Book Recommendation - Beauty in Flight Trilogy

If you know anything about me and my reading habits, you know that my genre of choice has always been suspense. A couple of years ago through a Booksweeps giveaway (I think), I discovered Indie romantic suspense author Robin Patchen. After reading several of her books and corresponding with her, I found myself a member of her street team, which is a job I absolutely love! It also meant that when this series came out, I got a first peek. Since the books build on each other and the first 2 end on a bit of a cliffhanger, I'm glad I didn't have to wait (even though the release dates were relatively close together regardless). The first book, Beauty in Flight released January 22, 2019. Beauty in Hiding (book 2) releases March 12, 2019 and Beauty in Battle (book 3) releases April 9, 2019. This is a series that builds on each book, so you really do need to read all of the books in order.

This series follows Harper Cloud. Through a series of mistakes, she found herself in jail. After release, she found employment prospects minimal. Living in Vegas, trying to keep one's nose clean and trying to get a respectable job with a prison history, she found herself struggling and had a constant feeling of being watched. When she's nearly attacked on her way home one night, she decides to take her boyfriend Derrick up on his offer to move her out east to be a caregiver for his grandfather. That brings some relief to her immediate situation, but brings a whole new set of problems. I absolutely adored Red (Derrick's grandfather) and felt great sympathy for Harper. Though she is beautiful, it has often been that beauty that has gotten her in trouble. Fans of the author's "Hidden Truth" series will be glad to know that Harper and Red do find their way to Nutfield, NH, and we run into some "old friends" from that series while there. (You don't need to read that series first to understand this one, but it's never a bad idea). Of course, Ms. Patchen's stories would not be complete without some romance and so there is a romance thread woven into the mix. Though that's typically my least favorite part of the romantic suspense genre, I felt like this one was done just right.

One of the benefits of being a member of an author's street team is access to the author for a Q&A. Here's how my interview went with Robin:

It’s great to be with you and your readers today, Erin. I appreciate you having me on your blog.

1. How did you come up with the story-line for this series?

I honestly don’t know. Most of my stories seem to come from the air. I wanted to write a story about a woman who’d been in prison and who was trying to put her life back together. I started with the image of a woman arriving in Nutfield with an old man who wasn’t related to her, and then I asked myself questions: Why was she there? From whom was she running? Where had she come from? I kept digging into those questions until I had a believable—if far too long—story.

2. Do you relate particularly well with any of the characters (major or minor) or are any characters based on someone you know personally?

I relate with the heroine. No, I’ve never been in prison, but I’ve endured my share of bad relationships with men, and I’ve made more than my share of stupid mistakes. Harper’s desire for acceptance and love has gotten her into relationships she should have avoided with men who didn't value her. I know how easily that can happen, how easily we can believe smooth lies when we want to. I loved writing about that aspect of her life.

The character of Red is loosely based on my father-in-law. Actually, the name, Harold (but known as Red) comes from Ray’s brother. The sense of humor, the quick comebacks—those are all Ray. Oh, and Ray, like Red, is a veteran of the Korean War.

3. Did anything happen to you personally while you were writing that ended up changing the trajectory of the story - or made its way into the story?

My son was in a car accident while I was writing Beauty in Hiding, and I was able to use some of the experiences we had with the hospital in the book. It didn’t really change the trajectory of the story, but it definitely affected it.

4. As you were writing, did anything in the story end up surprising you?

I was surprised by Vanessa. Some may remember her—she was the villain in Innocent Lies. I knew she’d end up being a character in this book. Eventually, she’ll get her own story. I was surprised by her competence in running the food bank and by the vivaciousness of her daughter. I am really looking forward to writing Vanessa’s story.

5. I enjoyed the faith element to this one. Is there any message you want to be sure your readers glean from this? 

The world will define you if you let it. Family, friends, enemies, and strangers will define you if you let them. But you are truly and forever defined by the God who created you. Harper identified as an ex-con, a loser, a person worthy of the way she’d been treated. When she saw herself through the eyes of her Creator, she recognized her own value, and that changed everything for her.

6. Any other fun facts you'd like to share?

Every time I write a Nutfield story, I am nostalgic for home. From the humid summers to the snow-covered winters, from the muddy springs to the colorful autumns, I miss New Hampshire.

7. I loved that we got to see some of our Nutfield friends again. Will we see Jack, Harper and Red again in future stories?

No doubt, we’ll see them again.

8. What is coming out next? Tell me a little bit about your next story and when we can expect to see it. 

The next story will release in July, God willing. It’s titled Legacy Rejected, and it’s the story of Ginny Lamont, Jack’s real estate agent, and a local land developer named Kade Powers. Ginny and Kade get caught up in a drama foisted on her by her parents. I’d tell you more, but I’m just figuring it out myself.

Thanks for hosting me today, Erin. I so appreciate how thoughtful and encouraging you’ve been to me and other Christian fiction authors in recent years.

I’d love to offer your readers a free book. Just pop by my website and subscribe to my blog, and you’ll be sent the first book in my Hidden Truth series, Convenient Lies. Here’s the link: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/iqxukkfnw4

I’d love to keep in touch. You can find me online here:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RobinPatchen/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/robin-patchen

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5187882.Robin_Patchen

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Robin-Patchen/e/B00A289790/

More about the author: 

Aside from her family and her Savior, Robin Patchen has two loves—writing and traveling. If she could combine them, she’d spend a lot of time sitting in front of her laptop at sidewalk cafes and ski lodges and beachside burger joints. She’d visit every place in the entire world—twice, if possible—and craft stories and tell people about her Savior. Alas, time is too short and money is too scarce for Robin to traipse all over the globe, even if her husband and kids wanted to go with her. So she stays in Oklahoma, shares the Good News when she can, and writes to illustrate the unending grace of God through the power and magic of story.

If you enjoy romantic suspense like I do, you should definitely check out this trilogy! Link to buy on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MWC4GVS/

My reviews of all 3 books are here:
Beauty in Flight: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2635763997?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
Beauty in Hiding: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2719750876?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
Beauty in Battle: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2726666031?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Book Recommendation - Of Fire and Lions

One of the genres I've recently truly come to love is Biblical Historical fiction. I love how an author can dig in their research into the details of culture and context and bring a story to life for me. As a side note, this does NOT replace scripture reading for me - by any means. But it enlivens it for me. When I next come across the passage covered in the book while I'm reading my Bible, new details stand out to me, and I can picture the scenes and the characters better - because it's been brought to life. One of my favorite books in this genre is Mesu Andrews' new release, Of Fire and Lions (which releases today!), which tells the story of Daniel. Daniel is a pretty short book in the Bible and those of us who have been in church since we were tikes have always known the story of Daniel and the Lions Den. But there was so much more to his story that led up to that time. And with the book being so short, I've always read the timeframe as being short. But he lived a lot of years in those short chapters.

Some things I've pulled from the author's blog posts leading up to today's release:

Things we know from scripture - Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah were from the tribe of Judah. They were descended from royalty or nobility (served in the kings government). They were handsome, without physical defect. They were intelligent - quick to understand and well-informed. Old enough to be knowledgeable, but young enough to be pliable. They would reach the age of manhood (12-13) by the end of their training as they were to be qualified to serve in the king's palace. They were taken from Jerusalem to Babylon (before the siege) and were stripped of everything Hebrew, including their names (Daniel became Belteshazzar, Hananiah became Shadrach, Mishael became Meshach and Azariah became Abednego).  This was with the intent to make them Babylonian nobility instead. When Daniel and his friends arrived in Babylon, they resolved not to defile themselves and showed humility by asking permission to have a different diet than the others in their training class. The author speculates that this early test where Yahweh came through and after 10 days made the 4 of them look healthier and stronger than their counterparts gave them courage to keep serving Yahweh in a pagan land. In their experience, Yahweh lived in the temple in Jerusalem, residing atop the Mercy Seat on the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies in the temple. This proved to them that Yahweh was able to be with them, even if they could no longer go to the temple.

Where the author speculates - the book is primarily written from the vantage point of Daniel's wife. Scripture does not indicate whether or not he had a wife, this was something that could be contrived. The prophecy to Hezekiah that some of his relatives would be taken to Babylon and made Eunuchs was what the author originally believed, but after further research, she found that this term also described Potiphar (the Egyptian Joseph worked for in Genesis 39), who most definitely DID have a wife. In his case, a Eunuch was  a "chief official". Since the person who would know Daniel best would be his wife (assuming he had one), she chose to use that definition. The author also made Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah brothers - and cousins to Daniel (their mothers were sisters). She did this so that they had an existing relationship and this assumes that they would be tutored together in the royal court. She also makes Mishael and Azariah twins - simply because her daughter had twins during the writing of this book and it seemed like a fun idea! She also made Daniel the son of a single mother. Since he displayed the maturity that he did, she gave him additional responsibility that pressed that.

Because this book was about a time in scripture and had the overwhelming theme of God coming through for you even when you're surrounded by sin, it was very quote-able. I loved the graphic above with one of those quotes in it!

In addition to the novel, there were 2 short story prequels that were made available to anyone who receives the author's newsletter. She also has a link on her facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/MesuAndrews/ (or you can sign up for her newsletter here: https://mesuandrews.com/mesus-blog/). You can also get additional history in the time period in her novella "By the Waters of Babylon", which is part of a Psalm series with 2 other authors. Finally, there is a 7 day devotional that goes along with the story through the  YouVersion app: Search it out in “Plans”! DANIEL: 7 LESSONS FROM BABYLON. http://bible.com/r/3kF ⁣.

This was was one book I would strongly recommend, especially if you want a greater understanding of the scripture in that time period, bearing in mind the fictional elements of course. My full review is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2542793292?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1