Review: “The Cautious Maiden” by Dawn Crandall + Giveaway

Today’s book review features the latest and my personal favorite in Dawn Crandall’s “The Everstone Chronicles” series: The Cautious Maiden. It features a dramatic — and sometimes suspenseful — historical romance and story of redemption between a couple secondary characters we glimpse in the previous books. (But it can totally be a stand-alone story!) Also, Dawn is hosting a blog tour this month celebrating her recent release with some awesome GIVEAWAYS! Read on for more about the book, my review, and the giveaway info with a Rafflecopter link.

Violet Hawthorne is beyond mortified when her brother Ezra turns their deceased parents’ New England country inn into a brothel to accommodate the nearby lumberjacks; but when Violet’s own reputation is compromised, the inn becomes the least of her worries. In an effort to salvage her good name, Violet is forced into an engagement with a taciturn acquaintance; Vance Everstone. As she prepares for a society wedding, Violet learns that her brother had staked her hand in marriage in a heated poker game with the unsavory Rowen Steele, and Ezra had lost. Now Rowen is determined to cash in on his IOU. With danger stalking her and a new fiance who hides both his emotion and his past, Violet must decide who to trust and who to leave behind.

First things first: the romance! “Marriage-of-convenience” goes through a new set of complications with the influence of outside characters. The chemistry between Violet and Vance practically screams from the page. It’s electric while remaining sweet and era-appropriate. Violet’s innocence is endearing, yet she also learns, no matter the best intentions, the importance of accountability and relying on God for strength to resist temptation. While never excusing Vance’s past behavior, this story highlights our sinful nature and our need for forgiveness.

Having read the first 3 books in the series and knowing the depths to which Vance had fallen, he had to prove himself to me a little bit. And, to Violet. His character showed redemption above and beyond what I expected. (Something tricky to show with a singular POV not from his perspective) For all Vance’s charms, his diligence and determination to show restraint with Violet are what really makes him an attractive hero. And, his obvious pursuit of a personal relationship with God and a fresh start.

The subtle suspenseful plot line added another layer of depth to the story. It offered a few surprises and something else to anticipate. And, it made the climax of the book quite exciting!

The story, like the previous books, is told from the heroine’s perspective. Violet was instantly relatable and interesting from page 1. She is so forgiving, yet she still questions her self-worth because of her belief that her social status/family scandal hangs over her. As she matures in the story, she recognizes that her trust should be in God, her ultimate Protector.

The thing I appreciate most about this series is its common theme through all 4 books: finding true identity and worth in God’s arms. With honest characters facing real struggles, Dawn Crandall has portrayed stories of romance, redemption, and purpose all pointing to the greatest Love, the love of God for his children.

Thank you to Whitaker House publishers for providing a complimentary review copy.  My honest opinion is expressed in this review.

Visit my reviews of the previous books in the series:

The Hesitant Heiress (with interview) | The Bound Heart | The Captive Imposter

Dawn Crandall is an ACFW Carol Award-nominated author of the award winning series The Everstone Chronicles, which consists of four books: The Hesitant Heiress, The Bound Heart, The Captive Imposter and The Cautious Maiden which released October 4th, 2016.
Apart from writing, Dawn is also a mom of two little ones and serves with her husband in a premarital mentorship program at their local church in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

A graduate of Taylor University with a degree in Christian Education and a former bookseller at Barnes & Noble, Dawn Crandall didn’t begin writing until 2010 when her husband found out about her long-buried dream. It didn’t take her long to realize that writing books was what she was made to do.

Dawn is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, the secretary for the Indiana ACFW Chapter (Hoosier Ink), and an associate member of the Great Lakes ACFW Chapter. She is represented by Joyce Hart of Hartline Literary Agency.

Dawn’s Website | Facebook | Twitter

There are 2 awesome prize packs available on this blog tour! The giveaway is open until Nov. 4th!

Click here to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway.

“The Captive Imposter” Review + Blog Tour + Q&A

Hey, hey, it’s release day for Dawn Crandall’s book, The Captive Imposter!!! I’m so excited to share my review of it today and participate in her blog tour. Dawn has also answered a few questions of mine for this post! Expect much gushing from me. Dawn is hosting daily and weekly giveaways on her Facebook page for the duration of the tour, from now until her Facebook Party on April 24. For her complete blog tour schedule and to connect with Dawn, visit her website here.

Many of you already know how much I love Dawn’s previous books in “The Everstone Chronicles” series: The Hesitant Heiress and The Bound Heart (this one made it on my list of top books from 2014!). The Captive Imposter is just as awesome, I promise. It FINALLY gives Estella Everstone her own (well-deserved) story time.

Without further ado, here’s a quick synopsis of the book plot from Goodreads: 

Sent away for protection, hotel heiress Estella Everstone finds herself living undercover as a lady’s companion named Elle Stoneburner at one of her father’s opulent hotels in the mountains of Maine—the one she’d always loved best and always hoped to own one day, Everston. The one thing she doesn’t like about the situation is that her ex-fiancé is in the area and is set on marrying someone else. Reeling from her feelings of being unwanted and unworthy, Estella reluctantly forms a friendship with the gruff manager of Everston, Dexter Blakeley, who seems to have something against wealthy young socialites with too much money, although they are just the kind of people Everston caters to.

When Estella finds herself in need of help, Dexter comes to the rescue with an offer she can’t refuse. She sees no other choice aside from going back home to her family and accepts the position as companion to his sister. Throughout her interactions with Dexter, she can’t deny the pull that’s evidenced between them every time he comes near. Estella realizes that while she’s been hiding behind a false name and identity, she’s never been freer to be herself than when she’s with Dexter Blakeley. But will he still love her when he finds out she’s Estella Everstone? She’s not entirely sure.

My thoughts on the story:

One of the things Dawn is so skilled in portraying within a story is many secrets. All of her stories thus far have weaved a bit of suspense with the characters’ identities. The danger of some secrets, though, is that they have the potential to hurt loved ones and cause ripple effects if revealed. At the start of Estella’s journey, she is hiding her true identity behind the facade of a lady’s companion, Elle Stoneburner. With subtle hints, though, other secrets surrounding Estella’s circumstances are slowly made known. This includes her family’s past connection to the Blakeleys. I won’t say more than that, but when she is unexpectedly falling in love with Dexter Blakely, her many secrets complicate matters. A lot 🙂

The arc of these characters is broad and pleasant to observe as the reader. Estella changes because of her displaced circumstances — she finds a new freedom of being herself within the secret identity. She also finds a renewed faith in God because of Dexter and his encouraging nature. Dexter, a complex yet straightforward person, is proven humble by some of his experiences with Estella and his family. His character’s strength really anchors his whole family and helps Estella to see what a romantic relationship can be.

There is a bit of a twist to the story that really propels the characters into a pickle. I’ll just say that Dawn knows how to throw out a few surprises!

Dawn has delivered another entertaining, heartfelt, swoony, and faith-filled story. Her characters are likable and witty, and her plot is layered and full of secrets. The setting in the mountains of Maine is picturesque and unique at the same time. I want to visit the fictional Everston resort now!!! (Fun fact: the setting was inspired by a real resort in Maine, the Mount Kineo House. You can see pictures of it on Dawn’s Pinterest Board.)

If you enjoy historical romance, the Gilded Age, suspense, or being challenged in living out your faith in God, I would encourage you read The Captive Imposter!

A HUGE thank-you to Dawn and Whitaker House for the ARC review copy. 

Dawn has graciously answered a few interview questions for this post! Read on for more about The Captive Imposter.

There are several mentions of classic literature and its characters in this novel (Austen, Gaskell, Bronte, etc.). Are these some of your favorites? Do you draw any inspiration from them?

Oh yes, classics were my first favorite books! It started with Little Women, Gone With The Wind and Rebecca (by Daphne du Maurier), but I then quickly delved into Les Miserables, Great Expectations, Jane Eyre and everything Jane Austen. These are still many of my most favorite books!

One thing I’ve loved about each book in this series is your inclusion of quotes or quips from well-known authors or figures at the beginning of each chapter. How do you discover or gather them? 

I just love tying quotes from the classics to my chapters! It was just one of those things that came to me while I was doing things around my kitchen one day–I came across my coffee mug that says “It would be so nice if something made sense for a change.” (Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland)–which I bought while writing The Hesitant Heiress (my debut, book one of The Everstone Chronicles series) because it embodied how Amaryllis Brigham so often felt. That day, I put it at the beginning of the chapter in the middle of the book in which her heart begins seeing things concerning Nathan Everstone in a new way. After that, I went about collecting meaningful quotes for all kinds of themes knowing I’d use them in all of the books I’d end up writing. I’ve always loved quotes that can say so much with so few words. 🙂

I absolutely love your Pinterest inspiration boards for all of your novels! Tell me more about the one for The Captive Imposter.

I do have it–very randomly–started! I haven’t had much time in the last year (having a baby and three books come out!) to keep up on my Pinterest boards for The Bound Heart and The Captive Imposter, but I will definitely get to it once the craziness of The Captive Imposter blog tour is over. They will be just as extensive as The Hesitant Heiress board once I’m finished with them!

I’m thrilled to see that you have a Pinterest board for a future Everstone Chronicles book 4! Can you share any details of its plan?

Yes! I’m not sure of the name yet, but Book 4 is definitely in the works! I really look forward to writing Vance and Violet’s story! It’s not technically part of The Everstone Chronicles, but a new unnamed three-book series about minor characters readers will have met while reading the first series. I’ve never written an “anti-hero” before, but I’m super excited! I have it all planned out–the story will start out at Everston, but will then move back to Boston.

From talking with Dawn, it sounds like Vance might have a chance to play the part of a hero — if he’s up for it. I can’t wait to catch up with these characters in another series!

Thank you so much, Dawn, for taking the time to answer my questions! For more about Dawn and this series, see my initial interview post with her from The Hesitant Heiress blog tour!

What about you? Have you read any of Dawn’s previous books? Are you a fan of the Gilded Age?