Day 1: The Hesitant Heiress & The Bound Heart by Dawn Crandall (@dawnwritesfirst)




I've been waiting on this day for some time! What day is this, you ask? It's the day I share a lovely event on my blog with you on The Everstone Chronicles by Dawn Crandall.  I know, I've done spotlights on this series before, but today and tomorrow, I get to share with you my thoughts and my dream cast.  And wrap it all up in an exclusive interview with Dawn herself, along with a nice little giveaway, courtesy of Dawn! Are you excited?!!!

                                                                                                                                                                            

Title:  The Hesitant Heiress, Book 1 of The Everstone Chronicles
Author: Dawn Crandall
Publisher: Whitaker House
Release Date: September 8, 2015

ABOUT THE BOOK

After being unjustly expelled from the Boston Conservatory of Music, Amaryllis Brigham sees her dreams of founding a music academy in her hometown of Seattle, Washington, disappearing before her very eyes. Now, the only way to achieve her goal comes with high stakes for someone set on avoiding men as much as possible: Marry within the year to inherit the immense fortune of her estranged grandmother. Amaryllis reluctantly moves in to her aunt’s Boston home and rubs shoulders with fashionable society. Despite her own misgivings, she soon finds herself quickly falling in love with the most unlikely of men—Nathan Everstone, whose family is linked to her mother’s tragic death. However, Nathan turns out to be much more than he seems… and everything she never knew she wanted. But can she ever really trust an Everstone man?

- 2015 winner of the Birmingham Romance Writers of America Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence
- 2015 winner of the Romance Writers of America Chapter Hearts Through History Romancing the Novel Contest for the Inspirational category
- 2015 winner of the Wisconsin Romance Writers of America Write Touch Readers' Award for the Inspirational category
- 2015 finalist in the ACFW Carol Awards in the Debut Novel category
- 2013 semi-finalist in the ACFW Genesis Awards (pre-published)
- 2013 semi-finalist in the Clash of the Titles Olympia Contest (pre-published) 


                                                                                                                                                                            

MY THOUGHTS

"Is not general incivility the very essence of love?" 
- Jane Austen, Pride & Prejudice

Now, imagine how you felt when you read some of Jane Austen's novels, the misunderstood leading man or how the wit and disbelief of our heroine created wonderful dialogue between them.  Well, you'll find a good amount of that in Dawn Crandall's The Hesitant Heiress of The Everstone Chronicles series.  The Hesitant Heiress drew me in, first with its beautiful cover, and then with her description of high society in the late 1800s, giving readers a glimpse into the world of aristocrats and ladies in search of a husband. (Does that not remind you of a certain quote from Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice).  However, the true heart-clutching aspects was the love between Nathan Everstone and Amaryllis Brigham. It took me a little more time for me to love Amaryllis (she's so bent on not believing anything Nathan says!!!!), but her wit throughout finally took hold. With Nathan, it's a different story. His brooding good looks, intense stares, and tongue-and-cheeky comments had done its magic - if not on Amaryllis, definitely on me.  In truth, the animated banters with moments of steamy interactions (in a clean romantic sense) created a world that is only Nathan and Amaryllis, and you as the reader looking on.  O, beautiful is just an understatement. 
"What do you think you're doing?"  I was still helpless to move, let alone breathe.  His strong hands encircled my wait, pulling me close. "I believe I'm finally going to kiss you." 
MY DREAM CAST
To me, my dream cast doesn't always have to fit the physical description of the character, but the essence of what I see in their expressions. 
Shailene Woodley as Amaryllis & Chace Crawford as Nathan
"How is it that you can take everything I've ever said to you and twist it around until it seems I meant something entirely different?" 
NOTE:  I received a copy of this book for an honest review.  All opinions expressed are my own. For my review policy, please see my Disclosure page.

TO PURCHASE A COPY

      

                                                                                                                                                                            

Title:  The Bound Heart, Book 2 of The Everstone Chronicles
Author: Dawn Crandall
Publisher: Whitaker House
Release Date: October 6, 2015

ABOUT THE BOOK

One accidental kiss from Lawry Hampton. That was all it took to throw Meredyth Summercourt’s world upside-down. Determined to marry the ever-elusive Vance Everstone, she simply doesn’t have the time or the desire to fall for her best friend. But Vance is out of the country, and Lawry is at her side nearly every day, teaching her what the world is like through the eyes of a little orphan girl named Wynn. Now Meredyth can’t deny that what’s holding her to Vance is nothing more than a desire to redeem herself from her past. Will she marry Vance once he returns from Europe? Or will she be strong enough to break free from the tangled web she’s convinced she deserves, and accept that God’s plan for her life includes redemption...and, quite possibly, Lawry Hampton?

- 2015 Over All Winner of the Clash of the Titles Laurel Award
- 2012 semi-finalists in the ACFW Genesis Contest (pre-published)

                                                                                                                                                                            

MY THOUGHTS

"The desire to create such joy in someone's heart, I realized, threatened to be quite contagious." 

How does Dawn Crandall do it? How does she write another novel that tops what I felt about Nathan & Amaryllis in The Hesitant Heiress.  Well, she sure did, in the second novel of The Everstone Chronicles series, The Bound Heart.  Where do I start? How about with the characters?! Meredyth first appeared in The Hesitant Heiress and I was drawn to her independence and confidence. In The Bound Heart, we see the same traits, but you also see her vulnerabilities and her truest and deepest emotions. And I love her (character) even more because of it, that is not to say I agree with everything her character does or does not do.  Next, lets talk about Lawry. *Deep sigh. Now that is a man, a character that deserves every bit of love and admiration you can feel.  O, I'm a fan of the mischievous and misunderstood heroes in a novel like good Mr. Darcy and of course, Nathan Everstone. Yet, it is Lawry that fully demonstrated what love is - unconditional love in all areas. Love that we read in novels, love that we see in movies, but in all, the love that our God grant us - unconditional, free of debt, free willed and the choice to make on our own. My heart ached for his pain, respected his patience for Meredyth's returned affections (romantically), and esteemed in his genuine goodness and compassion for the less fortunate.  His interactions with Wynn was loving and doting.  His love for Meredyth was all giving. His loyalty to his friends are praise-worthy. His love for God, insightful.  He's not perfect. He is not a weak character in any sense, but one that I can fall in love over and over again.  

"God loves you...and He wants to use your abilities to bless others as well as yourself...Even if you don't feel useful, you can be. Quite easily, even." 

Besides the characters, the storyline gives you much to look forward to as well. Questions raised from the very beginning, and you won't want to stop until those questions are fully answered.  And even when you've finished the last page, you wish for more, not because there's no closure. It's because you want to continue your observance of the society and family that surrounds these characters you've grown to love. With twists and turns till the very end, you'll have your eyes full. 
"As I melted into his warm embrace, I lifted my chin just a fraction of an inch in an effort to look up and smile.  However, as my nose grazed his jaw, he leaned forward ever so slightly and pressed his lips to mine, infusing my mouth with the taste of peppermint...Suddenly, I was having such a difficult time keeping my senses straight..."

Everything I loved about The Hesitant Heiress, from settings to characters to steamy kisses and storyline, I found it in The Bound Heart.  It confirmed my belief in Dawn's writings, and how ardently I've fallen for The Everstone Chronicles and every one of its characters, good or bad. 


MY DREAM CAST
To me, my dream cast doesn't always have to fit the physical description of the character, but the essence of what I see in their expressions. 

Emma Watson as Meredyth & Josh Hutcherson as Lawry

I want to say that from the first mentioned of "Meredyth", I've envisioned Emma Watson, and getting to know her better after reading The Bound Heart, I'm even more certain of my casting of her.  And Josh will be great as the sweet, loyal and strong Lawry.

"You're a Christian, Meredyth. You're already free from the bondages of sin.  All you have to do is claim your freedom." 

NOTE:  I received a copy of this book for an honest review.  All opinions expressed are my own. For my review policy, please see my Disclosure page.

TO PURCHASE A COPY

      


Don't forget to come back tomorrow for Day 2 of The Everstone Chronicles 3-Day event!

                                                                                                                                                                            


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A graduate of Taylor University with a degree in Christian Education, and a former bookseller at Barnes & Noble, Dawn Crandall didn’t begin writing until 2010. That is the year she shared with her husband her long-time dream of writing books. He encouraged her to quit her job and to pursue her passion to write stories. Apart from writing books, Dawn also recently became a mother—she and her husband were blessed with a baby boy in March 2014. She also serves with her husband in a premarriage mentor program at their local church in Fort Wayne, Indiana.   

Dawn is a member of Romance Writers of America, American Christian Fiction Writers, secretary for the Indiana ACFW Chapter (Hoosier Ink), and associate member of the Great Lakes ACFW Chapter. Dawn is represented by Joyce Hart of Hartline Literary.

CONNECT WITH DAWN:  website,  facebook,  twitter,  pinterest,  email,  a passion for pages blog

                                                                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                                            

Thank you for reading my posts. For full blog information and links to giveaways, head over to the blog: http://justcommonly.blogspot.com.

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