Forget Me Not: Review & Giveaway

A runaway girl, a link to the past, secrets and heartbreak…

Elizabeth Lawson only wants to find her older brother, after learning for the first time that she even has a brother. She’s willing to go anywhere—even into the lawless mining town of Virginia City—but once there, she finds a lot more than she’s ready for. Everyone has secrets, it seems, even David, the man she’s enlisted to help her in her search.

It's time for another one of Amber Stoke's novels! And, once again, I'm glad to be part of Amber's blog tour for her book release. (You can find links to the rest of the tour here.)

Forget Me Not is a fairly short read and lighter in tone than Bleeding Heart, but Forget Me Not follows its characters through their brokenness without dodging the pain it brings. Much of the story deals with loss of some kind—a boy lost as a child, a young woman finding a missing brother only to feel she has lost him again to his secrets and his past, a man who has lost his love and fears his friend might follow the same path. 

For me, the interest was partly for the story’s themes, partly because it gives a lot of back-story to the characters in Bleeding Heart. While Forget Me Not is the second book Amber has published in The Hearts Spring series, it’s really the first book in the series. It’s the prequel story to Bleeding Heart (released last summer) and also Amber’s first novel. So, Sally makes a brief appearance, while Joe and Myghal play important parts in the action. 

And, to be honest, I would have liked to linger more in this part of the world—the story overall felt good, but a little abrupt at times. It would have been fun to sit on the front porch a little longer and take in the scenery, but for all that, Amber's put together a good story. It’s hard to say more without giving away the characters’ secrets, but if you enjoyed Bleeding Heart—or if you enjoy historical romance in general—this book is worth a look too.

Also worth noting—Amber has written another prequel, Bellflower, a Beauty-and-the-Beast tale about one of the couples who appear in Forget Me Not. She has another short story in the works, but Bellflower is currently available for free to her newsletter subscribers. You can find out more about Bellflower and her other short stories here.

And the Giveaway…

For this book release, Amber is offering an “Unforgettable Journey” package! Enter for the chance to win an epic entertainment package that includes a signed paperback copy of Forget Me Not, The Journey of Natty Gann on DVD, and “Barton Hollow” by The Civil Wars on CD. (The giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway


[My thanks to Amber for sending me a Kindle ARC in exchange for my participation in this blog tour--it's always fun to read a new book, especially one written by a friend.]