues of her small town. A former Harvey Girl, Katherine’s mother arranges for Katherine to be hired at the Williams, Arizona Harvey House. Can she carve out a new life in the stark desert land unlike anything she’s ever known?

Henry Jorgensen loves Katherine with all his heart, but as the eldest son of a poor farmer can he provide for her as she deserves? The family’s lien holder calls in the mortgage, and Henry must set aside his own desires in order to help his parents meet their financial obligation. But when Katherine leaves town after their break up, he realizes he’s made the biggest mistake of his life. Can he find her and convince her to give their love a second chance?
My Thoughts

I enjoyed reading "On the Rails". I found the historical details interesting and while I'd heard the term "Harvey Girl", I didn't know anything about them and I want to learn more about the Harvey Girls now. The faith thread was very apparent and the gospel and way of salvation is clearly given. I was sometimes frustrated with Henry and Katherine and wanted to just tell them to talk to each other and they'd realize that what they assumed the other was thinking was wrong. I enjoyed seeing the characters grow and mature.

About the Author

Linda MatchettLinda Shenton Matchett is an author, speaker, and history geek. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, she was born a stone’s throw from Fort McHenry and has lived in historic places all her live. Linda is a member of ACFW, RWA, and Sisters in Crime. She is a volunteer docent at the Wright Museum of WWII and a trustee for her local public library.

Guest Post from Linda

My husband and I were fortunate to be able to take a trip to Arizona several years ago. Having been born and raised on the east coast, I was enamored with the distinctive beauty of the state, from the saguaro cacti of Phoenix and red rocks of Sedona to the volcanic landscape of Flagstaff and multi-colored bands of the Grand Canyon.
But what intrigued me just as much as the area’s beauty were the stories about the women who migrated to the state to work for the Fred Harvey Company. Upon our arrival at the Grand Canyon we came upon the El Tovar Hotel, one of the few remaining Harvey Houses. We were given a bit of literature explaining the history of Mr. Harvey and his restaurants, and the more I read, the more I wanted to know.
As it turns in the late 1800s, food was not available to travelers riding the railroad lines, so when the trains made extended stops, passengers would get off and eat at the restaurants located near the stations. From all reports, the dining experience was sketchy at best, with frequent stories of indigestion and food poisoning.
Enter English immigrant and restauranteur, Fred Harvey. Securing a contract with the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, he began with two facilities. However, finding reliable employees proved to be difficult. A high percentage of the employees (all men) would use their paycheck to purchase liquor and then did not return to work for several days. At his wits end, Fred decided to hire women to act as his waitresses, but the concept was a tough sell. The only women in the hospitality industry worked in saloons and had scandalous reputations.
Fred set up dormitories overseen by a House Mothers and implemented a set of rules that included curfews, restrictions on dating, and dress codes. He ran advertisements in the large east coast newspapers. It was not long before candidates came knocking. The reasons they gave for wanting to be a Harvey Girl were as diverse as the girls. Some were looking for adventure, others needed to help fill the family coffers, while a number of them needed to get out of difficult situations ranging from domestic abuse to failed engagements.
Thanks to Fred and his restaurants, most of the 100,000 Harvey Girls found financial stability, confidence, happiness, and/or love. It is my hope that On The Rails commemorates these gals and their intrepid spirits.

Blog Stops

Mary Hake, February 1
Bibliophile ReviewsFebruary 2
Texas Book-aholic, February 3
Janices book reviewsFebruary 5
The Mimosa Blossom, February 6
Moments, February 9
Vicky Sluiter, February 10
Carpe Diem, February 11
Godly Book Reviews, February 12
margaret kazmierczak, February 12 (Interview)
Maureen’s Musings, February 13
BigreadersiteFebruary 13

Giveaway

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To celebrate her tour, Linda is giving away a grand prize of a $25 Amazon gift card!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/d8a4/on-the-rails-celebration-tour-giveaway

"On the Rails" is available in paperback:
  • Paperback: 106 pages
  • Publisher: Linda Shenton Matchett (February 7, 2017)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0998526517
  • ISBN-13: 978-0998526515
  • Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.2 x 9 inches

and in Kindle edition:
  • File Size: 985 KB
  • Print Length: 130 pages
  • Publication Date: February 6, 2017
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B01MUYAGU3

I got a free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own and given voluntarily. No compensation was received for my review. 

5 comments:

Linda Matchett said...

Thanks for being part of my tour, and I'm glad you enjoyed the book. To your point - open dialogue would solve most problems, wouldn't it!?

Dianna said...

I don't know what a Harvey Girl is. Love when reading teaches me something new!

Vivian Furbay said...

I have heard about the Harvey girls and read a couple of fictional books about them. This sounds like a good one. Vivian Furbay jtandviv(at)q(dot)com

Marisela Zuniga said...

This sounds like an interesting book! Thank you for sharing

Debbie P said...

This book sounds like a really interesting read and it is on top of my TBR list.