Book Recommendation - With This Pledge

With This Pledge is the first full-length novel in Tamera Alexander's Carnton series. The series began with a novella, Christmas in Carnton. That one does not need to be read to enjoy With This Pledge, but it does set up some of the background of the area (and the main characters from that book make a cameo in this one). Unlike most of Ms. Alexander's novels (and most other historical fiction), the 2 main characters in this book were actual historical people and they did have a love story. Ms. Alexander therefore did a great deal of research, including dissecting the love letters written 150+ years ago. Going in, knowing this was not JUST a historic event, but that these were actual historic people, really brought the story-line alive.

This book takes place in the heart of the Civil War around the battle of Franklin. At that time, Carnton (the nearest plantation home) was used as a military hospital. Those who have recently toured the old plantation home (now a museum of sorts) say that you can still see the blood stains on the floor. Because this is a true story and because of the rich history of the plantation, this book is a bit more gritty than most I've read. It wasn't overly gory, but I did wince a time or two at some of the descriptiveness of surgeries and injuries. However, mingled in with the grit was a sweet love story, personal dilemmas, and a good dose of humor. I really loved the nuns who came to help out! Additionally, there were some intensely emotional scenes. Don't read chapter 37 without a tissue box nearby! That's all I'll say about that.

From a press statement by the author:
This novel—my 16th—is unlike any I’ve written before. Because both of the two main characters are based on real people who truly lived. Talk about intimidating to write. 

But God, who is always faithful, was with me very step of the way and directed me to the people I needed to connect with in order to write this true love story. Namely, the great-great-great grandson of the real Civil soldier who is the hero in this novel. I'm so grateful for David Doty's assistance.

Captain Roland Ward Jones, a Mississippi sharpshooter, and Miss Lizzie Clouston, the governess at the Carnton home, met on November 30, 1864 following the Battle of Franklin—the night that brought the Confederacy to its knees.

This is a true story. 

The depictions of the aftermath from battle that unfolded within the walls of Carnton are real. And to honor the memories of the thousands of men who died or were wounded that night, I wrote this novel as authentically as I could. Please remember that as you read. We must never forget what our freedom cost so many.

With This Pledge releases on January 8, 2019. To find out more, you can check out the author's website:
https://tameraalexander.com/books/carnton_novels

Additionally, after release date, there will be information on her website on what was truth and what was fiction. There will be spoilers, so be sure to read the book first!
https://tameraalexander.com/books/truth_or_fiction

And of course, my own personal review of the book:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2609062438?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1&fbclid=IwAR1hM_xE7GZYKTAsI9D_uKYjTZh6RDd78I2GS-GMAjBhLLwtS9A7M4If1Q0

Book Recommendation - Searching for You

I've really come to enjoy historical fiction lately and with my heart for orphans, Jody Hedlund's Orphan Train series was one that definitely  pulled me in. The final book in the series, Searching For You, releases December 4th and I was fortunate to get an advanced copy. This book tied up the series nicely and allowed us to see what happened with the youngest Neumann sister, Sophie. Sophie has found herself on her own after their caretaker took the 2 younger children she'd been caring for to the Children's Aid Society. Sophie could not imagine life without them, so she ran away to find them. Circumstances a couple of years later find her back at the Children's Aid Society, seeking shelter out west as an orphan herself.

It's been very interesting to learn a little more about this period in history through this series. I'd not heard much about the orphan train prior to reading this series and it was enlightening to see how the over-population of orphans was handled in the mid-1800s. Even though the sisters were all orphans, Sophie is the first to actually ride the train AS an orphan, though her sisters rode the trains in other capacity. The "placing out" process was fascinating to me as each town had a placing council who found good Christian homes for the children coming from the city. Some of those placements were fantastic, but others brought heartbreak - much like modern day foster care.

Throughout the series, the themes of grace and redemption are prominent. Sophie's story is no different. Each of the sisters in her own story learn to forgive themselves and seek forgiveness from others and learned to rely on God through their shortcomings. This story tied up the series nicely and it's beautiful to see how Sophie grew up throughout the series. In her story, she evolves from a selfish young woman to a loved sister, daughter, wife and mother. I enjoyed seeing her story unfold and the way that her sisters' stories tied in to her own.

My review of the book is below!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2379659571

Book Recommendation - Jerusalem's Queen

My most recent read was Angela Hunt's "Jerusalem's Queen: A Novel of Salome Alexandra". If you're like me, you didn't even know that Jerusalem ever had a queen, let alone what her name was. Salome Alexandra ruled Judea just before the time of Christ. Her death preceded his birth by about a generation. This book is book 3 in Ms. Hunt's series "The Silent Years", which spans the 400 years between the old and new testaments. Having not read much of anything in this time-frame, I've found this series absolutely captivating. Book 1 was the story of Cleopatra. Book 2 was the story of Judah Maccabees. While those stories did not tie in together at all, this one referenced both of them, as Salome Alexandra was a descendant of the Maccabees and was likely able to come into power because of women in the surrounding nations like Cleopatra, already in power.

 I loved this story, which was told from the viewpoint of both Salome Alexandra and her lady's maid, Kissa. It was fascinating to see how she might have come into power and her reign was actually described later as "Judea's Golden Age.". I love how Ms. Hunt used real people and real circumstances and inserted fiction where fact was not known. Having read Mark Batterson's "The Circle Maker", it was exciting to see Honi make an appearance in this book. I felt like I knew something other people might now know. Since he did his circle drawing in that time frame, it would make sense that the queen and the circle drawer may have crossed paths.

Having done the Christian fiction scavenger hunt last week, which this book was a part of, I got a bit of an inside scoop from Angela Hunt:

Q. I must confess, I’d never heard of Salome Alexandra, Queen of Jerusalem, before encountering your book. Who was she?

A. I’d never heard of her, either, until one of my theology professors mentioned her. Not much information is available on her, and what little information there is often contradicts itself. For instance, most Jewish history books say that she was the widow of Judah Aristobulus, who then married his brother, Alexander Jannaeus, but that couldn’t be possible because the high priest had to marry a virgin. And we know that Judah Aristobulus married Salina, not Salome. Most people assume they were one and the same, but they were not.

Q. What made this woman worthy of a book? What did she do that was so unusual?
A. She was a good queen, and honestly followed God. Her husband, Alexander Jannaeus, was high priest and king, and he was horrible. He had purges, he crucified hundreds of Law-following Pharisees and made his victims watch their families being murdered, he kept concubines—in short, he was not a righteous man. But Salome Alexandra was a righteous woman, and after her husband died she reigned in his place and cleaned things up. She made sure girls were educated as well as boys, she changed the way marriage contracts were negotiated (so women were provided for), and she blessed her people. The Jews said the years of her reign were golden years, when God blessed Judea.

Q. Why didn’t those golden years continue after her death?
A. Because she had two sons—one who was like her, the other very much like her husband. The wild one attacked her heir right after her death, and their bloody war caused the Romans to invade, establishing, in the long run, Roman rule. Judea became a Roman province, the Romans named Herod king, and the last kings from the Hasmonean dynasty were killed.

Q. What surprised you most as you researched this period? What was it, fifty years before Christ’s birth?
A. Salome Alexandra died in 67 B.C., and the thing I found most fascinating was that many of the Jews of that time professed a real interest in studying Bible prophecy. The Torah scholars had a sense that one epoch had concluded with the return from Babylonian exile, and a new one was about to begin. The Essenes, in particular, were looking for a messiah—or two, since they saw clear signs that God was getting ready to send a king and a high priest. They were looking for Christ, but they hadn’t quite figured out that the king/priest would be one person, and that God would send him as a tiny baby who was born to die . . . so we might be born again.

Q. Why should a modern Christian care about a Jewish queen? 
A. Because we Christians have been adopted by God into His chosen family, and our Messiah was Jewish! Studying the four hundred years between the Old and New Testaments—the intertestamental period—will help you better understand the situation of the Gospels. And Salome Alexandra is a fascinating woman! I think you’ll enjoy learning about her as much as I did.

This book releases November 6th and is available for pre-order wherever you buy books. Coming up next to finish out this series is "The King's Shadow", which will release sometime in 2019.

My review is included below:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2575336799

Book Recommendation - Legacy of Mercy

One of my go-to authors for "women's fiction" is Lynn Austin. She writes amazing character-driven novels with relateable and likeable characters, compelling story lines and usually an element of both mystery and romance. Her latest release, Legacy of Mercy, is no exception to this rule. Legacy of Mercy is a sequel to Waves of Mercy, which released 2 years prior (almost to the date). When penning Waves of Mercy, Ms. Austin intended for it to be a stand-alone, but fans clamored for a sequel. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to find out what happened next as well, and so the sequel was born.

The first book follows young Anneke (Anna) who is smarting from a broken engagement. Her mother takes her on holiday to Michigan where she can nurse her wounds privately, away from the prying eyes and gossip of Chicago's upper echelon. While there, she meets some interesting people who change her life in the most remarkable way. We also follow Geesje, who was a dutch immigrant to the US 50 years ago. She has been tasked with writing down her story for the city of Holland's 50th anniversary. As she dwells on the times past, we travel back and forth between time periods as well. The connection between Anna and Geesje is a startling one! And was, in part, what made readers want more. Legacy of Mercy picks up with Anna back in Chicago. Her engagement is back on and as she plans a wedding and attempts to do all of the social activities planned for her, she struggles to live out the faith that seemed so clear in Michigan with Geesje. Geesje finds herself taking in a young immigrant as she is one of the few in town who still speaks Dutch fluently. The lessons that she came about in the hardships of book 1 make her an excellent surrogate for this young hurting girl. I loved seeing her growth and how she passed along the spiritual lessons she learned to the next generation.

I pulled some fun details from Ms. Austin's web-page to further entice reading this one:

The novel is a sequel to “Waves of Mercy” and features the same main characters. Geesje DeJonge is a 67-year-old widow who told her story of immigrating from the Netherlands in 1847 in the first book. Anna Nicholson is a wealthy 23-year-old woman from Chicago who is engaged to a wealthy banker, and is just beginning her walk of faith under Geesje’s guidance.

I never planned to write this sequel. Aside from my biblical fiction, my books have all been stand-alone novels. But since Anna is only 23, readers of the first book begged me to write about what happens next in her life. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to find out what happens next, too.

So, how do I entice you to want to read “Legacy of Mercy” without giving away the plot? Well, there’s a mystery that Anna will be trying to solve with a little help from the Pinkerton detectives—a real agency founded in 1850. You may enjoy solving it along with her.

The story takes place in the Gilded Age when society women wore beautiful gowns like these and the one shown on the book cover.
The Gibson Girl hairstyle was a popular look.
And wealthy Chicagoans were building over-the-top mansions to replace the homes destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire.
And staffing them with servants at their back and call.
Every good novel needs a love story, and I hope readers will enjoy the one I’ve created in “Legacy.” Sorry, I can’t tell you who the lucky lovers are, but I hope you’ll be surprised.

I doubt if many of us share Anna’s extravagant lifestyle, but many of us have shared her journey to find God’s purpose for our lives. It’s a theme that’s very dear to me because it also took me a long time to discover my purpose. I love to share my story whenever I’m invited to speak at events because it’s the story of God’s faithfulness. I don’t have the time or space to share it here, but I hope that Anna’s journey will inspire readers who are still seeking.

Legacy of Mercy released on October 2nd and is available at all major book retailers. My review is below:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2567145755

Book Recommendation - An Hour Unspent

When it comes to historical romance fiction, Roseanna M. White is one of my go-to authors. The romances are never cheesy or too fast, the characters are loveable and the history is very well researched. You feel like you're transported back in time. Such was the case with this book/series. An Hour Unspent is book 3 in the Shadows Over England series, but the story holds its own. This series takes place during WWI, which is a time period I don't often see in historical fiction. It's interesting to think of a time when cars were uncommon, planes couldn't cross the English Channel, and wristwatches were a new design. In this book, we meet (or see at a deeper level if you've read the other books in the series) Barclay Pearce, one of London's best thieves. He's reforming his ways as he learns more about God as his Father. Having spent a majority of his years as an orphan, this is a foreign concept to him. It was interesting to see his growth in this area as the book progressed. Barclay is the leader of his "family", a group of 12 other orphans who have banded together, looked out for one another and become true family in the face of adversity. Barclay's latest assignment is to connect with the local clockmaker, who may have some designs on a device that could help sway the tide of the war. Before he has a chance to meet Mr. Manning himself, though, he has an interesting run-in with the man's daughter, Evelina Manning. The book alternates between Barclay's and Evelina's viewpoints, though the novel is solely in third person voice.

Some things I enjoyed about this book:

1. Evelina's not-so-subtle rebellions against an overbearing mother. Their interchanges had me literally laughing out loud at times. I could totally see myself doing the same thing in Evelina's shoes.

2. The character growth of all of the main characters. I loved seeing how they evolved as the story went on and considered things differently when circumstances dictated.

3. Learning about history - things such as German bombings in England through the use of zeppelins because their planes couldn't cross the Channel, the start of the Rolex brand and Daylight Savings Time (I always thought it was the farmers who started that!).

4. Learning some English vocabulary, such as "brolly". I already was aware of "pram" and "boot" (as in car trunk). I also found it amusing that any time there was a frustration, the character would say "Blast!". I think I need to start using that one!

5. Getting some additional closure from the last book. As well as seeing a good end to this particular story-line.

6. Having a mystery that took over much of the story so that the sole point of the book was not the romance aspect.

All in all, this was a great way to end the series! Next from this author is "Number of Love", which will be the first in the Codebreakers series. This will actually be a continuation of this series as well as it focuses on Margot De Wilde, a major character in "A Song Unheard" (book 2 of the Shadows Over England Series) and who made some appearances in this one as well. I look forward to learning more about her story in June of next year!

My review for An Hour Unspent is below!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2305015671

Book Recommendation - Defiant Joy: Taking Hold of Hope, Beauty and Life in a Hurting World

While a vast majority of what I read is Christian fiction, there are a few Christian non-fiction authors that I follow as well. Stasi Eldredge (and her husband John) are among those that I read everything that they put out. Stasi's latest release, Defiant Joy, is one of the best books I've read. In a time when the news is so readily available and we're therefore more aware of all of the suffering in the world (including our own), it is very poignant to have a book on being not only joyful, but defiantly so.

 I went through this book with a highlighter in hand. There were so many wonderful statements that needed to not only be read, but re-read again and again. Here are a few of them in "meme form".

 Stasi pours out her heart and bares the pain of losing loved ones, chronic physical pain, chemical depression, and the feeling of "not fitting in". She doesn't mince words or avoid the tough topics of loss and depression, but instead delves into how we can have joy in the midst of our sorrow. Joy is not the same thing as happiness, but it stems from the hope that we have in Christ. We can have joy regardless of our circumstances because of what Jesus did for us at Calvary. And because He loves us still. He loves us in our pain and in our mess. He is our Father. He is our Savior. And because of that, we can have joy. Defiant joy that stands up to our Enemy and death and pain and suffering, and says "You do NOT have the final say in my life!" Stasi did an interview for the Christian Post, some of which I've included below:

To achieve true and lasting joy in this broken world, one must come to know God's character and hold to the unwavering belief that sorrow and loss do not have the final say. We live in a society defined by heartbreak, loss, and hopelessness. But amid this dark reality, Christians have the opportunity to choose love over fear and experience a joy rooted in the hope found in Christ, Stasi Eldredge, author of Defiant Joy, told The Christian Post.

"Every day, you get on Facebook and you watch the news and your heart breaks for what is going on in people's lives," she said. "We seem so rooted in hopelessness, and that's the antithesis of Christianity."

"Every moment, we are faced with the choice to either be buried by what we see and have that be the canopy under which we live, or to choose to actually obey what we are instructed to in the Word of God: To fix our eyes on Jesus, to choose to ask Him for grace in the face of suffering."

Eldredge, who is also the director of the women's ministry at Ransomed Heart and author of Captivating, told CP that choosing joy doesn't mean denying that pain exists or diminishing the reality of pain and loss. Instead, it means understanding that suffering and joy can coexist.

"Joy isn't about singing in the garden all day; it's not even about a feeling," she explained. "It's about coming to know God more deeply and understanding His character, goodness, and immeasurable love. Joy is the heartbeat of Heaven. It's about acknowledging the reality of the world we live in, but understanding that death doesn't have the final say. It's a shift of gaze. It's holding to the deepest reality that God reigns over the universe and that nothing is up for grabs."

Eldredge speaks from experience; she told CP Defiant Joy was written in "one of the most difficult years" of her life."We lost a brother, we lost our first grandson, we lost our best friend," she said. "I was also in the worst physical pain I'd ever felt in my life due to a hip replacement and struggling with depression."

She continued, "In the midst of my pain, God began to speak to me about my heart being tethered to His in such a way that the reality of my life wasn't something that should bury me, but someplace for me to come to know that He is unwavering, that He isn't thrown by loss, and that loss doesn't have the final say."

In her book, the Kansas native shares personal stories, deep vulnerability, and practical steps readers can take to have the kind of joy that is present in both goodness and grief.

Defiant Joy debuted on October 16, 2018 and is available anywhere books are sold. My review is below.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38915943-defiant-joy

Book Recommendation - Shelter of The Most High

If you enjoy Biblical Historical fiction, then chances are, you have heard of Connilyn Cossette. Her debut novel, Counted With The Stars, was an amazing re-telling of the Exodus, told from the viewpoint of an Egyptian slave, who joined the group of Hebrews leaving Egypt in order to save her brother, a first-born. There were 2 more books after that one in the "Out of Egypt" series that brought the Bible to life in telling of the time in the wilderness and the battle at Jericho. Her current Series, the "Cities of Refuge" series is a continuation of her first series and takes place after the Israelites have settled into the promised land. This time-frame, and these cities, are only briefly mentioned in scripture. So, the fact that Ms. Cossette is still able to bring them to life in a story-telling, but true to history and scripture as can be done, is nothing short of amazing. Shelter of the Most High is the 2nd book in this series and I was blessed to be on the launch team for this book.

This book is a beautiful story of love and mercy, told from alternating points of view of Sofea, a foreigner, and Eitan (who you might remember as as child from book 1, A Light on the Hill). Sofea is the daughter of a high priest in Sicily and one decision one day turns her whole world upside-down. She finds herself (and her cousin with her) in a strange land where the people speak a strange language that she does not understand. Eitan knows the moment that he sees this blue-eyed beauty that he wants to get to know her better, but is not sure how to communicate when she doesn't understand his words. Due to Sofea's experiences and inability to understand, she misinterprets many of the behaviors of this strange people, and it takes awhile for her to understand that the One God of the Hebrews is nothing at all like the gods of Sicily. Similarly, their priests are nothing alike. As she learns that she does not need to fear, she also learns that Yahweh has drawn her here with a purpose and is shown such love and mercy. There are many quotable passages in this book. The one below is one of my favorites. 

Being on the launch team for this book, I had the opportunity to ask the author a few questions of my own, and these really brought out the heart of this book.

Do you relate particularly well to any one of the characters in this book? Why or why not?

I always find little ways I relate to many of my characters but in Shelter of the Most High I think perhaps I connected the most with Eitan’s struggle with recurring self-condemnation. In order to avoid spoilers I won’t say exactly how he handles these issues but I think for me, and for many other followers of Jesus, I have a habit of bringing up my past sins and beating myself over the head with them, even though His grace is sufficient and I have no need to wallow in condemnation any more. If we are in Covenant with Jesus through his blood then we have been freely forgiven, so we must stop letting the Enemy whisper in our ear that we are not worthy. Eitan goes through the process of trying to “earn” forgiveness for something he had already been given grace for and I am guilty of doing the same thing at times. His journey was a great reminder to me that I am already free, so I need to stop acting like a slave to my past!

Was there anything interesting that happened during the writing of this book (or that made its way into the writing of this book) that the average reader wouldn't pick up on?

The biggest change for me was traveling to Israel. I went from having to rely on the internet and Google Earth for my experiences of the Land to getting the opportunity to see and feel and taste and touch and smell those places for myself. It shifted my understanding of the “smallness” of the country and how close everything in the Bible is in relation to one another and gave me a wealth of sensory detail to layer into my stories. I’d already written Shelter of the Most High when I went there but during editing I was able to tweak and expand due to my firsthand experiences. It was life-changing in many ways.

Is there any particular message (that isn't obvious) that you would like your readers to get out of this book?

As I began writing the Cities of Refuge Series I came to the realization that the places God set up as sanctuaries for those convicted of manslaughter (Joshua 20) were a wonderful picture of the Body of Christ and how the Church should relate to the world. Our congregations should be a haven for the hurting, a place of safety and provision for those who are suffering, a place where the teaching of the Word (Torah) is central, a gathering of redeemed people who appreciate the grace and mercy they’ve been given, and a light on the hill to the weary and heavy laden. Throughout the series you’ll see cities of refuge like Kedesh where these principles are upheld and valued and others that have became more focused on wealth, power, self-righteousness or have slidden into idolatry and compromise. History shows us that these cities of refuge were kind of a blip on the timeline, in fact scholar think that many of the 48 cities designated for the Levites by Moses were never even settled. If the Church wants to have an impact on the culture around us, instead of the other way around, we would do well to pattern our congregations after these places of perfectly balanced justice and mercy.

How did you come up with the topic for this story?

Well, in the beginning it was an off-hand comment by my husband’s best friend that I actually laughed off at first and then began to realize was a completely cool premise! But I can’t really tell you what that comment was because it’s a major spoiler! But I also did some research about the Bronze Age and found out there was a real problem with pirates back then and knew I had to weave them in too. The original plot idea was very different and involved more pirates and even some ancient drug trade (yes, there was such a thing) and ended up being a tangled mess that didn’t make much logical sense, so I am really pleased with how it all came together…eventually.

Is Sofea and Eitan’s story finished, or will we see more of them?

The next book, Until the Mountains Fall, opens about 8 years after Shelter of the Most High, so you will definitely see what Eitan and Sofea are up to. I won’t spoil anything about their appearances but I will say that it made me so happy to revisit them and to “see” their love story through the eyes of a grown-up Malakhi (the hero of UTMF).

Until The Mountains Fall is scheduled to come out next summer, which seems an eternity to wait to see what happens next. If you enjoy Biblical Historical fiction, or simply want to bring this mostly unknown portion of the Bible to life, I would strongly recommend this one! Shelter of the Most High is out on October 2, 2018.

Link to my review is below.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2294209409