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About the Book

Book: A Name Unknown
Author: Roseanna White
Release date: July 4, 2017
Genre: Historical Romance

She’s Out to Steal His Name. Will He Steal Her Heart Instead?

Rosemary Gresham has no family beyond the band of former urchins that helped her survive as a girl in the mean streets of London. Grown now, they are no longer pickpockets—now they focus on high value items and have learned how to blend into upper-class society. Rosemary’s challenge of a lifetime comes when she’s assigned to determine whether a certain wealthy gentleman is loyal to Britain or to Germany. How does one steal a family’s history, their very name?

As Europe moved closer to World War I, rumors swirl around Peter Holstein. Awkward and solitary, but with access to the king, many fear his influence. But Peter can’t help his German last name and wants to prove his loyalty to the Crown—so he can go back to anonymously writing a series of popular adventure novels. When Rosemary arrives on his doorstop pretending to be a well- credentialed historian, Peter believes she’s the right person to help him dig through his family’s past.

When danger and suspicion continue to mount, though, and both realize they’re in a race against time to discover the truth—about Peter’s past and about the undeniable attraction kindling between them.

goodreads | amazon | christianbook

 

My Thoughts

I’ve been sitting here having a stare down with my little blinking cursor as the gears in my head absolutely spin over my enjoyment of this story! *hugging book* Unfortunately, I seem to be stalled out in the “feelings” phase of the review process and y’all need some words! #swoof 

How about a poignant quote meme while you’re waiting?

The dreamy cover and sheer size of this book alone are enough to make this reader giddy with anticipation. At 400+ pages, A Name Unknown is an all you can read buffet fit for even the most voracious bookworms. Savory suspense, refreshing faith, endearing relationships, delectable romance, an enticing storyline, and a healthy dose of pre-WWI history filled my reader heart with deep satisfaction.

Rosemary Gresham’s “family” is exactly the sort of ragtag underdogs readers love to root for. Even though their methods are questionable at best, I have to admire the way they not only pool their resources but truly become a family in the deepest sense of the word with a unifying sacrificial love. Rosemary’s dedication to her loved ones is the motivation that pushes her to become an expert in the “family business” of thievery and deception.

Peter Holstein is backed into a corner by accusations of disloyalty because of his German name yet seemingly trapped there by his own inability to deliver an authenticated defense. As Rosemary works to rectify the atrocious state of his library, Peter gleans her thoughts and perspectives on just about every aspect of life. Despite the mounting threats and political tensions, Peter continues to quietly live out his faith by sharing it with others and generously providing aid to those who need it.

White’s engaging style kept me hanging on every word. I am definitely looking forward to reading more about Barclay, Willa, Georgie, and the rest of the “family.” This book is going straight to my all time favorites shelf and I highly recommend it!

I requested the opportunity to read this book through Celebrate Lit and the publisher.
The opinions expressed are my own.

 

About the Author

Roseanna M. White pens her novels beneath her Betsy Ross flag, with her Jane Austen action figure watching over her. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two children, editing and designing, and pretending her house will clean itself.

Roseanna is the author of over a dozen historical novels and novellas, ranging from biblical fiction to American-set romances to her British series. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to make their way into her novels…to offset her real life, which is blessedly boring. You can learn more about her and her stories on her website.

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Guest Post by Roseanna M. White

It’s always a challenge to make a historical setting authentic—especially when it’s set in a region you’ve only ever read about. As I was writing A Name Unknown, I learned so much about Cornwall—all the more when I had the opportunity to visit the gorgeous Penzance region while the book was still in edits! I quickly learned that I had far too many trees in my story, and hadn’t quite captured the uniqueness of the coastal setting. I dove into rewrites with excitement and gusto, ready to make my fictional Cornwall more like the real one.

I studied the Cornish accent, Cornish foods, typical Cornish coloring in hair and eyes. I’ve now gotten rather proficient at making pasties (beef hand pies) from scratch, I’ve special-ordered ingredients to make Cornish ginger cookies called fairings, and I’ve spent quite a lot of time listening to videos of people speaking in a Cornish accent.

Delving into this rich region and its history was a blast! And I’m so excited to get to share the culture of Cornwall—and a taste of their unique flavors—with you. In a special Celebrate Lit giveaway, I’ll be offering not only a signed copy of my book, but also some homemade ginger fairings! Here’s the recipe I used . . . after special ordering the Mixed Spice (reminiscent of pumpkin pie spice) and Golden Syrup (a thick syrup with a bit of a toffee flavor) from Amazon. ???? (I have a gram scale so did use the weight measurements rather than volume—also, English teaspoons and tablespoons are a bit bigger than American, so I heaped them, and I turned out deliciously.)

GINGER FAIRINGS RECIPE

100 grams butter, cold and diced
225 grams all-purpose flour
¼ heaping teaspoon salt
2 heaping teaspoons baking powder
2 heaping teaspoons baking soda
1 heaping teaspoon ginger
2 heaping teaspoons mixed spice
100 grams superfine (caster) sugar
4 heaping tablespoons golden syrup

Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease baking sheets or line with parchment paper.

Combine flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices in a stand mixer. Add the butter and beat until mixture forms coarse crumbs. Stir in sugar.

In a small saucepan, warm the golden syrup until it’s clarified a bit; stir into the flour mixture until a dough forms. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls and put on prepared baking sheets a few inches apart.

Bake 8-10 minutes, until golden. Cool a few minutes on the trays and then transfer to a cooling rack.

 

Tour Schedule

July 18: Faithfully Bookish | These Splendid Sentences | Bibliophile Reviews | Neverending Stories
July 19: Bookworm Mama | Seasons of Opportunities | Blogging With Carol
July 20: A Reader’s Brain | Genesis 5020 | Just the Write Escape | Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations
July 21: Fiction, Faith, and Fun | Pause for Tales | Connie’s History Classroom
July 22: Bigreadersite | Fiction Aficionado | Avid Reader Book Reviews | D’S QUILTS & BOOKS
July 23: Vicky Sluiter | Inklings and notions | Moments Dipped in Ink
July 24: Pursuing Stacie | Cordially Barbara | Reflections of my Bookshelves | Zerina Blossom’s Books
July 25: God’s Little Bookworm | Blossoms and Blessings | Live.Love.Read.
July 26: Black ‘n’ Gold Girl’s Book Spot | Margaret Kazmierczak | The Fizzy Pop Collection | Carpe Diem
July 27: cherylbbookblog |  Christian Chick’s Thoughts | Splashes of Joy
July 28: With a Joyful Noise | Have A Wonderful Day | Christian Bookaholic
July 29: Thoughts from Mill Street | Raining Butterfly Kisses | Karen Sue Hadley | Faery Tales Are Real
July 30: His Grace is Sufficient | History, Mystery & Faith | Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses
July 31: Reader’s cozy corner | Cafinated Reads | Red Headed Book Lady | The Important Things in Life: God, Books, & Chocolate

 

Giveaway

To celebrate this tour, Roseanna is giving away a grand prize of a paperback copy of A Name Unknown & 2 dozen cookies from Roseanna!!! Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!

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Is there a method to the madness on YOUR bookshelves, reader friends?
What advice would you give to Peter for his chaotic library?