Blog Tour: Sweeter than Birdsong by Rosslyn Elliott

In this second in the award-winning Saddler's Legacy series, Rosslyn Elliott has written a stirring novel of hope and faith inspired by real historical people and events. With Ben Hanby, a genius composer, Kate Winter, one of the first female college graduates in America, and John Parker, an ex-slave who risked his life time and again to help fugitive slaves, Sweeter than Birdsong is full of real heroes to inspire us. "I hope readers will find a renewed sense of strength in their own lives," says Elliott, "knowing that change is possible, and our efforts matter. I want them to remember these unique, brave people in history who left us a shining example of what it means to live out one's beliefs with passion and commitment."



So to celebrate the music in all of us, Rosslyn and Thomas Nelson are hosting this "sweet giveaway".

One fortunate winner will receive:

• A Brand new iPod Nano (Winner's choice of color!)
• Fairer than Morning by Rosslyn Elliott
• Sweeter than Birdsong by Rosslyn Elliott

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends at noon on February 28th. Winner will be announced at Sweeter than Birdsong Author Chat Facebook Party on 2/28. Rosslyn will be chatting with guests, sharing a sneak peek of the next book in the series, hosting a trivia contest, and more! She'll also be giving away some GREAT prizes: gift certificates, books, season 1 of DowntownAbbey, and a book club prize pack! (Ten copies of the book for your small group or book club AND a LIVE Author Chat for your group with Rosslyn.)



So grab your copy of Sweeter than Birdsong and join Rosslyn and friends on the evening of the 28th for an evening of fun.

Don't miss a moment of the fun. RSVP today and tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 28th!

About Rosslyn:

Rosslyn Elliott is the award-winning author of Fairer than Morning, the first in the Saddler's Legacy series. She holds a B.A. from Yale University and a Ph.D. in English from Emory University. Her study of American literature and history inspired her to pursue writing fiction. Elliott lives in Albuquerque, where she homeschools her daughter and works in children's ministry.



For more about Rosslyn, visit her website
.

Blog tour schedule: here.

My thoughts:

This is probably one of the better Christian fiction books I’ve read, mainly because the Christian aspect is subtly handled and doesn’t get in the middle of the plot.

What really caught my attention from the very beginning was Kate, the protagonist. She has an obvious anxiety disorder which is not a common ailment described in historical stories. The author does a good job in showing us her struggles, not just telling us she has one. It endears us to her from the first page. Ben, the love interest, is a nice, if vanilla, character. He is kind and generous and all the things we’d expect from the hero, which once in a while makes him a bit on the dull side.

The plot was surprisingly fast-paced, with some of the scenes, especially the ones dealing with the abolition movement and the Underground Railroad, containing so much tension it’s hard to stop reading for fear of what’s going to happen. But, again, what I felt was done the best was the handling of the Christian element. So many times, these types of fiction have every character reciting pages of Bible verses for little reason, pulling the reader away, but this one is blessedly free of it. As a non-Christian, I was rather happy that I was not bombarded with preaching but instead found myself reading an entertaining, smart story.