August 2022 Book of the Month Giveaway

September 18, 2022 05:24 PM Posted by juliannadouglas

During the month of August, I only read one full-length novel and two short stories. I’m a slow reader, so when I pick up a thick, doorstop book like the one I’m featuring, it takes me the better part of a month to get through it. That’s not because it wasn’t good, because it definitely was. It’s the latest entry in my all-time favorite book series and one that’s wildly popular. When Jamie and Claire sent their daughter, Brianna, her husband, Roger, and their two children back through the stones to the future, they’d resigned themselves to never seeing them again. But they unexpectedly returned, leaving Jamie and Claire rejoicing over having their family back together again. However, despite making their home in the back country of North Carolina, the Revolutionary War has been creeping ever closer to Fraser’s Ridge. The loyalties of Jamie’s tenants are split between those who are faithful to the British crown and those who pledge fidelity to Jamie and the rebel cause. As things gradually heat up to the boiling point, Jamie makes the decision to gather together a militia of those men he can trust to protect the ridge and its interests. He also knows they’ll need to fight in an upcoming battle that will take place close to the ridge, and the outcome of that battle may leave his life hanging in the balance.

Jamie and Claire will always and forever be the backbone of this series. However, rather than them being involved in some type of wartime dealings or battles, this volume sees them mostly living quietly on the ridge. That’s not to say that there isn’t trouble, because unfortunately it does tend to follow them around. This time in the form of some new tenants on the ridge who are Loyalists stirring a bit of rebellion against Jamie, which he manages to evade but not without getting hurt. Ultimately though, it’s the upcoming battle on King’s Mountain in which fate will decide whether Jamie lives or dies. Elsewhere, Roger decides to finally pursue formal ordination as a Presbyterian minister, while Bree accepts a commission to paint a portrait for a friend of Lord John. These endeavors take them far away from the ridge but also allows the opportunity for them to smuggle guns back home later for Jamie’s new militia unit. After receiving distressing news about an attack on the Mohawk village where his ex-wife, lives, Ian, Rachel, and Jenny also travel away from the ridge to check on Emily and her children. William spends most of the novel traveling all over the place, searching for various people, and along the way, he meets a new friend and continues struggling with his identity crisis now that knows he’s actually Jamie’s illegitimate son. Lord John also has a few adventures, but none more concerning than being taken prisoner by a sneaky double-agent who isn’t all that he seems and who could hold John’s life and future well-being in his hands.

This was another engaging installment of this series that I very much enjoyed. It’s a bit slower than some of the other books, because Jamie and Claire and company aren’t involved in as much action and adventure in this one. There are battles and skirmishes that they get caught up in, but they’re fewer and farther between than in most of the previous books. Except for the battle on King’s Mountain, Jamie and Claire stay put on Fraser’s Ridge, finishing their new house, and just enjoying a relatively quiet life, although Claire discovers some unexpected newfound powers that could make a big difference moving forward. It’s the younger generation who find themselves in farther flung locales and getting into a bit more trouble. Then there’s the whole time travel aspect, which seems to be unraveling as more people learn about it, and new characters are entrusted with Claire’s (and Bree’s and Rogers’s) secret. I look forward to seeing where this all goes. I also love that the author never really forgets any characters and how ones that might not have been seen for a while, sometimes pop up again, giving readers new opportunities to learn more about them. No matter what these characters are doing, I just love inhabiting this world. That’s why I’m naming Diana Gabaldon’s Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone as my August Book of the Month. If you enjoy historical fiction with rich details, a little time travel and adventure on the side, and a deeply romantic star-crossed love story, then you should definitely give this book a try. Keep reading to learn how you can win a copy for your own library.

Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone Book Cover

Cover Blurb-

The past may seem the safest place to be . . . but it is the most dangerous time to be alive. . . .

Jamie Fraser and Claire Randall were torn apart by the Jacobite Rising in 1743, and it took them twenty years to find each other again. Now the American Revolution threatens to do the same.

It is 1779 and Claire and Jamie are at last reunited with their daughter, Brianna, her husband, Roger, and their children on Fraser’s Ridge. Having the family together is a dream the Frasers had thought impossible.

Yet even in the North Carolina backcountry, the effects of war are being felt. Tensions in the Colonies are great and local feelings run hot enough to boil Hell’s tea-kettle. Jamie knows loyalties among his tenants are split and it won’t be long until the war is on his doorstep.

Brianna and Roger have their own worry: that the dangers that provoked their escape from the twentieth century might catch up to them. Sometimes they question whether risking the perils of the 1700s—among them disease, starvation, and an impending war—was indeed the safer choice for their family.

Not so far away, young William Ransom is still coming to terms with the discovery of his true father’s identity—and thus his own—and Lord John Grey has reconciliations to make, and dangers to meet . . . on his son’s behalf, and his own.

Meanwhile, the Revolutionary War creeps ever closer to Fraser’s Ridge. And with the family finally together, Jamie and Claire have more at stake than ever before.

Read my complete review of Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone.

Giveaway
If you would like to win a copy of Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone to see how wonderful it is for yourself, just enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below. One lucky winner will receive their choice of an eBook or print copy of the book. If the winner chooses an eBook, I will gift it to them via the eBook retailer of their choice (Amazon or B & N). If the winner chooses a print copy, I will have it mailed directly to them via Amazon. Good luck!

International Entrants: You are welcome to enter my contest, but please note that not all eBooks are available in all countries due to copyright restrictions. If this is the case, Amazon offers an option to trade for a gift card (I'm not sure about B & N). If you choose print, I can mail it to you via the Amazon website that services your country, pending availability and cost. Otherwise I will mail it to you via U. S. Amazon's standard international shipping, but it may take up to 6-8 weeks to arrive, and I may not have the capability of tracking the package.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Categories: Book of the Month, Giveaways

Tags: Diana Gabaldon