I am honored to launch the opening day of a blog tour today for
Marsha Ward's latest book,
Gone for a Soldier. There are a number of great prizes you can win by entering in the Rafflecopter below. It looks to be a great blog tour!
If you are not familiar with Marsha (you should be!), she is an AMAZING woman. Here is a quick bio I have adapted from her website: Marsha Ward is an award-winning freelance writer and editor
who has published over 900 articles, columns, poems and short stories. She works
with other writers as a mentor, creative consultant, editor, workshop
presenter, contest judge, coach, and teacher. In 1986 she founded American
Night Writers Association, Inc. (also know as
ANWA), a network for women
writers of the LDS faith. Other books by Marsha include 1-
The Man from Shenandoah, 2-
Ride to Raton, 3-
Trail of Storms, and 4-
Spinster's Folly.
From the back of the book:
"Rulon Owen loves two things more than life--his country and Mary Hilbrands.
"When Virginia secedes from the Union, Rulon enlists, and finds himself
fighting foes both in battle and in his own camp. He struggles to stay
alive against all odds, with a knife-wielding tent-mate and a Union army
that seems impossible to defeat. It will take every ounce of vigilance
he has to survive and, with a little luck, he might make it home to his
wife and the son he's never seen.
"Forced to live with her
parents for the duration, Mary faces a battle for independence. With a
mother whispering that her husband won't come home to her and a son who
needs her to be both father and mother, Mary has to dig deep for
strength to overcome her overwhelming loneliness and the unknown future
ahead.
"Separated by war and circumstance, Rulon and Mary discover that not all enemies wear the Union blue."
Gone for a Soldier is a prequel to The Owen Family Saga books (listed above). It tells the stories of two brothers, Rulon and Benjamin, as they fall in love, fight in the Civil War, and heal from mental and physical injuries. Although Rulon and his wife, Mary, are the main characters, Ben and Ella Ruth also feature prominently. The story reveals the deep sacrifices families made to fight the war. Although the nation was temporarily torn apart during the Civil Wat, the Owens family was permanently scarred from the four-year ordeal.
The family/interpersonal relationships were my favorite part of Gone for a Soldier. (Yes, I will forever be a Communications professor!) I loved how the Owen parents sacrificed for their children and how they pulled together in times of difficulty. The pregnancy (and ensuing motherhood) Mary goes through while her husband is away at war was especially touching as she had to reach out to her mother-in-law for assistance. And the love and brotherhood the Owen men had for each other while on the battlefields was heartwarming.
Although technically Gone for a Soldier is historical fiction, it could also be categorized as a romance. Marsha's research on the various battles of the Civil War adds amazing insights I wish my high school American History teacher would have taught (e.g., the use of conscription by the Confederate army). While the family plot lines kept me reading (I particularly loved the character of Mary), the historical research added a level of depth I greatly appreciated.
At 308 pages, Gone for a Soldier is Marsha's longest book yet (I believe). It was published by WestWard Books.
To see additional reviews of Gone for a Soldier, drop on in to the other sites participating in the blog tour!
October 6 www.melaniemasonauthor.blogspot.com
October 6 http://jaletaclegg.blogspot.com/
October 7 http://sbkbooksandmore.wix.com/s-and-n-books-
October 7 julkbearreads.wordpress.com
October 7 http://www.wishfulendings.com/
October 8 http://debraerfert.blogspot.com
October 8 http://mybookfairy.blogspot.com/
October 8 http://www.readingreneereviews.com
October 9 www.saslack.com
October 9 https://www.facebook.com/ShirleysBookshelf
October 9 http://bookgeekreviews.com/
October 10 http://donnakweaver.com
October 10 http://pennybrojacquie.wordpress.com/
October 10 http://semishort.blogspot.com/
October 11 https://www.facebook.com/PageByPageInsideOutReviewsandPromotion?ref=br_tf
October 11 http://thepleasureofreadingtoday.blogspot.com/
October 11 http://stephaniesaysso.blogspot.com/
October 12 http://authorcandyodonnell.blogspot.com/
October 12 http://moniquebucheger.blogspot.com/
October 12 janmmartin.blogspot.com
Full Disclosure: I was issued an ARC of Gone For a Soldier in exchange for my honest review and participation in the blog tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
