Writing Helps to Heal Author Justine Johnston Hemmestad

by Justine Johnston Hemmestad

In 1990 my car was broadsided by a speeding city bus as I turned out of a parking lot - I was in a coma and had sustained a severe brain injury. I was paralyzed when I woke up from my coma, though I worked hard to walk again within a few months, and to relearn how to perform the basic functions of life.

I began to write when I was carrying my first child Megan, less than two years after my accident, as tool or a way to cope with feeling so alone in my disability and misunderstood. Writing, throughout the darkest part of my recovery—when everyone looked down on me and I had no one to talk to or relate with me—helped me to get my thoughts in focus, to learn new things, and to remember what was important to me. I felt bullied, my thoughts and perception were skewed, and I felt emotionally alone, isolated by my personal lacking (my speech was slurred; my reactions were slow, etc.).

But writing was my Savior. When I was so afraid and so filled with guilt for being disabled, writing offered me a safe and comforting place to go, where I could cry and feel loved. Writing was my confidante and gave me hope when the world was crushing me. Writing even helped me find out who I was, since everything about "me" seemed to have melted away with my TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury). Writing helped me find my words to speak again. Writing was my purpose, and writing was my healing.

My novella, Truth be Told, is essentially the story of my recovery wrapped up in fictional characters in a different time and place. Everything is symbolic in my novella because symbolism itself taught me how to travel deep inside my thoughts and search until I found the answers. Symbolism aided my memory by the weight of its meaning.

The old man in my novella is symbolic of God, prayer, love of my children, and the inner truth I found when I dug deep, the challenges that stretched my mind and that I knew I had to face when I wanted to give up on life completely.

The Lady is the aspect of my recovery in which I felt lost, even to myself—I didn’t know who I was—but in prayer and meditation I learned to focus my mind, calm my thoughts (which were drowning in the guilt I felt for being disabled) and listen to God’s answer…what defines me?

The knight is the aspect of my recovery that was assaulted by PTSD. Not only was I recovering, but I was recovering amidst a torrent of fear, pain, and false persecution. He represents the survivor’s guilt I had for living as brain-injured, and the part of myself that felt I deserved the lies that people told about me simply because it was easy to lie about me. I illuminated my purpose— the purpose that any recovering person needs to be able to climb out of the darkness—symbolically as Jesus. When people lied about me, writing defended me and made the truth immortal. My purpose, as writing, was the well within me; writing saved me and gave me direction in life (even when I no longer had any sense of direction due to my TBI). There were people who tried to point me in the wrong direction, but my prayer, and written prayer, was always brimming with truth.

My purpose in writing raised me out of the darkness and set me on a new path. As my characters in Truth be Told founded one of the first Universities in Europe, my purpose led me to enter into college, to study tirelessly, and to set goals and reach them. For a person with a TBI, these things stretched my mind to the breaking point. And yet my savior, writing, was always there, so much that my purpose and my goals became intertwined. Every class I’ve had brought me new challenges; every professor’s pushing has helped me more than they were ever aware.

My husband and I now have seven children and I'm still writing, for both have truly been essential to my recovery. I've also earned a BLS through The University of Iowa and am now working toward a Master's Degree in Literature through Northern Arizona University. I’m grateful to have written a book that I felt so strongly, all along, could be of help to survivors, for them to recognize themselves in the characters and to know that they're not alone. I would have recognized myself in this story and it would have given me hope. My mission now is to give other survivors hope.

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Review: The Butterfly Bride by Lacy Williams

A Lovely Romance Novella

A Butterfly Bride is the third and final book in the Lone Star Brides trilogy from Serenade Books. Each novella is a standalone story from a different author: The Bluebonnet Bride by Pamela Tracy, The Bull Rider’s Bride by Vickie McDonough, then The Butterfly Bride from Lacy Williams.

Yes, The Butterfly Bride is a novella, so it’s a short read—great for those who want a sweet romance they can read in an evening and finish with an ahhh feeling.

Luke Starr is horsesitting the family ranch while his twin brothers are on their respective honeymoons. He’s counting the days until he can leave again . . . until he meets special education teacher Jessica Sadler, one of the teachers supervising a school visit to the ranch that Gramma forgot to tell him about. He’s worried children could get hurt on a working ranch; she can’t see how tagging butterflies could be dangerous.

Anyway, this is a romance novella, so one thing leads to another until they admit their mutual attraction and get over themselves long enough to do something about it. We all know what the end game is going to be, and we all know the fun is in the journey as two characters have to deal with their mutual issues. And the journey is a lot of fun.

Recommended for romance fans.

Thanks to Seranade Books for providing a free ebook for review.

Review: Christmas with the Colburns by Keely Brooke Keith

A lovely early Christmas present!

Keely Brooke Keith sent me a complimentary copy of her Christmas novella as a thank you for reviewing the three novels in the Uncharted series. She didn't ask for a review, but I'm thrilled to write one. 

Amazon Description

It’s Christmastime in Good Springs, and Lydia Bradshaw is eager for the light at the end of her year—the Colburn family’s big holiday gathering. When she discovers none of her siblings are coming back to the village this year, she believes Christmas will be ruined. As Lydia faces a gloomy holiday in the Colburn house, an unexpected romance brightens her favorite season. Will it be enough to rekindle the light of Christmas? Spend Christmas with the Colburns in this inspirational holiday novella. Holiday recipe included!

My Review

Christmas with the Colburns is a Christmas novella that follows on from the Uncharted trilogy, all of which I’ve read and enjoyed—and it’s probably best to have read the Uncharted novels first, both because they give the history of the Uncharted island, and because there will be some spoilers for those who haven’t read them.

However, it’s a little different in terms of plot: rather than following a romance and a mystery, as the earlier novels did, it’ s about Lydia’s disappointment at the prospect of not having a traditional Colburn family Christmas, and how an unexpected gift changes her attitude.

It was a short but enjoyable story which gives a little more background to the Colburn family, and hints at some future changes (and romances) in the village of Good Springs. Recommended for anyone who has enjoyed the Uncharted series.

Review: Christmas Star Sapphire by Hallee Bridgeman

Christmas Romance

Madeline Viscolli is studying for her Masters degree when she meets Cru leader Ps Joe Westcott (Cru, for those of you as old as I am, is the new name for Campus Crusade for Christ). She’s attracted to him, and believes he’s equally attracted to her, but he does nothing about it . . .

I did find it weird that Madeline and Joe called each other Miss and Mr for a lot of the story—it came across as dated rather than respectful, especially he introduced himself as Joe when they first met. But it’s Alabama, the Deep South. Maybe that’s really how they talk there. Maybe it was meant to be a joke. Or maybe it was a deliberate erecting of barriers, so they could pretend they weren’t interested in each other.

However, the characters and the storyline were more than strong enough to compensate, and the story managed to get more spiritual depth than most full-length Christian novels I read. However, this flowed naturally out of the story and never felt preachy or forced. Joe has issues in his background, and while Maddie may have had a privileged upbringing, she’s no hothouse flower with no understanding of life outside her rich Christian bubble. I will admit to a bit of eye-rolling at the cliché ‘rich heroine’, (and why are we so fascinated by the rich, anyway?), but it was dealt with well: sure, Maddie comes from money, but we should judge her on her own intelligence and character. And she is an excellent character.

Joe is perhaps a little harder to get to know. He’s got the whole man thing going, but does manage to open up to Maddie and share some of his secrets. After that, it’s good to see him let his guard down a little and understand his character and what Maddie sees in him. All in all, he’s a loveable hero, and that’s what we want to read. Especially at Christmas!

This novella is apparently inspired by Bridgeman’s Jewel series, which I haven’t read. However, Christmas Star Sapphire can easily be read as a standalone story, and may even inspire you to read the Jewel series (right after the other 39 books on my to-review list. And 64 in my to-read list). An enjoyable short romance with some yummy recipes at the end!

Thanks to the author and BookCrash for providing a free ebook for review.

Review: Operation White Christmas by Nicki Edwards

A White Christmas Dream . . .

Australian Hollie Douglas has always wanted to experience a white Christmas, so has planned a pre-Christmas wedding to Steve, followed by a two-week honeymoon at Niagara Falls (yes, the Canadian side). But things don’t always go to plan, and a series of unfortunate coincidences sees her stranded in a near-blizzard and sharing a house with the handsome Jim Bell and a baby llama called Roo (because what else would you name a baby llama? In Canada?).

It’s a novella, which makes a quick read that left me with an ‘aww’ feeling, because it was that sweet. It’s a sweet romance about two mending people coming together and find a possible future together.

Operation White Christmas is the third book in Nicki Edwards’s Escape to the Country series, but is easily readable as a standalone story. It is set in Canada, not Australia, and is more contemporary romance than medical romance (good news for those who don’t like blood!). Recommended.

Thanks to Momentum Books and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Review: Love in the Details by Becky Wade

Practically Perfect

Love in the Details is another novella in the Zondervan Year of Weddings series, each of which is a standalone novella. I’ve read several of them, and Love in the Details is definitely one of the better stories in the series. Becky Wade is an excellent author, who manages to inject just the right level of humour into what could have been a depressingly sad story.

Holly Morgan fell in love with Josh Bowen at high school, but broke up with him during their first year of college. What he never knew—because she never told him—is that she broke up at the request of his mother, who was afraid he’d throw his college scholarship and come home to Texas. Holly broke up with him, he never came home, and how he’s a tech billionaire (oh, gone are the days where mere millionaires were considered romantic heroes!).

Now Josh is temporarily back in Martinsburg, Texas, for his best friend’s wedding. He’s best man, and Holly is the church wedding liaison, which throws them together once more, and Holly finds Josh still hasn’t forgiven her … and she still hasn’t gotten over him. Will they be able to get over their past and find true love? Well, this is a romance novella, so the answer to that should be pretty obvious.

However, Love in the Details manages to be more than a cliché romance. The writing is excellent, both characters are lovable and well-developed, and the combination of internal conflict and external attraction makes this an excellent short read. Recommended.

Thanks to Zondervan and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Review: Seaside Gifts by Gayle Roper

Another Seaside Romance! Yay!

I’ve read and reread all five of Gayle Roper’s Seaside Christian romance novels, and it’s hard for me to pick a favourite (if asked, I usually pick whichever one I read most recently). My only regret with the series is that the only thing which stays constant is the location and the beachcomber—none of the novels make reference to any of major characters in the other novels. The advantage of this is you can read the novels in any order, but it would be nice to find out what happened to some of the other characters …

While Seaside Gifts is a novella, it takes the same approach as the novels: a romance with a light suspense subplot, but heavily focused on the developing relationship between the hero and heroine, with a heroine who usually has some issues around family to work through (Roper does tend to give her heroines overbearing or problem parents!).

This time the romance is between Nan Patterson, who has recently inherited Present Perfect, a well-known Seaside gift shop, and policeman Roger Eastman. Nan has an unusual problem: leavery. Someone has been sneaking into her store and leaving valuable gifts, such as Royal Doulton figurines. And she expects Roger to solve the mystery. Roger’s more confident with thievery than leavery, but he finds Nan endearingly attractive and wants to help …

Seaside Gifts is a novella, which means it was too short to develop the relationship between Nan and Roger to the degree I would have liked to have seen. It meant the whole romance felt a little rushed—Roger had only known Nan two minutes before he was offering to paint her apartment (well, that might be a slight exaggeration). It simply wasn’t long enough to give enough attention to the romance and the development of the main characters, not to mention the quirky minor characters who seem to inhabit Seaside.

I also thought the number and complexity of the subplots would have been better suited to a full-length novel: there was the main romance plot, the leavery subplot, the Nan-and-her-mother subplot, and another subplot around the store, and I would have liked to have seen them all covered in a little more depth (especially as the subplot added a cozy mystery/light suspense note to the plot, and I’m always a fan of a good romantic suspense).

The result was that while I enjoyed Seaside Gifts, I would have liked it to be longer. (But that’s better than wishing it had been shorter!)

Thanks to Redbud Press for providing a free ebook for review.

Review and Giveaway: A Heart's Home by Colleen Coble

A hidden pregnancy, a promise sure to break hearts, and a tragic loss at Fort Phil Kearny: Don't miss the gripping conclusion in book six, A Heart's Home, of Colleen Coble's A Journey of the Heart series. With the Sioux Wars threatening outside the fort, Emmie’s solemn vow threatens her happiness from within. Will she honor a promise sure to break her heart—and Isaac’s? Or is there another way to find a home for her heart?

Colleen is celebrating the final book release of her A Journey of the Heart series by giving away the entire series and the chance to host Colleen virtually at your book club, local library, or women's group to talk about the series.

 

One grand prize winner will receive:

• Books 1–6 of A Journey of the Heart series
• A chat with Colleen via Skype or Google Hangout
• A custom book-club kit PDF, featuring Colleen's favorite recipes and group discussion questions

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on August 31st. Winner will be announced September 1st on Colleen's website.

My Review

I haven’t enjoyed this series, partly because the beginning of each book has included what turned out to be a plot summary (i.e. detailing what happens at the end) rather than a book description (setting up characters and conflict to entice the reader to read). A Heart’s Home managed not to include the spoilers (yay!), but still didn’t deliver for me.

Basically, my problems have been the same throughout the whole series. It’s been driven by external conflict to the point it’s crossed the line from drama to melodrama, and this final book was no exception. Emmie is now engaged to Isaac, although she still hasn’t told him her Big Secret, and she’s afraid jealous Jessica will tell him first …

Then I-don’t-want-to-tell-you-what happens (because that would definitely be a spoiler, and the series has had quite enough of those already, thank you), which puts Emmie’s engagement in danger … and the whole plot turns and more Bad Things happen and the Big Secret is completely forgotten (as is Jessica, although that might not have been a bad thing).

I got to the end and, yes, there’s a big Happy Ever After and cliché epilogue but no mention of Jessica or the Big Secret (that’s not a spoiler: this is marketed as a romance series, and I’d have hated it if we didn’t at least get the promised HEA ending. As it is, I merely disliked it). At this point, I’m not even clear with the Big Secret was. Unless it wasn’t such a big secret and somehow I missed it. There’s also the implication that Jessica must have Something Horrible in her past to make her into the horrible person she is, but this isn’t followed up on either.

Overall, there was too much drama (melodrama?), too little character development and too many plot holes for me to consider this even okay. It’s a shame—I like Colleen Coble’s contemporary romantic suspense novels. But I’ve read all six books in this series and one or two of her other historical romances, and I have to say I’m not sold. Even discounting my preference for romantic suspense over regular romance, Coble’s historical offerings simply aren’t as good as her contemporary stories.

Thanks to Litfuse and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Review: Love on a Deadline by Kathryn Springer

Lovely Romance Novella

Journalist Mackenzie Davis is working for the Red Leaf Register, the paper in her home town, while she waits for her big break in a major publication. Meanwhile she’s left covering insignificant local interest stories. And now her high school nemesis is marrying a rising movie star, and she’s been asked to cover the wedding preparations … which are being undertaken by her high school crush, the boy next door, the brother of said high school nemesis.

“This was Hollis Channing they were talking about. The girl who’s been taking selfies a decade before there’d been a name for it.”

The characters were well-developed, with a convincing and believable rationale for the big misunderstanding she and Ethan had in high school. I was especially impressed by the way she was able to show change in the various characters—not just Mac and Ethan—and the way she brought all the threads of the plot together. The plot was another strength, as it had more complexity than I usually see in a novella.

I think this is the first book I’ve read by Kathryn Springer, but I’ll certainly be keen to read more, as Love on a Deadline was a thoroughly enjoyable short romance

Thanks to Zondervan and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Review and Giveaway: A Heart's Promise by Colleen Coble

Will the promise Emmie makes to her friend mean the end to her dreams of a future with Isaac? Find out in book five, A Heart's Promise, of Colleen Coble's A Journey of the Heart series. Emmie Croftner let Isaac Liddle go to avoid telling him about her past. But Isaac remains determined to win Emmie’s heart and hand. Can she live happily without Isaac?

Take a day off and head to the beach with a new giveaway from Colleen: five books (books one–five in Colleen's A Journey of the Heart series) and a beach bag to tote your new books in!

 

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of A Heart's Promise
• A Lands' End beach tote
• A copy of A Heart's Betrayal
• A copy of A Heart's Disguise
• A copy of A Heart's Obsession
• A copy of A Heart's Danger

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on July 31st. Winner will be announced August 3rd on Colleen's website.

Five Down, One to Go

Amazon Description

Emmie makes a promise to her friend that, if fulfilled, could mean the end to her dreams of a future with Isaac.

Emmie Croftner let Isaac Liddle go to avoid telling him about her past. But Isaac remains determined to win Emmie’s heart and hand. Though Emmie resolves to keep her heart in check, it hurts when she sees that another woman has set her bonnet for Isaac.

Then Emmie’s dear friend extracts a costly promise: if anything happens to her in childbirth, Emmie will marry her widower and raise the baby herself. And it seems Emmie may have to fulfill that promise. But can she live happily without Isaac?

My Review

This is going to be a short review, because I disliked the same things about this novella as I disliked about the previous four in the series, and I’m pretty much only reading and reviewing it because that was the condition for signing up for the tour—that I’d review all six books in the series. My bad.

The characters aren’t inspiring (and Emmie seems to have had a character transplant since the last book), the plot is predictable (thanks to the spoilers in the plot summary on the book’s copyright page) and the writing is merely average (although Coble has made some “massive changes” since the books were first published).

I’ve also decided that while I enjoy reading a book series, I’m not as keen on a serial like this, where each book is an episode in a larger whole (actually, it’s a single book that’s been cut in three. A cynic would say that’s so the publisher can charge $6.99 each for six books instead of $14.99 each for two).

The one plus is that it’s a quick read. Especially when you can skim because you already know what’s going to happen.

Thanks to the publisher and Litfuse Publicity for providing a free ebook for review.

Review: Picture Perfect Love by Melissa McClone

Good, but I'm not sold

Two years ago, Jenna Harrison’s fiancé dumped her the day before their wedding after accusing her of posting an embarrassing Photoshopped picture of him on Facebook, a photo which forced him to withdraw from an election campaign. Now he’s back, apologetic, and wants her to photograph his sister’s wedding—Amber, who has finally confessed to being responsible for posting the picture.

Jenna has changed since she was engaged to Ash. Their breakup brought her to rock-bottom financially and spiritually, but she joined a new church and is now a strong character, but not a perfect one and I liked that. Her struggle to forgive Ash felt real, especially when he had been too self-absorbed to see the financial and professional problems he’d caused her. She was a well-developed and likeable character.

Ash wasn’t so well developed. The breakup had benefited him financially, although he was never man enough to tell Jenna that (which annoyed me). He also didn’t seem to be her equal spiritually—I got the impression he went to church out of habit rather than actually having a personal faith. And I didn’t see any character change in him, either in the course of the novella, or between the Ash Jenna remembered from two years ago and the one in front of her today. Did he lack depth because this is a novella and there wasn’t the word count to develop him further? Possibly, but I’ve read plenty of novellas which managed to do a better job of developing both the hero and heroine.

As a romance novella, Picture Perfect Love is supposed to have a happy-ever-after ending (well, technically a romantically satisfying and optimistic ending). I’m not convinced. Jenna and Ash? Maybe. There was physical attraction in spades, so if that’s enough to maintain a relationship, they’ll be fine. But Amber and Toby? No. Amber is too immature and has difficulties with concepts like truth and repentance. I found her unlikeable, and couldn’t see why a sweetheart like Toby was interested in her, let alone marrying her.

Overall, Picture Perfect was well-written, but a good romance needs a lovable hero as well as a believable heroine and I’m not sold.

Thanks to Litfuse Publicity and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Review: SPLASH! by Various Authors

2015 Reading Challenge – Short Stories

SPLASH! is a compilation of nine faith-filled romance novellas by indie authors from around the world. Yes, I know novellas aren’t exactly short stories, but I haven’t read short stories in years and Amazon had this listed in the Christian Short Stories category. I figure that means it counts.

It’s hard to review nine different stories by nine different authors. I’ve and enjoyed read previous books by the first three authors, but the other six were new to me. No matter. My previous knowledge of the first three set high expectations I hoped the others would match.

Overall my expectations were met. Yes, the writing and editing was better in some stories than others. Yes, I liked some of the stories better than others (with nine stories there is always going to be a couple I like more or less than the others, for whatever reason). Yes, the Christian element was stronger in some stories than others. But all nine had a solid Christian message, and it was good to see (read?).

I’m sure you don’t want to read my extended views of each novella, so I’m going to give you a whistle-stop tour of all nine, prefaced by one simple statement: this is a great light read, and you might just find a new favourite author.

His Perfect Catch by Narelle Atkins, set on the beaches of New South Wales, Australia. Mia is escaping Sydney—and her ex-boyfriend—and finds hew new next-door neighbour is Pete, her teenage crush. There’s a heap of attraction, but is Pete planning to move back to Sydney? I edited this story which means I’m naturally biased towards it, but I did enjoy Mia and Pete’s story, especially the location (it’s not New Zealand, but it’s close), and the fishing scenes (Mia might not be as high maintenance as Pete thinks, but flat shoes are still a stretch for this city girl).

Sweet Serenade by Valerie Comer, set in the wilds of Canada, in which outgoing tour guide Carly finds she is attracted to the brooding Reed, despite her cousin’s assertion that he’s a standoffish ice man. A fun story, and I especially liked the way Carly and Reed were able to stand up for themselves and their beliefs in a lake of lukewarm churchgoers. This is one of those novellas I’d like to have been longer, so we could see more of Carly and Reed sharing their faith as they fall in love. It’s the third novella in a series, but works just fine as a standalone story.

More than Friends by Autumn Macarthur, set near Edinburgh, as Catriona is desperate for a man to chaperone a church trip to the beach with her and a minibus full of disabled children. She turns to Alistair Murray, her brother’s best friend, a work colleague … and the teenage crush she never quite got over. Friends to more-than-friends is one of my favourite plot devices, and this one had me smiling as Ally and Cat worked things out.

Love Flies In by Heidi McCahan, set in Alaska as new Christian Tisha McDowell reconnects with her college nemesis Chase Binford, the guy she used to hassle for his Christian faith … and apparently kissed. Once. I always enjoy stories set in Alaksa—it’s the US with a twist—and this novella showcased the setting well. And, yes, there was some romance once Chase worked a few things out. Men. Eternally frustrating, but you can’t have a Christian romance without one.

Testing the Waters by Lesley Ann McDaniel, set in Crescent Cove, Oregon, where Curt Mason is working as a waiter to help out a friend, and meets the gorgeous and glamourous Theresé from Paris. Except she’s actually plain Theresa Reynolds from Portland. I was initially hesitant about this—I’m not a fan of lying heroines or heroes—but the author redeemed the plot and wove in an important point about being who we are meant to be in God, so I was more than pleased with the end.

The Lifeguards the Swim Team and Frozen Custard by Carol Moncado has an intriguing and potentially amusing title, but the story didn’t live up to the promise, partly because I never got a fix on where it was set, and I had some initial confusion about a couple of the characters. But it was fun once it got going, and my lasting complaint was it ended too quickly (an unfortunate side-effect of the novella!).

Time and Tide by Lynette Sowell, set in Chincoteague Island, Virginia, where fashion writer Karyn Lewis has retreated following the loss of her job. She reconnects with high school friend Brodie … but gets a shock when she meets his daughter. This wasn’t one of my favourite stories—I didn’t see enough chemistry between Karyn and Brodie, and the plot seemed too detailed for the novella format. It’s ironic, because Lynette Sowell is probably the best-known author in this set, but I found the other stories featured stronger, fresher writing.

Draw You Near by Jan Thompson is set in Savannah, Georgia, where Londoner Lars Cargill has come to find the mysterious woman in a painting by Abilene Dupree. This had potential, and parts of the story were really sweet, but Lars came across as more American than British (perhaps he’s really from New England). On the plus side, there was plenty of chemistry and a shared faith between Lars and Abilene, but that came to a head too quickly and the last quarter of the story dragged. A lot.

Orphaned Hearts by Marion Ueckermann, set in Zambia near the mighty Zambezi River and Victoria Falls. I’m a sucker for exotic locations, and my only experience of Africa is Egypt, so this story really attracted me. Lady Abigail goes to Africa to spend a year teaching in an orphanage … and to get away from an ex-fiancé she can’t ever see herself marrying. She meets handsome widower Simon, who runs a different kind of orphanage—an elephant sanctuary—but who has given up on God since the death of his wife in childbirth. No, the plot isn’t exactly unique, but the setting is and that made what could have been a ho-hum story rather special.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading these novellas, and have certainly found some more authors to add to my to-watch list. My ever-longer to-watch list. Some of these novels are part of a series of novels or novellas, but they can all be read as standalone stories.

Thanks to the authors for providing a free ebook for review.

I do have one free copy of the SPLASH! Kindle ebook to give away—leave a comment to be in the draw to win (winner drawn one week from the publication of this post).

Review: A Heart's Danger by Colleen Coble

Sarah risks everything to expose the betrayal threatening the man she loves—but will the risk be worth it? Find out in book three, A Heart's Danger, of Colleen Coble's A Journey of the Heart series. Rand’s new fiancée wants to keep him from returning to Sarah Montgomery . . . for whom his heart clearly still yearns. Sarah just wants to move on with her life at Fort Laramie, but doing so under the watchful eyes of both Campbell—the man whose love she craves—and Croftner—the man whose lies have cost her everything.

Enter to win the perfect pairing giveaway: three books (books one–three in Colleen's A Journey of the Heart series) and coffee to pair with your new book!

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of A Heart's Danger
• A pound of Colleen's favorite coffee, Captain Davy's Coffee Roaster Costa Rican
• A copy of A Heart's Disguise
• A copy of A Heart's Obsession

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on May 31st. Winner will be announced June 1st on Colleen's website.

My Review

Book Description

On the brink of war with the Sioux, Sarah risks everything to expose the betrayal threatening the man she loves.

Christmas is coming, and the air at Fort Laramie has turned cold . . . but relations with the Sioux have turned colder. As tensions between soldiers and natives approach a tipping point, a trap has been set for Rand Campbell.
Rand’s new fiancée wants to keep him from returning to Sarah Montgomery . . . for whom his heart clearly still yearns.

Sarah just wants to move on with her life at Fort Laramie, but doing so under the watchful eyes of both Campbell—the man whose love she craves—and Croftner—the man whose lies have cost her everything.

Will Rand fall victim to the conspiracy and go through with his wedding? Or will he declare his love for Sarah and make good on the promises that brought her into the rugged western territories?

My Review

The book description sounds good, but the actual book was less good. This was mostly because of the characters. Ben Croftner is basically the archetypical bad guy: evil but with no real motive. Sure, we understand he wants to marry Sarah, but why? What is it about her that he followed her halfway across the country?

Jessica DuBois is no better. Yes, we get that she’s jealous of Sarah, but Rand has promised to marry Jessica, and he’s a man of honour. He’s not going to go back on his word, even if he does still love Sarah. Of course, by choosing to align herself with Ben Croftner, Jessica shows herself to be a poor judge of character, so perhaps she really doesn’t understand she has nothing to fear from Sarah’s presence. Anyway, we get that Jessica has this deep-seated hatred and jealousy towards Sarah, but her actions still don’t make any sense. After all, all she had to do was marry Rand and the Sarah problem would go away.

As for Sarah, she's mostly decorative, a personality-less person who exists to serve as the inexplicable object of Rand's love, Ben's obsession, and Jessica's jealousy. She never does much except react to the events around her.

This is the third novella in the A Journey of the Heart series, following A Heart’s Disguise and A Heart’s Obsession. It’s better than the previous two, in that at least the plot arc comes to a satisfactory conclusion. However, it does raise the question of what (or who) the final three novellas are going to be about. Hopefully it will include characters who are a little more rounded.

Thanks to Litfuse Publicity and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Review: Serving up a Sweetheart by Cheryl Wyatt

Not Me

When wedding caterer Meadow Larson’s kitchen roof collapses, her high school nemesis comes to the rescue, offering his barn as a temporary kitchen. While Colin McGrath never led the bullies in the popular crowd who made her high school years a misery, he never called them on their behaviour either. Now he says he’s changed. Can she believe him?

Yes, I can see that a person can change after high school. I can see that they might regret some of their teenage decisions and behaviour (who doesn’t?). But I never got an impression of how Colin had changed, which meant I didn’t get that he had changed. I only saw the almost-perfect Christian contractor he now is.

I also didn’t really get Meadow. If she hated high school and everyone in town bullied her, why did she stay? Here’s the other thing I didn’t get. She appears to be operating a commercial catering business out of her house, and when her kitchen is destroyed, she uses the home kitchen of her building contractor. Really? A bachelor who lives in a barn has a kitchen good enough to use for commercial catering? And it doesn’t have to be certified as meeting local hygiene standards?

Okay, these might be minor issues, and it seems most people are loving Serving Up a Sweetheart. But it didn’t work for me. The writing was good, and I thought the Christian aspects were excellent. But the characters were too good to be true, and I thought the plot was too complex to adequately cover in such a short word count. Overall, average.

Thanks to Zondervan and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review. You can find out more about Cheryl Wyatt at her website.

Review and Giveaway: A Heart's Obsession by Colleen Coble

Can a woman held captive by her family make it back to the one man she knows she can trust? Find out in book two, A Heart's Obsession, of Colleen Coble's Journey of the Heart series. When Sarah Montgomery’s father succumbs to his long illness, Sarah is faced with a life-altering choice: submit to her brother’s will and marry the deceptive Ben Croftner . . . or escape through the dangerous American West to reclaim the heart of her beloved Rand Campbell at Fort Laramie, Wyoming.

Celebrate book two in Colleen's A Journey of the Heart series by entering to win a Kindle Fire and RSVPing to her May 5th author chat party!

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire
• A copy of A Heart's Disguise
• A copy of A Heart's Obsession
• A copy of The Inn at Ocean's Edge (blog tour coming in mid-April)

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on May 7th. Winner will be announced May 8th on Colleen's website. Plus be sure to clear your calendar on the evening of May 5th because Colleen is hosting an author chat party on Facebook to celebrate her A Journey of the Heart series and the release of The Inn at Ocean's Edge! RSVP here!

RSVP today and spread the word—tell your friends about the giveaway via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on May 5th!

My Review

Lieutenant Rand Campbell left his intended in Wabash, Indiana when he was posted to Fort Laramie, Wyoming, because she wouldn’t leave her family. The prospect of a forced marriage to liar Ben Croftner gives Sarah Montgomery the push she needs to leave her family and find Rand—and marry him. But when she arrives at Fort Laramie, she finds things aren’t as she expected …

I didn't enjoy the first novella in this collection because the publisher’s description gave away all the key plot points. They didn’t make quite the same mistake with this second book, but the description still covers the first two-thirds of the story (although this time I made sure I didn’t actually read the book description, just in case).

I’m still not sold on the series. Rand is almost the perfect man, except for one error of judgement about the true character of the pretty Miss Jessica DuBois. Sarah was too wishy-washy for my tastes in the first book (A Heart’s Disguise), but seems to have grown a spine on the trip to Wyoming. She also has a respect for the local Indian population that seems a little uncharacteristic for a sheltered woman of her time.

The minor characters were, if anything, worse. We didn’t get the opportunity to get to know either Ben Croftner or Jessica DuBois in any detail, which meant they came across as clichés. The plot moved along too quickly, in that the characters (Rand, in particular) had dramatic changes in their feelings without any logic or explanation. The other problem was the end: it was very abrupt, as though it was just cut off. Perhaps it was—after all, there are another four novellas in the series after this one.

Thanks to Litfuse Publicity and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

This book counts towards my 2015 Reading Challenge as a book with a love triangle.

Review: In Tune with Love by Amy Mateyo

Fun New Adult Romance

April Quinn’s sister is getting married, and when the wedding coordinator quits with a week to go, she ropes April in to finish the job. What Bridezilla hasn’t told April is that the wedding singer is none other than country music star Jack Vaughan, the guy who gained national fame with April’s lyrics. April’s unacknowledged lyrics. April hasn’t forgiven him … but the sparks flying between them are more than just old hurts.

Jack is sorry for what he did, but he has no idea how to fix the problem … until April’s sister asks him to be her wedding singer. He agrees, as a personal favour to April. Not that she seems to appreciate the gesture. And she’s as cute as ever … maybe the wedding will give him the opportunity to make things right.

Apart from Jack, April’s other problem is that her family don’t appreciate her and don’t respect her career choices, calling her tunes and lyrics “jingles” (I probably wouldn’t be happy either if April was my daughter. But she’s only twenty-two. She’s got time to grow up).

This pretty much encapsulates my problem with April: she’s earnest and hardworking, but she’s young and more naïve than I would have expected, given her history with Jack and the fact she works in a bar surrounded by musicians and people who want to be musicians. She’s still writing lyrics on receipt backs: three years, and she’s never thought to buy a pad of paper to carry around? Or even to write on the back of her bar order pad?

The writing was good, the cover gorgeous, the story fun (if a bit over-the-top), and while I enjoyed it, I didn’t love it. April was lacking in maturity, and the whole wedding scenario was completely over-the-top, which made In Tune with Love seem more young adult than real adult.

Thanks to Zondervan and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review. You can find out more about Amy Mateo at her website.

Audiobook Review and Giveaway: How A Star Falls by Amber Stokes

Something New …

This review is something new for Iola’s Christian Reads, because How a Star Falls isn't actually a read. It’s a listen: an audiobook, courtesy of Rivershore Books Book Tours and Amber Stokes.

I know a lot of people rave about audiobooks, but I’ve never seen the appeal. The audiobook that’s twelve hours of listening time is probably only four to six hours of reading time, and I’d rather read the book (especially when I can read it on my Kindle). But I’ve recently started a new job which involves two three-hour drives each week, so the idea of using audiobooks to help pass the time and reduce the monotony has a certain appeal. So I was pleased when I was invited to participate in this audiobook blog tour.

Apart from the time commitment, my other issue with audiobooks is the importance of the narrator. A good story can be ruined by bad or indifferent narration, something I have experienced with my previous ventures into audiobooks. Sometimes it’s narrators who try too hard to make their voices different for different characters, to the point where it’s off-putting. Other times it’s narrators whose voices are so monotone, I can’t tell the difference between the characters, which can make for confusing listening.

In the same way, a good narrator can make a story better. That was the case for me with How a Star Falls, narrated by Patrick Wilson Mahaney. Although it’s a romance, most of the novella is from Derek’s point of view, which made a male narrator the logical choice, and Mr Mahaney was excellent—clear and full of expression, with a slightly dreamy quality appropriate for a romance.

The other thing I particularly enjoyed was that How a Star Falls is a novella, so the entire recording is a little under two hours—something I could easily listen to while driving and finish all in one journey (and downloading from Audible onto my phone so I could listen was a breeze). I did notice one curious thing while I was listening: some words and phrases which might have annoyed me in the written book (like too many dialogue tags) worked just fine in an audiobook. I suspect this is a testament to the talent of the narrator.

But what did I think of the story?

Lovely.

Derek isn’t living the dream. He believed “them” when they said he’d have a better career and earn more if he went to college, so why is he now working a low-wage job as a sales clerk in a music store and paying off student loans? He’s musing about the injustice of it all while taking one of his favourite walks … where he comes across a woman in a wedding dress, sleeping on a bench at the top of the hill.

He wakes her because it’s about to get dark, and she says she’s a fallen star, from the edge of the constellation of Orion. Derek doesn’t exactly believe her, but it’s getting dark and she doesn’t have anywhere to go, so he does the gentlemanly thing and offers to take her home. Derek shows himself to be a nice guy who deserves more. Brielle (as he calls her) is naïve and imaginative, loves dancing, and helps Derek to reconsider how he thinks about his “career” and his family.

How a Star Falls is a gorgeous romance reminding us that we are responsible for our own choices, and that the life we are living doesn’t have to be the life we live. We can change things. And I liked and appreciated that reminder.

A lovely story that left me with a smile on my face even in rush-hour traffic.

You can find out more about Amber Stokes at her website, Seasons of Humility.

Giveaway!

Experience How a Star Falls as you’ve never heard it before! Enter to win one of three digital audiobook copies of the novella using the Rafflecopter form below. Open to anyone who can access Audible.com. (Prizes will be distributed using promo codes through that site.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

There are also ebook and paperback versions available: Click here to go to Amazon

Review: A Brush With Love by Rachel Hauck

Too Short

Ginger Winters was the victim of a horrible accident when she was twelve, and it’s forever changed her opinion of herself: she is not beautiful and never will be. But she can see and display the beauty in her friends and clients, which she does in her job as a hairdresser in her new salon in her hometown of Rosebud, Alabama. She rarely dates, and still hasn’t quite forgiven Tom Wells for standing her up twelve years ago, even though he had a perfectly good excuse: his family left town that night, and haven’t returned. But now Tom’s back, and keeps hanging around …

I’m in two minds about A Brush with Love. I enjoyed Ginger’s internal emotional and spiritual journey. As well as believing she’d never be beautiful, she also believed she wasn’t good enough for God—a lie too many people believe, an important issue to address, and one A Brush with Love deals with well (if a bit too quickly).

However, the romance didn’t work for me. The story didn’t convince me that two people who hadn’t seen each other for twelve years were a good match in the present (especially when one was a pastor and the other barely believed in the idea of God), it seemed that Ginger’s big personal revelation should have come in the middle not the end, and it felt as though all the romance actually happened between the end of the last chapter and the beginning of the epilogue.

This was a novella, but I really think there was too much plot and character development to cram into such a short space. It should have been a novel—that would have given the characters sufficient chance to develop and change.

Thanks to Zondervan and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review. You can find out more about Rachel Hauck at her website. 

Review: The Fruitcake Challenge by Carrie Fancett Pagels

Jo Christy is a cook in her family’s logging camp in 1890 Michigan, and wants to get away … and perhaps be courted. She’s not impressed when she finds out the reason none of the loggers have approached her over the years is because her brothers have warned them off, and is even less impressed with the new man in camp, Tom Jeffries, starts paying her attention.

Tom wants to catch the attention of the pretty young cook, so issues the fruitcake challenge: he’ll marry the woman who can bake a Christmas fruitcake as good as his mother’s cake. Several other bachelor loggers take up the idea, but Jo’s having none of it. She wants to leave the camp, no matter what.

The Fruitcake Challenge is a short but enjoyable Christmas novella that manages to pack a lot into a small space. The plot is original, the characters are fun, and there is an underlying Christian theme. All that’s missing is the recipes!

Thanks to the author for providing a free ebook for review. You can find more about Carrie Fancett Pagels at her website.

Review: A November Bride by Beth K Vogt

Lovely

Sadie McAllister is a personal chef who dreams of TV stardom, but a chance conversation with one of her clients shows her that what she really wants is a family. Trouble is, she’s thirty and just been dumped by text message. Again. None of her relationships seem to last longer than a couple of months. Mind you, her best friend, Erik Davis, seems to have the same issue. And now he’s suggesting they date, obviously forgetting he turned her down when she asked him to the Sadie Hawkins dance seventeen years ago.

I recently reviewed All's Fair in Love and Cupcakes, which had a similar plot to A November Bride: a chef heroine who has spent years cooking for her male best friend who is secretly in love with her. I didn’t especially enjoy Cupcakes, because the central conflict (that they both loved each other but didn’t want to ruin the friendship by admitting it) didn’t work in a full-length novel.

However, A November Bride is a novella, and it works, both because of the shorter format, and because the characters are a little more prepared to take risks. It also helps that there were some scenes which were laugh-out-loud funny, especially their “chaperoned” date. But you’ll have to read it yourself.

A November Bride is part of the Year of Weddings series of novellas, each from a different author. While each one can be read and enjoyed as a standalone story, several link back to other books by the respective author.

Thanks to Zondervan and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review. You can find out more about Beth K Vogt at her website.