Lavender And Lace By Tara Grace Ericson

Lavender and Lace
by Tara Grace Ericson
Publisher: Silver Fountain Press
Series: The Bloom Sisters
ISBN: 978-1949896152

I have absolutely LOVED being on Tara's launch team. I'm always so surprised that I get the opportunity to promote her series! She is by far one of my favorite indie authors! I am so grateful I had the opportunity to read Lavender's story.

Summary:

In their online writer chatroom, they are getting serious.
In the real world; He thinks she’s shallow, and she thinks he’s out of touch.
When their worlds collide, will their hearts survive?

Lavender Bloom is a social marketing expert and influential fashion blogger. Always focused on the perfect image, she shows the world a flawless version of herself, except to her family and her nameless online best friend. Her broody new client certainly doesn’t understand her or why she prefers to hide behind her computer.

Reclusive author Emmett Drake spends his days writing his award-winning fantasy saga and his nights chatting online with the woman of his dreams. When he is forced to hire an image consultant to please his publisher, he despises everything the woman stands for, even if he sees hidden depths beneath her polished façade.

Lavender is determined to help Emmett embrace the power of social media, convinced he has the platform to make a difference. Meanwhile, he is determined to uncover the woman hiding behind the carefully scripted marketing lingo. Their struggle to find authenticity in a world centered on likes, comments, and shares will challenge them both to embrace God’s purpose for their lives – together.

Return to Bloom’s Farm in Lavender and Lace and embrace the joy of family, faith, and true love in this nostalgic modern nod to the romantic classic, You’ve Got Mail.

My Review:

Reading Lavender and Lace was like coming home to the farm. Reading the prologue with Laura Bloom, mom to all of the Bloom kids, always settles me into the story. Not that we don't know who the story is about because of the cover, but I enjoy reading Laura's insights and concerns for the daughter of the story. Also, the publisher name in the story didn't go unnoticed by me. Put a smile on my face every time I read it!

I'm going to jump ahead here in regards to an overall theme throughout this story. Faith. It's so palpable that it should be an example to other writers on how to incorporate a very strong line of it! The faith element is a very natural part of the characters lives so it feels completely natural for it to be discussed throughout.

Ok, I won't wax poetic about the faith anymore so let's talk about the characters and writing.

Since I work in social media with influencers, this was right up my alley. I think because of the social world we live in so many young people can relate to Lavender's story. BUT also because of the world we live in, I know a lot of younger people (under 35) can also relate to not wanting to be so connected which fits Emmett. Lavender's story is a great example of how we present ourselves to others. Are we being real or fake?

When I first started reading I was shocked at Emmett's reaction to Lavender and what she did for a living. It was rather off putting when I was starting to like him. That's when the "You've Got Mail" vibe set in for me. Kind of funny how some things change yet stay the same.

I liked how he was forced to allow Lavender into his life because her job was exactly what he needed. It was a fantastic twist to the story. You could tell that God kept putting things in their lives to draw them together like youth group and the wedding.

The story felt genuine to me and very relatable. It was an easy read (I read it in a day) and I was so happy to be back on Bloom farm! Trust me, you aren't going to get enough of this family!

About the Author:

Tara Grace Ericson lives in Missouri with her husband and two sons. She studied engineering and worked as an engineer for many years before embracing her creative side to become a full-time author. Her first book, Falling on Main Street, was written mostly from airport waiting areas and bleak hotel rooms as she traveled in her position as a sales engineer. She loves cooking, crocheting, and reading books by the dozen. Her writing partner is usually her black lab - Ruby - and a good cup of coffee or tea. Tara unashamedly watches Hallmark movies all winter long, even though they are predictable and cheesy. She loves a good “happily ever after” with an engaging love story. That’s why Tara focuses on writing clean contemporary romance, with an emphasis on Christian faith and living. She wants to encourage her readers with stories of men and women who live out their faith in tough situations.

Follow Your Heart On Hallmark Movies & Mysteries

Ok, can I be honest with you here? I haven't watched any Hallmark movies since January. Whew, that was like ripping off a bandaid. I was concerned about confessing, but now it's like I've had a weight lifted off of me.

Here's the thing... Hallmark was always on at my house. It was either something I was watching or it was just on in the background. I appreciated the movies and shows. Mostly for the fact that they are clean, feel good shows. Unfortunately, the channel grew stale for me. Every movie was the same. Same actors, same actresses. Insert yawn. Yes, I know it's always been like that, but it finally wore me out.

Now we're at the end of September and I had the opportunity to screen Follow Your Heart. One of the biggest reasons I jumped on the chance to review the movie before it hits tv is that an author I love wrote the book that it's based off. I met Miralee Ferrell years ago. I've been a fan of her writing for a long time.

So, let's get to the movie... Follow Your Heart will premier October 4, 2020 on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries at 9PM EST/8PM central.

WHAT a refreshing movie. And I'm NOT just saying that. I haven't read the book so when the movie first started I thought the female character might go into some kind of weird parallel universe. You'll understand why I thought that when you see the beginning. hahahaha

I don't think I've seen any movies with Galadriel Stineman (Kathy Yoder) before and I'm ready for her to be in more! She was probably my favorite character in the movie. Well, the little girl who played Sarah Mast, Remi Hilson, was absolutely delightful to watch! Then there was Kevin Joy (Isaac Mast). I'm pretty sure I've never seen him in anything before, but he sure seemed familiar. I really enjoyed him as well. He did a great job as an Amish man.

Kathy's manager... goodness was she mmmm energetic? Ditzy? A combination of both? Karla Mosely did a fantastic job in the role. I think when actors have to be something other than "normal" they have the harder job to do which I why I appreciate them. That goes for Jonathan Patrick Moore who plays Jack, Kathy's "love" interest. Sakes alive he was obnoxious.

I can't imagine what it's like to leave your family and your faith like Kathy, aka Katrina, did after she grew up. Going back, after her father dies, is definitely difficult for her and those around her. Her sister and other Amish ladies are clearly still hurt by her turning from the Amish faith. I could understand her sister's bitterness. Isaac, having grown up with Katrina, doesn't seem to hold it against her, but you know that her leaving years ago hurt him.

Yes, there's a love triangle. Yes, people have to decide what the future looks like. Yes, it's a Hallmark movie, but it was just so much more than that! It was a movie of hope and finding true love. It's not your typical movie and that's what I appreciate about it. It's original and one that probably will top my list of Hallmark movies.

Be sure to check out the paperback or Kindle version of Follow Your Heart as well!

Nine By Rachelle Dekker

Nine
by Rachelle Dekker
Publisher: Revell
ISBN: 9780800735968

When you see the name Dekker, do you shiver like I do? lol Even if it's not Ted Dekker? I decided to head out of my comfort zone by reading Nine thanks to Revell with the offer to review it. Having not read her books before I wasn't sure what to expect and if it were anything like her dad, I'd be reading through split fingers. HA!

Summary:

Some secrets can't stay hidden
Zoe Johnson has spent most of her life living in the shadows, never drawing attention to herself, never investing in people or places. But when a wide-eyed, bedraggled teenager with no memory walks into the diner where Zoe works, everything changes. 

Against her better judgment, Zoe, who has been trying to outrun her own painful memories of the past, finds herself attempting to help a girl who doesn't seem to have any past at all. With little warning, they must follow the only sure thing they know: a woman hundreds of miles away, will either save them . . . or be the last person to see them alive.

My Review:

Whew, this was nothing like I expected! I figured it would be suspenseful, but I was so much more. Have you seen the Amazon series Hannah or seen the big screen movie Lucy? Nine is a combination of both of those in my estimation. Kind of funny since one of the main characters name is Lucy.

Since this was my first foray into Rachelle's writing I was a bit nervous. HA! I can see she received the gift of writing from her dad as it comes through in this book! By chapter 9 I had chewed 2 fingernails down to nubbins.

From the first sentence the reader is off with Lucy in a race against time and the government! Let's just say people drop left and right through this story. It's action packed from the get-go. When Lucy shows up at the restaurant Zoe's waitresses at, their lives become entwined and neither of them knows what they're up against.

I really loved the writing because I was gripped to each word from the start. I was up until almost 1am finishing the last couple of chapters. Along the way I kept trying to predict who would live and who would die. Don't say you don't do the very same thing. "Is Zoe or Lucy going to get it in the end?" "Maybe both of them will make it and they'll end up on a sandy beach building sand castles."

Rachelle Dekker did a fantastic job of creating people readers will absolutely despise. Director Hamman is a piece of work. He was easy to dislike. Dr. Loveless... let's just say the name is absolutely fitting. Talk about hoping someone gets it in the end. hahahaha

I was a little confused about the role of someone in Zoe's past. It was someone who caused a lot of pain for her and her family, but I never quite understood what the person actually did. They said a lot of things that they thought were for the best, but I was still confused about her extended family.

There isn't a faith element in the story, but there's definitely a humanity element. What are we willing to do to protect our country, our world? Are we willing to forgo our own humanity to be on top? And are we willing to love sacrificially? How far will we go to protect another person?

About the Author:

Rachelle Dekker is the Christy Award-winning author of The Choosing, The Calling, and The Returning in the Seer series. The oldest daughter of New York Times bestselling author Ted Dekker and coauthor with him of The Girl behind the Red Rope, Rachelle was inspired early on to discover truth through the avenue of storytelling. She writes full-time from her home in Nashville, where she lives with her husband, Daniel, and their son, Jack. Connect with Rachelle at www.rachelledekker.com.

His Love Revealed By Cynthia Herron

His Love Revealed
by Cynthia Herron
Publisher: Mountain Brook Inc.
Series: Welcome to Ruby
ISBN: 978-1943959914

Having not read any books by Cynthia Herron before, I was excited to join her launch team for His Love Revealed. She sent me her ebook for joining her team.

Summary:

Will revelations of the past hijack their future?​

Since childhood, Ida Mae Hoscutt, the beloved proprietress of the Come and Get It Diner, has loved Charles "Chuck" Farrow from afar. Now on the eve of her thirty-ninth birthday with no marriage proposal in sight, Ida Mae mourns past mistakes and contemplates a makeover. When a radio commercial wrenches Ida Mae's heart, will a sudden turn of events sabotage her chance for happiness or will a long-held secret be the answer to love ever-after?

As Ida Mae's right-hand man at the Come and Get It, Chuck yearns to shift gears and start over. He's ready to shelve bachelorhood and blunders in favor of possibilities and new beginnings. When he prepares to move forward, two things challenge his objective. One is the father who walked away and never looked back. The other? A decades-old question that only Ida Mae can answer.

And Ida Mae isn't talking.

My Review:

Oh Ida Mae. She is the main character in His Love Revealed. I liked her so much. She carries the weight of the world on her shoulders with a secret from her past. Speaking of the past she and Chuck go way back to childhood. The fact that they're not married yet is mind boggling. Not only to me, the reader, but also the entire town!

Speaking of Chuck, he's a nice fellow, but seriously slow to pull the trigger. Any trigger. He seems like a puzzle to be figured out, but as the story goes along, you begin to understand the choices he's made. Same with Ida Mae, and I just wanted to hug her throughout the entire story.

A lot of this story takes place in a relatively short period of time, but because of the history of all of the characters in the book, it all seems natural. Sometimes I read a story and I feel like things speed along too quickly, but where we find the characters of His Love Revealed along with how long they've all known each other, we seem to have stumbled upon Chuck and Ida Mae at the perfect moment.

There was such a wide range of emotions throughout this story. Heartbreak for what Ida Mae has been through, the pain Chuck endured as a child, sadness for where they both are in life and what's been missed because of the past, and so on. I do have to admit that I was seriously annoyed with Chuck towards the end of the story.

I have a fondness for stories written about little towns where everyone knows everyone's business. lol It's even better when those people are rooting for you!

I really really enjoyed this story and now have to go back and read book one. That way I'll be all caught up when book 3 comes out.

SPOILERS


Serious, don't read further unless you want to learn about a piece of the story that bothered me. Not because of the writing, but because I've humanized the characters. lol




Honestly, spoilers ahead...


Ok, so I'm not sure if this would actually be considered a spoiler, HA!

When Chuck comes face to face with his father who walked away, I felt like the father had zero respect for the pain Chuck endured. He keeps calling him, "Son," even when Chuck says he didn't have the right to call him that. I felt like his father needed to earn that right back after being gone for 20 years. Maybe it was 30 years. His father's response was, "Well, that's what you are so that's what I'm calling you." WHAT? I would've gotten up and walked away. hahahaha Chuck was much more kind that me.

See what I mean, I humanize the characters.

But the next part that frustrated me even more, which springboards from the one above, was when he walks away from Ida Mae after learning her secret. Um, the secret had nothing to do with him. His father, who walked away from the family for 30 years without so much as a howdy do, comes along and everything is just dandy? They're going to work on it? But Ida Mae confesses to something that happened to HER and he walks away? I wanted to knock his block off!

Characters can be such... fictional characters. HA!

About the Author:

Cynthia writes Heartfelt, Homespun Fiction from the beautiful Ozark Mountains. A hopeless romantic at heart, she enjoys penning stories about ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances. Her Hope Discovered, her début novel and the first in a three-book series, released December 2018 with Mountain Brook Ink. 

The Librarian Of Boone's Hollow By Kim Vogel Sawyer

The Librarian Of Boone's Hollow
by Kim Vogel Sawyer
Publisher: WaterBrook
ISBN: 9780525653721

Having recently finished another book by Kim Vogel Sawyer, when I saw The Librarian of Boone's Hollow come up for review, I couldn't pass it up! Thanks to WaterBrook for sending me an ebook version for me to read.

Summary:

A traveling librarian ventures into the mining towns of Kentucky on horseback—and learns to trust the One who truly pens her story—in this powerful novel from the best-selling author of A Silken Thread.

During the Great Depression, city-dweller Addie Cowherd dreams of becoming a novelist and offering readers the escape that books had given her during her tragic childhood. When her father loses his job, she is forced to take the only employment she can find—delivering books on horseback to poor coal-mining families in the hills of Kentucky.

But turning a new page will be nearly impossible in Boone's Hollow, where residents are steeped in superstitions and deeply suspicious of outsiders. Even local Emmett Tharp feels the sting of rejection after returning to the tiny mountain hamlet as the first in his family to graduate college. And as the crippled economy leaves many men jobless, he fears his degree won’t be worth much in a place where most men either work the coal mine or run moonshine.

As Addie also struggles to find her place, she’ll unearth the truth about a decades-old rivalry. But when someone sets out to sabotage the town’s library program, will the culprit chase Addie away or straight into the arms of the only person who can help her put a broken community back together?

My Review:

Ok, I have to admit, this book really surprised me! I don't know what I expected from The Librarian of Boone's Hollow, but what I got was much more!

I haven't read many Depression era books, but the ones I have I've enjoyed and they've pulled on my heart strings. This one was no different.

My heart immediately went out to Addie as the story started. She gets quite a surprise and her world is turned upside down. Thankfully she works with ladies at the library who are kind a supportive. I enjoyed getting to know her co-worker, Griselda Ann. She was definitely quirky, but also very kind and giving.

At the same time, Addie has a quick run-in with Emmett Thorp. Actually, twice. The first time she's rather perturbed by him. Actually a pretty funny scene. And poor Emmett. He's the first in his little town to goto college and because of the Depression, he can't find a job so he tucks his tail between his legs and heads home hoping he can find something in the neighboring town.

As timing would have it, Addie ends up heading to Boone's Hollow where Emmett is from to become one of the WPA girls who delivers books to the residents of the town. Enter, Bettina. Oh my goodness, that girl is a firecracker. Super easy to dislike because she's downright sneaky. And Emmett has no idea what's coming when he gets home and she's there to greet him!

One of the facets I loved about this story is how we see people, but how God would have us see them. That's where the librarian, Lydia West, has such an impact on Addie and on me! Because she is also an outsider, she's able to guide Addie on what life is like there for the people and for the outsiders. They both experience first hand how people behave when they believe in superstitions.

Thankfully, both ladies know that Jesus would have them loving those around them, even when it's difficult. And difficult it is! Addie decides to live with Nanny Fay who everyone avoids because she'd been married to a Cherokee and was from Tuckett's Pass. The town folk also see Nanny Fay as a witch. Nanny Fay just gives grace upon grace to those around her.

There's a lot that happens in the story. Emmett trying to tighten his relationship with his father, a miner. He continues trying to find a job while keeping Bettina in check. Whew, that girl has a story! Addie gives being a packhorse librarian a good go and does everything she can to reach out and befriend the people in her town.

All throughout the story, you see or hear about God's hand moving. So many great truths about grace and mercy abound through the story and through the lives of the people.

About the Author:

Kim Vogel Sawyer is a highly acclaimed bestselling author with more than one million books in print in seven different languages. Her titles have earned numerous accolades including the ACFW Carol Award, the Inspirational Readers' Choice Award, and the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. Kim lives in central Kansas with her retired military husband, Don, where she continues to write gentle stories of hope. She enjoys spending time with her three daughters and her grandchildren.