I had a pleasure of receiving an eBook copy of a book entitled Cross the Ocean. Written by Holly Bush, this historical romance was different than what I would have expected from that genre.
Book Info:
Title: Cross The Ocean
Author: Holly Bush
Genre: Historical Romance
Get Your Copy:
Synopsis:
1871 . . . The very proud Duke of Wexford was about to have his orderly world blown apart. At the age of twenty-four, Blake Sanders had wed a beautiful, dutiful wife and she had borne him three children. But now as mid-life approached, the Duchess had the unheard of temerity to leave him! Too mortified by her behavior to mix in ton company, Blake sought companionship with his best friend and neighbor, Anthony Burroughs, and his wife Elizabeth. But Blake had forgotten the Burrough’s were entertaining a house-guest, Elizabeth’s distant cousin, a spinsterish ‘Amazon from America’.
Gertrude Finch, a champion for women’s rights, had long ago decided most men were useless other than Uncle Fred who’d raised her on his horse ranch near Chicago. While travelling with other Suffragists, Gert lectured women on the perils of passion and the value of independence but thought of neither when Blake kissed her. While opposite in nearly every way, other than an attraction neither could deny, their one night of passion would change her world, and send Gert scurrying her way back home across the ocean.
When Blake discovered his heir had stowed away on Gert’s ship, he set out on his own adventure to America, to bring the boy home and to see Gert once again. Traversing America’s vast wilderness, Blake discovered that Gert had changed his life. Whether riding the rails or meeting common folk, Blake saw a whole new way of living but most of all, he realized something about love. He found he was not immune, and his heart could love, and love deeply.
Review:
I actually don’t really read this genre often, but I enjoyed this book. Personally, I hated Blake. He was a cad, lol! Had they been in this day and age, the fact that his wife had left him would not have been that big of a deal, especially considering his own affair. But this was the 19th century and things were different so he ran away to lick his wounds. And met Gert — who inflicted wounds of her own — to his pride. However, as sometimes happens, the two ended up having a tryst, which resulted in a child that Blake didn’t know about. So off he sets to find his heir — having a fair few adventures on the way. Ultimately, I ended up liking both characters. And I think that when the author can make you end up liking a character you hated, they have done their job.
Author Bio:
Holly Bush was born in western Pennsylvania to two avid readers. There was not a room in her home that did not hold a full bookcase. She worked in the hospitality industry, owning a restaurant for twenty years and recently worked as the sales and marketing director in the hospitality/tourism industry. Holly has been a marketing consultant to start-up businesses and has done public speaking on the subject.
Holly has been writing all of her life and is a voracious reader of a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction, particularly political and historical works. She has written four romance novels, all set in the U.S. West in the mid 1800’s. She frequently attends writing conferences, and has always been a member of a writer’s group.
Holly is a gardener, a news junkie, has been an active member of her local library board and loves to spend time near the ocean. She is the proud mother of two daughters and the wife of a man more than a few years her junior.
Visit Holly Bush’s website
Like Holly Bush on Facebook
Follow Holly on Twitter
