The Backcountry Brides Collection -- Review by Tina Rice & Giveaway!

The Backcountry Brides Collection (Barbour Books, May 2018)

The Backcountry Brides Collection: 8 Eighteenth-Century Women Seek Love on Colonial America’s Frontier

Review by Tina Rice
This is an amazing collection of novellas by eight gifted writers taking the reader “on the trail” traveling into Colonial America spanning the years of 1754-1792. We meet strong women of the backcountry who are looking for love...and hopefully husbands...strong, rugged men, with the skills and abilities to survive living in this rustic frontier land. Men who are prepared to face attacks by Indians, the fierceness and harshness of nature, unforeseen dangers and challenges or even the possibility of depleted supplies to protect their families. Can these rugged men and woman overcome the elements thrown at them and find love in the midst of it all?

The detailed descriptions of the diversity of the characters’ cultural differences and backgrounds bring to life the hardships and struggles they face. They overcome challenges and hardships, tense situations, sorrows, grief and pain and share joys and humorous moments...which had me smiling, family, hope, integrity, love and faith. I love the historical aspects of each novella and the way the authors incorporates those details within the fictional story-lines. I enjoy reading the author’s notes regarding the historical aspects of her story. This is one of the reasons I love reading Christian historical fiction, I always learn something of our history, so they are, in effect, an enjoyable “history lesson”.

1. Shenandoah Hearts by Carrie Fancett Pagels
1754..Great Wagon Road, into the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia.
With a saddened heart Magda Sehler moves with her family to the Shenandoah Valley. The man she loves has not declared his feelings for her. What does the future hold for her without the man who holds her heart? Jacob Owens surprises them all when he leaves his prosperous business behind and moves to the Valley with them. What is the real reason for his sudden move? Is there a chance for love after all? There are some surprises, danger, joys and sorrows, decisions to be made, family strength, first love and God’s faithfulness along with historical facts woven within this heartwarming story. I was happy to see the mention of one of the Christy boys from another story.

2. Heart of Nantahala by Jennifer Hudson Taylor
1757..North Carolina Colony.
Joseph Gregory is out to buy a lumber mill, but the owner will not sell. Can he convince the owner to sell to him or will he lose his heart in the bargain? Mabel Walker owns a prosperous lumber mill, which many feel is not very “womanly” even though she is capable. Will she be forced to comply with what society dictates and sell? And what of love? There are challenges and opposition Mabel faces, hard decisions to make, hope, joys and love of family at the heart and faith in this heartwarming story.

3. Her Redcoat by Pegg Thomas
1763..Fort Michilimackinac of Michigan during Pontiac’s Rebellion.
Laurette Pettigrew grew up in the northern frontier but trouble may be brewing and she is tucked away in her father’s cabin some distance from the fort. Henry Bedlow, an English soldier. . .hence the redcoat, is at the fort against his will. Ah, but if he had not been at the fort he would not have met the woman who captures his heart. I enjoyed the way Laurette and Henry met and how their love grew. But they come from diffident cultural backgrounds, will that difference keep them apart? Or will God answer their prayers and make a way for them when there seems to be no way? A story filled with historical facts, hope, love and faith. A heartwarming story.

4. A Heart So Tender by Debra E. Marvin
1764..Fort Niagara of New York.
Susannah Kimball and British Lieutenant Archibald “Arch” Walsh meet during a difficult time surrounding the fort. Susannah’s faith, attitude and caring heart soon captures Arch’s heart. With danger lurking at their door, they need to be prepared. Will their love have a chance? Historical facts bring this story to life as Susannah and Arch find themselves in the midst of an impending convergence of thousands of Native warriors. Before reading this novella, I had not heard about Sir William Johnson's Great Gathering and appreciate the historical details. Overcoming fears, prejudices and challenges, family, hope, love and faith make this a heartwarming story.

5. A Worthy Groom by Angela K. Couch
1771..Sapling Grove settlement on the Holston River of Tennessee.
Marcus Cowden has lived his whole life “taming” the Cowden temper simmering inside, vowing to never let it control him as it has others in his family. Can he earn his new wife’s trust, proving that he will never hurt her and thereby winning her heart? Lorinda Cowden knows all too well what can happen when tempers flare, the results inflicted upon her. But can she learn to trust Marcus, he is a Cowden after all. Will they allow God to mend their hearts? A heart-felt story about trust...learning to trust others and God’s leading, learning to control anger with God’s help, second chances, hope, family, love and faith.

6. Across Three Autumns by Denise Weimer
1778-1780..Wilkes County, Georgia.
Jenny White is a strong, backcountry woman in every way. The local Indians call her “War Woman” and I think even admire her. She doesn’t feel pretty compared to her young sister. And she doesn’t see her worth as God sees her and a certain Scottish scout, Caylan McIntosh. Their love was slow in coming and at times seemed to stall. Tragedy, illness and death bring them closer, as it often can. I was glad to see the surprising ending.

7. The Counterfeit Tory by Shannon McNear
1780..Charlotte Town, South Carolina.
This story based on historical facts bring Lizzy Cunningham and Jed Wheeler together. Jed has a job to do and as he stays at the tavern he witnesses the treatment Lizzy receives at the hands of her family. In the process he loses his heart and will protect her from those who would mistreat her. Can he do that and complete the dangerous task set before him? Encouragement, hope, new beginnings, heartbreak and joys, good verses evil, love, faith and trust in God weave a heartwarming story. I like that this story is a continuation of a previous novella, The Highwayman, though it stands alone.

8. Love’s Undoing by Gabrielle Meyer
1792..Fur Post at Fort McCrea, on the Upper Mississippi River along Minnesota.
Abi McCrea longs to see the world outside the fort walls where she grew up. When she does, it is not what she had envisioned. However, one good thing came out of her travels. . .not saying. Englishman Henry Kingsley came to the fort on an errand and meets Abi and has to decide if the future he had planned out is really what he wants. Abi is a special, talented young woman and Henry can learn much from her. . .about life along the river certainly but of the heart as well. Everything is not smooth for them, they run into prejudices and challenges, joys, hope, love..true love, family and faith. I enjoyed this sweet, heartwarming story.

Readers, you can purchase a copy of Backcountry Brides at:

Christian Book Distributors  

Walmart 

Barnes & Noble  

Amazon 

Check at your local Christian bookstores, e.g., Lifeway, to see if they have copies, too! 

GIVEAWAY: We're giving away a copy of the paperback to one blessed commenter on this post!

ALSO-- Don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway going on for this collection! 

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A Memorable Trip to Old Fort Niagara

Fort Niagara (in present day New York state) is the setting for my Backcountry Brides novella, A Heart So Tender. With their first event of the 2018 season, “Patriot’s Day”, I decided to take my two eight year-old grandsons along for some fun. They are great fans of costumes, history and weapons. Blessed by some amazing spring weather, we visited on April 21.

Dressed up in makeshift costumes and some fancy tricorns, the boys were awed by the site of the fort. They didn’t know what to expect. With a light crowd throughout the day, re-enactors and visitors made much of a sunny warm day where the Niagara River flows into Lake Ontario.

The view from the South Redoubt (Block house) toward the French Castle

With muskets in hand, my grandsons were easily conscripted into the colonial army and learned how to load their muskets, follow commands, and march—even learning how to pivot in formation!

Across all that water? Fort York, or as we know it, Toronto, Ontario. And, yes, we could see the skyline!

The muskets had quite a work out. Can you imagine how much fun it was to run all over the fort, over berms, lurk around stockade fences, and spy on the enemy from the walls of the fort and the two redoubts (block houses)?

Here they are along the berms/ramparts where centuries of soldiers fought against enemies approaching by land. Behind is the north Blockhouse and in the distance, the French Castle sitting on the corner overlooking both the Niagara River and Lake Ontario.

These young men surprised me with how much they knew, but the experience made for an unforgettable look into our history. Fourth graders in New York have a ‘colonial history’ day and these costumes will come in handy! They learned about the parts of the uniforms of both armies worn during the Revolutionary War, and demonstrations of musket loading and firing, and how British regiments fought in formation. 

Watching a demonstration of Revolutionary War era uniforms and clothing. Fort Niagara hosts an amazing French and Indian War encampment, as well as War of 1812 and Revolutionary War events, among others. (Ignore the hooded sweatshirts on my soldiers! It had snowed the day before.)

Before we left, we witnessed a skirmish meant to simulate "The shot heard round the world", the battle at Lexington and Concord. 

Indoor corridor on the second floor. The French Castle was built in the 1700s and has seen three nations' armies in the nearly 300 year history. It's always exciting to see the places my characters walked. 

Please stop back tomorrow when the authors of Backcountry Brides host a day long tea party and an afternoon facebook party with prizes and treats and lots of fun!

Colonial Log Cabins in the South

Nancy Hart Cabin w saddle notching

In my upcoming novella, Across Three Autumns, part of the Backcountry Brides Collection releasing through Barbour in May (Backcountry Brides on Amazon), my heroine and her family live in a log cabin in Middle Georgia’s c. 1779 frontier. Due to frequent Indian attacks, Jenny White’s father Asa forted their house, constructing a rude stockade around the cabin and outbuildings. Since Jenny—the oldest of four—is unusually tall and strong like Nancy Hart, the Revolutionary War heroine who inspired her character, she helps with the heavier work and can defend from the lookouts with the family’s Brown Bess musket.

Nancy Hart cabin reconstruction

Since I wasn’t describing the more formal homes I’m familiar with, I needed a better grasp on what her home would have looked like.

• Georgia woods used for log cabin construction included hardwoods, poplar, pine and cyprus, with cyprus more common in South Georgia. Settlers from Georgia’s Piedmont up to the Appalachians mostly used pine. Sometimes a settler might use poplar, which is lighter and easier to square, for the main beams, and pine for the rest of the house. 

  

  Elijah Clark cabin double pen reconstruction

• Size of the cabin could range from 15x12 to 30x18, single or double pen.
• Settlers might choose to make their homes hewn and squared on all sides or only on the inside, leaving the rounded logs visible from the outside. Men used broad axes to “skelp” logs and a crosscut saw to notch the ends.
• When notching, a settler could choose between several styles: saddle, half dove tail, and full dove tail. The saddle notch was mostly used by Cherokee and Creek Indians, while European settlers favored the other styles because they locked the logs more firmly in place.
  
  
  
• Cabin floors were often swept dirt or sand. If a constructed floor existed, it was customarily made of hewn and hand-split planks which were pegged to the floor joist, if hand-made nails were not available. The roof was applied of hand-cut wood shakes (oak, chestnut) and the chimney of stone. If stone was not available or the structure was more temporary, the chimney might be constructed of small logs fronted with mud (or “clay and stake”). In cold weather, animal skins or wooden shutters on wooden or leather hinges covered the windows.

Don’t you love the log cabin pictured on the front of Backcountry Brides? I admit, I’ve always had a penchant for these rustic homes. I love touring them, but I’m afraid living in one would require a LOT of adjustment!

~Denise Weimer (http://deniseweimerbooks.webs.com)

Bloody Bill Cunningham, Terror of the South Carolina Backcountry

Artist's rendering of the Battle of Kings Mountain

Some time ago I wrote about Col. Banastre Tarleton of the British Legion, and how he might not have been the bad boy that so many accounts claim, but today I introduce a man who almost certainly deserved every bit of bad press he got.

Captain William Cunningham of the South Carolina backcountry was the son, nephew, and cousin to staunch loyalists at the beginning of the Revolutionary War, but being the strong-minded, contrary sort, he joined the rebel side. (That’s loyalist terminology for what we call patriots.) That lasted until first, Cunningham was refused a promotion he thought he deserved, and second, he was assigned to a location he didn’t care for. After his second attempt to resign from the Continental Army, he was court martialed for insubordination and sentenced to a whipping.

Sent home in disgrace and facing threats on his life, Cunningham fled to St. Augustine. Two years later, word reached him that patriot militia had turned his family out of their house, treating his aged father roughly and whipping his disabled brother so severely that he died. Furious, Cunningham returned to South Carolina on foot and went straight to the man responsible for his family’s suffering, Captain William Ritchie, where as the story goes, he shot Capt. Ritchie at dinner, in front of his family.

Afterward, Cunningham promptly joined the British cause. His exploits soon earned him the rank of major and later, captain, and he’s recorded as being present at the Battle of King’s Mountain. Notably fearless and an expert horseman, he was so much admired by his peers that even his enemies speak of him in tones of awe, decades later.

SC Districts from 1775 to 1784

The truly bone-chilling accounts, however, start just after the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, which took place October 1781. Slipping past patriot patrols in small groups, after the British withdrawal to Charleston, Cunningham led a fairly sizeable band of men—anywhere from 80 to 300, and I lean toward the latter—on a series of raids against the patriot populace. This quickly became a campaign of vengeance on those who had committed the gravest offenses against the Tories or their families. The first incident happened at Turner’s Station on Cloud’s Creek in the upper Ninety-Six District, where Cunningham and his men surprised and surrounded a patriot force that had been harassing loyalists. A shot fired prematurely while negotiations were being made for surrender tipped Cunningham’s temper over the edge, and most of them were slaughtered.

His reign of terror over the South Carolina backcountry would later be referred to as the Bloody Scout, with the term “scout” referring to their roaming the countryside rather than a person. The moniker “Bloody Bill” would likewise not be coined until later, like Tarleton’s nickname of “Bloody Ban.” With Cunningham’s habit, however, of pinning down his enemies, then deliberately putting them to death with a singleminded fury that is legendary even today, he stands head and shoulders above Tarleton in infamy. No other figure is attributed with such habitual, wholesale slaughter, to my knowledge, and even the Waxhaws Massacre had its extenuating circumstances.

The Bloody Scout was more or less brought to a halt one frosty morning when a mounted force led by Andrew Pickens attacked one of the camps Cunningham had spread out over the banks of the Edisto River, and with the alarm raised, the other camps fled and dispersed, eventually making their way back to Charleston. There’s evidence of one more skirmish leading to slaughter not far from Charleston, which historians feel was likely the work of Cunningham, as well, but after that time his raids were never as effective as before.

This stretch of obscure RevWar history provides the setting of my next novella, The Counterfeit Tory, which releases May 1 as part of the CQ-authored Backcountry Brides Collection from Barbour. Jed Wheeler from The Highwayman returns on a mission to infiltrate William Cunningham’s troops in the hopes of bringing him down. The big question for Jed is, can he accomplish this without getting killed, himself?

[My thanks to Patrick O'Kelley for Nothing but Blood and Slaughter, his extensive work on every military action in the Carolinas during the Revolution; and to carolana.com, diceylangston.com, and Wikipedia for maps and cross-checking of facts.]