You know, I almost emptied the spam this morning after receiving those "you have won" emails. Yet, I didn't. I'm so glad now that I didn't. My third book Giving in to Charity Sweetbrier Academy Book 3 has been nominated for book of the month. WOW, ok the only award I've ever gotten is "get out of jail free". I usually shy away from those things. So it was awesome to get the email out of the blue.
You can't nominate yourself. Your book has to be read, to strike a cord, to move one of the reviewers to nominate you. Therefore it is a true honor. If you'd like to read the review and an excerpt, I've placed them below as well as the link to vote. Thank you to the Dark Diva's for this kind and generous honor.
REVIEW:
Nancy O'Berry has captured my heart with her Sweetbrier Academy Series I have read the first two books which include Hope and Faith's stories and I am so happy that Charity finally has a story of her own in Giving in to Charity. As I read along, I seem to lose myself into the time frame in which these stories take place—the formal gowns, society gatherings, and the intrigue that Nancy O'Berry creates.
I must say, out of the three books, this one is my favorite, which is saying a lot since I gave them all high marks. The era that is the back drop to this book has always fascinated me. A time where proper women looked down their noses at the less fortunate; sometimes, only to find themselves at the mercy of what is right. People will do anything when greed is involved.
Charity has, what some would call, a thick skin but she is a woman with a heart. I was surprised by the amount of information we get about Charity. Her character is right out in the open, her past to her future laid bare for us to see. It is always nice to get the back ground on a character.
Tobias is a man to be reckoned with. His character has so many facets to it; I often caught myself wondering if he was the real McCoy. He has the strength to hold his own with Charity—of course that’s after they work through some issues.
The secondary characters in Giving in to Charity are truly astonishing. On many occasions throughout this book, I wanted to slap Miss Violet in order to defend Charity. She was quite the villain.
I would love to see Opal and Howard finally get hitched and have their own story. They are both so dominate in all three books. They raised three amazing women.
Giving in to Charity is a delightfully sensual story about love, mystery and greed. A man will do anything for the silver running through the mines in Virginia City, and for the love of a good woman, no matter her past.
Nancy O'Berry is magnificently delicious! Come and visit Sweetbrier Academy, then you will know what it is like to relive the past.
Rated 5 Delightful Divas by Deb!
Read an excerpt here:
Tobias paced the length of the platform; his dark coat flapped in the cool breeze that swooped down from the mountains. A flat-brimmed, dark hat pulled down across his face so that only the edges of his rich auburn hair showed to the public. He’d stuffed his tan trousers to fit tight inside his tall riding boots. Hooking his thumbs in the leather of his suspenders with is right hand, he palmed the pocket watch from his vest with the other.
“She’s coming. Don’t fret so,” said the tall, white-haired gentleman leaning upon the post next to the ticket office.
“Oh, I believe she is a woman of her word,” Tobias replied, checking his watch against the large clock in the depot. “Got a few more minutes, Howard.” Slipping his watch back, Tobias took another drag on the cigar he held tight between his teeth.
Howard paused and took a deep breath. “Have you said anything to Miss Marsh about a personal secretary?”
Tobias’ mouth twitched. “No, I’m sure Miss Wilson’s never quite tackled a job such as this either. When they meet I’ll gladly do the introductions.”
Howard gave a grunt.
Tobias removed the cigar from his mouth and ground it out in the sand barrel. “Oh, yes, she’ll be here. Miss Benedict’s ladies are very reliable.”
“Poor Charity,” Howard chuckled.
“What?” Tobias inquired.
“I was just wondering if she knew what type of buzz saw she was walking into.” The tall man smiled and looked up the track. “Ah, I think our train is on the way.”
Tobias turned on his boot heel. Above the trees a plume of dark grey smoke rose in puffs. A deep dread formed a rock in the pit of his stomach. Had he done the right thing? Was it unfair to ask so much from a woman he hardly knew? Moving down to the edge of the platform, he already guessed the answer. She was the type of woman who wanted more. He knew he’d seen that kind of desire before. Mostly from men in the camps as they fought for what little was left behind. Tobias knew she would be a fighter. She had to be considering that she had survived the lean years of the war. Come to think of it, she deserved more.
“Well, it can’t be worried over now.” Howard nudged him with his elbow. “Put a smile on that mug of yours. We don’t want to scare Miss Charity off before she’s even begun.”
Tobias opened his mouth to reply, but the shrill whistle split the air, drowning out his words. The bold iron horse roared into the station. The weight of the metal wheels rumbling on the iron rails caused the ground to shake. The wheels ground to a halt with a loud scrape of metal. Belching steam from its pistons, the train obscured his vision with a white cloud. Tobias looked again at the platform. It appeared filled with all sorts of humanity. A cold sweat formed on his skin, and his hands trembled. After all these years, he still hated the sound of metal grinding. The memories of being in Andersonville flooded his mind.
“Tobias?” Howard’s tone of voice expressed his worry.
“F-Fine,” he stammered. Pulling himself together, he asked, “You see her?”
“Not yet, I think,” Howard responded, keeping Tobias in his worried glance. Slowly, the crowd parted.
Across the platform, a distinct figure materialized from the steam. Howard craned his neck to get a glimpse. The figure of a woman, medium height and slim build beneath a rather grandiose piece of millinery, stood quietly upon the platform.
“There.” Howard pointed. “There she is.” He walked toward her.
Tobias paused. A smile spread across his face. Before him turned a woman dressed in lavender brocade. He bet his hands could span the width of her waist with little trouble. He wished he could see her expression beneath the netting. Watching with envy, Tobias witnessed Howard Stetson give a slight bend toward Charity and pressed a kiss to her cheek. Moving nearer the two, Tobias picked up snippets of conversation.
