About the Book
Book: The Angel of Second Street
Author: Barbara Tifft Blakey
Genre: Christian Fiction/Romance/Historical Fiction
Release date: May 1, 2025
How Can Compassion be Considered Wrong?
When life is weighed down by challenges, pillars of enduring hope and love are always waiting to be discovered.
Ida Dempsey has grown up in a privileged life of luxury thanks to her aunt and uncle. Although Second Street—where women of ill repute ply their wares—is off limits to respectable citizens, her heart of compassion compels her to frequent the area, hoping to make a difference in their lives. Ida has also befriended Qui Shau, a Chinese woman who keeps house for her family, but friendships between the whites and Chinese are taboo in Eureka. Ida tries to keep secret her forbidden compassion, but someone is watching and will use it against her.
When Blaine Prescott meets Ida at a church picnic, his parents warn him away from any relationship with the young lady who has been seen on Second Street in the company of a Chinese woman. But how could such a kindhearted, lovely young woman be anything but good? But when riots break out in Chinatown and Ida disappears, Blaine will do anything to find out where and why she has gone.
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My Review5 StarsThe Angel of Second Street wasn't what I expected; it was much more, with its secrets, historical events, and forbidden love. The vivid descriptions of Eureka and San Francisco, CA, in 1884, had quite a diverse group of characters. The author does a wonderful job describing the darker side of Chinese Immigration and Second Street's "working women" while showing the Christian aspects of faith, love, grace, and forgiveness.
I enjoyed Ida and Blaine's love for each other despite all the challenges they faced. Their holding on to their faith and their desire to help the less fortunate were encouraging and inspiring. The story had me drawn in not long after I started reading and held my interest until the end. There were lots of surprises and twists, but everything wrapped up nicely in the end.
I received a complimentary copy from the author through Net Galley; a positive review is not required. All opinions are my own.
About the Author
Barbara Tifft Blakey lives in the Pacific Northwest on five wooded acres with Terry, her husband of forty-plus years. She is best known for her award-winning, literature-inspired, language arts program, Total Language Plus, which she created over twenty years ago, and is used by thousands of homeschoolers. Barbara teaches Sunday school and enjoys speaking on various topics to Christian women’s groups. She and her husband have four grown children and five grandchildren. She enjoys camping at the ocean and is an avid soccer fan. During the day-light challenged winter months, she reads, crochets, bakes, and plots her next novel.
More from Barbara
As the birthplace of my mother, Eureka, California holds a special charm for me intensified by my grandmother’s stories of the area. Every visit I’ve made has encouraged me to dig deeper, to learn more, to experience this small, coastal town’s magnetism.
Its history includes the Wiyot’s massacre on Indian Island which can be viewed from the harbor and the expulsion of the Chinese population from Humboldt County. Carson’s Mansion is the most photographed Victorian dwelling in California, and possibly the United States, built to keep the lumber baron’s loggers employed during a downturn in the timber industry. Because of the numerous brothels, an entire section of Second Street located in the heart of the community was deemed out of bounds for children.
Both hero and heroine in Angel of Second Street are fictional, but my cast of characters includes real-life people such as Reverend Huntington, David Kendall, and Wei Lum and real historical businesses such as Wells Drug Store and Kitty Farris’s Joy Emporium.
I first wrote a version of this story more than a decade ago, but who can argue with God’s timing? Events that happened over 150 years ago feel current in today’s political climate where fear tactics dominate debates and spur regrettable actions. I didn’t set out to make a political statement, only to tell an engaging, thought-provoking love story, but in the midst of relating historical events, a deeper truth emerged as relevant today as it was in the mid 1800s.
I pray you’ll journey with Ida and Blaine through the turmoil of their times and be enriched to face the trials of today with renewed hope.
Blog Stops
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, May 29
Pens Pages & Pulses, May 29
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 30
Locks, Hooks and Books, May 31
Texas Book-aholic, June 1
Stories By Gina, June 2 (Author Interview)
Mary Hake, June 2
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 3
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, June 4
Simple Harvest Reads, June 5 (Guest Review from Donna)
For Him and My Family, June 6
Becca Hope: Book Obsessed, June 6
Holly’s Book Corner, June 7
Pause for Tales, June 8
Cover Lover Book Review, June 9
Book Butterfly in Dreamland, June 9
Devoted To Hope, June 10
Bizwings Book Blog, June 11
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Barabara is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon e-Gift card and a print copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
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I enjoyed the review. Thank you.
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