The Pretender: A Blackguard in Disguise

The Caselli Family-Book One

by

Ta'Mara Hanscom

Despite just meeting each other, Tillie and Noah's lives have been mysteriously intertwined for many years in Ta'Mara Hanscom's The Pretender. From the moment they met, Tillie and Noah wanted to spend the rest of their lives together, but a deliberate omission will keep them apart-and that same omission will be responsible for the escape of a murderer, and a bride's deception.

My Jean-Marc's uncle was married to an English woman, and she told us once, a very long time ago, that in this world there are men of two kinds. The one, the knight, is the man possessing only strength and quality of moral character. He will never ask a lady to compromise her honor for less than a vow, and never, will he consider another once he has captured her heart. A knight keeps his vow, even when it hurts, and the honor of a knight is a thing a country is built upon. A knight comes along only seldom these days.

Now a blackguard is a man who can be found quite easily, for it is an easy thing to be a blackguard. He attempts to trick the young ladies into taking him home and caring for him, making them believe their honor can be given away as a mere trifle, offering no vow, and making only human demands. The blackguard is to be avoided at all costs. For to settle for someone like him is to settle for something like him is to settle for something less than ideal.

In the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota, Tillie Caselli promises to marry Noah Hansen. Theirs' was a love intended to last, and their promises were never to be broken. But when there's an illusion of unfaithfulness, the result is an error in judgment--an error that changes the course of their lives.

Epic romance, global adventure, ethnic passion, and Christian values inspire this new series.

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TA'MARA HANSCAM: I was born and raised in South Dakota, and I love her people and rich history. For many years I’ve also had a deep love for Italy and her colorful chronology. I was fortunate enough to visit Italy on my 25th wedding anniversary, and I added some of the details of my travels to my fictional series The Caselli Family Series.

My favorite sport is baseball – Detroit Tigers – and I can’t wait until the next time I get to see them play in Comerica Park. I live for the next family barbeque. My husband and I own a national pizza franchise in Iowa, where we currently reside. We have three grown children and one grandson. We’ve rescued two cats and one Pomeranian. I teach AWANA Cubbies and speak at women’s events.

To learn more about The Caselli Family Series, please visit us on the web at:
www.TaMaraHanscomBooks.com

MY THOUGHTS: Setting: South Dakota 1975

To begin with, I would suggest some tissues. Your emotions may get the best of you at times. From the moment you open the book and begin reading, you are hooked. You won't want to let go until you've read the very last word. At first, I wasn't sure I wanted to read this book. It just didn't strike me as something I normally like reading. But as I began to read, I got invested in the characters, let's say some of them. There were over 20 characters throughout the book. Way too many to keep track of. I found it extremely hard to keep track of what was happening and what character I really wanted to root for. As the story goes on, there are so many details about the different characters and their lives. I got to the point I didn't know who I liked and who I disliked. So I went with Tillie and Noah. I found myself going back and re-reading the pages trying to keep things straight. If you're one of those who imagine two people falling in love and living that fairy tale of happily ever after, than read on. You get the idea that this is easily figured out. The fairy tale of a couple coming from different backgrounds, life stepping in and then, as we all would like, having that fairy tale ending. Unrealistic, right? Well, all is not as it seems and what you think is going to happen, may not. All in all, if you let some of the details go, the basic story is good. I would have preferred to have had a lot less characters and a lot less detail. Entirely too much going on at one time, too many details and that made the story way too confusing. Looking to read book two and see if things improve.

I received a copy of this book from Litfuse Group and the author and voluntarily decided to review it.

I would give this book 4 STARS.

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THE GIVEAWAY

Join Ta'Mara in celebrating the release

of the second printing and new covers

by entering to win her $75 prize basket giveaway!

One grand prize winner will receive:

A copy of The Pretender
A $75 Amazon gift card
A decorative box containing measuring cups, ten recipes from the book, a potholder, a kitchen towel, pepper and salt grinders, kitchen utensils, and an olive oil dispenser