Saturday, August 10, 2019

Jessie & James by Jennifer Beckstrand


About the Book



Book: Jessie and James  
Author: Jennifer Beckstrand  
Genre: Western Historical Inspirational Romance  
Release Date: July 24, 2019

Jessie Madsen has her hands full helping her parents run their small farm and boarding house while every fortune-seeker in the country seems to be flocking to her small town in search of gold. It’s bad enough that claim jumpers won’t quit trespassing on her property, but geologist James Kelsey, mildly intriguing and surprisingly handsome for an Easterner, seems more interested in her than the mining business. Jessie is certain she doesn’t have the time or the need for a man, and after getting her heart broken, she has resolved never to fall for an outsider again. Add stolen cash, a fast-talking con man, and a pair of bandits, and Jessie is indeed up to her eyeballs in trouble.

Will she soften her rock-hard exterior and let the geologist discover the hidden treasure in her heart?


 
Click HERE to grab your copy!







My Review

I enjoyed this departure from the usual Amish fiction that our author gives us, and her historical fiction certainly matches her quality we find in her Amish novels. I found the gold mining west to be an exciting, perilous backdrop and very well described and researched. I found both Jessie and James to have endearing qualities, yet each be totally unique and gutsy in their own way while still being relatable. I enjoyed the thread of faith we read throughout the book and themes of redemption and hope. I found the plot to be a nice steady pace, and the romance to blossom beautifully among some fun to read rough and tumble action. I felt the emotion and the realities of living in this time in the gold mining country were really well conveyed so that I felt a part of the story. Overall, I recommend this book for those looking for a sweet but complex historical romance, enjoy a well-done historical backdrop, or are looking for an inspirational fiction.

I received a complimentary copy of this book, and all opinions given are entirely my own. 



About the Author



Jennifer Beckstrand is the two-time RITA-nominated, #1 Amazon bestselling Amish romance author of The Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hillseries, The Honeybee Sistersseries, and The Petersheim Brothersseries for Kensington Books. Huckleberry Summer and Home on Huckleberry Hill were both nominated for the coveted RITA® Award from Romance Writers of America. Jennifer has always been drawn to the strong faith and the enduring family ties of the Plain people and loves writing about the antics of Anna and Felty Helmuth, the Honeybee sisters’ aendiBitsy, and Alfie and Benji Petersheim. Jennifer has written twenty-one Amish romances, a historical Western, and the nonfiction book, Big Ideas. She and her husband have been married for thirty-four years, and she has six children and seven adorable grandchildren, whom she spoils rotten.


More from Jennifer

Jessie and James is my first published Western historical novel, and I couldn’t be more excited. The first book I ever wrote was a historical Western, and I’ve been wanting to write another one for ten years. (That first Western is still hanging around my house somewhere. I might decide to publish it next. J) For my research, I traveled to a real mining town about two hours from my house. Yes, it really is named Eureka, and it was a boomtown in the 1880s, the period in which my book is set. I met an old-timer in Eureka who told me some fascinating stories about mining then and now. Did you know that you may own the ground your house sits on, but you only own it to sixty feet deep? So a mining company can come in and dig a mine right under your house, and it’s perfectly legal. Many mines were dug straight down or in any direction that would get them to ore faster. In the 1880s in Eureka, often they’d dig straight down using only picks, shovels, and dynamite. A plumb bob was utilized to make sure their tunnels were straight up and down. They usually dug down 600 feet then drifted horizontally a couple hundred feet, then dug down again. Some mines went deeper than 1800 feet. Nowadays, there aren’t many mines that deep. They’re more dangerous, so they’re too expensive to insure. In Jessie and James, James is an ex-cowboy turned geologist looking for gold. Jessie is a feisty, independent woman who runs a boarding house with her parents and thinks Eureka needs a little more fire-and-brimstone preaching to keep the incorrigible miners in line. Jessie doesn’t want anything to do with a gold digger, and she’s willing to use her shotgun to run James off. But James doesn’t scare that easy, especially when the woman on the other end of that shotgun might turn out to be the love of his life. Jessie and James is full of shotguns, bandits, and heart-stopping romance. Don’t miss it!




Blog Stops




Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Jennifer is giving away a $10 Amazon gift card to two winners!!
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/e57b/jessie-and-james-celebration-tour-giveaway

17 comments:

  1. I'm a sucker for a good romance, and I've always loved the Old West, so this looks really good!

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  2. Thank you for your wonderful review. This cover says so much about Jesse. I would love to read it.

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    1. Thanks for reading! I loved the cover as well!

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  3. Thank you for sharing your review and the book and author info. This sounds like a wonderful read.

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  4. Thank you so much for having me on your blog today. I am so glad you enjoyed Jessie and James. I really enjoyed doing the research on mining towns and the Old West. I hope everybody falls in love with Jessie and James.

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  5. This sounds like a very good read, and the cover is Beautiful! Thank you for sharing your review and the author information . Have a Great weekend. God Bless you. I will be adding it to my TBR list.

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    1. I also loved the cover. Thanks for reading!

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  6. I appreciate you taking the time to give us a great book description and giveaway as well. Thank you so much!

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  7. Love Jennifer's books. They are all so good!

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