Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard

Sisters Sibell and Constance Mackenzie have grown up in Castle Leod with their father, the Earl of Cromartie. Sibell, the older sister, has found solace in books and the mysteries of the castle. Differing from Sibell, Constance thrives on adventure, horseback riding, hunting and athletics. When it is time, their father decides that Sibell will inherit the estate and titles that go along with it. Sibell takes her duties seriously and seeks to care for the people and lands that she is given charge of. With her marriage to Lt. Col. Edward Blunt, Sibell also secures hydroelectric power for the people. However, when Sibell's first child dies mysteries shortly after her birth, Sibell blames Constance for setting a bizarre chain of events in motion. Sibell breaks contact with her sister and sets on a path of spiritualism, hoping to see her daughter once again. Meanwhile, Constance travels the world, seeking to live a healthy life. However, Sibell sees Constance's actions as constantly undermining her and attempting to gain the estate.

Castle Leod is the inspiration for the fictional Castle Leoch. However, Castle Leod was the home to two very real sisters with amazing and magical lives of their own. The writing immediately caught my attention with the story of Castle Leod's ghost, the Nightwatchman. Through this story, I could easily imagine the atmosphere of the castle and could easily see the distinct personalities of each sister. The story is told through Sibell's point of view alone, diving into Sibell's duties as Countess, emotions and journey into spiritualism. Constance is still a fully formed character and force within the book, her life could definitely carry a book of its own. I did enjoy reading about the sister's interactions and how it seemed that Constance may have been purposely pushing Sibell's buttons or that Sibell always saw the worst in her sister's actions. Sibell's spiritual journey was a large part of the story, I was taken in by the mystery of past lives as much as Sibell was and was equally amazed at her strength in realizing what was true and what she simply wanted to be true. In the end, Sisters of Castle Leod is about the bond of sisterhood and creating your own path in the world.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.… (mehr)

The Sisters of Castle Leod is based in history as the women of the story did exist. It was a time of great interest in the occult and many Victorian women explored “the great beyond.” In this book we have sisters who inherit a rather vast estate from their father – one of them becoming a peeress.

What follows is the exploration of how these women manage to fit into a society that was rigid and very conforming. Despite that, they managed to live very full and some might say fulfilling lives.

At least for the times.

It was a book that was very hard to put down once one started reading it as the tale was very compelling. I found myself carrying the book around to read at any odd moment I could. These books are rare and very welcome.… (mehr)

Temptation Rag is a fictional/factional story of the Ragtime King, Mike Bernard, brought to life by an actual family member. Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard wife of one of the King’s descendants wrote about real individuals who were part of Mike’s life wove together with fiction which added drama that kept me turning the pages.

The story is centered around Mike and his first wife, May Convery, and how the decisions they made, or didn’t make, effected not only their lives but others as well. Mike and May were tortured soles as they lived their lives separately, coming in and out of each other’s lives occasionally. It is May’s life, which little is actually known about, that Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard truly showed her talent as a writer. Instead of distracting from the story, May’s fictional life actually brought added interest of how her interaction with Mike, an individual who mistreated others throughout his lifetime, affected her throughout hers’.

I truly enjoyed reading Temptation Rag as the fictional/factional story was so well intermingled by the author who did not shy away from tough touchy subjects and portraying what life was really like for woman and minorities in an era of great change in America. Her character development was superb including even the minor ones who brought additional interest to the story.

Is this a HEA story? Maybe, maybe not. I for one, think it is how you perceive what is HEA. Either way this is a well written book definitely worth reading.

I received a complimentary copy (or ARC) of this book from Smith Publicity, Inc. I was under no obligation to write a review, and all options expressed in this review are completely my own.… (mehr)