About the Book
Written by: Carrie Turanksy
Publisher: WaterBrook & Multnomah Books
Month, Year: February, 2017
Amazon | CBD | B+N
In a quiet corner of northern Edwardian England, Margaret Lounsbury diligently works in her grandmother’s millinery shop, making hats and caring for her young sister. Several years earlier, a terrible tragedy reshaped their family, shattering an idyllic life and their future prospects. But Maggie is resilient and will do what she must to protect her sister Violet. Still, the loss of her parents weighs heavily on her heart and she begins to wonder if what happened that day on the lake…might not have been an accident.
When wealthy inventor and industrialist William Harcourt dies, his son Nathaniel, who is Maggie’s estranged childhood friend, returns from his time in the Royal Navy and inherits his father’s vast estate, Morningside Manor. He also assumes partial control of his father’s engineering company and the duty of repaying an old debt to the Lounsbury family. But years of separation between Nate and Maggie have taken a toll and Maggie struggles to trust her old friend.
Can Maggie let go of the resentment that keeps her from forgiving Nate—and reconciling with God? Will their search for the truth about her parents’ death draw them closer or will it leave them both with broken hearts?
My Thoughts:
Maggie and Nate, Nate and Maggie. *dreamy sigh* A torturous, romantic love story that rests on the fringe of never coming to fruition thanks to the involvement of selfish intentions by third parties. Sound intriguing? This book totally is!!
Maggie Lounsbury’s dedication to her younger sister and grandmother is incredibly heart-warming and touching, as is her dedication to rebuild the family’s millinery shop after it was burned down. Yet, Maggie’s dedicated stems from the reeling loss her parents…and the further she investigates their untimely demise, she’s coming to the conclusion that their deaths might not have been an accident at all, but more of the intentional sort. But why would anyone want her sweet parents dead? And how is she going to prove once and for all what happened on that fateful day years ago?
When Nathan Harcourt is pressed to come home to attend his father’s last days, he never imagined the kind of welcoming he received. Not only are his step-mother and step-sister upset with him, but Maggie, his childhood best friend, wants nothing to do with him. How is Nate to apologize for the mistakes of the past if Maggie doesn’t hear him out? Vowing to win her over once again, Nate soon finds himself ushering Maggie and her family into his home, offering shelter while they land on their feet. But when information rises that puts Nate in a bind, will he ever be able to begin anew or will the past forever haunt them both?
Carrie Turansky’s latest work, Shine Like the Dawn, will make your heart swell with vastly differing emotions from the very first page till the last. You’ll feel the heart-wrenching pain of losing a beloved family member, the burning resentment toward former friends, the fierce loyalty that comes with keeping ones family safe. This emotional roller-coaster is every bit as good as viewing the historical dramas on tv, if not better! I highly recommend adding Shine Like the Dawn to your must reads list!
About the Author
CARRIE TURANSKY is an award-winning author of more than a dozen novels and novellas. She has been the winner of the ACFW Carol Award, the Crystal Globe Award, and the International Digital Award, and a finalist for the Inspirational Readers Choice Award and the Maggie Award of Excellence. A prolific writer of contemporary and historical romance, women’s fiction, short stories, articles, and devotionals, Carrie lives in central New Jersey with her husband Scott. They have five adult children and four grandchildren.
Guest Post from Carrie Turansky
Hats, Glorious Hats!
By Carrie Turansky
One fun part of my research for Shine Like the Dawn was learning about hat making in the early 1900s. My heroine, Maggie Lounsbury is a milliner who designs women’s hats. She learned this skill from her grandmother who owns a small shop in the village of Heatherton. Maggie has an artistic eye and she enjoys making stylish hats, but she doesn’t like the overdone designs some of their customers request, so that creates some humorous conflict in the story.
Hats in the Edwardian era were large and often covered with feathers, flowers, lace, netting, berries and bows. The “bird nests,” as Coco Chanel called them, were held on with large hat pins stuck through piles of hair on the crown. These hats were called Gainsborough or Picture hats because of the way they framed a lady’s face. They often featured huge dried flower arrangements and sometimes included real leaves and twigs! No doubt the Garden hat was a fitting name.
1907 The Merry Window hat became very popular after the leading lady in the play by that same name wore a hat that was even taller and wider than usual. Some people complained these hats were too big and obtrusive in public places like the theater or picture shows. But English women loved them and wore them to all kinds of events.
The popularity of using large feathers and stuffed birds on hats caused concern for the welfare of birds. Many protective laws took effect and milliners had to use more ribbon and tulle and only large ostrich feathers to decorate hats. Those ostrich feathers came from birds that were raised on farms and their feathers were collected as they fell out naturally.
The movement toward smaller hats began around 1913 when hats still had high crowns but smaller brims. Straw boaters, small top hats, and mini versions of picture hats were very common.
Motion pictures had the greatest influence on Edwardian hat fashion. After the release of The Three Musketeers many ladies wanted to wear tricorne and bicorne shaped hats. They were still very large but now had shapes other than just round. Hat brims were folded up on the side, at an angle, or all around to create drama. Veils disappeared in the early 1900s only to come back again as a long scarf that wrapped over the hat and under the chin for the new sport called motoring.
I’ve had fun dressing Edwardian style for book launch tea parties and other book events. It made me feel very special to wear these lovely hats. What do you think of Edwardian Hats? Would you like to wear one?
Thanks to friends at the Vintage Dancer website for some of this information.
Blog Stops
February 21: New Horizon Reviews
February 21: Bookworm Mama
February 21: Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses
February 22: Tell Tale Book Reviews
February 22: Book by Book
February 22: History, Mystery and Faith
February 23: Bibliophile Reviews
February 23: Smiling Book Reviews
February 23: A Readers Brain
February 23: Faithfully Bookish
February 23: Lane Hill House
February 24: Back Porch Reads
February 24: The Scribbler
February 24: I Hope You Dance
February 25: Stuff & Nonsense
February 25: The Power of Words
February 25: A Greater Yes
February 26: cherylbbookblog
February 26: Moments Dipped in Ink
February 26: Splashes of Joy
February 27: Genesis 5020
February 27: inklings and notions
February 27: D’S QUILTS & BOOKS
February 28: Karen Sue Hadley
February 28: A Simple Life, really?!
February 28: Neverending Stories
March 1: Daysong Reflections
March 1: Connie’s History Classroom
March 1: Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations
March 2: These Splendid Sentences
March 2: Singing Librarian Books
March 2: Blossoms and Blessings
March 3: Pause for Tales
March 3: blogging With Carol
March 3: Mary Hake
March 4: Radiant Light
March 4: For The Love of Books
March 5: Christian Bookaholic
March 5: Rachel Scott McDaniel
March 6: History, Hope, Laughter & Happily-ever-after
March 6: Baker Kella
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Carrie is giving away all 4 books: Shine Like the Dawn, The Governess of Highland Hall, The Daughter of Highland Hall, and A Refuge at Highland Hall.! Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/b0fb
I was graciously provided a free copy of this novel from Celebrate Lit and WaterBrook & Multnomah Books in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own.
Hi Baker Kella, thanks so much for your very kind review! I’m so glad you enjoyed reading Nate and Maggie’s story! It’s been great fun to connect with the Celebrate Lit team. I appreciate Sandy and everyone who has helped me spread the word about this story! Happy Reading to you!
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I adored their story, Carrie!! 😀 I’m so glad you stopped by to read my review. And incredibly grateful I could be a part of the team to review and promo your book!! Can’t wait to read what you write next! 🙂
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I don’t look good in hats so I tend to not wear them often although I think I would like the cloche hat on the cover of A Refuge at Highland Hall!
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I loved the governess of Highland Hal l!
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I loooooove the Highland Hall series! I’m listening to the third one on audiobook right now. 😀
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Hi Friends, it’s so encouraging to stop by and read your comments! So glad several of you enjoyed reading the Highland Hall novels! They are set in the same time period as Shine Like the Dawn and have some similar elements like family drama, romance, and inspiration. Blessings to each one, and happy reading!
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Awesome review! I’m so excited to read Shine Like the Dawn!
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Love your review, Kella! Now I really want to read Shine Like The Dawn. 🙂
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I really like to read Carrie’s books my favorite genre! Good interview.
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