About the Book
Book: Loving Lydia
Author: Susan Pope Sloan
Genre: Christian Historical Romance
Release date: April 25, 2023
Two Southerners thrown together by the Union army. He’s on a quest for vengeance. She’s determined to preserve her family.
Lydia Gibson’s life is overturned when the Union Army invades her hometown and burns down the cotton mill where she and her stepdaughter worked. Even worse, she and the other workers are arrested and sent to Marietta, where they wait for the army to send them north.
Confederate Sergeant Seth Morgan finally reaches Marietta to check on his family, but the last thing he expects is to meet a woman who sparks attraction he thought he’d never feel again. Unfortunately, she’s a Yankee prisoner and being sent north to Louisville, Kentucky.
Seth is forced to return to his unit in Virginia, and he never anticipated their next meeting would be when he’s taken to Louisville as a prisoner. While Seth searches the Confederate ranks for the man who murdered his wife, Lydia implores him to ask after her missing nephew. Neither one expects just how far the search will take them, or what they’ll discover along the way.
My Thoughts
This book is the second book in the Rescued Hearts of the Civil War series and it is important to read the books in order. This book overlaps the events of the first book for a good portion of the book but from different points of view. It is helpful to have an understanding of what is happening and who the characters are by reading the books in order. It was interesting to see the events from different perspectives. For the most part, I enjoyed reading this book. Unfortunately, it contained one of my biggest pet peeves in historical fiction...the self serve grocery store before 1916. I am annoyed that writers continue to perpetuate the falsehood that people walked into the general store and just perused the aisles for what they wanted. This was not what happened until 1916 (and then it didn't immediately take effect in all grocery stores, either) Customers would give their list to the worker who would retrieve the items from shelves behind the counter and give them to the customer. I did appreciate the biblical faith thread and clear gospel message in the book.
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About the Author
Born into a family of storytellers, Susan Pope Sloan published her first articles in high school and continued writing sporadically for decades. Retirement provided the time to focus on writing and indulge her avid interest in history. Her Civil War series begins (and ultimately ends) in her home state of Georgia with references to lesser-known events of that period. She and husband Ricky live near Columbus where she participates in Word Weavers, ACFW, and Toastmasters
More from Susan
As a “pantser” when it comes to writing, I never know how the story will develop or which characters will demand more “stage” time. Lydia Gibson was always destined to be a main character, but I had no idea who would be her leading man. When Seth Morgan appeared in Rescuing Rose, I saw him only as an object to create tension between Rose and Noah. Then I learned how his wife died and knew he had to be rescued from his grief and anger. At first, I thought he might match up with Celeste, but it made more sense for him to be drawn to Lydia, who was a war widow. He was a fun protagonist as he loudly proclaimed his lack of interest in marrying again but always went out of his way to assist the women he met. Seth liked to create the illusion of being a tough fighter, but what he really wanted was someone to love and share his life. As Lydia struggled to overcome her poor self-image, Seth discovered his strength in following the path of peace.
Blog Stops
Texas Book-aholic, April 19
Karen Baney Reviews, April 19
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 20
Locks, Hooks and Books, April 21
Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, April 22 (Author Interview)
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, April 22
Connie’s History Classroom, April 23
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, April 24
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 25
For Him and My Family, April 26
Betti Mace, April 27
Holly’s Book Corner, April 28
Blossoms and Blessings , April 29
Pause for Tales, April 30
Simple Harvest Reads, May 1
Cover Lover Book Review, May 2
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Susan is giving away the grand prize of a $50 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/258b0/loving-lydia-celebration-tour-giveaway
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.
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