Blog Tour and Giveaway: The Gamekeeper's Reluctant Bride by Elva Cobb Martin

About the Book

Book: The Gamekeeper’s Reluctant Bride

Author: Elva Cobb Martin

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: September 10, 2024

She fled from a gilded cage, only to find herself trapped in a marriage of obligation.

Helena Allston had it all—wealth, beauty, and a life of luxury on her family’s plantation. But when her father arranges a marriage to a man she despises, Helena takes matters into her own hands, fleeing on horseback, only to find herself half-drowned and memory-less in a simple cottage. And when her memory returns, Helena ends up back where she began—arranged to marry, this time to the handsome gamekeeper who rescued her.

Could there be more than obligation to this marriage? Or is he only after the Windemere Plantation her father promised him?

Gideon Falconer is at a loss when it comes to the stubborn, beautiful woman he rescued from the Ashley River. His predicament only worsens when he returns her to her family’s plantation, where her father shocks him with a demand that Gideon marry his daughter to prevent a scandal. As a man new to his faith, he feels compelled to do the right thing, but his own secrets and the past left behind in England threaten to complicate matters further.

In a marriage that began as a mere obligation, can Helena and Gideon find the strength to let love and trust conquer all, despite a determined enemy’s schemes to wreck their hope?

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Elva Cobb Martin is a wife, mother, and grandmother who lives in South Carolina with her husband and a mini-dachshund. A life-long student of history, her favorite city, Charleston, inspires her stories of romance and adventure. Her love of writing grew out of a desire to share exciting stories of courageous characters and communicate truths of the Christian faith to bring hope and encouragement.

 

 

 

 

More from Elva

In The Gamekeeper’s Reluctant Bride, I planned to develop a rich, spoiled heroine who had everything she wanted—beauty, wealth, reputation, an important Charleston family name, and even membership in a popular church of her day but who had no real relationship with Jesus Christ. Isn’t that like so many in America today with our many blessings and freedom but no real love for Christ, his written Word, or his love for the unborn and his biblical plan for marriage and gender? Yet our name may be on some church roll and we call ourselves Christian. I believe our Mighty God is calling America back to him in faith and obedience to the Bible. I believe He is calling forth godly leaders who will stand for truth and righteousness, but we must go to the polls and help raise them up. America has a mighty history and a covenant cut with God by our founders. Focusing our hearts and minds on Christ gives us courage and confidence, and we can look to the future with hope in our hearts.

 

Here’s part of a scene showing the “before Christ” Helena with her pride and arrogance after Gideon rescued her from drowning in the river:

Gideon ducked his head at her icy voice. “Look, young woman, I dragged you from the Ashley River and walked miles carrying you in my arms, to this cottage. You were soaked through and through and unconscious.”

She interrupted him. “I don’t want to hear any more of your wild story. Go from my presence and shut the door while I dress.” She pointed to the cabin door, then reached up and touched the lump on her forehead and groaned. “Why did you strike me, sir?” These words came from between gritted teeth.

Gideon’s nostrils flared. “Miss or ma’am, whichever you are, I did not strike you. You must have hit your head on your horse’s neck or a rock when you two jumped into the Ashley. For your information, all I did was save your life, if you’d like to thank me for that.”

 

Here’s part of Helena’s epiphany:

Captive on the pirate ship, Helena dropped to her knees beside the bed and cried out to God. Her life paraded before her, and tears blinded her eyes. The privileged life she’d led as a wealthy planter’s daughter now seemed frivolous and meaningless. She had never lacked for a thing and had not even imagined there could be such people as the pirate captain who now had her under his control, threatening to sail to the Barbary Coast and sell her to a sultan. Would Gideon and her father ever be able to rescue her before the ship sailed away? A chill rose from her heart to her fingertips. Slavery! Would she end up in slavery? Why had she never considered the poor slaves who met all their needs on the plantation? Ever since she was a child, slaves had done everything to make her family’s life easy and pleasant. Was she now to find out what it would be like to be a slave and at the mercy of someone else’s desires and moods?…Lord Jesus, please forgive me for my proud, selfish, unthankful life. If you’re real, come into my heart, deliver me, help me come to know Your plan and purpose for me.

 

Like Helena, we can cry out to God in humble repentance and return with our whole heart, and He will always answer. We are never out of the reach of God’s eyes or  hand. Here is a simple prayer I invite you to pray for yourself and our nation in this election year:

Father God, I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son you sent to save me from my sins. I repent and turn from them to You and Your Word. Please forgive me and come into my heart, be not only my Savior, but my Lord and director of my decisions, especially my vote for righteous leaders. Help me find a Bible-preaching church family and do my part in bringing America back to You. I believe You are working mightily in my life, family and nation, and I give You praise. Amen

Blog Stops

Stories By Gina, October 1 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 2

For the Love of Literature, October 3 (Author Interview)

Pens Pages & Pulses, October 3

Texas Book-aholic, October 4

Tell Tale Book Reviews, October 5 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, October 6

Beauty in the Binding, October 7 (Author Interview)

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, October 8

Guild Master, October 9 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, October 10

Back Porch Reads, October 11 (Author Interview)

Devoted To Hope, October 12

Fiction Book Lover, October 13 (Author Interview)

Holly’s Book Corner, October 14

Pause for Tales, October 14

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Elva is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf5455/ 

My Review

The Gamekeeper's Reluctant Bride is the sixth installment from Elva Cobb Martin's Charleston Brides series. I have loved each book from the series and this one is by far my favorite of the series. Even though it is part of a series, it can easily be read as a stand alone. I enjoyed every singe page and could not put down Helena and Gideon's story. I loved it and had no problem reading it all in one sitting.

I going to give The Gamekeeper's Reluctant Bride a very well deserved five plus stars. I highly recommend it for readers who love to read clean historical romance. I will be eagerly awaiting more releases to come from the talented Elva Cobb Martin. 

I received a paperback copy of Elva Cobb Martin’s The Gamekeeper's Reluctant Bride from the publisher, but was not required to write a positive review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion. 

Blog Tour and Giveaway: The Lieutenant's Secret Love by Elva Cobb Martin

About the Book

Book: The Lieutenant’s Secret Love

Author: Elva Cobb Martin

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: April 11, 2023

An exposed family secret changed her life forever and blindsided his Marine heart.

From the day Hannah was abandoned as a newborn, her adoptive parents have kept the truth of her origin from her and her siblings. But when that secret is exposed, a threat arises which forces her to leave the only family she’s ever known and the adoptive brother she adores. She must start her life anew in Charleston.

U.S. Marine Lieutenant Adam White, harbors a secret—more confidential than patrolling the Caribbean for French corsairs, more threatening than the fight against Barbary pirates in the Mediterranean. Adam carries a personal, burning secret in his heart. He’s fallen in love with Hannah since discovering she is not his blood sister. And the thought that she might only ever see him as her loving big brother may be the greatest threat to him yet.

As the Charleston men seek to win Hannah’s heart, she never loses touch with the man who had been her older brother. The man her heart can’t help seeing him in a whole new light. But when Adam’s squadron sets out for the Mediterranean on the most dangerous mission of his life, only God can keep him—and their love—alive.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Elva Cobb Martin is a wife, mother, and grandmother who lives in South Carolina with her husband and a mini-dachshund. A life-long student of history, her favorite city, Charleston, inspires her stories of romance and adventure. Her love of writing grew out of a desire to share exciting stories of courageous characters and communicate truths of the Christian faith to bring hope and encouragement. Connect with her on her web site at http://www.elvamartin.com.

 

More from Elva

Researching our true American history for this novel inspired me so much in a day when many are trying to ignore or wipe out our Christian foundations and heroic acts. I want to share two particular true stories which I use in my novel that should bless and inspire you, too.

First, I set my story the year after President George Washington died. He died December 14, 1799, after a bout of laryngitis following a horseback ride in the snow to check his plantation. But truly, his death was brought on by the horrid bleeding (phlebotomy) common in that day that three prominent physicians put him through. History records they bled eight quarts from his body in about thirteen hours. The physicians soon observed… “that he expired without a struggle.” –Of course he couldn’t struggle, with all that blood loss. I’ve told you this to tell you Washington’s last words.

Washington, at about eleven o’clock in the evening, uttered his last words: “Father of mercies, take me unto thyself,” and “tis well.”

On Washington’s tomb at Mount Vernon is engraved: “I am the Resurrection and the Life; saith the Lord. He that believeth in Me, though he were dead yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die.”

The Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., which is 555 feet tall, has engraved on its metal cap the Latin phrase “Laus Deo,” which means “Praise be to God.”

The other true story of our history that inspired me proves the bravery and derring-do of the fledging Navy and Marines during Thomas Jefferson’s presidency. Many don’t know that Washington actually disbanded the original Navy right after the Revolution as he had no intention of putting this almost penniless new nation into any more wars or try to find the money to support a Navy.

But Barbary Muslim pirates in the Mediterranean started plundering our merchant ships no longer under British protection and taking entire crews into slavery. We ended up paying huge sums of tribute for questionable protection and hefty ransoms to redeem any of our crews taken into slavery. President Thomas Jefferson saw the great need for a strong Navy and went about securing it during his two terms (1801-.1809). A famous byword of those days became: “Millions for defense, not a cent for tribute.”

Naval heroes like William Eaton, Edward Preble, Stephen Decatur, and Marine lieutenant Presley O’Bannon blazoned across our history during the turbulent wars against the Muslim Barbary pirates and sultans. One incident stands out that I decided to include in my novel with my fictional hero, Marine Lieutenant Adam White, added to the story and my heroine Hannah, awaiting letters from him.

Jefferson and Congress commissioned the building of a Navy frigate, the USS Philadelphia, the largest, most modern for the period, to do battle in this Barbary war. America was proud of this ship and it’s potential. But to everyone’s dismay, the Philadelphia got stuck on a sand bar near Tripoli’s harbor, and soon ended up captured by the Tripoli pirates, and its crew taken into slavery. Even though the American captain damaged the ship as best he could before being forced to surrender it, the horror was compounded when the Muslims bragged they would soon repair the ship and use it against us. President Jefferson, Congress, the Navy, and all America suffered some dark days indeed.

But naval hero Stephen Decatur came up with a daring, dangerous plan to slip into the well-guarded Tripoli Harbor where the ship was anchored while being repaired. He chose a few handpicked Marines (my novel hero included!) who would attempt to burn the Philadelphia and keep it from ever being used against us. They would have no Navy backup and would all end up in slavery if the Muslims discovered them.

You’ll have to read my novel (or do research) to find out how this ended!

 

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 14

Locks, Hooks and Books, April 15

Texas Book-aholic, April 16

Connie’s History Classroom, April 17

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 18

Sylvan Musings, April 19

Betti Mace, April 20

Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, April 21 (Author Interview)

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, April 21

Cover Lover Book Review, April 22

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, April 23

For Him and My Family, April 24

Holly’s Book Corner, April 25

By The Book, April 26 (Author Interview)

Karen Baney Reviews, April 26

Pause for Tales, April 27

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Elva is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!

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/2566c/the-lieutenant-s-secret-love-celebration-tour-giveaway

My Review

The Lieutenant's Secret Love is the fifth installment from the Charleston Brides series by Elva Cobb Martin. I have really loved this whole series from the beginning and I believe this one is by far my favorite. I loved getting to know and spending time with the main characters, Adam and Hannah. It was quite the unexpected and unpredictable adventure taken. I thought it was great. 

The Lieutenant's Secret Love is getting a very well deserved five plus stars from me. I highly recommend it for readers who enjoy reading clean historical romance. I am anxious to read more and upcoming releases from Elva Cobb Martin to see what other sweet tales she has in store for her readers. 

I received a copy of The Lieutenant's Secret Love from the publisher, but was not required to write a positive review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion. 

Blog Tour and Giveaway: The Sugar Baron's Governess by Elva Cobb Martin

About the Book

Book: The Sugar Baron’s Governess

Author: Elva Cobb Martin

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: August 23, 2022

She needs a new start…He knows a reckoning is coming.

Banished from Charleston for his misdeeds years earlier, Joshua Becket built a new life on both sides of the law in Jamaica. As sugar plantation owner and member of the governing British Assembly, he’s known and respected on the island. But he guards a secret identity. As swashbuckling Captain Jay, he leads daredevil privateering exploits on his ship, the Eagle, when the mood suits him. Currently, he needs a governess for his young daughter whose mother has passed.

Widowed gentlewoman Abigail Welch accepted the governess position, leaving behind her disintegrated life in Charleston. This new start in Jamaica might finally help her find healing for her broken heart after losing her husband in the Revolution and their infant son to yellow fever.

Joshua’s precocious, undisciplined daughter is the drawing card that brings him and Abigail together like clashing cymbals of disagreement…and fiery attraction. Can love and the miracle power of God give them a new beginning and a happily ever after?

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Elva Cobb Martin is a wife, mother, and grandmother who lives in South Carolina with her husband and a mini-dachshund. A life-long student of history, her favorite city, Charleston, inspires her stories of romance and adventure. Her love of writing grew out of a desire to share exciting stories of courageous characters and communicate truths of the Christian faith to bring hope and encouragement. Connect with her on her web site at https://www.elvamartin.com/ .

 

More from Elva

I had an amazing thing happen when first beginning The Sugar Baron’s Governess. My precious husband had booked a week for us in a comfortable condo at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to help me concentrate on my plotstorming—without the “do me” call of our vacuum, washing machine, or phone calls when at home. Of course, he likes to fish from a pier while I’m writing.

 

The first morning I sat at the kitchen table overlooking the Atlantic, with my laptop, researching Jamaica and especially the historic Maroon settlement of warriors and escaped slaves in the mountains that could play a part in my story. I was also praying for the Lord to help get a good start on this fourth novel in my series. Should I even be including the fierce Maroons in my plot?

 

A knock came at the door. I had requested no room service, so I was surprised to be interrupted. When I answered it, a black male employee asked if we needed any cleaning done or fresh linens. I almost gave him a short answer, wanting to get back to my laptop, but my ear discerned a British accent. –Here’s our amazing conversation:

 

“Where are you from?”

 

“Jamaica.”

 

I opened the door wide and invited him in. “That’s most interesting. I’m writing a novel set in Jamaica.”

 

His eyes widened. “You are?”

 

“Yes, in fact,” I gestured to my laptop, “I’m right now researching a group of warriors in historic Jamaica, called the Maroons. Know anything about them?”

 

His mouth fell open. “I’m a descendant of the Maroons.”

 

I got a tingling chill up my arm. How likely was this kind of thing to happen? He further told me he never worked the 15^th floor but for whatever reason, had been assigned our floor that day. He told me was a Christian, and he shared several things with me about the Maroons and how they finally won their independence and rights the British government of Jamaica had long withheld. At times, because of their desperate existence, they did hurtle down from their mountain strongholds and burn sugar plantations, as history records.

 

I decided I had a definite confirmation to include the Maroon warriors in my Jamaican story. They are instrumental in convincing my hero Joshua Becket to turn back to God when his life and plantation are sorely threatened. Whoops, there I go giving away some of the story! Hope you enjoy Joshua and Abigail’s exciting, romantic adventure in Jamaica. Can they survive and make it back to Charleston and a happily ever after?

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 23

Texas Book-aholic, August 24

For Him and My Family, August 25

deb’s Book Review, August 26

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, August 27

Inklings and notions, August 28

Locks, Hooks and Books, August 29

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, August 30

Connie’s History Classroom, August 31

Holly’s Book Corner, August 31

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, September 1

Betti Mace, September 2

Pause for Tales, September 3

A Good Book and Cup of Tea, September 4

Beauty in the Binding, September 5 (Author Interview)

Of Blades and Thorns, September 5

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Elva is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!

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/20e11/the-sugar-baron-s-governess-celebration-tour-giveaway

My Review

Elva Cobb Martin has done it once again in her newest and fourth installment from her Charleston Brides series, The Sugar Baron's Governess. This one may be my new favorite of the series to date. I enjoyed going back in time and meeting Abigail and Joshua. A beautiful story of love, faith, and adventure. I loved every single page that made me want to keep turning the pages until I was completely done in one sitting. 

I am giving The Sugar Baron's Governess a very well deserved five plus stars. I highly recommend it for readers who enjoy reading clean historical romance. I am hoping there will be more releases from the Charleston Brides series to come. 

I received a digital copy of The Sugar Baron's Governess from the publisher, but was not required to write a positive review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.

Blog Tour and Giveaway: The Petticoat Spy by Elva Cobb Martin

About the Book

Book: The Petticoat Spy

Author: Elva Cobb Martin

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: October 5, 2021

 

A Charles Town belle and a blockade runner ignite fireworks in more ways than one during the American Revolution.

To Anna Grace Laurens, the war is like a distant bad dream until her family’s Charles Town plantation is burned and her parents murdered by those loyal to the king. She flees on horseback and leaps into the Cooper River to escape her pursuers.

As John Cooper Vargas sails his sloop down the river, he spots a woman diving into the water. After firing on the Tory raiders chasing her, he rescues her and offers to take her with his parents to an island hideaway for the duration of the war. But she has other plans, including revenge for her parents’ deaths. She insists he drop her off in Charles Town, even with the British planning a massive attack by land and sea to retake the city, the Pearl of the South.

John employs his sailing skills for the patriots, risking capture and death, but he enjoys his skirmishes with the British navy blockade to bring goods from the islands to aid the cause. But when Charles Town falls to the British, he docks his ship in a secret cove and joins Francis Marion’s militia. This decision lands him wounded on a harbor prison ship where more men die than on the battlefield.

Anna Grace braves the deprivations, first of a city barricaded against the British, and then one surrendered and ruled by fists of iron under the English flag and injustice. Can she find a way to rescue John before it’s too late?

As both American and English armies gather near Yorktown, Virginia, for a pivotal battle, can John and Anna’s love for each other and their faith in God preserve them and help forge a new nation?

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Elva Cobb Martin is a wife, mother, and grandmother who lives in South Carolina with her husband and a mini-dachshund. A life-long student of history, her favorite city, Charleston, inspires her stories of romance and adventure. Her love of writing grew out of a desire to share exciting stories of courageous characters and communicate truths of the Christian faith to bring hope and encouragement. Connect with her on her web site at http://www.elvamartin.com.

More from Elva

I loved researching and writing this historical novel in a day when our nation’s true history is being threatened by political change agents. My faith in our godly heritage and the courage and faith of so many true Americans was confirmed as never before. Who can ever discount the wisdom, bravery, and escapades of Francis Marion, Andrew Pickens, and Thomas Sumter that helped save South Carolina after the British retook Charleston? Who can doubt the prayers and courage of George Washington and the Continental Army, and the many brave patriots who made the ultimate sacrifice, or who suffered privation and loss of property but who never gave up the dream of a free nation? We are the land of the free because of the brave.

In honor of the brave patriots, I placed quotes from leaders in this period at the head of each chapter. Here’s the quote I chose to introduce the book:

The hand of Providence has been so conspicuous in the course of the war that he must be worse than an infidel that lacks faith. –George Washington, August 20, 1778.

Many interesting tidbits I found in my research surprised me. Francis Marion was dubbed the Swamp Fox by his British pursuers who could never catch him. His battle tactics gave him the distinction of being the father of modern guerilla warfare and the inspiration for Mel Gibson’s character in The Patriot. Also, Marion did not drink alcoholic beverages. The drink he prescribed for himself and required of anyone who joined his militia was the old Roman drink of water mixed with a little vinegar. Today we know this as a fortifying concoction, and it probably prevented scurvy and was a natural antibiotic for the militia.

Another surprising tidbit I learned was about George Washington. Barely into his second term as president (1793) the popular French Ambassador Genet stirred up a furor with a lot of the colonists. He wanted to force Washington to join France in their renewed war against England. Having just won our independence, the president refused to lead our fledgling nation back into war. Ten thousand people gathered in the streets of Philadelphia, the nation’s then capital, day after day, and threatened to drag Washington out of his house, raucously demanding that America take up France’s struggle for liberty as France had done for America. The peace and unity of the new nation seemed to be hanging by a thread.

Just when it seemed like the new nation would fall over the precipice into anarchy, America was ultimately saved, according to the later retired Vice President Adams, by an outbreak of Yellow Fever in the capital city. “The coolest and firmest minds,” he told Jefferson, “have given their opinions to me, that nothing but Yellow Fever…could have saved the United States from a total Revolution of government.”

The exploding epidemic sent those who could afford to, fleeing the city, and those who couldn’t, locked themselves up inside their homes.

I discovered this incident of heated colonial protest during the recent rioting and destruction of property that rocked our American cities in the summer and fall of 2020. It actually gave me hope for our nation. It seems there have always been hotheads in every generation who rise up against the rule of law and order. However, America and our wonderful Constitution have been preserved, and we give God the praise, and pray for His continued help.

The Petticoat Spy is, above all, Anna Grace Laurens and John Cooper Vargas’ love story. It’s also the story of the patriot dream and victory over an undefeated British military while also dealing with serious supply shortages and conspiring neighbors who hated the dreamers.

It is my prayer that both threads will inspire hope and encouragement to all my readers.

Elva Cobb Martin

Blog Stops

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, October 5

Life, Love, Writing, October 6

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, October 6

Rebecca Tews, October 7

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 8

Texas Book-aholic, October 9

Joanna Bair, October 9

Inklings and notions, October 10

Betti Mace, October 11

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, October 11

For Him and My Family, October 12

deb’s Book Review, October 13

Locks, Hooks and Books, October 14

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, October 15

Connect in Fiction, October 16

The Meanderings of a Bookworm, October 16

Connie’s History Classroom, October 17

She Lives To Read, October 18

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, October 18

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Elva is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!

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/11dd3/the-petticoat-spy-celebration-tour-giveaway

My Review

I have enjoyed Elva Cobb Martin’s Charleston Brides series and was excited to have the opportunity to read the third installment, The Petticoat Spy. I was far from disappointed. I loved this book. I enjoyed the historical details that made feel like I had been transported back in time and being part of the scenes with John and Anna Grace. It was a wonderful journey and adventure to go on. This is probably my favorite of the series. 

The Petticoat Spy is getting a very well deserved five plus stars from me. I highly recommend this one and the others from the Charleston Brides series for readers who enjoy reading clean historical fiction. I look forward to more books by Elva Cobb Martin in the future. 

I received a paperback copy of The Petticoat Spy from the publisher, but was not required to write a positive review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.

Blog Tour and Giveaway: Georgia Ann, English Rose by Elva Cobb Martin

About the Book

Book: Georgia Ann, English Rose

Author: Elva Cobb Martin

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: November 17, 2020

Two Charles Town men love Georgia Ann Cooper—Samuel Vargas and his step-brother, Joshua Becket—but only one both attracts and infuriates her. Even though he’s a dangerous budding patriot and a privateer—or more likely pirate—Samuel fills her dreams and waking moments. When he leaves Charles Town for high sea adventure on the legendary Spice Trail, she determines to push him out of her thoughts and her graces. A task made slightly easier when she sets out on her own journey to accompany her father on one of his merchant trips to the Mediterranean.

Samuel Vargas is determined to make his own way in the world, not live in the glow of his parents’ escapades throughout Charles Town and the seas surrounding the Spanish Main. There’s no better place to earn his fortune than the Spice Trail. But the adventure becomes more than he bargained for when he stumbles across a familiar face from Charles Town in Tripoli, and he’s forced to use all his abilities to save the life of the woman he’s been trying to forget.

As their paths intertwine on a journey filled with Barbary pirates, intrigue, and romance, only love and the grace of God can overcome the past and ignite a new beginning for Georgia Ann and Samuel.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Elva Cobb Martin is a wife, mother, and grandmother who lives in South Carolina with her husband and a mini-dachshund. A life-long student of history, her favorite city, Charleston, inspires her stories of romance and adventure. Her love of writing grew out of a desire to share exciting stories of courageous characters and communicate truths of the Christian faith to bring hope and encouragement. Connect with her on her web site at http://www.elvamartin.com.

More from Elva

Georgia Ann (& the Spice Trade) – Book 2 in my Charleston Brides Series

I enjoy researching material to make my novels richer and help readers learn something new while enjoying my Christian historical romances. In Georgia Ann, my hero, Samuel Vargas, sails off to make his fortune in spices we take for granted in our kitchens today. I loved doing the research about this flavorful commodity.

The Spice Islands are actually called the Maluku Islands and they lie in the Indonesian Pacific archipelago, north of Australia and south of Thailand and China.

The history of spices reveals a hazardous, exciting tale spread over centuries of daring, courage and greed and many countries and oceans.

The spice trade actually drove the world’s economy from the end of the Middle Ages well into modern times. But the economical importance of spices, recorded in the history of Kerala, referred to as “The Spice Garden of India,” goes back as far as 3000 BC which marks the beginning of the spice trade.

Wars have been fought on land and sea and nations have been made wealthy (and at least one annihilated) in the battle for control of the spice trade.

Nutmeg and New York

The spice trade brought great riches to Arab, Indian, Venetian, Portuguese, Dutch, and Spanish traders. It once brought death to residents of the Banda Spice Islands over a nutmeg monopoly. In 1603 the Dutch East India Company (known as VOC) ousted the Portuguese control of nutmeg on these islands.

Here’s an interesting tidbit in the history of nutmeg. The English fought the Dutch over control of this spice. England finally handed their island of Rhun over to the Dutch in exchange for a swampy island trading post in North America, an unattractive property known then as New Amsterdam; today as Manhattan Island!

The search for cinnamon, ginger, pepper, cloves, nutmeg, turmeric, cassia, in the ancient world gave rise to unbelievable tales. To satisfy the curious, to protect their market, and to discourage competitors the spice-source countries like India and Asia spread fantasy tales of danger, magic, strange animals, and snake-infested glens. Sinbad the Sailor stories grew out of this mindset.

For us in the USA, another most important fact stands out about the Spice Trade, besides it being involved in the trade for Manhattan Island. The Americas were discovered (1492) due to Spain sending Columbus to find a western route to India (from the Atlantic to the Pacific) to reap in the rewards for these valuable spices desired by all Europe.

The danger-fraught routes at that time (1400’s) from Europe were through the Mediterranean and Egypt (Alexandria) overland to the Red Sea and down the Persian Gulf, then sailing over the Indian Ocean to India, and to the Spice Islands.

Cloves

A native tradition of the Spice Islands was to plant a clove tree at a child’s birth, symbolically linking the child to the tree’s life.

The clove tree is an evergreen that grows up to twelve feet tall with large glossy leaves and crimson flowers in clusters that when ripe and dried become the cloves like we use in cooking.

Today, spices are grown in many countries other than the Spice Islands that have temperate climates.

The World’s Three Most Traded Spices Today

Pepper, vanilla, and ginger are spicing up lives and economies. Millions of dollars are earned in sales. Pepper is exported by Viet Nam, India, and China. Vanilla comes from mainly Madagascar, Indonesia, and Mauritius. Main exporters of ginger are China and the Netherlands.

And one last spicy tidbit: The United States leads the world in spice consumption and imports.

Hope I haven’t bored you, but I love discovering history like this and sowing bits into my novels.

Thanks for stopping by.  And remember when you use cloves again to stick in that ham, or use the powdered form in an apple pie—a lot of “stuff” happened over centuries to get this spice so readily available in your kitchen.

Elva Cobb Martin

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 19

Simple Harvest Reads, November 19 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

Inklings and notions, November 20

For Him and My Family, November 21

Texas Book-aholic, November 22

deb’s Book Review, November 23

Locks, Hooks and Books, November 24

Betti Mace, November 25

Labor Not in Vain , November 25

Daysong Reflections, November 26

Artistic Nobody, November 27 (Guest Review from Joni Truex)

Connie’s History Classroom, November 28

Sara Jane Jacobs, November 29

Ashley’s Bookshelf, November 30

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, December 1

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, December 2

Connect in Fiction , December 2

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Elva is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!

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/103eb/georgia-ann-english-rose-celebration-tour-giveaway

My Review

Georgia Ann, English Rose is a fabulous second addition to the Charleston Brides series Elva Cobb Martin. Even though it is part of a series, it can definitely be read as a stand alone. This story was full of what I love to read in a book. Which includes: history, romance, action, danger and intrigue. I was entertained with this tale from start to finish. Georgia Ann and Samuel are such a fabulous duo. I loved this book. 

Georgia Ann, English Rose is getting a very well deserved five plus stars from me. I highly recommend it for readers who enjoy clean Historical Romance. I am looking forward to the third installment from the Charleston Brides series, Anna Grace, Patriot Rose . I am excited to find out where else Miss Martin will take her readers to next. 

I received Georgia Ann, English Rose from the publisher. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.