Book Review, Guest Post, and Blog Tour: Bentonsport: A New Chapter by Lisa Schnedler

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Bentonsport – A New Chapter by Lisa Schnedler, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Bentonsport – A New Chapter
Series: Bentonsport #2
Author: Lisa Schnedler
Publisher: Scrivenings Press
Release Date: September 19, 2023
Genre: Christian Romance / Speculative (Time Travel)

What if you followed your heart—not across distance but across time?

Sarah Peterson never knew how far she would go for love until Thomas Barton walked into her life, they fell in love, and he asked her to join him in his world—a hundred and fifty years back in time. More afraid of losing him than of leaving everything behind, she put her future in God’s hands and awakened in the past. Now, she’s facing a world she’d only dreamed of, and reality is nothing like her dreams.

Thomas Barton never imagined he’d meet a woman like his beloved Sara. Leaving her behind was the hardest thing he ever did. When he discovers she’s followed him across time, he’s ready to spend his life making her decision worthwhile. His friends come up with a plan to convince Bentonsport she’s part of their era, but it’s going to take another miracle to pull this off.

Love was enough to carry them through a hundred and fifty years. Will it be enough to get them through the next weeks and months?

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

More in This Series

Guest Post – How the Author Chose Her Setting

How did you choose the setting for your Bentonsport books? Were there other settings you considered?

Bentonsport is a unique town. It was a booming river town in the 1870s that nearly became the state capital. With the closing of the Des Moines River to steamboat traffic in the 19^th Century, and highways bypassing the town in the 20^th Century, the bustling community fell into ruin.

But, in the 1970s, artists, dreamers, and those seeking beautiful, historic homes to restore, trickled into this dying town and, over time, revitalized it into a place where tourists come to shop, relax, and learn the arts.

And today, city-dwellers, like me and my husband, are attracted to the beauty, peace, and strong sense of community that Bentonsport offers residents today—as it did centuries before.

As I walked the streets of Bentonsport, I could envision someone coming to this town from years past and being shocked at its decline. But, if he met the people and heard their stories, that visitor from the past would see that the true spirit of Bentonsport continues to flourish. Its beauty remains. And each generation comes to create a life they could only envision.

So, as Thomas Barton—schoolmaster of the 1870s—meets Sarah Peterson—former music teacher now bakery owner in modern times, he sees a woman who loves the town he loves, deeply cares about her neighbors, has a strong Christian faith, and has hope for the future. Time is set aside as the commonality they share forms the basis of a strong love.

But will time allow this love to continue? You’ll need to read the books to find out.

I didn’t consider other settings, as in this case, the setting led to the story—and the title of the book, Bentonsport.

My review:

Bentonsport: A New Chapter is a charming blend of Christian romance and historical fiction. Sarah Peterson has traveled back in time 150 years for her love of Thomas Barton, and his for her. Here we see her adapting to her hometown as it was in its earlier days.

From figuring out how to earn income with her baking in an era where women generally were not expected to work to adapting her speech and mannerisms so as not to unduly raise eyebrows, Sarah – now Sara – has a great deal of adjustment to do in the 1870s. She has to adjust her baking techniques to make do with the tools available rather than her accustomed modern conveniences and get used to an unaccustomed style of dress. She also learns that “mean girls” aren’t exclusive to the modern era when Lucinda Carrington has other ideas about Thomas’ future wife. But she leans on her faith in God, and on Thomas and Pastor and Mrs. Lockhardt, to strengthen and encourage her.

The characters in the book are all delightful. I don’t know how Pastor and Mrs. Lockhardt came to know Sarah’s true story, but they roll with it. They have so much fun creating a character and backstory for her that will play well to the folks in Bentonsport. I should have such joie de vivre when I’m older!

Bella and Leo, the bakers Sarah befriends during her short stay in St. Louis, are positively charming. I would love to see this friendship develop further, and I hope there are other Bentonsport books planned that include these characters.

And I love love love love Sarah’s relationship with Thomas’ family! Sarah’s parents died when she was young, and she hasn’t really had a family in her modern life. Thomas’ sisters take her in and make her one of their own, and she takes to it like a duck to water. It was a beautiful picture of how family relationships should be.

This book continues the story that began in Bentonsport: A Christmas Holiday, and I do recommend reading that book first. I was able to follow the story, but I felt like I was missing a good bit by not knowing how Thomas and Sarah first came to encounter each other and what experiences they had in Sarah’s time.

If you enjoy a sweet, clean romance, a good time travel story, and characters who rely on their Christian faith to overcome challenges, Bentonsport: A New Chapter is for you!

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from JustRead Publicity Tours and the author. All opinions here are mine, and I don’t say nice things about books I don’t actually like.

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About the Author

Connect with Lisa by visiting lisaschnedler.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.

Tour Giveaway

(3) winners will win a $15 Amazon gift card!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight October 3, 2023 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on October 10, 2023. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

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