Tag: #deannalynnsletten

Book Review: Miss Etta: A Novel by Deanna Lynn Sletten

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

MISS ETTA: A NOVEL by Deanna Lynn Sletten is a captivating historical fiction book which imagines the life of Etta Place who was the partner of the Sundance Kid. Etta disappeared from history, but Ms. Sletten has done an epic job of reconstructing facts when known and extrapolating when not known. When reading or watching the movie about Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, I have always wanted to know what happened to Etta and this book is a rendering of the story that I could not put down and happily satisfied my curiosity.

In 1895, Ethel Emily Pleasants is about to start her first teaching position when she meets Harry Longabaugh, also known as the Sundance Kid. Emily is beautiful and very ladylike, but she grew up on a ranch and is able to ride and shoot as well as any man. She knows Harry and his best friend Butch are outlaws, but she loves the Kid so much she is willing to give up everything to follow them. Harry uses the alias Place while on the run and so Emily becomes Etta Place.

In 1911, Emily Pleasants arrives in Pine Creek, Minnesota with her three years old son, Harry to accept a teaching position in their small-town school. Edward Sheridan meets the widow with her son at the train depot and quickly falls in love. Emily hopes that this will be the place where she can finally quit running and looking over her shoulder as the Pinkerton men have never stopped looking for her, Harry and Butch. She wants a safe place to raise her son.

Etta travelled the world with the outlaw men she loved until they were separated and she disappeared from history. What happened to Etta Place?

I loved this story! Ms. Sletten brought Emily “Etta” to life for me and whether the facts and imaginings are true or not, I hope her life was just like this story. Ms. Sletten’s characters are all fully fleshed and you just fall into the story and do not want to leave. It is a grand adventure with plenty of romance, action and history.

I highly recommend this story and author!

***

About the Author


Deanna Lynn Sletten is the author of MISS ETTA, THE WOMEN OF GREAT HERON LAKE, MAGGIE’S TURN, THE LAKE HARRIET SERIES, and several other titles. She writes heartwarming women’s fiction and romance novels with unforgettable characters. She has also written one middle-grade novel that takes you on the adventure of a lifetime. Deanna believes in fate, destiny, love at first sight, soul mates, second chances, and happily ever after, and her novels reflect that.

Deanna is married and has two grown children. When not writing, she enjoys walking the wooded trails around her home with her beautiful Australian Shepherd or relaxing on the lake in the summer.

Deanna loves hearing from her readers. Connect with her at:

Her blog: deannalynnsletten.com

Social Media Links

Twitter: http://twitter.com@DeannaLSletten
Facebook: facebook.com/DeannaLynnSletten

Book Review: Night Music: A Novel by Deanna Lynn Sletten

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

NIGHT MUSIC: A NOVEL by Deanna Lynn Sletten is a beautifully written genre story that is a cross between a sweet romance and women’s fiction. The time period is 1968 to 1971 and the setting a small college town in Illinois. Ms. Sletten takes you back to the social and cultural turmoil of the Vietnam War. A soldier’s return to build the life he has only dreamed of in the jungles of Vietnam, a charismatic student anti-war leader and a girl finding herself, loved by both.

Charlotte Parsons lost her older brother after only three months in Vietnam. Her family is devastated, but proud of his service. Charlotte wants to know more about this war that took her brother, so she lies about her age and joins a group that writes letters to soldiers overseas. She corresponds with a soldier named Joseph Russo.  Char tells Joe all about the small town life she loves and Joe shelters Char from the horrors of the war that took her brother. After only a few months, the letters stop. Char does not know why they stop, but she moves on with her high school life.

Two years later, Char begins college. Char is dating Deke Masterson, her brother’s best friend from high school. Deke is the leader of the anti-war movement on their college campus. He is dedicated to the cause and wants Char to participate. Char hates that she lost her brother, but she does not really have her own opinions on the war. He father fought in WWII and her parents believe their son died doing his duty, while Deke preaches that all the men fighting in Vietnam are baby killers and killing innocent villagers.

Joe has come home wounded. He will have a life-long limp, but he feels blessed to be home alive. He moves to Grand Falls to put the war behind him and go to college in the small town of his letters from Char. He cannot believe his luck to meet her in person. She is as sweet and beautiful as her letters. He befriends Char and her parents. As Deke becomes more radical, and Joe shows Char only respect, kindness and understanding, Char has a choice to make.

I so loved this book and will remember the characters long into the future. I was a preteen in the time period of this book and can understand and identify with all the characters. My family is full of veterans and we were taught to always respect their service, but I was also watching the horrors of the war nightly on the news and heard of the atrocities. Ms. Sletten’s book captures all sides of the conflict with believable characters. I also loved the character development of Charlotte, growing from a sheltered high school girl to a college coed who learns to think for herself and realize all the shades of grey in the world. This is a sweet romance with no sex scenes on the page.

I will always be listening for night music.

Book Review: One Wrong Turn by Deanna Lynn Sletten

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

Sometimes an author can take the simplest plot and it will pack an emotional punch that resonates with the reader to their core. You follow normal, flawed people and you cry, get mad, become disappointed, have empathy, have sympathy, laugh and feel joy. That was the journey I took with Deanna Lynn Sletten’s novel ONE WRONG TURN.

Jess Connors is renovating her grandparent’s old home into a B&B as she raises her two daughters, Madison “Maddie”, age twelve and Jilly, age seven. She has become a friend to many in the community over the last two years, but all it took was one wrong turn of her steering wheel as she was rushing to pick up her daughters after school to change all of their lives. Now Jess lies in the hospital in a coma.

Clay Connors has been estranged from his wife and daughters for two years until he receives the call notifying him of his wife’s accident. Clay is a talented studio and live musician, but he also let his alcohol addiction destroy his family and his own personal belief in himself. After this third try at rehab and AA, Clay knew it was his last chance to prove himself to Jess. He was afraid to join them at the B&B and lose them forever, so he kept convincing himself to put it off for another day. Now he has to earn the trust of his oldest daughter once again, reintroduce himself to his youngest and remain sober under this stress while reuniting his family and waiting for Jess to wake from her coma, if she does.

The author writes Clay and Jess’ meeting, courtship and family life up to their separation in flashbacks told by Clay interspersed throughout the story. Clay’s alcohol addiction is written with truth and empathy. All his fears and failings are exposed, along with his daily battle to remain sober. The interactions between Clay and Maddie are extremely emotional because she was so close to her father and yet she was too young to understand what addiction is and so she has a severe lack of trust and a huge feeling of abandonment in regards to her father. The author offsets the difficulties with her father, with the care and understanding she shows her younger sister. Jilly is lovable, happy child who is trying to deal with all that is happening.

This book has the story of a couple that has always loved each other, but addiction divides them. For me though, the main characters that I empathized with and cheered to a happy ending were Clay and his daughter, Maddie. The dialogue is realistic as well as the emotions. All of the secondary characters were perfectly placed to add to the story, but never took the main focus off of Clay, his sobriety and/or his daughters as they dealt with their family in crisis.

This book is an emotional roller coaster that is beautifully written. The strength, love, perseverance and forgiveness of the characters will stay with me long after I finish this review. I am looking forward to reading more of Ms. Sletten’s books in the future.