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Thursday, February 5, 2015

#NewRelease -- Big Meadows Valentine by Zina Abbott -- Giveaway!

Leave a comment to be entered in the drawing for a free ecopy of the first story in the Eastern Sierra Brides 1884 series: Big Meadows Valentine.

Blurb

Some men left the civilized settlements of the east to risk life and limb in the lawless gold and silver mines of California and Nevada for wealth. Beth Dodd left behind her little sister and the civilized farming region of southern Ohio that she loved to travel to those same gold and silver regions in search for her scalawag of a husband who deserted her. In Lundy, Beth finds rancher named Val Caldwell with a heart bigger than all the gold in the Mono County mountains of the eastern Sierra-Nevada. She stays, knowing she has a responsibility to settle affairs with her husband. But, having lost almost everything she valued due to the decisions forced upon her first by her father and then by her husband, can she ever again trust a man to have any degree of influence or control over her life?

Bitter over laws that favor men over women and determined to start a new life for herself and her sister on her own terms and through her own efforts, Beth resists the attraction she feels towards Val. Can Val make any headway in his quest to persuade Beth to consider a future with him someday?

Excerpt

    “I done made provisions for you, daughter. You ain’t gonna be workin’ like this no more. I found me a man to buy the farm.”
    His words immediately propelled Beth into action. Her face suffused with shock, she threw her splayed hands up next to her head as she sucked in her breath. Next, she leaned forward and reached to grab her father’s hands clinging to the wooden arms of the rocker. At the last moment, she thought better of it and clasped her hands in front of her.
    “No, Pa! There ain’t no call you doin’ that. We’re doin’ right fine. Sellin’ the farm will force us to move to town. You don’t want that.”
    “We ain’t movin’ to town. We’re stayin’ right here. I done found you a husband, Beth. It’s part of the deal. He’s goin’ to marry you as part of buyin’ the farm.”

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17 comments:

  1. Laws were tough on women. I hope she triumphs.
    debby236 at gmail dot com

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    1. Thank you for your response, Debby. Yes, laws didn't favor women. The early dower laws that were to guarantee that a widow had something to fall back on began to be left by the wayside as women gained more property rights. But, especially further east, change was slow and change of attitudes even slower. A family was a unit, and the father or husband was in charge of controlling it all.

      Robyn Echols writing as Zina Abbott

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  2. Whew! I hope she has a backbone made of steel. It's hard to imagine a father who cares do little for his daughter that he would basically sell her off for his own comfort. I can see why she doesn't trust men. Good luck Val in winning her heart.
    All the best to you, Robyn. I wish you every success.

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    1. The deal is Sarah, the father thought he was doing her a favor. He wanted her to have a husband so she could fulfill her traditional role as a housewife and mother instead of letting her work the farm. We will see how well that works out for her.

      Robyn Echols writing as Zina Abbott

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  3. Oh, Robyn, when I read that I just shivered. So many women bought and sold like that...with no say about it. I really loved each and every one of your characters. This is a very different love story, and I enjoyed it so much. Can't wait to see what the rest of the series holds.
    Cheryl

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    1. Thank you, Cheryl. I tried to make it different. We will just have to wait and see if love triumphs. Beth is quite a different kind of heroine, but one I hope my readers will come to love.

      Zina Abbott

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    2. I sure did love her, Robyn. I loved her strength and determination in everything.

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  4. Times were different back then and children were used to help build the family fortune. I have no doubt things like this happened all time. Imagine having to marry a man who is a complete stranger. I have a nephew who was born in Korea and then came to the states when his mother married my brother-in-law, when he finished college he returned to Korea and married the girl he'd been promised to when he was eight years old. And after all these years they are still married, happy and their children are grown. so I guess it can work.

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    1. Thank you, Barb. Like you say, arranged marriages can work.There have probably been more arranged marriages throughout times than marriages where the husband and wife chose their own spouse. One thing I learned when I took first year law is that one of the five basic types of contract violations involves breaking an engagement and another backing out of a land transfer agreement--often because those two were related. No matter how a marriage comes about, I believe it can be successful as long as everyone makes the effort for it to work. I appreciate you stopping by and leaving your comments.

      Robyn Echols writing as Zina Abbott

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  5. A premise that has so many options and this one sounds like the least likely to succeed for your heroine, which makes it all the more compelling. The story will be worth reading, and of course I will as I add this to the TBR, All the best on this story and the rest of the series, for I love when women take their future into their own hands. Doris McCraw/Angela Raines

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    1. Thank you, Doris. I think once you read this you will find that you have named the crux of the plot line.

      Robyn Echols writing as Zina Abbott

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  6. That excerpt really pulls a person right in! Looks like a great story Robyn!

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    1. Thank you, Kirsten. I thoroughly enjoyed writing this story. I think Livia selected an excellent excerpt to feature in order to set the stage for Beth.

      Zina Abbott

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    2. Congrats! Kirsten, you won the copy of BIG MEADOWS VALENTINE. I will contact you with details of how to claim it.

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  7. Wow...sounds like a terrific read. I'm so hard headed I'm sure I would have murdered many times over..LOL

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  8. Sorry I took so long, but I want to congratulate Kirsten Lynn for winning the free digital copy of BIG MEADOWS VALENTINE. Thank you to all to stopped by. I hope you enjoy my book.

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