Today I'm welcoming Gifford MacShane and her book - The Woodsman's Rose (Donovan Family saga book 2) - to my blog as part of the blog tour hosted by The Coffee Pot Book Club (founded by Mary Anne Yarde)
The Woodsman's Rose
1880s Arizona
Daniel Donovan wants nothing more than to get married, unless it's to restore his friendship with his closest friend, Alec Twelve Trees.
Alec is raging about his mother's murderer, whose identity Daniel knows but will not reveal, as the killer is dead and the family he left behind would be compromised if the knowledge became public. But Alec cannot recognize any needs but his own, and the rift between the friends grows wider every day.
Daniel's fiancée, Annie, is a delicate girl, her health frail and her future uncertain. Prone to vicious headaches that at times rock her to her knees, she’s accepted Daniel’s ring but is hesitant to name their wedding date, worried that marriage and possible pregnancy will exacerbate her physical problems.
Annie inherited the gift of insight from her Welsh mother and digs into the past, searching for a way to help Alec and Daniel mend their relationship. But when she discovers the secret behind the murder, it’s more horrifying than she could have imagined.
It may take more than Annie’s small strength and inherited skills to bring the friends together again. And that’s before a new enemy shows his face.
Publication Date: January 25th 2021
Publisher: Independently Published
Page Length: 329 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction / Western Romance
You can purchase the book via -
https://books2read.com/u/mq0kAe
Now for the review -
A family saga set in Arizona in the late 1880s— it really sounded like my kind of book, and I could not wait to read it. However, I was initially a little nervous as this is Book 2 in the series, and I had not read Book 1, but I need not have worried because, through careful use of dialogue, Gifford MacShane fills in a great deal of the backstory.
The protagonists of this story are Daniel and Annie. Daniel has loved Annie for a very long time, but it is only recently that Annie has begun to see Daniel as more than a very good friend. Daniel’s courtship of Annie is delightful. He is the perfect gentlemen and so incredibly caring that it is next to impossible for Annie to resist him.
Annie is somewhat reluctant to marry at the beginning of this book, and that reluctance is born out of fear—Annie’s mother died in childbirth. But the moment Annie decided to grasp life with both hands and take a risk is when she comes into her own. I thought Annie’s portrayal was incredibly realistic as well as moving. Annie is a character that not only stole my heart through her vulnerability, but I was also in awe of her determination, especially when one considers her fear and poor health. It is this invisible inner strength that Annie possesses that helped to drive this story forward.
Likewise, I enjoyed reading about Daniel. Daniel is a very heroic, very kind man who will do absolutely anything for the woman he loves. There was nothing that I did not like about him.
The Woodsman’s Rose is so much more than a romance novel. It is filled to bursting with action, adventure and danger. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and I am looking forward to reading more books by this author.
Gifford MacShane
Gifford MacShane is the author of historical fiction that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit.
Her novels feature a family of Irish immigrants who settle in the Arizona Territory in the late 1800s. With an accessible literary style, MacShane draws out her characters' hidden flaws and strengths as they grapple with both physical and emotional conflicts.
Singing almost before she could talk, MacShane has always loved folk music, whether it be Irish, Appalachian, spirituals, or the songs of the cowboys. Her love of the Old West goes back to childhood, when her father introduced her to the works of Zane Grey. Later she became interested in the Irish diaspora, having realized her ancestors must have lived through An Gorta Mor, the Great Irish Potato Famine of the mid-1800s. Writing allows her to combine her three great interests into a series of family stories, each including romance, traditional song lyrics, and a dash of Celtic mysticism. Having grown up in a large & often boisterous Irish-American family, she is intimately acquainted with the workings of such a clan and uses those experiences to good purpose (though no names will be named!)
MacShane is a member of the Historical Novel Society, and is an #OwnVoices writer. A self-professed grammar nerd who still loves diagramming sentences, Giff currently lives in Pennsylvania with her husband Richard, the Pied Piper of stray cats.
You can connect with the author via -
Website: https://giffordmacshane.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorGMacShane
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19574083.Gifford_MacShane
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Whispers-Canyon-Gifford-MacShane-ebook/dp/B07X1TV5W7
You can learn more about the book and the author by visiting the other blogs on the tour.
That's it for now.
Till the next time.
Take care Zoe
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