Tag: Book Reviews

All Our Empty Places | Interview and Giveaway

Published on by Amanda Tero2 Comments


Alicia has been such a cheerful support to me and my writing, so when the tables turned and she asked for bloggers for her release of All Our Empty Places, I was excited to jump on board!

THE BOOK
AllOur Empty Places  is the second book in Alicia’s “A Time of Grace” trilogy
Purchase on Amazon: http://amzn.com/B014JVJYCK
Read my personal review of it here.
However, you don’t want to miss Book One, The Fragrance of Geraniums. The good news, is that you can get it for 99 cents on Amazon right now! (until October 31) http://amzn.com/B00P4PB7W6
(I have read and reviewed Book One on Goodreads)

BACK COVER BLURB
In 1935, when the bank calls in her mortgage, Sarah Picoletti – now a penniless widow – finds herself and her children on the brink of homelessness. Sick at heart, she plans to beg her brother in New Jersey to take her family in.

Then Doctor Samuel Giorgi knocks on her door. Godly and well-off, Sam seems to have put the careless ways of his youth behind him, and he also appears to have one desire: to make Sarah his wife, two decades after he broke their engagement.

However, nothing prepares Sarah for the storm that breaks once she makes her decision. Everywhere she turns, the errors of her former choices confront her, insisting on her inferiority and the irreparable brokenness of her past. Sarah begins to wonder if Christ really can bring true redemption or if He is limited by her frailty.
Meanwhile, her daughter Grace faces new challenges in her own life. When her relationship with Paulie changes unexpectedly, Grace realizes that she must make a decision with the potential to alter both of their futures.
Compassionate and intensely poignant, All Our Empty Placespaints the portrait of a mother and daughter with broken pasts, who dare to step into a future overflowing with the grace of the Cross.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alicia G. Ruggieri writes Christ-centered fiction that speaks of redemption. She received her B.A. in Communications and History from Rhode Island College and lives with her husband and their emotionally-disturbed pug on the New England coast.

AUTHOR LINKS
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AliciaGRuggieri
Blog: http://www.abrighterdestiny.blogspot.com
Twitter: @aliciaruggieri
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/AliciaGRuggieri
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/aliciagruggieri



INTERVIEW
I was blessed to be able to interview Alicia. Her striving to keep Christ first is such an encouragement and challenge to me.

1) What most influenced you in writing A Time of Grace trilogy?
Well, the A Time of Grace trilogy began with The Fragrance of Geraniums, and that began with a strong childhood memory of an upstairs room filled with “winterized” geraniums. They say that memories that have scents attached to them imprint themselves most strongly on our minds; this was certainly that case for that. I’m thankful to the Lord for imprinting the memory of an old, slightly-dusty room with sunlight filtering through sheer curtains, heat emitting from old radiators, table after table of cut-back geraniums, and – most potently – the flowers’ bitter-spicy fragrance filling the air. All through my growing-up years, I knew that a story lurked there.
2) With which character in your series can you most identify?
I get asked this a lot, and it’s always a hard question to answer. J Here’s why: Every (main) character I write has something of me in them – Otherwise, I couldn’t identify with them enough to depict them believably. But, in All Our Empty Places (book two), I definitely can relate to the theme of finding our sufficiency in Christ alone – not in our education, nor who our friends are, nor in our own abilities, nor even in our identification with Christianity – but in Christ Himself. It’s so easy for me to lean on something other than the Lord Christ for satisfaction, for competence, etc. But as Sarah finds – and to some extent, Grace – there is no true sufficiency but His grace. “The well is deep” (John 4:11), but He is our Living Water, who will quench our thirst utterly.
3) How do you balance writing with home duties?
It’s a combination of a few things for me – first, I prioritize. As my pastor says, we have to put God first, always. Then we have our responsibility to our families, and then to our work. So my goal is always that God gets my best time, not the leftovers. That means that I go to Him first in the morning through His Word and prayer and that I seek Him throughout the day. Then I have my responsibilities to my family; those need to get taken care of next. And my writing – my work – gets the final place. I also make lists of what needs to get done both in my household and in my work. That has proven extremely helpful for me. Finally, but not least, I seek the Lord regarding how He wants me to spend my time. He is very near to us, if we would but call on Him. So, if I’m conflicted about something seemingly small, I ask Him to give me His wisdom and then move forward with what I believe He wants me to do. J Of course, I am not saying that I do this perfectly or even well. But that’s my goal: to honor Him first, then my family and the work He’s given me to do.
4) How long have you been writing?
I’ve written for as long as I’ve known how to write, and I’m so thankful for teachers and a mother who strongly encouraged me in that. For years, I wrote play adaptations for a local children theatre, which was a great blessing! My first novel was published in 2013.
5) Do you usually plot out your novels or just write as the ideas come?
I used to write as the ideas came, but I’ve gradually transitioned to a mixing that with plotting. Funny as it sounds, I love the freedom loose plotting gives me. Having said that, if I feel that God is leading me to direct the story in a different way than I’d originally planned, I change it. And I usually don’t plot my endings. J Those just have to “flow” out of the story, and, if the story’s right, then the right end will come. Before I plot, I usually have lots of notes regarding where I think the story should head. I can’t start plotting without that composting.

6) Do you find yourself using struggles, victories, and spiritual lessons that you have personally experienced to help teach lessons in your books?
Oh, yes. 2 Corinthians 1:4 tells us that God gives us difficulties and learning lessons so that we can comfort others with the comfort we’ve been given by Him. It’s hard to give someone in the trenches tips on how to survive and defeat the enemy unless you’ve gone down into the trenches, too, and by God’s grace, lived to tell of it.
7) What would you say to encourage a young Christian writer?
First, seek the Lord above all else. Don’t be mediocre in your walk with Him, and don’t separate your walk with Him from your writing. Second, read classic, well-written literature widely. Third, write the way God has gifted you – don’t copy someone else. Yes, other people’s writing should influence your style, but let your writing be unique, the way God has gifted you.
8) Would you share your salvation testimony?
Certainly. J  I became a Christian when I was a young child; I am blessed to have a mother who loves the Lord and strove to bring her children to Him. However, it wasn’t until I was in my early teens that I really began to wrestle with whether I truly believed that Christ is the only Way among all other religions. At that time, I sought the Lord strongly. He heard me, and He brought me into a deeper walk with Him through my own study of His Word, through prayer, through Christian living books such as those by Oswald Chambers, and through the godly example of my older sister who lived at home.
9) What are some of your favorites?
– Song
Oh, that’s hard. J I’ll narrow it down to hymns, okay? One of my favorite hymns is “Jesus, I Am Resting, Resting” by Jean S. Pigott.
– Book(s) 😉
This is a cruel question. 😉 It somewhat depends on genre, but I think that I can safely say that my favorite fiction book is Til We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis and my favorite nonfiction is My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers.
– Pastimes
Reading (obviously!), baking, organizing, finding more dogs to rescue on Craigslist, and enjoying my nieces and nephews.
– Dessert
I’m going to pick two. First, my mother’s Italian Easter bread – She only makes this anisette-flavored braided bread once a year, and it’s so good that I sometimes eat it for breakfast, lunch, and (shh!) dinner in the few days preceding Easter! And, second, peanut-butter cheesecake. 
– Bible verse
There are a few that are very dear to my heart. Two that God brings me back to are:
2 Corinthians 4:7 nkjv – “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”
and
Romans 8:38-39 – 31 nkjv – “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Thanks for having me, Amanda. J It has been a delight!


THE GIVEAWAY
One winner will receive – a signed softcover of All Our Empty Places; a mug with 2 Corinthians 12:9 inscribed on it; Caramel Apple Biscotti; and Harvest Spice Pumpkin White Hot Chocolate mix. (Open to U.S. residents only due to shipping costs.)

Hurry! The giveaway ends tonight at midnight!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ELSEWHERE
If you want to see Alicia’s book reviewed on other blogs, have fun hopping! 🙂
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2015
God’s Peculiar Treasure Rae
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015 (release day)
Ready to be Offered
Rachel Rossano’s Words
Letters from Annie Douglass Lima
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2015
Seasons of Humility
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015
Writings, Ramblings, and Reflections
Christian Author A.M. Heath
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015
With A Joyful Noise
The Overactive Imagination
Iola’s Christian Reads
A Writer’s Heart
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2015
Tour wrap-up @ A Brighter Destiny

Learning to See Creatively | Book Review

Published on by Amanda Tero2 Comments
Before I finished this book, I had my camera in hand and was outside taking pictures. Though I am not inclined to be an abstract photographer, the tips in this book were very helpful and got my wheels turning.
Peterson comes from his thirty-plus years of experience to address Expanding Your Vision, Elements of Design, Composition, The Magic of Light, and Photoshop. His style is very rounded out, from traditional landscapes to modern abstract photographs. The books is full of beautiful images and informative text. Though I have read through the book once, I know that I will refer back to it several times to study different images and his camera settings.
Negatives:

Being a secular photography book, there were a few images that I decided to cover up before my brothers would see the book (I actually was surprised that there were only 6-10). There were also some words that my family views as “bad words.” 
I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

More info
About the Author

~*~*~*~
For the fun of it…
Here are some pictures I snapped after reading portions of the book. What I was specifically working on was seeing colors and contrast. Another thing that I have put on my list to work on is take my time while capturing in image.

All images completely unedited.


What is something you’ve done this week? Either learning a new craft or honing one that you’ve already begun?

Flight School | Book Review and Giveaway!

Published on by Amanda Tero3 Comments

A few months ago, I came across The Sparrow Found a House, by Jason McIntire (good news: you can get it for free from their website–read my review of it here!). So, when I discovered that Jason was needing bloggers to review his sequel, Flight School, I jumped at the opportunity!
Cover image of Flight School

Book Synopsis
On the verge of adult life, Chris Rivera is eager to get started on his career as a director of Christian movies. But he’ll have to do it without his best friend Ben, who has traded childhood toys for law books… and a very pretty study partner.

Meanwhile, Jessie is getting a lot of attention from conservative neighbor John and trendy friend Galen – each of whom, for drastically different reasons, seems a little too good to be true.

In the face of hard questions and big temptations, how do you know which choice is right? And where do you get the courage to make it?

Personal Review

*I received this book to review with my honest opinion*
As with The Sparrow Found a House, Flight Schoolbalances between the views of the Rivera children (Chris, Jessie, Moe, and Katie), their friend Ben, and occasionally other characters. This gives a very unique and full viewpoint throughout the entire story as the reader learns about the struggles and victories they each face.
Overall, I think Flight School makes an excellent family book. Though I don’t consider this a negative, some parents may want to use caution as several different Baptist denominations are discussed and could provide confusion to younger readers (personally, it intrigued me to learn about the differences).
I found myself reminded of my teen years of attempting-to-make-movies with friends, as Chris, Jessie, and Galen worked together to create movies. I did not care for what seemed to be an apocalypse theme for their movie, but could identify with the lessons they learned in the process and found the climax in Chris’s life very intense.
The first half somewhat disappointed me with not as much parental involvement as I found in The Sparrow Found a House, though the latter half redeemed this disappointment as there were several great discussions between parents and children.
Two quotes caught my eye (probably because of the insane summer I’ve had):
“She had almost forgotten how good it felt to just slow down and love individual people.”
“We should be ‘obsessed’ with only one thing: pleasing Him, whether He calls us to be insanely busy or completely still.”
I didn’t realize until after I finished the book that I needed the reminder of the lessons in it (two areas which sum up what I believe the Lord has been trying to teach me this summer)
~Am I focused on people (relationships) or projects?
~Is my solution to temptations saddling myself under more rules or yielding myself to the Holy Spirit?

And now for the giveaway!!! 🙂

Or go ahead and order the book on Amazon. It’s $2.99 for the Kindle version, or $9.99 for the 256-page print edition.

Jason McIntire
About Jason
A 2005 homeschool graduate and partner in family business ventures, Jason McIntire writes as a hobby. His Christian stories are built around solidly biblical ideas, but packaged in his own light-hearted, often humorous style.

Pass Me Not and I Love Thee | Book Reviews and Giveaway

Published on by Amanda Tero2 Comments

Here we are again with two more novellas from Miss Faith Blum!


Pass Me Not
Another simple and sweet story from Faith Blum. “Pass Me Not” juggles the viewpoint of both Timothy and Abigail as they pray about a “marriage of convenience.” Louise adds a little spicy touch to the story.

Again, as a novella, it is well-paced and doesn’t get bogged down at any point.

Back Cover:

Let me at Thy throne of mercy
Find a sweet relief
Kneeling there in deep contrition
Help my unbelief

Timothy is at his wit’s end. His twelve year old half-sister has run off five housekeepers in almost a year. Since their parents died, she has grown wilder than ever. What can he do? As he looks for a new housekeeper, his eye catches sight of a mail order bride advertisement. One young lady has a younger sister and sounds like a God-fearing woman. Could this be the answer to his dilemma or will Louise run her off, too?

Approximately 18,000 words


I Love Thee
Following the story of Cole Baxter as he suddenly finds himself rather to his four nieces and nephews, “I Love Thee” is a short and sweet story. Though stories with challenging kids are fun, I enjoyed the four well-behaved children portrayed in this story (part of what leads me to sum this up as “sweet”). The kitchen scene with Rhoda and the kids was adorable! I also liked getting to know some characters briefly mentioned in Faith’s novel, “Amazing Grace.”

As the third of Faith’s novellas that I have read, the story flows nicely and does not take long to read and enjoy.

Back Cover:

Mom and Dad dead STOP Please come STOP Gage

When his sister dies, leaving him with four children ages 8 and under, Cole Baxter gets desperate. He decides he needs a wife. He writes to a mail order bride before realizing he almost through away the best woman he could have.


Approximately 18,000 words
About Faith:

An avid reader, Faith Blum started writing at an early age. Whether it was a story about the camping trip that summer or a more creative story about fictional characters, she has always enjoyed writing. When not writing, Miss Blum enjoys reading, crafting, playing piano, Captaining on the Holy Worlds Historical Fiction Forum and playing games with her family (canasta, anyone?).
As a history enthusiast who has been fascinated for years with the Old West, Faith has endeavored to create a clean, fun, and challenging Western story. Faith lives with her family on a hobby farm in the Northern Midwest, where she enjoys the many cats they have.
You can find Faith on her Website, Blog, Facebook, and Twitter


See where else Amazing Grace has appeared on the web here.

If you want to know a little more about Faith, I interviewed her here.

Giveaway

Faith is giving away prizes to two people. The first prize winner will receive:

~A paperback of the novel that started the novellas, Amazing Grace (or novel of choice)

 ~One handpainted bookmark (painted by the author’s sister)
~A silver pen nib bookmark

First prize

The second prize winner will receive:
~An ebook copy of Amazing Grace (or ebook of choice)
~Two handpainted bookmarks (painted by the author’s sister)

Second Prize

Sales

From August 24-28 only, I Love Thee will be free! Also on sale during the blog tour are A Mighty Fortress which will be$0.99 from August 23-30 and Be Thou My Vision which will be $0.99 from August 30-September 6.

Tour Schedule

Monday, August 24

Tuesday, August 25

Wednesday, August 26-RELEASE DAY!

Thursday, August 27

Friday, August 28

Saturday, August 29

Sunday, August 30

Monday, August 31

Redeemed | Book Review and Giveaway

Published on by Amanda Tero6 Comments
Novella Blog Tour


I am thrilled to review Faith Blum’s new novella (you might remember it from the cover reveal)! Today I am joining her for the Overall, it was a short and sweet trilogy as I re-met some characters mentioned in her Hymns of the West Series and met some new ones.

Redeemed
As chapter after chapter progressed with Alex’s scheme to “feign a marriage,” I was like, “This isn’t really happening?!” and couldn’t stop because I was so intrigued. The end of chapter six, especially, had me shaking my head in disbelief. How was it all going to turn out? When would Alex’s and Mona’s eyes be opened?

“Redeemed” was a very easy-paced and easy-to-read novella and had an enjoyable plot with a satisfying ending.

Back Cover

Mail Order bride seeks wealthy Western man. Write Mona Sommers, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Alexander Granger is tired of his father’s lectures and sermons. It’s time for payback. His plan is to pretend to marry a woman and scandalize his father when he finds out they aren’t really married. Will Mona accept his offer? Can Alex get away with his plan?

Approximately 14,000 words.

~*~*~

Come back on Saturday, as I review Faith’s other two novellas! 🙂


About Faith:

An avid reader, Faith Blum started writing at an early age. Whether it was a story about the camping trip that summer or a more creative story about fictional characters, she has always enjoyed writing. When not writing, Miss Blum enjoys reading, crafting, playing piano, Captaining on the Holy Worlds Historical Fiction Forum and playing games with her family (canasta, anyone?).
As a history enthusiast who has been fascinated for years with the Old West, Faith has endeavored to create a clean, fun, and challenging Western story. Faith lives with her family on a hobby farm in the Northern Midwest, where she enjoys the many cats they have.
You can find Faith on her Website, Blog, Facebook, and Twitter


See where else Amazing Grace has appeared on the web here.

If you want to know a little more about Faith, I interviewed her here.

Giveaway

Faith is giving away prizes to two people. The first prize winner will receive:

~A paperback of the novel that started the novellas, Amazing Grace (or novel of choice)

 ~One handpainted bookmark (painted by the author’s sister)
~A silver pen nib bookmark

First prize

The second prize winner will receive:
~An ebook copy of Amazing Grace (or ebook of choice)
~Two handpainted bookmarks (painted by the author’s sister)

Second Prize

Sales

From August 24-28 only, I Love Thee will be free! Also on sale during the blog tour are A Mighty Fortress which will be$0.99 from August 23-30 and Be Thou My Vision which will be $0.99 from August 30-September 6.

Tour Schedule

Monday, August 24

Tuesday, August 25

Wednesday, August 26-RELEASE DAY!

Thursday, August 27

Friday, August 28

Saturday, August 29

Sunday, August 30

Monday, August 31

Amazing Grace – blog tour!

Published on by Amanda Tero2 Comments
I am thrilled and honored to be a part of Faith Blum’s blog tour for her book release of Amazing Grace – with both an interview and book review! I hope you have some spare minutes, because we had fun making this blog post a long read! 🙂 First, let’s learn a little about Faith.

1) When did you begin writing?
 I think I’ve pretty much been writing since I started school, but I think I got more serious about it around age ten. And I’ve been writing stories every since. Some are really good and some are really bad.

2) What inspired your Hymns of the West series?
 A picture and a contest. A homeschooling magazine we got had a short story contest. I was too old for it and there was no way I could keep the story down to 1500 words, but I decided to write it anyway. When it was done, it had a lot of problems and I set it aside to work on someday. Then another contest, sponsored by the Women of Faith conference, came around for a novel and I decided to polish up my book.

I didn’t win the contest, but I was a semi-finalist and that spurred me on to independently publish my book. Originally, I didn’t intend it to be a series, but then a beta-reader asked me what the next book was about and his simple question got the wheels in my brain turning. The idea that spurred my book into a series is actually going to be book #5 and I keep coming up with more ideas so I have no idea how long the series will be.

3) How do the hymns play a role in your series (if this isn’t a spoiler)?
 The hymns kind of provide the theme for each of my books. In A Mighty Fortress, one of the themes is trusting in God to lead us and guide us. Making Him our refuge. Be Thou My Vision is about having God give us a vision for our lives and asking Him for wisdom for that vision. Amazing Grace is about…you guessed it, God’s grace. It also has a theme of God’s redemption.

4) What have you found to be the most useful resource for researching the Western time period?
 The internet and other fiction and non-fiction books. If I need to just check a fairly well-known fact, I’ll do a quick search on the internet. Some things I have gotten from reading Louis L’Amour or Janette Oke, and go by my memories from them.

5) What is your goal/vision in writing?
 To encourage and challenge Christians in their walk with God and to hopefully reach a few non-Christians with the gospel as well.

6) Do you find yourself using struggles, victories, and spiritual lessons that you have personally experienced to help teach lessons in your books?
 Definitely! With this last book, it seemed like God was beating me over the head with the lesson of His grace.

7) What would you say to encourage a young Christian writer?
 Don’t rely on your feelings. Jeremiah 17:9-10 says: “‘The heart is more deceitful than all else

And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? ‘I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds.’”

You won’t feel like a Christian all the time. If you have truly repented of your sins, you are born again and you are a new creation in Christ Jesus. Trust God, He is always faithful.

8) Have there been any Scripture verses that God has really used to encourage you in your writing/publishing journey?
 First Corinthians 10:31: “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

9) Who do you find encourages you most in your writing journey?
 My family, one of my sisters in particular, and my friend, Andrew. They at least try to act interested when I talk about my writing and sales.

10) When not writing, what are three of your top favorite things to do?
 Play piano, play games with my family, and read.

A few extra questions (that you can answer in just one sentence if you’d like)
~Which author has inspired you the most in your writing?
Louis L’Amour. He’s not Christian, but he writes clean Westerns.

~What are some of your favorite books to read?
How many do you want? 😉 The Holy Bible, Never by J. Grace Pennington, Ride the River by Louis L’Amour, The Short Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, Resistance by Jaye L. Knight, The King’s Scrollsby Jaye L. Knight, This Present Darknessby Frank Peretti, Piercing the Darknessby Frank Peretti, and anything about Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. That’s just a few, of course.

~What is one of your favorite Bible verses?
That is hard! I think James 1:5-8 (I know, it’s more than one, so sue me): “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

~What is one of your dreams?
To get married someday and have children of my own.

~What is your salvation testimony?
I prayed with my mom at the age of four and have been growing in my salvation ever since.

~Anything else about you or your writing that you’d like to share?
Not that I can think of. Thanks for having me, Amanda!

~*~*~
Now about the book! 🙂 
Because if you’re like me, finding new reading material is just fun!
Caleb hurried to the post office. He had to get in and out before his sister finished at the general store. “Any mail for the Stuarts?” he asked the postmaster.

The postmaster took a lazy look at him over the top of his eyeglasses and gave a heaving sigh as he turned around to check. “Yep. Somethin’ from Ohio and somethin’ from Montana.”
Tapping his foot, Caleb waited until the large man put the letters lazily in his hand. As he left he wondered why Anna had written someone in Montana and who she knew in Montana. It was really none of his business, but he was still curious. He folded the Ohio letter in half and stashed it in his back pocket. It would get wrinkled, but at least Anna wouldn’t know about it.
As Caleb struggles through some inner battles, he secretly starts a correspondence with a widow and her daughter. Their unabashed faith in God convicts him and increases his inner struggles.
Unable to find a steady job, Maggie places an advertisement to become a mail-order bride. Her daughter, Rachel, is her motivation and encouragement, but if Maggie doesn’t find a job or husband soon, Rachel might not survive through the next year.
Can Caleb learn to trust God despite his past? Can Maggie and Rachel hold onto their faith despite all their trials? What will happen when they meet in person?
Buy your copy here:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TUJTWQK
My review:

Stories about mail-order brides always intrigue me. Not being very romantic, I’m not really sure why (maybe it’s the history or unusual concept); but I was happy to realize that Amazing Grace incorporated the story of a mail-order bride and found the first portion of the story very interesting as it bounced between several correspondents.

As the story progressed, I got to know Caleb, Anna, Iain, Maggie, Rachel, Miles, John, James, and Toby, and enjoyed following their story. There is definitely a strong Christian emphasis in the story (which I appreciate) and a lot about seeking God for His direction in your life.
Though the third book in this series, I was glad that I could just jump in and read it — from what I understand, reading the former books would have given me a more rounded story, but it was enjoyable as a stand-alone.
A few things I really appreciated:
~I appreciated how Miles would just break out into prayer during tough times.
~I appreciated the realistic conclusion that though we may present man with the Gospel, we cannot force him to accept it. Though I almost didn’t want to read it, it is very true that some people, though we witness to them, we may never know in this life whether or not they accepted that Gospel for their own.
~I appreciated that the salvation message was very clearly presented.
A few things that I was hesitant about:
~I will admit that I was very cautious in reading about a Christian woman corresponding with and practically courting an unbeliever. Though it turned out well (and it was very clear that Maggie was not the reason for Caleb’s profession of faith), I know that such is not always the case. It is easy for our emotions to run away with us and a Christian girl might hope for the same results as Maggie and Caleb, and before she realizes it, gets swept into an unbiblical marriage. This is pretty much the main point that I cringed in reading the book. I think the author handled the situation well, with the characters bathing the situation in prayer and getting godly counsel, but at the same time, would caution girls not to take Maggie’s story as their pattern for courtship/dating.
Some of my favorite quotes:
“Hold that thought. I have a ring to buy.”
(I’ll admit, this one had me laughing out loud [which doesn’t happen often while I’m reading] and my family had to know what was so funny)
“My caution to you is to not get so caught up in the romance you lose sight of God. God should always come first in any relationship.”
“As good as she may be for him, it is never good to go contrary to God’s will and in this case, His will is very clear.”

 About Faith:

An avid reader, Faith Blum started writing at an early age. Whether it was a story about the camping trip that summer or a more creative story about fictional characters, she has always enjoyed writing. When not writing, Miss Blum enjoys reading, crafting, playing piano, Captaining on the Holy Worlds Historical Fiction Forum and playing games with her family (canasta, anyone?).
As a history enthusiast who has been fascinated for years with the Old West, Faith has endeavored to create a clean, fun, and challenging Western story. Faith lives with her family on a hobby farm in the Northern Midwest, where she enjoys the many cats they have.
You can find Faith on her Website, Blog, Facebook, and Twitter

See where else Amazing Grace has appeared on the web here.

The Innocent | Book Review (blog tour)

Published on by Amanda Tero2 Comments

Book Description
“I wonder who would shoot a girl so young…?” The question haunted him as he left the river and her grave behind.

Harvey West is given a month. One month to prove his innocence. As the evidence points him to the gallows, he fights to find the enemy of the beautiful Elsie Roselind. Someone wanted her gone. Someone destroyed the evidence. Someone had to kill to keep her from coming back…And the someone isn’t afraid to kill again—no matter what the cost.
My Review
I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.

Plot interest and character development: 4 stars
My own personal conviction rating: 2 1/2 stars

The Innocent begins when Harvey West finds a girl killed by the creek. It follows his journey to prove his innocence when all evidence seems to point to him as killer.

There were many likeable characters. My personal favorites were Jimmie and Brock. 

From what little western research I’ve done, it seems very much in line with how trials and proving innocent went–every man for himself. This is honestly the first “murder mystery” that I’ve ever read and overall, I think this would be considered a “clean” book with no language and little violence; though there was a bit of romance and kissing.

What I didn’t care for:
The very first scene that put me on edge was when Abigail stumbled across Harvey bathing in the stream. Her focus was drawn to his physique.

In the latter half of the book, because of certain circumstances, Harvey and Abigail are by themselves for two weeks in the wilderness, which could lead a girl’s mind to the excitement of romantic daydreams. While nothing inappropriate was mentioned, this part of the plot could very easily lead girls’ minds to possibilities.

About the author (Willowy Whispers):
I am a sixteen year old girl who loves to write! I have always been homeschooled, and I live in a quiet neighborhood in West Virginia. I am the author of five novels, four of which are published, and numerous short stories, some of which are on this blog. Now, down to the exciting stuff…

I am an incurable romantic—a dreamy sort of girl who sits around all day and dreams about true love…and writes about it. “Not everything revolves around romance,” people are always telling me. But to me, there is a little bit of romance in everything. Willowy Whisper, my pen name, is a fictional character in the Whispering Leaves Saga. She is, in a sense, me. This blog is based off of her because she represents my “fairy-tale” life. I also love writing thriller/suspense stories…murders…and mysteries…and all that. Anyways…

I am an Independent Baptist Christian, a firm believer in Jesus Christ. I was saved when I was five years old, eleven years ago. As a Christian teenager, one of my major goals in life is finding the “right one” and staying pure until I do.
You can view her blog here.

Hymns of the West – novella cover reveal (and giveaway!)

Published on by Amanda Tero5 Comments
Once again, Faith Blum has come out with new books! This time, several novellas! I am excited to be part of her cover reveal! To learn how these novellas came into being, check out Faith’s blog post today. Read on to see the covers and learn about each of the stories. Don’t forget to enter to win the novel that started it all!
I Love Thee
Mom and Dad dead STOP Please come STOP Gage
Confirmed bachelor, Cole Baxter, finds himself raising his sister’s four young children. After one week of leaving his ranch in the hands of his foreman to take care of the grieving, needy children, he has to admit the task is beyond him and he needs help. But hired help won’t suffice: those children need a mother’s hand. Cole needs a wife.
Approximately 18,000 words.

Preorder link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Y6PDI9A
Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25603566-i-love-thee

Pass Me Not 
Let me at Thy throne of mercy/Find a sweet relief/Kneeling there in deep contrition/Help my unbelief
Timothy is at his wit’s end. His twelve year old half-sister has run off five housekeepers in almost a year. Since their parents died, she has grown wilder than ever. What can he do? As he looks for a new housekeeper, his eye catches sight of a mail order bride advertisement. One young lady has a younger sister and sounds like a God-fearing woman. Could this be the answer to his dilemma or will Louise run her off, too?
Approximately 15,300 words

Redeemed
Mail Order bride seeks wealthy Western man. Write Mona Sommers, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Alexander Granger is tired of his father’s lectures and sermons. It’s time for payback. His plan is to pretend to marry a woman and scandalize his father when he finds out they aren’t really married. Will Mona accept his offer? Can Alex get away with his plan?
Approximately 11,600 words.

About the Author
An avid reader, Faith Blum started writing at an early age. Whether it was a story about the camping trip that summer or a more creative story about fictional characters, she has always enjoyed writing. When not writing, Miss Blum enjoys reading, crafting, playing piano, Captaining on the Holy Worlds Historical Fiction Forum and playing games with her family (canasta, anyone?).
As a history enthusiast who has been fascinated for years with the Old West, Faith has endeavored to create a clean, fun, and challenging Western story. Faith lives with her family on a hobby farm in the Northern Midwest, where she enjoys the many cats they have.
You can find Faith on her Website, Blog, Facebook, and Twitter
Other Bloggers in the Cover Reveal

Writings, Ramblings, and Reflections
Jaye L. Knight
The Antrim Cycle
God’s Peculiar Treasure Raechel
Wildflower Acres
Shanna Hatfield
Letters from Annie Douglass Lima
Read, Write, Laugh, Dance
Zerina Blossom
Morgan Elizabeth Huneke
Valerie Howard Books
Rebekah Lyn Books
Shannon Pemrick

Giveaway
The giveaway is for a signed paperback of the book that started it all, Amazing Grace. If it hadn’t been for this novel, none of the novellas would be in existence today.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And, you can enter her Goodreads giveaway: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/138976-amazing-grace