Loving Leah by Lynne Larson -- Book Tour Review + Giveaway

4/29/2016

About the Book

“Promise me, Ethan, no matter what, you must stay here! You can’t make a sound! Promise me you won’t!”
Caught in the middle of a massacre in Lawrence, Kansas, during the Civil War, Leah Donaldson, a twenty-year-old Mormon governess, must risk everything to save two children in her care—and she lives to pay dearly for the decision. Young Ethan Pace loves Leah and can hardly stay still as she is taken away by the enemy for refusing to reveal where he and his sister are hiding.
Five years later, Ethan desperately searches for her, trying to reconcile all that has happened and grappling with his feelings for her. Still idealizing Leah, he hopes she has survived and that he can help her get to Zion and her people. But after everything she’s been through since they last met, will Leah overcome her regrets and allow love into her life? Will she come to see Ethan as the caring man he has become rather than the lovesick boy she once knew?

GOODREADS | AMAZON | DESERET BOOK | SEAGULL BOOK

About the Author

An award-winning public school teacher for nearly thirty years in Southern Idaho, Lynne Larson has written numerous articles, essays, and short stories for both regional and national publications. Since her retirement from the classroom, she has continued to promote education, particularly in history and literature, and is a frequent speaker for book clubs and service groups. She has published six novels, all of which generally reflect her love of Western lore and Americana. A graduate of Brigham Young University, Mrs. Larson also holds an MA in English from Idaho State University. She and her husband, Kent, currently live in American Fork, Utah. They are the parents of three grown children.

GOODREADS | AMAZON

Review

Lynne Larson’s Loving Leah, is about a young Mormon woman, Leah, who is orphaned and then left behind when her people are driven from Nauvoo. She now takes care of the Pace children, Ethan and Addie, while there father is away fighting in the war. Caught in the massacre in Lawrence, Kansas, Leah gives her life and innocence to save the lives of the Pace children. Many hears later, after the Pace family has expanded with a stepmother and stepsiblings, Ethan embarks on a journey across the country in a search for his beloved Leah. A somewhat sad, but striking tale, Lynne has written a story that will draw readers in from page one as not only Ethan, but readers alike fall in love with the beloved Leah. This well-written story is intriguingly from the perspective of a young boy. With a fascinating story along with the realistic characters, this is historical novel that readers will not want to miss.

Genre: historical, Civil War
Publisher: Covenant Communications
Publication date: April 1, 2016
Number of pages: 208

Content Rating: PG, some war violence, reference to rape, reference to LDS religious content
Book Rating: 5 stars