Blog Tour Review of Corrigan’s Pool by Dot Ryan

About the Book:
Bitter with thoughts of the darkly handsome stranger who promised to marry her and then left town without a word, Ella Corrigan hastily weds a neighboring planter—a man whose cold indifference is merely a disguise for cunning insanity. His cruelty to his slaves horrifies her and, even though her family has owned slaves for generations, she questions the concept of human bondage for the first time while desperately missing her cherished Greenpoole plantation and Corrigan’s Pool … a beautiful phenomenon of nature that the slaves call “Conjuring Pool” for reasons they cannot explain when asked.

The South is embroiled in a bitter Civil War by the time Ella Corrigan discovers that Corrigans’ Pool is much more than the exquisitely beautiful pond she had thought it to be all her life. But by the time she learns its dangerous secret she is deeply entangled in a secret of her own … one that has made her a virtual prisoner, hopelessly trapped in a world dreadfully different from her previous existence as mistress of her gentle father’s palatial plantation home along the Savannah River. Stunned by what she sees, she must harden herself to her new surroundings or perish … along with the cowed and scarred Negroes who toil in her husband’s rice swamps and cotton fields. Always in the back of her mind, are memories of the man who loved her and left her, the man she has long blamed for her misery.

 
About the Author:

Dot Ryan, born and raised in Bee County in South Texas, makes her home in “the sparkling city by the sea,” Corpus Christi, Texas, with husband, Sam. Corrigans’ Pool is Dot’s first novel. She is busy writing her second and third works of fiction. You can visit her website at www.dotryanbooks.com.

My Review:
Corrigan’s Pool was a first for me of a story like this. Though I read historical Christian fiction, this is the first historical non-Christian fiction book that I have read.  I truly enjoyed this story.                    

Corrigan’s Pool takes us in the life, and wealth of a Georgia family, whose daughter runs the plantation and is forced to marry a man she doesn’t love.

As I read the story and became completely engaged in Ryan’s writing, I saw things that Ella saw as if I was truly her. I felt the pain she felt, the love she felt, the sorrow and struggles she dealt with were mine. She feels she has to take on all the responsibility of the plantation and taking care of the slaves and it turns her life completely around,and I could feel my heart racing as if it was me dealing with that.  But then the war marches on,onto her family’s home and she is left with the decision and responsibilty to keep everyone safe, including her self. But amongst all this struggle comes a problem that won’t leave her alone:her past has come back to her and she’s not so sure of what to do anymore.

I truly give this book recommendation. Though it’s not a book that I would have bought had I seen it in a book store, I am glad I had the chance to review this book. Because of Ryan’s ability to mix history with mystery and love, I give this book 4 stars. Ryan gets praises for her ability to tell a compelling story of an era long forgotten. Thank you Ms. Ryan and Pump Up Your Book Promotions for allowing me the opportunity to review a captivating story that I otherwise would not have bought in a store! Now I hope others will go out and buy it and enjoy like I did!

You can purchase this book by visiting Amazon.com here.

*This book was provided for review by the author, for Pump Up Your Book Promotions*