Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: Bitter Eyes No More

Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: Bitter Eyes No More

About the Book

 

Name of book: Bitter Eyes No More  
Author: April W Gardner  
Genre: Historical Romance  
Release Date: Feb, 2017  

A man of abiding honor, tested by a woman of ruinous passion. A woman of unspeakable sins, pursued by a God of unquenchable mercy. Spanish Florida once sheltered Lillian McGirth from her fears. Now, it feeds them. Mercy is for the deserving; for Lillian, an unwed mother accused of treason, there is only battering and defeat, but her fall breaks softly in the arms of an unexpected arrival, a man too beautiful of soul to stain with her lost character. Captain Marcus Buck sails in on a pledge to save Miss McGirth from herself and from her child’s father, a ruthless don. All the while, he’s to regard her as virtuous and worthy of protection and to guard said virtue from pilfering. But the terms are flawed since he must first guard her from himself. Regardless, he is determined. He will free her, repair her name—simple labor compared to dodging the army’s noose, mending wounds three years deep, and navigating a host of rebel Natives bent on inflicting more. Through the steady crumble of his pledge, their friendship becomes a consolation, for she knows his pain as no other can or will. Their scars are one; their paths, however, might irrevocably become two… 

 Click here to purchase your copy.

My Thoughts:

Bitter Eyes No More was the first of April Gardner’s books I’ve read. She has a masterful style of writing-descriptions so tight I was immersed into the setting to the point I could hear the waves or smell the dust. The dialogue was also well-written, giving insights into each character. I am not familiar with this time period, and Ms. Gardner effectively educated me of the issues, customs, prejudices, and events without the book feeling like a lecture or textbook. I loved Lillian and her knight-in-shining armor, Marcus-in fact, I had a bit of a crush on him. He is masculine yet sensitive, and his respect of care of Lillian was a joy to behold. What I didn’t like about the book was the emphasis on the physical attraction between the two. There was constant internal dialogue within Lillian and Marcus about how the other looked and how that made them feel. Marcus also seemed to care about protecting Lillian’s damaged reputation, yet there were several scenes where he put her in a situation that was inappropriate for the era. The more in-depth level of their relationship didn’t seem to develop until near the end of the book. Minor characters were well-developed, and there were a couple of plot twists I didn’t see coming. Because of the era and subject matter, there were quite a few scenes of violence and bloodshed.

I received this book for free from CelebrateLit Publicity, and a positive review was not required. All opinions expressed are my own.

About the Author

  

APRIL W GARDNER writes history with a Christian perspective and a little imagination. She is a copyeditor, military wife, and homeschooling mother of two who lives in Texas. She writes Christian historical romance with a focus on our Southeastern Native Tribes. In no particular order, April dreams of owning a horse, learning a third language, and visiting all the national parks. April loves to hear from her readers at: aprilgardnerwrites@gmail.com and at www.aprilgardner.com

Guest Post from April W. Gardner

I’ve never needed one of those spiritual gifts tests to know I score a big, fat zero in the mercy department. When God impressed on me the themes of Bitter Eyes No More—mercy and justice—I figured I was the least qualified person to broach the topic. However, in His perfect way, He knew exactly where I needed to be stretched, and over the seven months He used me to craft the story, He poked and prodded at my flaws, making them large in my mind and reminding me that no one is deserving of any quantity of mercy, grace, or forgiveness, and that He alone is righteous enough to wield the gavel of justice. Captain Marcus Buck, the hero in Bitter Eyes No More, learns the same lesson. Because of a horrifying stint of slavery on a British frigate, he drives through life seeking justice—all in accordance with the law, of course, but swift, fierce justice nonetheless. Lillian, the same story’s female lead, knows beyond a doubt she deserves the most righteous justice there is—an eternity apart from God. Mercy is only for the deserving, she says, but there can surely be none for her, an unwed mother with the label “traitor” hovering over her head. Marcus, a surgeon and splendid swordsman, has engraved his sword with a passage from the prophet Zechariah. “This is what the LORD Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.’” (Zech. 7:9) It’s a beautiful piece of advice, but Marcus is blind to the second half. What neither of these characters realizes at first is that God doles out mercy and justice as a packaged unit and in bountiful, equal measure. In our finite human minds, we tend to separate these two qualities, but God cannot give one without the other. More than that, He cannot be one without the other. He is all mercy and all justice in one perfect being. Aren’t you glad? I sure am!

Every subscriber instantly receives the first in the Creek Country Saga for FREE!

Newsletter Sign-up: http://eepurl.com/vujA9

Blog Stops

Here are the remaining stops on April's tour:

November 4: Simple Harvest Reads

November 5: New Horizone Reviews

November 6: Debbie's Dusty Deliberations

Giveaway

In honor of her tour, April is giving away a grand prize package of a $15 Amazon gift card and four of her books in paperback, signed by her! Click to enter! https://promosimple.com/ps/c0d2