{"id":10662,"date":"2012-02-02T22:26:45","date_gmt":"2012-02-03T03:26:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/?p=10662"},"modified":"2012-02-02T22:26:45","modified_gmt":"2012-02-03T03:26:45","slug":"ellies-haven-by-sharlene-maclaren","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/?p=10662","title":{"rendered":"Ellie’s Haven by Sharlene MacLaren"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour<\/a><\/strong><\/span> book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Today’s Wild Card author is: <\/strong><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sharlene MacLaren<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

and the book:<\/span> <\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ellie’s Haven (River of Hope V2) <\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
Whitaker House (March 1, 2012)<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

***Special thanks to Cathy Hickling of Whitaker House for sending me a review copy.***<\/p>\n

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:<\/span> <\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cShar\u201d grew up in western Michigan and graduated from Spring Arbor University. After college she traveled worldwide performing with a music group and then returned home to start teaching school. She married her childhood friend, Cecil MacLaren, with whom she raised two daughters (and now has three grandchildren). After over 30 years as a teacher, Shar asked God for a new mission that would fill her heart with the same kind of passion she\u2019d felt for teaching and raising her family. She found her mission writing Christian romance, and since 2007 has released ten novels that have earned her numerous awards and an ever-increasing base of loyal readers who are comforted, inspired, and entertained by her books.<\/p>\n

Visit the author’s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:<\/span> <\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>Ellie Booth is on the run from her bootlegging stepfather whom she\u2019d witnessed murder a man in their home state of Tennessee. Landing in Wabash, Indiana, she seeks a cover identity and hastily marries Gage Cooper, a widower with four children. Ellie quickly falls in love with the Cooper kids, and, not long after, with their father. But tensions mount when Ellie\u2019s stepfather picks up her trail and Gage discovers his new bride hasn\u2019t been entirely honest with him. Filled with colorful historic detail, emotional drama, and lighthearted humor, Ellie\u2019s Haven is the action-packed follow up to Livvie\u2019s Song in MacLaren\u2019s River of Hope Series, set in 1920\u2019s Wabash, Indiana.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

Product Details:<\/p>\n

List Price: $10.99<\/p>\n

Paperback: 416 pages<\/p>\n

Publisher: Whitaker House (March 1, 2012)<\/p>\n

Language: English<\/p>\n

ISBN-10: 1603742131<\/p>\n

ISBN-13: 978-1603742139<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:<\/span> <\/strong>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
Thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.
\nThe foolish shall not stand in thy sight\u2026.
\n\u2014Psalm 5:4\u20135<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n

February 1928
\nAthens, Tennessee<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Nothing wakes a body faster than a barking dog competing with the heated shouts of furious men. Eleanor Booth threw off her heavy quilt and leaped out of bed, pulled her flannel collar up tight around her throat, and raced across the gritty floor to the window. With her fingertips, she rubbed a circle of frost off the pane and peered out into the cold, dark morning, squinting to make out the shadowy figures that appeared to be facing off just feet away from the rotting front porch. An icy chill surged down her spine.<\/p>\n

\u201cI ain\u2019t payin\u2019 you one cent more, Sullivan. You done took me for every last penny.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s where you\u2019re wrong, Byron. Your pocket ain\u2019t empty till I say it is, and as long as you keep producin\u2019 hooch, the greenbacks\u2019ll keep rollin\u2019 in. You stop payin\u2019, and I\u2019ll shut you down quicker than a lizard on hot sand.\u201d<\/p>\n

They were at it again\u2014Byron Pruitt, Ellie\u2019s worthless stepfather, and Walter Sullivan, that crooked government agent. Byron\u2019s dog, Curly, didn\u2019t let up his fierce, frenzied barking, which ought to have deterred the dispute but seemed to fuel it instead.<\/p>\n

\u201cByron,\u201d Ellie\u2019s mama, Rita, pleaded in a panicked tone. \u201cByron, pay the man so he\u2019ll get off our property.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShut up, woman, and git back inside! I ain\u2019t payin\u2019 \u2019im another dime!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ellie snatched her fraying robe from the foot of her bed, slipped it on, and rushed out of the room, toes gone numb from the frozen air wafting up through the floorboards. Tennessee winters didn\u2019t generate much snow, but that didn\u2019t stop the temperatures from plummeting into the single digits.<\/p>\n

She entered the dark, tiny living room and found her mother standing in the open doorway, shoulders hunched, hands clutching the door frame. Her grayish-black hair was mussed every which way, and her tattered flannel nightgown hugged her narrow frame.<\/p>\n

Ellie shot a hasty glance at the potbelly stove in the middle of the room, where nothing but a few embers glowing through the blackened glass. More shivers stampeded down her spine. \u201cWhat\u2019s goin\u2019 on?\u201d she asked, coming up behind her mama.<\/p>\n

At the sound of her voice, Byron gave a half-turn, and that\u2019s when Ellie spied the sawed-off shotgun in his arms. \u201cGit back to bed, missy,\u201d he groused. \u201cYou ain\u2019t needed here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Walt Sullivan had a gun, too\u2014a pistol\u2014but he kept it holstered, one hand hovering over it.<\/p>\n

\u201cByron, put that gun down before somebody gets hurt,\u201d Ellie said firmly.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, Pruitt. Listen to your purty li\u2019l daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShut yer tater trap and git off my land, Sullivan.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot till I get what\u2019s due me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI done paid you. Now, git!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019Fraid you paid me half.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou keep raisin\u2019 the rates, you dumb ox. How you \u2019spect me to make any kind o\u2019 livin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sullivan chortled. \u201cThat ain\u2019t my concern, now, is it? I swear, if you don\u2019t pay up, I\u2019ll come back with my men, and we\u2019ll turn your whole operation into mincemeat by midday.\u201d He made the mistake of taking a step toward Byron, whether to intimidate or to show his authority, Ellie couldn\u2019t say. She knew only that it was a mistake.<\/p>\n

Byron raised his rifle and quickly fired off three shots, each one reaching its intended target. For a brief moment, his eyes glistened in the vanishing moonlight. Then, eyes bulging in an expression of shock, he dropped to the ground like a sack of wet cement.<\/p>\n

Utter mayhem followed. Curly kept barking and ran circles around the fallen body, while her mama shrieked. \u201cByron! You\u2014you\u2014you\u2019ve shot \u2019im. Is he dead? Oh, dear God, help us!\u201d And Ellie, to suppress her own sobs, turned away from the body, where red fluid already oozed from mouth and nose. She clutched her stomach to keep from retching right there on the floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cShut up, just shut up, both o\u2019 you!\u201d Byron roared. \u201cI have to think.\u201d With eyes flaming and nostrils flaring, he turned and started pacing.<\/p>\n

The women kept quiet, save for the occasional gasp of air, and hugged each other. Ellie swallowed down some of the bitter juice churning in her stomach and chanced a peek over Mama\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n

Byron paused and crouched over Sullivan\u2019s body, feeling for a pulse. He cut loose a curse. \u201cHe\u2019s dead, all right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ellie\u2019s mama gasped and released her to cover her mouth with her hands. \u201cOh, mother of all things holy, Byron! What in the world have you done?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShut up, I told you, \u2019fore I shoot you, too!\u201d He raised his gun at her.<\/p>\n

On impulse, Ellie leaped between them, her arms raised. \u201cPut that gun down, you fool!\u201d She had to tell herself to breathe.<\/p>\n

The man\u2019s beady eyes stared as if to bore holes through her, but he lowered his weapon. Still, she knew Byron Pruitt had no soul\u2014she\u2019d known since the day she\u2019d met him\u2014and she\u2019d go to the grave wondering why her mama had married him after her father had died. Perhaps, she\u2019d seen him as her only hope of surviving in the hills. Some protector he\u2019d turned out to be, operating an illegal distillery that brought the scum of society straight to their door. If he ever turned a profit, her mama never saw it, for what he didn\u2019t gamble away he paid in bribes to keep the authorities off his back.<\/p>\n

\u201cI gotta get rid o\u2019 this body,\u201d he muttered, sweeping five stubby fingers through his scraggly hair.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Ellie said quietly. \u201cWe have to call the sheriff.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you crazy?\u201d he spat, stepping over the body and walking toward them, his eyes as wild as a rabid dog\u2019s. \u201cWe ain\u2019t callin\u2019 no sheriff. I kilt a man, a government man, in cold blood. You think any court o\u2019 law\u2019s gonna let me off the hook?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ellie huddled close to her mama and wrapped a protective arm around her.<\/p>\n

\u201cW-we won\u2019t tell,\u201d Mama said, her whole body quivering. \u201cWe promise, Byron.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ellie couldn\u2019t believe her ears. \u201cMama, how can you say that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Byron\u2019s eyes bulged with madness as he climbed the rickety porch steps and entered the house. The worst kind of cold slithered in the door and tangled around Ellie\u2019s ankles. \u201cBecause you two\u2019re in this with me, that\u2019s how she can say it. I\u2019ll tell the cops you both played a part, that you talked me into doin\u2019 it.\u201d He raised the shotgun and poked the barrel into her mama\u2019s chin, lifting it.<\/p>\n

Ellie swallowed hard and stiffened. \u201cByron, don\u2019t you dare hurt her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her stepfather was a perpetual terror, always cocking a gun, sharpening a knife, or speaking not-so-veiled threats. It seemed that nothing satisfied him more than creating havoc in their little household. Byron Pruitt was a viperous lunatic, and if it hadn\u2019t been for her beloved mama, Ellie would have left years ago.<\/p>\n

Byron slid the muzzle up Mama\u2019s face and held it at the center of her forehead. \u201cI ain\u2019t lyin\u2019, Eleanor\u2014if you don\u2019t help me bury that body an\u2019 promise to keep yer trap shut \u2019bout what you saw, I\u2019ll kill yer ma.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are plumb crazy,\u201d Ellie whispered through her teeth.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t believe me?\u201d He cocked the rifle and chortled. \u201cI\u2019ll blow \u2019er head off right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mama whimpered as a lone tear trickled down her trembling cheek.<\/p>\n

Byron redirected the shotgun at the floor and pulled the trigger. A unison scream sounded as Ellie and her mama clutched each other and stepped away from the cloud of dust that rose from the splintered hole in the boards. Outside, Curly barked even louder, and Ellie could hear the chickens fussing in the coop.<\/p>\n

But she heard nothing except the pounding of her own heartbeat when Byron stuck the barrel of his gun in her mama\u2019s temple. \u201cI\u2019ll kill \u2019er, Eleanor, I swear it. You go to the cops, and she\u2019s as good as dead. And here\u2019s an interestin\u2019 li\u2019l tidbit: you workin\u2019 alongside me at that liquor still makes you my partner in crime.\u201d He laughed, the sound cold and hollow. \u201cThem head beaters don\u2019t look too kindly on us moonshiners, an\u2019 with you bein\u2019 one of us, well, they\u2019re likely to lock you up tighter\u2019n a pickle in a cannin\u2019 jar. Just don\u2019t forget that.\u201d<\/p>\n

She hated that he was right. \u201cFine. Just put that stupid gun down.\u201d<\/p>\n

He complied, but only after he\u2019d held it in position for what seemed like another minute, an ugly sneer on his face. \u201cGood. I\u2019m glad we\u2019re clear on that.\u201d He pulled the gun strap over his shoulder. \u201cWell, come on, then, both o\u2019 you. We got a body to bury.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hours later, Ellie could barely believe she\u2019d actually dug the grave of Walter Sullivan. Granted, she\u2019d done it with Byron\u2019s rifle aimed at her. Twice she\u2019d emptied her stomach contents into the hole, only to hear the gun cock and Byron tell her to hurry up and finish before somebody came along.<\/p>\n

Now, she watched her mama working at the stove to prepare lunch. In the living room, Byron sat in his rocker next to the fire and cleaned his gun, Ellie knew, to rid it of any traces of telltale gunpowder.<\/p>\n

Ellie moved up beside her mama and touched her shoulder gently. \u201cYou\u2019ve been stirrin\u2019 this soup for fifteen minutes, Mama. Why don\u2019t you go sit down a spell? You\u2019re plain tuckered out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat you two whisperin\u2019 \u2019bout in there?\u201d Byron barked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothin\u2019,\u201d Mama called back. Then, with lowered voice, she sputtered to Ellie, \u201cYou can\u2019t stay here. You gotta leave today. I wouldn\u2019t be able to bear it if anythin\u2019 happened to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t leave you with that maniac, Mama. He\u2019s insane.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course you can, and you will. I\u2019ll be fine. The minute he heads out to the barn, I want you to grab whatever you need and then skedaddle across the field to the Meyers\u2019 house, you hear? Ask Burt to drive you down the mountain. He\u2019ll do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat you two blabberin\u2019 about?\u201d<\/p>\n

Byron\u2019s brusque voice in the hallway had Ellie whirling on her heel. \u201cNothin\u2019, just like Mama said. Go sit down. Your lunch is ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHumph. You best not be plannin\u2019 to run off anywheres,\u201d he grumbled before shuffling off to the table. Ellie caught the smell of his breath, and her stomach lurched, though she should have been accustomed to the stench of whiskey by now, considering the hours she\u2019d worked at the still, where the air was saturated with mash. She would always associate the odor with Byron\u2014and his shotgun, which was the only thing that had kept her working there.<\/p>\n

The legs of his chair scraped against the sooty floor as he scooted in closer to the table, his back to them. With an icy chortle, he muttered, \u201cYou two don\u2019t got nowheres to go, anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

Three hours later, Ellie bumped along in the backseat of a Model T driven by Burt Meyer. Mildred, his wife of forty years, sat up front with him. Quiet tears dampened Ellie\u2019s face as Burt maneuvered the automobile, its brakes squealing in protest, down a narrow pass.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d had no more than minutes to throw a few belongings into a little suitcase, hug her mama good-bye, and then sprint along the worn path across the cornfield. Mama had given her strict orders to locate her deceased husband\u2019s aunt in Wabash, Indiana, and not to send word to her for at least a month, and then only through Burt and Mildred. \u201cWe can trust them,\u201d she\u2019d said as she\u2019d helped her pack, Ellie crying all the while. \u201cDon\u2019t tell them where you\u2019re goin\u2019, though, and when you write to me, put the letter inside a small envelope and then tuck that inside a bigger one. Put your return address on the inside letter, never the outside one, you understand? The less information Burt \u2019n\u2019 Mildred know, the better off they\u2019ll be. They\u2019re good people. I don\u2019t want them gettin\u2019 involved in this mess, other than to drive you to the train station.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou sure you want to leave your ma?\u201d Mildred asked, bringing Ellie\u2019s attention back to the present. The woman turned around and looked her in the eye. \u201cYou seem awful broke up \u2019bout leavin\u2019, honey.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ellie wiped her cheeks and nodded. \u201cI\u2019m nineteen. High time I make my own way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd get away from that fool stepfather o\u2019 yours,\u201d Burt muttered. \u201cToo bad Rita didn\u2019t leave with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mildred glared at her husband. \u201cNow, Burt, that ain\u2019t none of our concern,\u201d she scolded him gruffly. When she was facing front again, Ellie heard her add, \u201cEven if you\u2019re right.\u201d In a louder voice, she said, \u201cWe\u2019re goin\u2019 to miss you somethin\u2019 fierce, Eleanor. Always did love it when you came across the field to visit us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd brought them scrumptious pies with you,\u201d Burt tacked on. \u201cWon\u2019t be the same up on West Peak with you gone.\u201d He glanced back at her and winked. \u201cWhere you travelin\u2019 to, if you don\u2019t mind my askin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2026I plan to head north, look for a job. Not quite sure just where yet.\u201d She could at least tell them that much.<\/p>\n

Mildred turned around again, her brow wrinkled in concern. \u201cYou don\u2019t got a plan, Eleanor? Why, we cain\u2019t just drop you off if you don\u2019t have no sort o\u2019 arrangements.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure you can,\u201d Ellie said, forcing brightness into her tone. She wiped away the last of her tears. \u201cI need to break out o\u2019 my cocoon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDarlin\u2019, if you want to break out, why don\u2019t you go south? It\u2019s so blamed cold up north.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDaddy has an aunt I\u2019m plannin\u2019 to stay with.\u201d She regretted the disclosure immediately, but it did seem that they deserved an explanation of sorts. They\u2019d always been so kind to Mama and her.<\/p>\n

\u201cSay no more,\u201d Burt spoke up. \u201cLong as you\u2019ll be safe, that\u2019s enough for Mildred and me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe ain\u2019t a good sort, that Byron Pruitt,\u201d Mildred said, as if she knew that he had something to do with Ellie\u2019s departure.<\/p>\n

Ellie determined to purse her lips for the rest of the trip, lest some hint of the sordid murder slip past them. Best to keep it buried in the deepest parts of her soul.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nMY REVIEW:<\/strong><\/p>\n

After witnessing a murder by her abusive, boot-legging stepfather, Ellie Booth flees her home in the hills of Tennessee hoping to find refuge with a great aunt in Wabash, Indiana. Upon her arrival she soon learns that her aunt is no longer living. She is also extremely aware that her hurried departure left her unprepared for the harsher winters in the north. To her surprise, the owner of a cafe takes her under her wing, providing her with a warm coat, scarf, and gloves and an introduction to Gage Cooper, a widower who has just advertised for a wife to care for his home and children. Neither is convinced that marriage to each other is a good idea but agree to it out of desperation. Was their decision a foolish mistake or was it a divine appointment from God?<\/p>\n

I loved “Ellie’s Haven”. The characters were easy to relate to. I especially enjoyed Livvie and will\u00a0 make it a point to read her story as soon as possible. The plot moved along at a steady pace with plenty of drama, suspense, humor, and romance to keep it interesting. Ellie’s conversion was especially sweet. A strong emphasis on forgiveness and God’s protection was just a part of the spiritual theme that was woven throughout the story without becoming overly intrusive. I am looking forward to the next installment of this series “Sophie’s Secret” that is scheduled to be published in the winter of 2012.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books","category-historical"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10662","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10662"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10662\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10703,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10662\/revisions\/10703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}