Book: Emma’s Engagement
Author: Susan G Mathis
Genre: Christian Historical Romance
Release date: January 21, 2025
A lighthouse. A new wife. A jealous daughter. Can love shine through the darkness?
Emma Row yearns for a fresh start and a chance to build a loving family. But as she steps into her role as the Rock Island Lightkeeper’s wife, she finds herself navigating the treacherous waters of isolation and the bitter rejection of her new stepdaughter, Ada.
Michael Diepolder, the widowed lightkeeper, had hoped securing a companion would brighten his life and be a needed mother figure to his eleven-year-old daughter. Yet, as Emma struggles to adapt to the challenges of her new life, Michael realizes that the path to happiness is far more turbulent than he ever anticipated.
As a storm brews on the horizon, Emma and Michael must confront the tempestuous waves of doubt, jealousy, and isolation that threaten to extinguish the light of their love. Can they weather the storm and find the strength to keep their family together, or will the darkness consume them all?
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Christian Historical Romance books are a favorite genre of mine. Emma's Engagement by Susan G. Mathis is Book 3 in the Love at a Lighthouse series. I have been enjoying this series from the beginning and was excited when I heard this book was out!
I truly enjoyed this storyline, especially since it begins with an Engagement. The main characters in this book are Emma Row, Michael Diepolder, and Michael's daughter Ada. Michael is a lighthouse keeper and proposes to 37yr old Librarian, Emma. Emma has dreamed about this day for a time now and is excited to marry him. Michael is a widower and his 11yr daughter Ada will be spending the Summer on the Island with her dad. Ada lives with her Grandmother as there is no School on the Island. Michael and Emma are not sure Ada will be happy for the couple and they soon will find their fears are coming true. Ada misses her mother all the time and doesn't want a stepmother. I really LOVE that Emma and Michael are determined to help Ada know that Emma isn't a replacement for her mom and they work to get her disobedience under control. The way they approach creating a family once Ada joins them on the Island is so sweet. Michael and Emma work hard to gain the trust of Ada and their faith in God is an integral part of that. The book has Faith, Family, History, LOVE! I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian Historical Romance! FANTASTIC BOOK!
Susan G Mathis is an international award-winning, multi-published author of stories set in the beautiful Thousand Islands, her childhood stomping ground in upstate NY. Susan has been published more than thirty times in full-length novels, novellas, and non-fiction books. She has thirteen in her Thousand Islands fiction line including, The Fabric of Hope: An Irish Family Legacy, Christmas Charity, Katelyn’s Choice, Devyn’s Dilemma, Sara’s Surprise, Reagan’s Reward, Colleen’s Confession, Peyton’s Promise,Rachel’s Reunion, Mary’s Moment,A Summer at Thousand Island House, Libby’s Lighthouse, and Julia’s Joy, and Emma’s Engagement.
More from Susan
An interview with best-selling inspirational historical fiction author Susan G Mathis.
The third novel of your new three-book series called Love in a Lighthouse is out. Tell us about that, please.
Join the Row-family women, Libby, Julia, and Emma, as they navigate the isolation, danger, and hope for lasting love at three different Thousand Island lighthouses in the St. Lawrence River. [Note: These can be read in any order.]
What inspired you to write Emma’s Engagement?
I have visited Rock Island Lighthouse a number of times, and it’s a beautiful lighthouse. It’s along the main shipping channel and it’s a New York State Park accessible by boat, so it’s a great place to visit. When I was asked to write a lighthouse series, I just had to write about it!
Why did you write about the Diepolder’s being a stepfamily?
The Diepolder’s story is true, though I had to imagine some of the details. Not only did I grow up in a stepfamily and became a step family when I married Dale, but my late husband and I wrote, The Remarriage Adventure, a premarital book for couples getting ready for remarriage. So, I had lots of fodder to explore the challenges of step parenting.
What was your hardest scene to write?
It’s always hard to inflict pain on the characters you’ve grown to love, so having Emma in so much pain from Ada’s rejection and the adjustment to a new marriage and stepparenting was difficult. As readers journey with her, they witness the challenges and the adjustments necessary. Her trials not only reveal Emma’s character but also influences her decisions and relationships throughout the story.
Why do you write about the Thousand Islands?
I grew up just twenty minutes from the Thousand Islands—the setting for all my stories—in upstate New York. Actually, half of the 1,864 islands are in NY and the other half in Ontario, Canada. So, I spent every summer and more exploring the beautiful region. I’ve stayed on several of the islands and camped and rented cottages there. So, after I wrote my debut novel about the largest island, Wolfe Island, I was hooked. There are so many fascinating stories to tell.
Now, I take an annual Thousand Islands Book Tour to the islands where I meet with fans, friends, and family. I’ve stayed in Singer Castle, Casa Blanca, and other places that are the settings of my book. I’ve talked with the owners of the islands, local historians, and researched in the Thousand Islands archives. All my novels are based on a specific place in the Thousand Islands and are the true stories of the owners of that island. So, my plot is generally true. Then I overlay the storyline of the fictional servants to create the story. This makes my stories a bit more challenging, but I love a good challenge.
“I love introducing the Thousand Islands to readers and have heard from dozens that the area is now a favorite summer destination,” Mathis says.
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Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 4
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 5
Pause for Tales, February 6
Pens Pages & Pulses, February 6
Texas Book-aholic, February 7
lakesidelivingsite, February 8
Devoted To Hope, February 9
Simple Harvest Reads, February 10 (Guest Review from Marilyn)
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, February 11
Bizwings Book Blog, February 12
Life on Chickadee Lane, February 13
Lights in a Dark World, February 13
Betti Mace, February 14
Locks, Hooks and Books, February 15
For Him and My Family, February 16
Holly’s Book Corner, February 17
To celebrate her tour, Susan is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54149
Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: Emma's Engagement by Susan G. Mathis
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