About the Book
Book Title: The Mending of Lillian CathleenAuthor: Linda Brooks Davis
Genre: Historical
Release date: October, 2018
It’s 1914. American women are demanding the vote. And the first flames of the Great War are igniting Europe. But a battle of a different sort rages in Oklahoma.
The thermometer registers one hundred six degrees, an out-of-the-ordinary occurrence even for the twenty-eighth day of July. But this is no ordinary day.
The jury has reached a verdict.
Lily fidgets in the old church pew. Her name has clotted into a by-word. Her blood is tainted. Can she right the wrongs? Or will her past forever define her?
She eyes the judge. And the courtroom holds its breath.
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My Review
This is an amazing historical women’s fiction book.
The characters were incredibly well developed. Many times my heart broke for what they were having to deal with and go through. I wanted to step into Ella and Abbie’s place and take Lily in and protect her. She had so much thrown at her in her life.
This story was much heavier than most of the books that I read. The depth of evil that was perpetrated against others was appalling. I was completely engrossed by it though.
I loved the fact that so many of the characters we strong christians. They continually prayed about things and tried to encourage others to do the same. I was overjoyed when the need for Jesus Christ in a person’s heart and life was brought forward.
I’m giving this wonderful book a 5 star rating. I’m highly recommending it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Celebrate Lit. I have chosen to write this review to express my personal opinion.
About the Author
Linda Brooks Davis was born and reared on a farm in Raymondville, a small Rio Grande Valley community in the southernmost tip of Texas. Linda earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Speech Pathology from Abilene Christian University and a Master’s Degree from Houston Baptist University. She retired in 2008 after forty years as a special educator and administrator. Linda and her beloved husband Al worship and minister at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio and dote on six grandchildren, three of whom are triplets. Readers may contact Linda through her website, www.lindabrooksdavis.com.Linda’s debut novel, The Calling of Ella McFarland, is set in 1905 Indian Territory prior to Oklahoma statehood. It won the 2014 Jerry Jenkins Operation First Novel Award. It was released in 2015 and won the 2016 American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award. The sequel novella, A Christmas to Remember, is set in 1908 Oklahoma and released in December, 2016. A second novella, A Christmas Measure of Love, released in 2017. It is set in 1910 and is a prequel to Linda’s second full-length novel, this one set in 1914, The Mending of Lily Cathleen, which releases in 2018.
Guest Post from Linda
Certain ancestors and their experiences appear in my stories. There’s bit of my grandmother and a strong dash of my mother in one character. My father’s sterling qualities appear in another. And there’s a low-down family reprobate in another. Don’t forget cotton planting, hoeing, and harvest time. The glorious aroma of fresh-picked cotton and the nothing-in-the-world-like-it odor from the pig pen. A sewing machine whirring. The clink of a milk pail. A cow hollering to be milked. Summer’s sun on my face, the hearty South Texas wind in my hair, and the comfort of backing up to a wall heater on a cold winter morning. All find their way into the plot lines.In my family’s history, my own life, and the kaleidoscope of lives in my stories, Jesus appears as the golden thread linking the past to the present and beyond. He turns an ordinary morning into a hint of the “Sweet By & By.” He adds the delicate aroma of the Rose of Sharon to the sultry stillness before a summer storm. And He wraps the bitterness of grief and failure in the richness of His incomparable grace. The Mending of Lillian Cathleen is one of those tales that reach beyond the ordinary to the extraordinary because of Jesus.
Lily’s story captures some of the heartache of domestic abuse, but it packs a powerfully joyous punch at the end. I thought I’d add a strong dash of sweet to this post with a recipe that appears in The Calling of Ella McFarland (which is re-releasing in October 2018). Mama’s (or Papa’s) Nectar of Heaven was a treat my mother enjoyed as a child. She set the same yummy delicacy before her kids, and I, of course, have done the same. Here ’tis, ya’ll, from Texas with sweet, sweet love.
Blog Stops
Inklings and Notions, October 18
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Real World Bible Study, October 21
Babbbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, October 22
Christian Bookaholic, October 22
God’s Little Bookworm , October 23
Godly Book Reviews, October 23
Reading Is My SuperPower, October 24
A Reader’s Brain, October 24
Maureen’s Musings, October 25
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Just the Write Escape, October 26
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Janice’s Book Reviews , October 27
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Bibliophile Reviews, October 28
Proud to Be an Autism Mom, October 28
Texas Book-aholic, October 29
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 29
Bigreadersite , October 30
Carpe Diem, October 31
Lis Loves Reading, October 31
Giveaway
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Disclaimer: *Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*