Liz Harris

Darjeeling inheritance is a historical romance, emphasis on the romance. In my twenties I would have loved this book. The more the romance the better, if there was an historical setting that was a bonus. Today in my sixties I find my reading tastes have done a 180. While enjoying some romance in a book,I’m looking for more historical detail and depth then this book offers. This is not said to slam the book, simply to point out a fact that may bias my review.
The book is a simple story, simply told. The main character is an 18 year old woman, Charlotte who has returned to India after an absence of 11 years during which she attended school in England. Upon her return she finds her much loved father died two days prior, leaving her the family’s tea garden as her inheritance. Being 1930’s India she is told she will not be able to successfully run the business because she a female. She is left with two choices sell the garden or marry a neighbors’ son and merge the two farms. She cannot imagine selling so she chooses the later BUT can she go through with marriage to a man she does not love or is love possible? This is the dilemma Charlotte faces.
Of course my summary does not include the twists and turns present of which there are quite a few. Unfortunately I was able to predict them at about a quarter of the way through. The writing in general, with the exception of a few run on sentences, was nicely done. The main characters were adequately developed and the pacing of the book was even with each scene moving the plot forward.
I cannot recommend this book for readers like myself who are looking for more complex themes and storylines. However if a simple nicely told romance is what your looking for this just might be the book for you.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, Heywood Press, through net galley. This fact in no way influenced my review.… (mehr)

Ellen lost her husband and gained horrible scar in one horrible wagon accident, now she is a mail order bride hoping her future husband will overlook her scars.

I find it interesting that Connor and his daughter are focused on the surface the rest of their community is most welcoming of Ellen. I should say most of the community because the mangy school teacher and the creepy brother in law care only for themselves and what they want and don’t even care if they hurt those they profess to love. Ellen is pretty brave to pack up and go to a new place, knowing that she will risk ridicule and pity because of circumstances beyond her control, hoping to find a modicum of happiness in her now lonely life.

The begining of the book had a good start and I made past the fifth chapter and then it turned painfully boring and I desperately needed to skip several chapters. I did go back a few chapters to brief read a key scene to explain why Connor thought Ellen did something that she claims she didn’t do. I was amazed that I had actually managed to get the end of this story and extremely happy is was finally over. A Bargain Struck is one book I am wishing I had thought twice about especially in this age of digital books where I can’t trade it in for something else until I find a book worth keeping.

This review posting contains the body of the review, which is only a portion of the original review which is posted here http://lauralusbookreviews.blogspot.com/2017/05/a-bargain-struck-heart-of-west-1...… (mehr)

The Lost Girl was my first venture into Western Historical Fiction and I loved it.
Liz Harris has a captivating style of writing. The story spans 17 years but isn’t bogged down with unnecessary detail. Harris keeps it moving along swiftly as time passes.

Charity is found as a tiny newborn, lying near her dead mother, by 7 year old Joe. Joe takes her home and begs his mother to keep her promising to help look after her and do extra chores. His father and brother are miners and life is tough. The Chinese have settled in their small town of Carter and there is much mistrust and hatred on both sides.

Charity being Chinese heritage but brought up by an American family finds that she is shunned by both the whites and the Chinese.

This is a wonderful story of identity and belonging, friendship and perseverance, love and resilience in the face of adversity.

Harris’ prose are beautiful and packed with emotion but never overly melodramatic.… (mehr)

History is not always pretty and love for all is not equal or easy. In this historical novel a baby is found and brought to live with a family that never sees her as “family” because she is Chinese and they are white. She grows up in the family, works hard, is fed and dressed and cared for but is never considered a daughter. Being raised in a mining town that is divided between White and Chinese with racial tension everywhere it is difficult to figure out where you belong if you consider yourself American and everyone that looks at you sees you as Chinese…that is…everyone except the Chinese.

Joe and Charity have a bond from the time he finds her alone with her recently deceased mother. They remain close despite the tensions in town and correspond after he leaves when he is seventeen and she is ten. When he returns seven years later both have changed and so has the town. Charity has made friends with Su Lin, a Chinese girl her age, and her older brother Chen Fai. Chen Fai wants more than friendship with Charity but Joe’s return causes Charity to weigh her future carefully due to anti-miscegenation laws and the consequences of stepping over the line in regard to them.

This novel is gritty and real dealing with topics that are not easy but well worth exploring. It definitely makes me happy to be living when I do rather than in times gone by…for more than one reason.

Thank you to NetGalley and Choc Lit for the copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.… (mehr)