This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Gifford MacShane is the author of historical fiction that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit.
Her novels feature a family of Irish immigrants who settle in the Arizona Territory in the late 1800s. With an accessible literary style, MacShane draws out her characters' hidden flaws and strengths as they grapple with both physical and emotional conflicts.
Singing almost before she could talk, MacShane has always loved folk music, whether it be Irish, Appalachian, spirituals, or the songs of the cowboys. Her love of the Old West goes back to childhood, when her father introduced her to the works of Zane Grey.
Later she became interested in the Irish diaspora, having realized her ancestors must have lived through An Gorta Mor, the Great Irish Potato Famine of the mid-1800s. Writing allows her to combine her three great interests into a series of family stories, each including romance, traditional song lyrics, and a dash of Celtic mysticism.
Having grown up in a large & often boisterous Irish-American family, she is intimately acquainted with the workings of such a clan and uses those experiences to good purpose (though no names will be named!)
MacShane is a member of the Historical Novel Society, and is an #OwnVoices writer. A self-professed grammar nerd who still loves diagramming sentences, Giff currently lives in Pennsylvania with her husband Richard, the Pied Piper of stray cats.
Reviewed by Cheryl E. Rodriguez for Readers' Favorite
Whispers in the Canyon by Gifford MacShane is an emotionally charged love story. Adam Donovan is deeply rooted in his Irish heritage. He and all of the Donovan clan live by a heartfelt code of conduct. “A man without a family has no one, but a man who is a bad neighbor is no one.” Persecuted, the Donovans fled Ireland for America and have become well-known and respected ranchers in Arizona. In the spring of 1885, Adam rides across the canyon toward the lonely Travers ranch; he is the bearer of bad news. Regardless of how Adam feels, he knows this is the neighborly thing to do. As he approaches, he sees a battered and bruised young woman standing outside. Adam tells Jesse Travers her brother, Russell, is dead, and he is the one who killed him. This is the beginning of a rare and unlikely relationship between Adam and Jesse. Destitute, Jesse strangely finds comfort and refuge in the presence of the man who killed her brother. Day by day, Jesse’s fragile beauty bares its soul, and every day Adam is there, proving he is trustworthy. Yet, the haunting past refuses to let Jesse go; it will take the entire love of the Donovan family to break the yoke and set love free.
Gifford MacShane pens a heartwarming, yet gut-wrenching romance novel in Whispers in the Canyon. This novel is one of the most well-written and well-developed books I have read in a long time. The characterization is above reproach. The characters are written with refined and defined eloquence. As a reader, you sense their despair and devotion, and you feel the longings of their heart and soul. Penned with transparency, the characters' secrets, hopes, thoughts, silent pleas, and even fear-ridden nightmares are exposed. Both of the main characters undergo a dynamic character growth; the fragility of the heroine matures into a woman of astounding inner strength, while the rugged, brawny, extremely masculine hero discovers freedom in vulnerability. Their growth is only realized, however, through the haunting, relentless foreboding of the antagonist.
MacShane delivers Gaelic tradition and folklore effortlessly, and proverbial sayings and meaningful metaphoric descriptions enlighten the time and setting. Written with poetic imagery, the narrative pays homage to both Ireland and Arizona. The plot is driven by a passion for love not realized, and with each turn of the page, you are drawn further into the hope that it will somehow come to pass. Gifford MacShane reveals, “Love is not earned, nor deserved. It is a gift.” Whispers in the Canyon is an inspirational love story. I wait in anticipation for book two in the Donovan Family Saga.
