Review of Courting Miss Adelaide and Free Book

COURTING MISS ADELAIDE

Back Cover Blurb

The “orphan train” seemed like small-town spinster Adelaide Crum’s last chance to know the simple joys of family life. So many lost children, every one of them dreaming only of a caring home—the home she longed to offer. And yet the narrow-minded town elders refused to entrust even the most desperate child to a woman alone….

Newspaperman Charles Graves believed his heart was closed forever, but he swore to stand by this lovely, lonely woman who was fighting for the right to take some motherless child into her heart. And her gentle soul and unwavering faith made him wonder if even he could overcome the bitter lessons of the past, and somehow find the courage to love….

****4 1/2 Stars, Romantic Times BOOK reviews

Sabrina Here

(I can't get my book links to work right now...I'll load them later)

It was such a thrill to see Courting Miss Adelaide on the bookshelf at the store the other day. The author, Janet Dean, is a fellow Hoosier and member of our local Indiana ACFW chapter. I’ve heard Janet speak about the book for the last couple years so I knew it was coming out last month, but honestly wasn’t sure I’d pick it up since it’s a historical.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love historicals. Cut my teeth on Christian Fiction with Historicals. Mainly because that’s all that was offered back in the day. Anyway, even though I like them, I seldom buy them…especially the shorter ones. Mostly because I don’t find a lot of authors that can find a happy medium between enough and too many details. I think historicals are unique in that we really need superior imagery to see the scenes.

With contemporary novels we can see the scenes because it’s so familiar.

So I was both excited and uneasy to pick up Janet’s book the other night.

Though the cover was so lovely that I found it almost impossible to walk by. LOL.

The story opens with the lovely spinster, Adelaide Crum, trying to convince the stuffy elders of the town to allow her to adopt an orphaned girl. She’s a well-respected storeowner, specializing in lovely hats, and feels she can offer the child a promising future.

Not surprising they reject her request and send her home brokenhearted. Adelaide refuses to give up hope and continues to pray for a child. She sees one girl on the platform when the orphan train comes to town that she immediately connects with. When the little girl and her brother are sent to live with a family that Adelaide feels will mistreat them, she’s furious

and impassioned to find a way to save these children.

Without giving away too much of the story, I’ll say that the suspense in the book is very well done. Not just a romance story by any means. The way Janet intermingled the romance between Adelaide and Charles beautiful and kept me turning the pages. The backstory of Charles’ childhood was so touching and well written that I could believe the conflict that separated the two main characters and could understand the reluctance

of Charles to get involved with Miss Crum or her God.

I read the story in one long evening and am eager to read the next installment from Janet. Courting the Doctors Daughter. I loved Janet’s writing and can imagine we’ll be

seeing quite a bit from her in the future. :)

Leave me a comment about why you’d like to read the book and

I’ll draw a name for a copy in the next few days. :)

The second book in the Courting series, Courting the Doctor’s

Daughter will release in May 2009.

ABOUT JANET

Janet grew up in a family that cherished the past and had a strong creative streak. Her Social Studies/Art teacher father was a storyteller, like his father. The yarns her father and grandfather told instilled in Janet a love of the past and the desire to tell stories on paper. At twelve Janet wrote her first “novels,” even illustrating her little books, but when it came time to choose a career, she wanted to teach.

Janet attended Indiana University and graduated with a BS in Education. She married her college sweetheart, then taught first grade before leaving teaching to rear two daughters. During those early years together, Janet and her husband found the church they still attend, joined Bible studies and developed a love of scripture and a closer walk with God.

As her daughters grew, Janet joined them in front of the television set to watch Little House on the Prairie. Janet read books that reawakened her love of American history and the tales of the strong men and women of faith who built this country. She volunteered in her daughters’ schools, taught Sunday school at her church, and pursued creative hobbies until one day she could no longer ignore her girlhood dream of being a writer. As soon as she put pen to paper, she knew she was meant to write historical romances.

Only later did she understand her fiction could also honor God, and

she eagerly turned to Inspirational historical romance.

Janet’s journey toward publication took nine exciting, sometimes painful years

of learning her craft and dealing with rejection. Her stories of maintaining faith in trying circumstances show the power of God to strengthen families. Fascinated by history and the role of strong women in our nation's past, Janet brings both together in her faith-based love stories. Two of her manuscripts were 2005 and 2006 Golden Heart finalists. One of those manuscripts was a 2006 Genesis finalist. Today Janet writes inspirational historical romances for Steeple Hill.