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Good morning everyone! Today I am so excited to share my review of Amanda Tero’s newest book, A Strand of Hope! This is a YA read, and as it is sooooo hard to find clean YA, I am super excited to share this story with you today! Let’s hop right in, shall we?  A Strand of Hope By Amanda Tero Librarians of Willow Hollow Series Book #1 (2020) About the Book || Lena Davis is the daughter her mom never wanted. But she survived. Through stories. Because books didn’t judge. Books weren’t angry she was alive. Books never expected her to be anything but who she was. As she grows up, her beloved library becomes her true home. So when the library is designated part of President Roosevelt’s Packhorse Library Project, Lena is determined to get the job of bringing books to highlanders, believing she’ll finally be free of her mom forever. But earning the trust of highlanders is harder than she imagined, and her passion for books might not be enough to free her from her chains. About the Author ||
 My Review || This book was not at all what I thought it would be. It was so much more! The themes of forgiveness and throwing off bitterness, embracing unconditional love while renouncing sin were so well done, I finished the book in awe! And the ending! It was perfect. I don’t think any other conclusion would have worked for this book. More than once, I felt myself tearing up at the pitiful circumstances surrounding the characters. And while I was angered by Lena’s mom, I even felt a little pity for her as well. So broken and running to the wrong things for help and comfort… As I said, this book is YA. My personal recommendation is 16+. There is talk of alcohol, and a character was born under unfortunate circumstances. Ms. Tero covered these themes masterfully, in a way that did not glorify or embrace sin. It was clearly written as wrong and tactfully dealt with. If a younger reader has been made aware of such circumstances, I would gladly hand this to a 13-year-old with no hesitation. Ms. Tero deals with the realities of life very gently and subtly. As I have said before, I haven’t read a book by her that I haven’t loved! *I was gifted an eCopy of the book for promotional purpose and happily provided my honest review. All thoughts are my own and were not impressed on me by anyone.* Links || Click here for more Release Day Fun!!! Email: amanda@amandatero.com Website: amandatero.com Blog: amandatero.com/blog Newsletter: amandatero.com/newsletter Amazon: amazon.com/author/amandatero Pinterest: pinterest.com/amandateroauthor Goodreads: goodreads.com/AmandaTero BookBub: bookbub.com/profile/amanda-tero That’s it for now! Hope you all have a blessed week!
Ryana Lynn Jude 22  Hello! I didn’t think this was gonna work out, but last minute it did! I finished the book yesterday! And Let me tell you, on kindle, it may seem long, but this book was well worth the read! It is the second in a series, and while I wasn’t a huge fan of the first book, this one was so good!  Ivy Introspective by Kellyn Roth (2nd Edition, 2020) 5 Stars About the Book || In a world that doesn’t understand her, how can she grow? Ivy Knight lives her life in a blur of confusion as the world passes her by in a tumultuous melody. She isn’t the perfect daughter or student, but as long as she can be with her family, she doesn’t mind watching rather than living. Mrs. Chattoway treasures both of her granddaughters now that they’re reunited. When Ivy’s parents enroll her in a Scottish school for unique children, she’s happy to chaperone. In a new place with a new guardian, Ivy discovers a special talent that helps her see the blurred world in a new way. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel, and Ivy becomes determined to find it—and help others do the same.  About the Author || Kellyn Roth is a Christian historical author from North-Eastern Oregon who loves border collies. A ranch girl with a love for storytelling, she’s been writing since she was seven and published since she was fourteen. Kell lives in the country outside a small town in North-Eastern Oregon with her family, cat, and three puppy-dogs. When not writing, she teaches writing and talks about writing, but she also enjoys other things. She just can’t think of any right now.  Links || Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46120975-ivy-introspective Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BXM8C32 Website: https://kellynrothauthor.com/books/alice-and-ivy/ Website & Blog: http://kellynrothauthor.com/ Email List: http://kellynrothauthor.com/newsletter/ My Review || This book was so sweet! I loved Ivy from the first book, and this book was 10 times better! I was a little confused about whether Ivy was saved or not, but her innocent depiction of Salvation to someone else was beautiful! Personally, I felt Ivy didn’t seem mentally ill. Neither she nor Alice acts like they are 12, more like 8-year-olds, one outgoing, the other shy. So in that way, the story fell a little flat to me. Once Ivy went to school, she seemed a little more convincing. The characters were well developed otherwise and consistent. I wasn’t disappointed by the lack of Alice as she annoys me, haha! And Nora…bless her heart, I just adore her! And who doesn’t like Jordy? I mean seriously, he needs his own book!
One thing that bothered me was that I felt some of the story came off a bit feministic. While in a way, some thoughts about men are resolved in the story, and the feelings of dislike were undoubtedly justified, I didn’t feel enough positive was said about men. It was noted that men could cause plenty of evil if they didn’t live biblically, which is true, but women are every bit as capable. However, I do not believe the author is trying to say that men are usually toads 😉 I just thought I’d mention that it may come across that way if you aren’t paying attention. Overall, I love this book and hope to get a paperback copy someday! Recommended for ages 16+! || I received a copy of this book free from the author for marketing purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own! || That's it for now! Have a Blessed Week! Ryana Lynn Jude 22 
Hello Everyone! Today, I’m here with a review of a Indie book from the land Down Under! Let’s jump right in!
Jayne’s Endeavour
By Lauren Compton (2020) 4.5 Stars
About the Book: Mysterious strangers, a Scripture verse, and a threat.
“Reids never give up.” The words once held so much truth. But at eighteen, Jayne Reid is beginning to wonder if she can live up to that standard. When puzzling strangers appear and odd things start to happen, Jayne and her two younger sisters must find a solution—or lose everything. What mystery lurks in the shadows of the Australian bush? Who is the man in town who thinks he can buy and bully anyone he wishes? And is it all somehow connected to their new farmhand? Journey with Jayne as she struggles to change fear into boldness and boldness into a trusting relationship with her Heavenly Father. What adventure lies ahead? Purchase Direct from Author: http://novelsthatencourage.com.au/index.php/shop/ Purchase from Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/Jaynes-Endeavour-Joy-Lauren-Compton/dp/0994213964/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1589416095&sr=8-1 Purchase from The Book Depository: link isn’t available yet! ? Add to Your Goodreads Shelf: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49481568-jayne-s-endeavour About the Author: Lauren Compton lives in Australia on a sheep farm—surrounded by mountains and plenty of Aussie wildlife! From a young age she has loved books and writing-related things (yep, that includes spending ages in the writing supplies department!). Now she has embarked on a mission to write books that both entertain AND encourage. Her desire is to weave stories that point readers to her Heavenly Father while at the same time being a whole lot of fun! Website: www.NovelsThatEncourage.com.au Blog: http://novelsthatencourage.com.au/index.php/blog/ Email: lauren@novelsthatencourage.com.au Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19591537.Lauren_Compton Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B088NC286W?ref_=pe_1724030_132998540 Newsletter Signup: http://novelsthatencourage.com.au/index.php/subscribe/ My Review: This book was an enjoyable, light read. The Christian themes were weaved into the story in a lovely way and the sister relationships were beautiful! I sympathized with Jayne’s reactions to a specific woman, but I am so glad she handled herself in a mature Christ-like way. And I loved her relationship with all her dear older friends! The Australian touches were so natural. I loved how the Kangaroos were written into the story like there was nothing unusual about it, just like a rabbit for North American’s! And the Irish roots were a favorite element for me as well. I had pegged a few characters from the get go, but was pleased that I had and not annoyed. It was light on action, but the climax was well executed. My one caution is that there is a scene that get’s a bit detailed about a hard delivery of a baby lamb. While it didn’t bother me, I would probably leave out a couple details reading it to younger children. It is well written and interesting, just not what a little reader would enjoy. It’d recommend the book for 14+ if reading on their own, but younger children would definitely enjoy having it read to them! Jayne’s Endeavour Blog Tour Schedule Monday 25th May Abby Rose @ Photos by Abby Rose |Review Tuesday 26th May Leona @ Great Books for God’s Girls |Review and Excerpt Wednesday 27th May Becky @ Blossoms and Blessings | Review and Exclusive Giveaway Erika @ Resting Life | Review and Excerpt Thursday 28th May Katja @ Old-Fashioned Book Love |Review Malachi @ Brainstorms with Rain |Book Spotlight Monday 1st June—Release Day!! Kaitlyn @ Maidens for Modesty |Review and Guest Post Lauren @ Novels That Encourage |Release Day Post Tuesday 2nd June Rebekah @ Read Another Page |Review and Author Interview Wednesday 3rd June Kassie @ Soldier Girl Stories |Review and Exclusive Giveaway Esther @ Purposeful Learning |Book Spotlight, Recipe Thursday 4th June Amanda @ With a Joyful Noise | Book Spotlight, Guest Post Monday 8th June Ryana Lynn @ Life of Heritage |Review, Author Interview, Exclusive Giveaway Tuesday 9th June Michaela @ Tangled Up in Writing |Review and Book Spotlight Abigail @ Read, Review, Rejoice | Book Spotlight and Guest Post Wednesday 10th June Sydney @ Singing Librarian Books | Review, Excerpt, Author Interview Thursday 11th June Tara @ Tower in the Plains | Review and Recipe Laura @ Beautiful Things |Book Spotlight Lauren @ Novels That Encourage |Tour Wrap Up And now for our Interview and Giveaway! What inspired you to write JE? I guess this kind of has two answers! :D What inspired me to try writing a novel in the first place was my love for reading and the lack of God-honouring, exciting, well-written books! But the actual inspiration for Jayne’s Endeavour came after I’d finished watching Little Women. I loved certain aspects of the film (the historical setting and the endearing family relationships), but I didn’t like some of the other things as much. And so my idea was born! I wanted to write a story that captured what I loved in Little Women without including what I didn’t find as enjoyable! What lessons do you hope for readers to learn from JE? That God truly is their heavenly Father, who will never leave them or forsake them. And my prayer is that as Jayne learns to look to her heavenly Father more, so will my readers! What is your favorite part of writing? Hmm . . . I think that each stage of writing has its fun aspects, but I love the feeling when all the different plot threads start coming together! It’s so, so satisfying (and relieving!). What made you want to start writing? :D I think I already kind of answered that in the first question! Oops! Anyway . . . I guess I’ve always loved writing-related things (though contrary to other authors, I never really spent time coming up with stories when I was little). But my love for writing still goes back to when I was just learning to write my letters! Plus I’ve always had a love for pens, notebooks, letter writing, keeping a diary, etc :P So I guess my love for reading and my natural enjoyment of writing and words (coupled with the lack of good books) led me to start on my own endeavour—that of writing novels! :D Which character do you think you related to most? Jayne! Mum told me that she can see little parts of me in Jayne (even though I really tried not to base any of my characters on myself!). I guess as authors, we write from our own experiences—what we have learned and struggled with ourselves. It’s really been a blessing to see how God uses the trials in my own life to add more depth to my writing. As Anita Dittman says, “We serve a great, big God!” What lessons has God taught you through this book? Through the writing process, I’ve been really aware of God’s faithfulness and in awe of the fact that He cares about us and every detail of our lives! When I first started writing Jayne’s Endeavour, I really couldn’t do it! Not only from a writing perspective, but more so from a physical perspective. I had a back injury and could barely stand or sit for over a year (and that was only the start of a long journey to recovery). But you know what?! God is bigger than our struggles and far stronger than all our weaknesses. This book is a testament to that! Any advice for writers? Ask God to guide your words and plot lines! Never seek to write what will gain man’s favour. Put God first and leave the rest in His hands. Invest in continuing to hone your writing skills. There are online courses out there to help with all different aspects of writing. Signing up for a course and getting feedback really encourages you to digger deeper! It’s well worth the monetary and time investment. And lastly, be open to constructive criticism and do your best, always seeking to improve. Final thoughts? Thanks so much for having me on your blog for the interview (and asking such thought provoking questions), Ryana Lynn! It’s been fun answering them, and humbling too, as I reflected on the journey that led up to release day! :D “He is the Rock, His work is perfect: for all His ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He.” Deuteronomy 32:4 And now for the giveaway! This is just for y'all! It runs from today to the 11th, so hurry and enter!
Here we are, the last day of the tour! What a ride it has been, just like the writing process for this story! So today, I thought I would share some things that almost happened in this book, but were cut or altered through the editing process! Let's Hop In!
Originally...
|| Alvin and Jeremy were captured at Cold Harbor! In a random accident that leaves Alvin blind, the two are captured by the Federal Army and packed off to Camp Douglas in Chicago. This didn't end up working in the story, unfortunately for the facts I wanted to use, fortunately for Alvin and Jeremy ;) || Burdy was wounded at Cold Harbor! This battle was going to be an emotion driven focal point of the story, but again, it just did fit and ramped up the action so early in the story, there was no way I could top that climax and keep people reading. || Seth went into shock at the Crater. When you read the book, I think you will agree that the way it turned out worked out better ;) || Mrs. Mason was expecting! While I haven't ruled this out entirely for a character in book 5, originally, Mrs. Mason was down with morning sickness during the summer months. It just wasn't working, so out it came. || Andersonville was center stage of it's own plot line! I have long desired to tell the story of Andersonville, a prison that is at the center of some hot controversy. Armed with a documentary put together by respected historians, personal research and eye-witness accounts, I was prepared to set the record straight. But, this book was way too long, it was difficult to tie this line in with the rest of the book and overall, I had way too much to share about other things. So that will have to be a story for another day. || Someone joined the military. In fact two unrelated somebodies. But because of spoilers, I cannot divulge who :) And now...for the Title reveal of book 5! *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** The Battlefield is Silent
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Ryana Lynn
Christian. American. Southern. Author. Subscribe for Blog Updates and a Free Short Story!
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