Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Waterbrook Multnomah Blog Tour: Review&Giveaway~ Here Burns My Candle by Liz Curtis Higgs



Title: Here Burns My Candle
Author: Liz Curtis Higgs
Publisher: Waterbrook Multnomah publishing group
Date released: March 16, 2010
ISBN-10: 9781400070015

Stars: **** 3/4
Age rating: 15 & up



Back cover:
A mother who cannot face her future.A daughter who cannot escape her past. Lady Elisabeth Kerr is a keeper of secrets. A Highlander by birth and a Lowlander by marriage, she honors the auld ways, even as doubts and fears stir deep within her.Her husband, Lord Donald, has secrets of his own, well hidden from the household, yet whispered among the town gossips. His mother, the dowager Lady Marjory, hides gold beneath her floor and guilt inside her heart. Though her two abiding passions are maintaining her place in society and coddling her grown sons, Marjory’s many regrets, buried in Greyfriars Churchyard, continue to plague her.One by one the Kerr family secrets begin to surface, even as bonny Prince Charlie and his rebel army ride into Edinburgh in September 1745, intent on capturing the crown. A timeless story of love and betrayal, loss and redemption, flickering against the vivid backdrop of eighteenth-century Scotland, Here Burns My Candle illumines the dark side of human nature, even as hope, the brightest of tapers, lights the way home.

My Thoughts:
Now, when I started Here Burns My Candle, I wasn't a fan of Liz Curtis Higgs at all. I had read one of her other Scottish historicals, Thorn In My Side, and couldn't even finish it. I already knew how that story ended and really didn't wish to read it again (way too sad for me). But, when I finished Here Burns My Candle, I was definitely converted. The first book in the saga of the Kerr family started out slow, but half way through, the story really picked up and I was hooked from then on.
The story centers around Elizabeth Kerr and her mother-in-law, Marjory.
Elizabeth is a devoted wife, highlander and a fierce Jacobite. But, she married into a lowlander family, who have as many secrets as she does. At first, I really didn't connect with Marjoy. She seemed distant and cold and only concerned about her two sons.
I felt bad for Elizabeth, because she wanted to please her mother-in-law and only to have Marjory think her simple and true to her highland heritage.
Ms. Higg's main characters were well rounded, having flaws, struggles and desires. But, I liked her secondary characters much better. They seemed less mundane than the others. Two characters that I would rather not see again (but were crucial to the plot)were: Lord Donald (Elizabeth's philandering husband) and Lucy Spence (Donald's mistress). Throughout the story, I really wanted to liked Donald. He seemed like he wanted to change for Elizabeth. But, towards the end I was tired of him making promises to Elizabeth then turning around and breaking them, with the help of Lucy Spence. Lucy was just a mean hearted widow, taunting Elizabeth with the fact that she wasn't the only one. While there is churning turmoil in the Kerr family, there is another family causing a turmoil of it's own. The last Jacobite uprising is in full swing, with Bonny Prince Charlie romancing the heats of the lowlanders with his highland cause. The Kerrs are devoted to the king but, they too, get caught up in the cause. They soon lose more than just their titles, by siding with the Prince. Here, Burns My Candle is strongly based on the biblical story of Ruth and Naomi and Ms. Higgs never deviates from it (beside location and time). She adds more detail and emotion than the biblical story. This is definitely hardcore historical fiction that at times it becomes a little tedious for the reader. However, I'm eager to see what happens to Marjory and Elizabeth in Liz Curtis Higg's next book, Mine Is The Light, which is said to be coming out next spring.

If you would like to learn more about Liz Curtis Higgs and her books go to:
HER WEBSITE
HER BOOK

*Thanks so much to Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing for giving me a review copy and giveaway copy of Here Burns my Candle*



Okay, now for the best part.......the GIVEAWAY!!! One lucky commenter will receive a copy of Here Burns my Candle for themselves!=D

Now for the not so fun part........ the giveaway rules:

* You must have a valid e-mail address (you must leave your e-mail address in the comment to be entered in the contest. To prevent spammers write e-mail addy like this.... i.e: i95fahrenheit[at]ymail[dot]com)
*
Must have a valid U.S mailing address.
* U.S residents only
*The giveaway will start on Mar. 22th, 2010 and end on Mar. 30th, 11:59 pm, 2010. Any entries after the set date will not be entered in the giveaway
* The winner will be announced on Mar. 31st, 2010 on this blog. The winner will be contacted via e-mail. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the e-mail. If they do not reply within the 48 hours, a new winner will chosen.

For extra entries:
1+ For commenting (including the link and your e-mail address)
1+ For becoming a new follower
2+ For being an old follower
4+ For post (on the sidebar of your blog) about this giveaway on your blog.
Be sure to include all extra entries in the one comment.
Good Luck!;D

Have a great Y'all!

Love Y'all,
Ashley

30 comments:

  1. +1 You posted this today (23rd) but your giveaway details say that it ended on the 22nd? I'm hoping you just typo'ed. ;-) I'd love to read this book! srfbluemama[at]gmail[dot]com

    +2 I'm an old follower!

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  2. I think there's pretty mucha consensus that this book started slow but picked up halfway through and turned out to be really good! Thank you for the review! I'll post about your giveaway if you want!

    XOXO~ Renee

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  3. Toss my name in, this sounds great!+1

    I'm an old follower.+2

    worthy2bpraised[at]gmail[dot]com

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  4. @Katy ~Thats a definitely a typo:D Thanks so much for cathing that. I'm changing it right now.And thanks for entering;)

    @Renee~ I'm so used to quick moving book, that first part of HBMC I was like "I'll still reading this in the nursing home!!!". LOL.
    And of course you can post the giveaway on your blog. You get 10x the people than I do;)

    @Merry~ Thanks for entering! Good luck!:D

    Love Y'all,
    Ashley

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  5. I'd love a chance to win this book! Thanks so much! :)

    stokes[dot]a[at]suddenlink[dot]net

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  6. Thanks, Ashley, for this opportunity...please enter me. I love Liz/books! Thanks!!!
    jackie.smith(at)dishmail(dot)net

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  7. Forgot....I am a follower!!!
    jackie.smith(at)dishmail(dot)net

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  8. Please enter me! I'm really wanting to read this book. (Ashley, I feel the same way about her other books. I'm still going to finish them though. I tend to not like really sad books. If it is going to be sad then it better be really well written to make up for it.)

    booklovercb[at]yahoo[dot]com

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  9. I would love to be entered for this. Thanks!
    pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

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  10. I am new to this, but love these books. Please enter me.

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  11. carmen sent me!

    jnut1@yahoo.com

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  12. I so want to read this book. Please enter me into your drawing and thank you for the opportunity.

    I am a new follower.

    Smiles & Blessings,
    Cindy W.

    countrybear52[at]yahoo[dot]com

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  13. Hey Ash,

    I love, love, LOVE Liz Curtis Higgs and cannot believe you stopped reading Thorn in My Heart!! WOW, it was amazing ... the love that develops between Leanna and Jamie ... be still my heart!!

    It's funny, though, how books affect each of us in a different way. With one of my my all-time favorites that I referred to my sister and friends, NONE of them could finish it. Very weird. Oh well, I guess that's why there are LOTS of genres and authors from which to choose, right??? :)

    Hugs,
    Julie

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  14. love to reade this djackson1958@hotmail.com

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  15. google friend djackson1958@hotmail.com

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  16. I am a new follower and Carmen sent me. Thanks for the recommended christian reading!

    jemscatshack@yahoo.com

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  17. I appreciate your review, Ashley, and definitely want to read this book. I've used the Bad Girl series for Bible studies, but never read any of Liz's fiction. I about to remedy that and I'd love to win a copy of Here Burns My Candle. And Carman sent me.

    I'm a new follower.

    cjarvis [at] bellsouth [dot] net

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  18. Hey guys!!
    @ Carman ~ Thanks so much for posting about this giveaway, Carman!:D And I just put your name into the hat..er,...I mean bowl.LOL;)

    @Shelley~ Thanks so much for entering the giveaway, I just need your e-mail address:) That way, if you win, I can contact you and let you know;)LOL

    @Julie~ Hey Mrs.Lessman!!! *waves excitedly* Thanks so much for stopping by!:) I know, I know, I'll probably to have to pay penance for doing that but(in my defence), I was crying so hard I couldn't read, even if I wanted to. But, next time I attempt to read Thorn In My Heart (again), I'll be heavily armed when kleenexes, for sure. LOL;D

    @Carole~ Thanks. I've never read Liz's Bad Girl bible study series but, it looks pretty interesting. I'll have to put that one on my (growing)TBR mountain. :D

    Great to see y'all and good luck to all who've entered!!
    Have a fantastic week!!
    Love Ya,
    Ashley

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  19. Please enter my name in this fabulous giveaway...thanks :)

    karenk
    kmkuka at yahoo dot com

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  20. Carman sent me!

    I've heard so much about this book! I'd love to win and read it.

    I am a new follower.

    seizethebookblog(at)gmail(dot)com

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  21. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  22. I am a new follower of this blog. Thanks so much for entering me!

    Michelle
    scraphappy71 at sbcglobal dot net

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  23. Please include me.


    lkish77123 at gmail dot com

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  24. Carman sent me!
    I would love to read this book! :)
    +1 I'm a new follower!
    hsemonick (at) gmail (dot) com

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  25. Awesome review, Ashley- hope I win. :)

    +2 I am an old follower (it is two right?? Can't remember. :)

    Email in profile and I live in Oregon, USA.

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  26. Love Liz Curtis Higgs! I've loved every single one of her books and can't wait to read this one!

    I'm a new follower

    Jennafraugh(at)gmail(dot)com

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  27. I would love to win this~ Carman sent me!

    glenda.a.silva(@)gmail(.)com

    ReplyDelete
  28. I'm a new follower!!

    glenda.a.silva(@)gmail(.)com

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  29. I hope it's still open for my time zone! I love Liz Curtis Higgs' books, I read the Lowlands of Scotland series and really enjoyed them! Hope to get this book as well! Thanks for the drawing.

    I'm a new follower, too!

    musiclover52[at]live[dot]com

    ReplyDelete

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