Bitter Eyes No More Review and Giveaway!

Posted by abakersp in Historical / 9 Comments

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About the Book

Bitter Eyes front original size

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 Perspective

I’m not even sure where to begin. I was simply captivated by this story. From the moment I started to the moment I read the last page I was in my “reading trance”. The world around me didn’t seem to matter. What did matter was Lillian McGirth and Captain Marcus Buck. I loved their story, their interactions, their relationship, and pretty much everything about them. Reading this book was one of those “Oh, duh” moments for me. As in why didn’t I know about this author before?

Reader friends, please do not be scared that this is book four in the series. I really felt it was good as a stand alone. There were introductions in the beginning so you knew who everyone was. I did not feel lost at all! That being said, I feel that April deserves us supporting her and her writing, so let’s all agree to start at the beginning!

This book was everything I was hoping for and more. At times it left me grasping for more, my impatient side wanting to skip ahead to see how the story turns out. But in taking my time and reading the actual journey, I found it much more intense and enjoyable. The author is well versed in the time period and did a wonderful job in weaving the proper dialogue, reactions, emotions, and story elements properly into the book. I look forward to reading more by this author!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

About the Author

beach headshotAPRIL 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!

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Blog Stops

Faithfully Bookish, October 24

Reading Is My SuperPower, October 25

A Greater Yes, October 26

Bigreadersite, October 27

Zerina Blossom’s Books, October 28

Karen Sue Hadley,October 29

Carpe Diem, October 30

Mary Hake, October 31

A Baker’s Perspective, November 1

Red Headed Book Lady, November 2

History, Mystery & Faith, November 3

Simple Harvest Reads, November 4

New Horizon Reviews, November 5

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 6

Giveaway

bitter eyes no more 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

9 responses to “Bitter Eyes No More Review and Giveaway!

  1. Kay Garrett

    Thank you for your perspective. It makes me want to read Bitter Eyes No More all the more.

    I always enjoy reading the guest post like this one from April W. Gardner.