Another impromptu post for all of you! So I have a Kindle Unlimited subscription and I came across this neat looking book called Preacher on the Run by Jayna Baas. I was intrigued that this book was written about the North Carolina Regulators, the true beginning of the American Revolution and Baptist History! I had just started the story when who should email me, but Jayna herself! She had heard about my blog/books and was wondering if I could join the tour! Long story short, here we are today!

Preacher on the Run
For Liberty and Conscience Book 1
By Jayna Baas
2020
5 Stars
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Amazon Author Page || Paperback (direct from author) || eBook (Amazon)

North Carolina, 1771
Robert Boothe has spent the last four years leading the tyrant-hating Regulators in standing against North Carolina’s corrupt British government. Just being an unlicensed dissenter preacher is enough to make Robert a target, but he refuses to back down from his conscience. Aside from a sympathetic court justice, the village of Ayen Ford has no other champion for its poor and defenseless.

Then Charles Drake, emissary of His Excellency William Tryon, comes to town with one ambition: winning the governor’s favor, no matter what it takes. And Robert Boothe just might be his last chance.

All Robert wants is a safe place for his little Baptist church to live and worship God. But the established church wants him to shut up. The governor’s men want him dead. And that safe place is farther and farther away.

You can run, but you can’t hide . . .

though she believes German writer Thomas Mann was correct in saying, “A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than for other people.” She enjoys writing and reading in a wide range of genres, but her favorite story is this: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

First off, I want to say how pleased I was at house southern this book was. Even the narrative was southern! I can normally spot a northern author writing southerners a mile away, but she did such a good job, I was sure she wasn't originally from Michigan!

And y'all!!!! IT WAS ABOUT THE REGULATORS!!!!!! This is a little known bit of American history that I adore, though I haven't done as much research on it as I would have liked. I have Regulators in my background so, yes, I am so hard-core fangirling over this book!

The history was fantastic, her explanation for Biblical resistance was spot on and she has an excellent Bibliography in the back! She also seperated the fact from the fiction, which I loved!

The characters were well developed and perfectly imperfect. This book has earned it's place in my "books to study" catagory to become a better writer!

Saul was by far my favorite character and watching him grow was amazing. I loved all the discussions on how a man is to treat a woman and the fact that we were created for the the man. It was a beautiful depiction of Christ-like love.

That being said, I was a little uncomfortable with some of the husband and wife scenes. They were not inappropriate, just more than I personally care for.

The only other thing I didn't like was all the negative talk towards the Cherokee. I know that in the mid 1700s there were some Cherokee attacks and I can't change that. But the reason for the attacks was never stated and from what I've read, they didn't usually attack without government provocation. This could be an exception, I don't know. Regardless, it's a sad part of our history. Being a Cherokee decedent, I found all the negativity a bit off putting without more explanation into what the attacks were about. But that's just me and it wasn't the main theme of the story.

Overall, I loved this book! I would gladly hand it off to a sibling (after censoring a few spouse scenes depending on the age)! It's an excellent read and a must for all homeschoolers, North Carolinians, Revolution-Buffs and Baptists! Buy this book! Don't understand why we rebelled against King George? Think the Tea Tax excuse is lame? Find out what really happened!

|| I was gifted a copy of the book for promotional purposes! I was not required to write a positive review and all thoughts are my own. ||

What inspired you to join the Regulators?
If you saw folks’ land being sold out from under them, and greedy officials playing fast and loose with the law, you’d likely join the Regulators, too. What was going on made me mad, and when I get mad, I want to do something about it.
 
What goal would you like to accomplish through your resistance?
What I want, and I think what most of us want, is just the freedom to worship God and make a fair living under fair laws. It might mean getting our own folks chosen to the Colonial Assembly, or it might mean cornering some officials into being accountable. You can’t change a whole government overnight.
 
When this is all over, what would your dream life look like?
I reckon I’ll always want a challenge to go after, but in between times, I’d just want a place to settle down with Elsie. A cabin, some land. Hunting, farming, some trapping maybe. And a passel of young’uns, God willing.
 
What is one scripture that helps you in time of trouble?
“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). I want to fix things, which is no surprise to folks who know me. I need the reminder that God is at work, and He doesn’t need my help.
 
What advice would you give to someone wanting to join your cause?
Be sure you know what you’re getting into. It won’t help anybody if you talk real loud and then run when the going gets tough. And Pastor Boothe talks a lot about doing things for the right reason, meaning you had better take a stand for something and not just against something.
 
What about Pastor Boothe makes you admire him?
He’s steady. Me, I’m a firebrand. I’ll go off on my own tack and realize later how boneheaded I was. Not Pastor Boothe. He thinks things through, and he makes certain sure he’s listening to the Lord. You can follow a man like that.
 
Do you think your struggle will remain in North Carolina or spread through the colonies?
I don’t rightly know. There were some Regulators in South Carolina, but things didn’t go very far there. A lot of easterners, all the way up to Massachusetts, think we’re rebels. But I hear they’ve got their own squabbles with the King’s men. I don’t know if we’re lighting a fire, or if the fire’s already lit. I’d like to think we aren’t the only ones to take a stand.
 
Pie or cake?
My ma used to make a sugar cake that she said came from the Moravians in Bethabara. But anymore I’d have to say pie. Elsie makes a dried-apple pie that I’d quit the Regulators for.

What inspired you to write this book?
I love Revolutionary War history and strong Christian heroes, and I was tired of finding nothing but romance in the Christian fiction section of the library—not that I don’t read romance, but a girl needs a break now and then! I was also tired of “Christian” stories that had nothing deeper than a quick prayer in desperation. The Regulator Uprising struck me as the perfect setting for an action-packed, danger-filled story of lived-out faith, especially since I love little-known parts of history.
 
Which character was the most fun to write?
Alec Perry was a lot of fun. He just showed up and said, “Here I am, now tell my story”—and his story just kept taking on a life of its own! Hank Jonas was fun, too, especially in how he played off Mitchell and Alec.
 
What can you tell us about the rest of the series?
I’m aiming for three stand-alone novels set several years apart. In the second book, which takes place during the British campaign of North Carolina in 1780-1781, original characters reappear, but the story stars some new ones as well. The third book will (hopefully!) be set in the short-lived State of Franklin, late 1780s. I’m hoping book two will be ready to print by the end of next year, but your guess is as good as mine right now. And of course, all of this is subject to change without notice.
 
Any tips on writing Revolutionary fiction?
Be prepared for tons of research and challenging subject matter. History can be messy, as I’m sure you know. There aren’t always happy endings or black-and-white sides to take. I love this description by British novelist L. P. Hartley: “The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.” That’s very true, and it’s a writer’s job to act as a “tour guide” in that “foreign country” and make it engaging and understandable to readers without compromising the reality of it.
 
What Bible verse sums up your mission as a writer?
Well, I joke that my life verse is Ecclesiastes 12:12: “Of making many books there is no end,” but in truth, writing is my way of sharing the gospel, encouraging fellow saints, and exercising the gift I’ve been given. I don’t know that there’s just one verse to sum up all of that. As for the writing process itself, a good verse would probably be 1 Thessalonians 5:24: “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” That is a huge encouragement when I feel like I’m banging my head on a wall.

There is an epic give away people!

Click here to enter!

That's it for now! Don't forget to check out the rest of the tour stops!

Week One
Nov 2: Leona @ Great Books for God’s Girls
Guest post, excerpt
Nov 3: Madi @ Madi’s Musings
Book review, interview
Nov 4: Kaitlyn @ Maidens for Modesty
Book review, guest post
Nov 5: Laura @ Beautiful Things
Book spotlight
Nov 6: Malachi @ Brainstorms With Rain
Excerpt
Week Two
Nov 9: Abby Rose @ Photos by Abby Rose
Book review
Nov 10: Kelsey @ Kelsey’s Notebook
Guest post, excerpt
Nov 11: Lauren @ Novels That Encourage
Book review, interview, exclusive ebook giveaway
Nov 12: Abigail @ Read Review Rejoice
Excerpt, book spotlight
Nov 13: Callie @ An Unfinished Story
Book review
Week Three
Nov 16: Tara @ Tower in the Plains
Book review
Nov 17: Kelly-Ann @ Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama
Excerpt
Ryana Lynn @ Life of Heritage 
Book review, character interview
Nov 18: Kassie @ Soldier Girl Stories
Book review
Nov 19: Natalie @ Kenmore Pines
Book review, interview
Nov 20: Michaela @ Tangled Up in Writing
Book review, excerpt, guest post
Tour Wrap-Up
Nov 21: Giveaway winners announced in Rafflecopter widget and on Books by Jayna

Have a Blessed November!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

I am thrilled to be able to share about this truly amazing book! People. This is my #1 read of 2020, I'm not even kidding. Well, actually, it's tied with Tattered Wings, but we won't talk about that, will we Kass??

Stop the Rain
By Kassie Angle
(November 11th, 2020)
5+ Stars
|| Kindle || Paperback || Goodreads || Soldier Girl Stories ||

He left his entire world in Iraq. So why did the war follow him home?
 
Harley Keane and his best friend Nigel were just kids when 9/11 rocked their world and changed their lives forever. When they're finally old enough to join the Army, all their childhood dreams seem about to come true. But war wasn't supposed to be like this. A kid's dream isn't supposed to become a living nightmare. Fellow soldiers aren't supposed to bleed out in front of your eyes.
 
Back home, safe and unwounded, Harley feels anything but. Why would God spare him when so many others were taken? Why won't the nightmares stop, even when he's awake? And how long can he hide the truth that threatens everything he has left? When Harley's invisible scars refuse to stay hidden, will he let anyone close enough to help? And how do you go on with life when "okay" isn't okay at all?

I cried. Through the entire thing. I barely got into it and I was an emotional mess in the best possible way. I don't talk about this much, but PTSD awareness is one of my heart causes, because so many people with invisible injuries are over looked. Or you have people with fake conditions stealing the spotlight. Kassie put the attention back where it belongs.

I love Harley. Har is my baby. If you don't like him, then oh well, we just won't talk about it... cause I would not take people criticizing him well at all. *halo emoji*

That being said, there is a soldier in this book that I do not hate. Kassie, you know who I'm talking about so that's that. *again, halo emoji*

And my Nigel and Levi. All my soldiers in this book. All of them. Ack! Did I ever mention I love our military???

I have? Oh...Well, I just told you again!

The writing was so deep, realistic and heart-wrenching. I feel like I traveled to the Middle East with them, learned about what it means to be a soldier with them, relived my personal 9/11 trauma with them and suffered with the wounded mind with Harley. This is real people. Step back from Hollywood. Let go of preconceived ideas of what PTSD is and let Harley show you. If this book doesn't affect you deeply, it's not the book's fault. My life has been deeply changed by this book.

Recommended for ages 16+

Buy. This. Book.

|| I was honored to be asked to Alpha read this book by my friend Kassie, but she did not require me to write a positive review. All thoughts a opinions are my own. ||

That's all I have for you today! Have a Blessed Day and Visit Kassie's site for more release day fun!

Have a Blessed Day!
Ryana Lynn
Jude22