About the Book
Book: Love’s Winding Road
Author: Susan F. Craft
Genre: Christian Historical Romance
Release Date: February 27, 2024
They were forced into this marriage of convenience, but there’s more at stake than their hearts on this wagon train through the mountain wilderness.
When Rose Jackson and her Irish immigrant family join a wagon train headed for a new life in South Carolina, the last thing she expects is to fall for the half-Cherokee wagon scout along the way. But their journey takes a life-changing turn when Rose is kidnapped by Indians. Daniel comes to her rescue, but the effects mean their lives will be forever intertwined.
Daniel prides himself on his self-control—inner and outer—but can’t seem to get a handle on either when Rose is near. Now his life is bound to hers when the consequences of her rescue force them to marry. Now it’s even more critical he maintain that self-control to keep her safe.
When tragedy strikes at the heart of their strained marriage, they leave for Daniel’s home in the Blue Ridge Mountains. As they face the perils of the journey, Rose can’t help but wonder why her new husband guards his heart so strongly. Why does he resist his obvious attraction for her? And what life awaits them at the end of love’s winding road?
Click here to get your copy!
About the Author
Susan F. Craft retired after a 45-year career in writing, editing, and communicating in business settings.
She authored the historical romantic suspense trilogy Women of the American Revolution—The Chamomile, Laurel, and Cassia. The Chamomile and Cassia received national Illumination Silver Awards. The Chamomile was named by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance as an Okra Pick and was nominated for a Christy Award.
She collaborated with the International Long Riders’ Guild Academic Foundation to compile An Equestrian Writer’s Guide (www.lrgaf.org), including almost everything you’d ever want to know about horses.
An admitted history nerd, she enjoys painting, singing, listening to music, and sitting on her porch watching geese eat her daylilies. She most recently took up the ukulele.
More from Susan
Colonial American medicine fascinates me. The shortage of doctors made it critical for women to maintain medicine kits that included remedies brought with them from Europe as well as those shared with them by Native Americans.
In Love’s Winding Road, my character Rose falls into river rapids and suffers serious scrapes and bruises. Daniel, the half-Cherokee scout of her wagon train, rescues her and makes witch hazel flowers into a paste.
With gentle movements, he spread the ointment on her arms, legs, and neck. When he dabbed some on several raw places on her scalp where her hair had been ripped out, Rose clenched her teeth until her face hurt. With her hand trembling, she reached up to touch her hair.
“Don’t worry. It will grow back. Just thank the good Lord, for though it may be distressing and painful to have lost some of your hair, the strands helped me keep track of you.”
Rose’s father suffers from arthritis in his hands, so he chews on the twigs of black willow trees (not weeping willows) and drinks the tea his wife prepares from the bark also used to treat back pain, headaches, and inflammatory conditions.
When a mountain lion attacks Daniel, Rose stitches the laceration. She cleans the area with whiskey and offers it to him as a painkiller.
She threaded her needle with her finest flax fiber, and holding her breath, she began the first tiny stitches. Think of it as cloth. Think of it as cloth. She repeated the words over and over in her head.
Sometimes doing research can be amusing.
The night before I was to see my doctor, I’d read a resource book, Indian Doctor – Nature’s method of curing and preventing disease according to the Indians. I showed my doctor the Indian cure for my problem.
What a hoot! We had such fun looking through the book. Seems as if every cure involved mixing something with wine, ale, beer, or liquor. We came to the conclusion that with enough alcohol, even if you still had the problem, you wouldn’t care anymore.
Two weeks later, I saw my doctor for an earache. Of course, we looked up the Indian cure. It involved lily onions, marsh mallows, oil of violet—all taken with wine. And then, bleeding.
I’ll stick with antibiotics.
I pray that my Great Wagon Road series honors the Lord and the gifts He has given me and that you will love my characters as much as I do. Soli Deo Gloria.
My Thoughts
Love’s Winding Road is book one in the Great Wagon Road series and is written by
Susan F. Craft. I love marriage of convenience books. I also love wagon trail books. So I was super excited to see this show up in my mail box.
Rose Jackson and her Irish immigrant family join a wagon train headed for a new life in South Carolina. Along the way she finds herself drawn to the half-Cherokee wagon scout, Daniel. He also feels drawn to her. Rose is suddenly captured by Indians and Daniel rescues her. In doing so, rumors start to fly at camp about how they may have been inappropriate.
Rose’s father comes up with a solution. Marry. They do so and Daniel had a hard time adjusting. He’s used to being in control and having a lot of self control and that has gone out the window now that he’s met Rose. I loved seeing their characters get to know each other.
The author has done a great job is showcasing what life may have been like for those who had long days of travel. I enjoyed learning about all of the remedies they used for illnesses and injuries. I love stories where I can learn while I’m enjoying the story. The author has written some great details into the story so that you feel like you are there with the characters.
Thank you to the author, publisher and Celebrate Lit for allowing me to read a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.
Blog Stops
Locks, Hooks and Books, April 3
Simple Harvest Reads, April 3 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)
lakesidelivingsite, April 4
Pause for Tales, April 4
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 5
For Him and My Family, April 5
Lighthouse Academy Blog, April 6 (Guest Review from Marilyn Ridgway)
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 7
The Lofty Pages, April 7
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, April 8
Bizwings Book Blog, April 9
Life on Chickadee Lane, April 9
Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, April 10
Texas Book-aholic, April 11
Connie’s History Classroom , April 11
Cover Lover Book Review, April 12
Batya’s Bits, April 13
Holly’s Book Corner, April 13
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, April 14
Books You Can Feel Good About, April 15
Blossoms and Blessings, April 15
Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, April 16 (Author Interview)
Mary Hake, April 16
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Susan 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/2ac74/love-s-winding-road-celebration-tour-giveaway
Will Faith Perish in the Big Top’s Flames?
Rhonda Dragomiris a multimedia creative who treasures her fairy tale life in Central Kentucky, insisting her home is her castle even if her prince refuses to dig a moat. She has multiple published works in anthologies and periodicals, along with numerous Bible studies studied weekly by more than 10,000 women around the world. Rhonda has garnered numerous writing awards for both fiction and nonfiction, including her selection as 2019 Writer of the Year by Serious Writer, Inc. In 2020 she was also a finalist in ACFW’s Genesis Contest for her first novel, a 16th century historical romance.
Can one man’s love win a fragile woman’s heart?
Penny Zeller is known for her heartfelt stories of faith and her passion to impact lives for Christ through fiction. While she has had a love for writing since childhood, she began her adult writing career penning articles for national and regional publications on a wide variety of topics.
