Unending Devotion by Jody Hedlund

Bestselling author Judy Hedlund has written a new novel titled Unending Devotion.  Set in central Michigan in 1883, the reader sees what life was like in a lumber camp.  Connell McCormick is in charge of the logging camp in the town of Harrison for his father.  As long as his shanty boys show up for work each day, he is satisfied.  He wants to prove his worth to his father.  What the loggers do at the saloons on their off hours is none of his business.  When Lily Young shows up in town looking for her sister, Connell knows he is in trouble.  Lily isn't afraid of standing up for what is right.  She will do anything to find her sister and help other girls, even if it means taking on villian James Carr who forces young women to work for his establishment.  No one has ever stood up to him before, but that doesn't stop Lily!  Connell is torn between doing what he knows is right and being a success for his father.  And his attraction for Lily is growing stronger everyday!
I have read 2 other books by Hedlund before and I love how they are about true people and events in history.  Although the book started out kind of slow for me, I soon got into it and enjoyed seeing Lily's fighting spirit.  Connell had all kinds of pressure to deal with from family, co-workers and "his girl".  I recommend this novel if you like this time period in history.  There is lots of action!  Thanks Bethany House Publishers for sending me a free copy to review.

http://www.bethanyhouse.com/Book.asp?isbn=978-0-7642-0834-8

Lovelier Than Daylight by Rosslyn Elliot

Book #3 of The Saddler's Legacy is published by Thomas Nelson.  I am grateful for the free copy they sent me.  This novel takes place in 1875 in Westerville, OH and centers around the Hanby family.  Just as Susanna Hanby is primed to start college, she discovers that her sister is missing as well as her children.  The 6 of them has been sent to two separate orphanages and their alcoholic father cares nothing about them.  Nor will he provide any help in rescuing them.  Susanna values her family above all else and will do anything to get them all together again.  Johann Giere is the only son of a German-American brewery in Columbus and he and his father are the supplier for a new saloon in Westerville.  Johann's dream is to be a journalist and comes to Westerville to write news articles for his part-time job when the temperance crusaders start protesting the new saloon in town.  Johann and Susanna seem to be on opposite sides.  Both must decide what is most important in their lives and find a way to bring Susanna's family back together again. 
Even though I read the first book, I didn't read book #2.  I still had no trouble following along with the Hanby family.  This story is based on a true historical event, the Westerville Whiskey war of 1875 that is featured in the 2011 documentary Prohibition by Ken Burns.  It moved along at a good place and I liked reading about this time in history, especially about an area of the country close to where I live in western PA.