Storm Clouds Rolling In

Bregdan Chronicles 1

By: Ginny Dye

Narrated by: Christine Cunningham Smith

Length: 17 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's Summary

Storm Clouds Rolling In is the very first book in the ongoing Bregdan Chronicles historical novel series.  It's readers like you who have turned it into a world-wide best-seller. Thank you!

Carrie Cromwellcomes of age as the dark clouds of the Civil War swallow the country. Born with a fiery spirit and a strong mind, she finds herself struggling between the common wisdom of the South and the truth she has discovered.

The activities of the Underground Railroad and her close friendships with the Cromwell Plantation slaves create difficult choices. But when her decisions put her at odds with her heritage, and challenge her dreams, will she be able to give up all that is precious to her?

This first book of The Bregdan Chronicles historical fiction series will pull you in and never let you go. You'll experience the Civil War era (and all the years to come) through the eyes of both White and Black, free & slave, Southern & Northern - and you'll fall in love with every character.

©2010 Ginny Dye (P)2013 Ginny Dye

Not Outlander at all! AVOID!

The only word I can use to describe this book is AWFUL!!! There was something (an advertisement) on Facebook that said if you love Outlander, you'll love this series. If you're here because you are a huge Outlander fan who also read that, RUN AWAY!

The writing is childish at best and the narration reminds me of a 2nd grade teacher reading to her class in that slow way, with long pauses, and crappy character voices that get mixed up often.

The plot is thin and greatly predictable. It's just so very bad. I kept listening hoping it would pick up and that the author would start to write like a grown up writer. Never happened. I read on her website that she is committed to writing a new book for her fans every year. It shows that these books take less than a year to write. Gabaldon takes 2-4 years to turn out a book and that shows with deep, dynamic characters and a wonderful plot and storyline that follows with history in a way that brings it all to life. This series by Dye falls so very short from that standard we expect as fans of Outlander.

Whoever thought that comparing these books to Outlander would be a clever way to sell books was a fool. However, it is a great way to get several bad reviews from angry Outlander fans who wasted a credit on this false comparison.

Dreadful

I bought this book because someone said it was similar to the Gabaldon's Outlander series.
There is NO comparison. I could go on for hours about the differences but I'm so upset by this book I can't organize my thoughts. For me, this book is a Wallbanger -- the kind of book I would throw against the wall for just for existing.

365 days until the powder keg explodes.

I am assuming, since you are reading this review that you know this series is set in Virginia during the last year of peace prior to the most bloody American Civil War. I have always enjoyed American History and especially enjoy good Historical Fiction books. Though the characters are not real, they help you grasp the times and struggles of our past. In fact, a well written and researched Historical novel encouraged my desire as a young woman to know more about the real events. I am not going to spoil the story by telling you anything about the author's creations. However, I will say that this is the first book of Ginny Dye's that I have ever read and I found it entirely engrossing. Dye eases you into the story one character at a time and not only are pulled into a tapestry of personalities but she also weaves in truth of God without being preachy. No scene in this book felt contrived nor did I feel like the characters make choices that didn't flow within the tale. Prior to the story there is a note from the author explaining why she chose to use the N word in her work despite feeling very strongly that it should never be used today. This series is appropriate for anyone over the age of 13. Though I would caution parents to explain why the N word should never be used today. I truly think this will be one of my new favorite authors and I already got my Mom started reading this series. Please note, there are a couple rough spots with the audio. There is a line of Carrie's within the first five minutes of chapter one that is garbled, but I figured out what it was supposed to be. also, there are a few long pauses between sentences and a few that were repeated. These are small errors, but I hope Audible will fix them. I plan to call and tell them about it as well. I found the narrator to be very good and hope that she will continue throughout the Series. If you are like me, I go through some series very quickly. Do be aware that this series has currently 7 books available but only the first 5 are on Audible. I hope I don't have to wait too long for the last two books.
If you are looking for some other Historical Fiction written by Christian Authors here are some suggestions:
The Secret of the Rose Series by Michael Phillips and Judith Pella - 4 books covering the rise of Hitler to the fall of the Berlin Wall.
The Zion Covenant Series by Bodie and Brock Thoene - Pre-World War Two Europe.
The Zion Chronicles by Bodie and Brock Thoene - The Founding of Israel.
The Zion Legacy Series by Bodie and Brock Thoene - The founding of Israel and going back to biblical times.
The A. D. Chronicles by Bodie and Brock Thoene - 12 books set in Jesus's day and ministry.
The Corrie Bell Hollister Series by Michael Phillips.
The House of Winslow Series by Gilbert Morris - 40 book series from Puritain Times to later 20th century.
The Zion Diaries by Bodie and Brock Thoene
The Shiloah Legacy Series by Bodie and Brock Thoene - End of WWI to Great Depression era.
The American Dream Series by Michael Phillips - American Civil War period.
These are just a few of the most powerful and well written Christian Historical Fiction series that I have read and reread. Unfortunately, the majority of these suggestions are not available on Audible at this time. So I list them and a suggestion to Audible to make these series available because I would gladly buy them and enjoy them again. Hint Hint Audible Get these series PLEASE!!

Awful Narration

What would have made Storm Clouds Rolling In better?

I can't comment on the story because I couldn't get past the first bit. The narrator is so overly dramatic in her reading and attempt at clear.ly.ann.un.ci.a.ting. every syllable that I couldn't list further.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Outlander

Would you be willing to try another one of Christine Cunningham Smith’s performances?

No

narrator

love the history & story but narrator is tough to listen to for long periods.

Don't do it!

Condescending and poorly written. The narration was even worse. The first audible book I have ever returned. Might be okay for YA listener.

GOOD IF YOU ARE A CIVIL WAR ERA BUFF

I really did like this book. The narrator left much to be desired. I kept listening because I wanted to know how the main character would develop. I know that audible only has the first three books of the series. I would like to see them add the last three.

Disappointed!

I am so disappointed in this book. It could have been great, then I went off with very unrealistic babbling I about visions of God. What does that have to do with the civil war?

It was ok

I got this book because I saw an ad saying if you liked Gone with the Wind you would like this series. I can say I don't agree......I had a hard time getting through this book and I won't be reading the rest. they were just ok.

An Engaging Work of Historical Fiction

If you could sum up Storm Clouds Rolling In in three words, what would they be?

Engaging, well researched, and well preformed.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Sarah the older slave and the mother of Rose, was my favourite character - I enjoyed the depth of her character and her pivotal place in the development of the overall story. I actually enjoyed all the characters and the way the Author developed each one.

Have you listened to any of Christine Cunningham Smith’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have listened to one other of Ms. Cunningham Smith's performance - The Proposal, by Emilee Hines. I enjoyed her narration in both books. She has a very pleasant professional vocal quality ; she annunciates clearly and she is able to portray her characters well. Her narrator style is kept distinct from her character voices. In both books she was able to move easily from male to female and her dialects are very good. In this book, there is a broad emotional range and she was very convincing in her portrayal of those emotions. There were several very intense moments where I was moved to tears. In chapter one I did notice a kind of minor skip in ome of the opening sentences. I have the ebook so I was able to see the sentence in full. It was probably a processing error-very minor and not at all detracting from the rest of the presentation and not repeated again.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Listening to a good audiobook is a real treat for me. I look forward to savoring a few chapters in the evening - it is my unwind time. It was hard to put time limits on my listening to this book, but realistically, it was over 14 hours long and I had to set limits.

Any additional comments?

I am looking forward to the continuation of this series - the author calls the series The Bregdan Chronicles. I especially appreciate that there is no bad language, gratuitous sex or violence in the content. The story is well written and well researched. I certainly hope Ms. Cunningham Smith will narrate the entire series - that will definitely affect my decision for future audiobook purchases in this series.