Jayne’s Endeavour || A Book Review, Author Interview and Exclusive Giveaway!

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!

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