Friday Fifteen: Carolyn Miller

Today I'd like to welcome Carolyn Miller to Iola's Christian Reads. to share her Friday Fifteen: fifteen authors who have influenced her life and writing. Except she's cheated, and given us sixteen!

She is also here to introduce her new release, The Captivating Lady Charlotte, the second book in the A Legacy of Grace series. I read and enjoyed the first book, The Elusive Miss Ellison, and I'm looking forward to reading about Lady Charlotte ... and Miss DeLancey (which releases in October)

Welcome, Carolyn!

1. Jane Austen 

Who can surpass the Queen of English literature? Her wit and observations of early 1800s English society have given us such memorable novels as Pride and Prejudice, and the countless TV and film adaptations have caused many a heart to flutter faster, thanks to such characters as Mr. Darcy. (Thank you, Jane!)

My favourite: Persuasion beats Pride and Prejudice due to its heartbreaking poignancy - but only just!

2. Georgette Heyer

Considered by many to have established the historical romance genre, whose witty novels and extraordinary degree of research (she once bought a letter by the Duke of Wellington to emulate his style of phrasing!) are so inspiring to this author. My favourites: The Unknown Ajax, The Nonesuch, Frederica, Arabella, Venetia, (the list goes on…)

Having read The Elusive Miss Ellison, it doesn't surprise me that Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer top your list!

3. LM Montgomery

The Canadian author of Anne of Green Gables (one of my favourite novels when I was growing up) also wrote the poignant and wonderfully evocative The Blue Castle. One of my top five novels of all time!

4. Jean Webster

Another classic author whose work I enjoy is Jean Webster, author of Daddy Long Legs and Dear Enemy. These stories of spirited, likeable young females overcoming hardships of birth and prejudice also possess heart, wit and satirical social commentary that ensure a good read.

I've read both, but have to admit I prefer Daddy Long Legs to Dear Enemy.

5. Agatha Christie

Speaking of classics, I love to read Agatha Christie. I enjoy the depiction of England in a time when manners mattered, and those responsible for crime were always guaranteed to be brought to justice.

Miss Marple or Poirot? I preferred Miss Marple, but I've just bought an audio version of the Bible narrated by David Suchet, who played Poirot. Lovely voice!

6.Janet Evanovich

A far more contemporary crime series I enjoy reading is that created by Janet Evanovich, whose main character, Stephanie Plum, has all the sass and wit I can ask for (even if some of the later novels aren’t nearly as good as the first ten)

7. Mary Grant Bruce

I’m Australian, so it’s my patriotic duty to ensure that Mary Grant Bruce gets a mention. Her Billabong series of children’s stories depicted life in the Australian bush in the early 1900s, and featured vivid descriptions of country life, humorous colloquialisms, slow burning romance, and were considered to help shape a sense of Australian identity, particularly in regards to patriotism and ideas about the bush.

I remember reading stories of Blinky Bill, but never Mary Grant Bruce.

8. Kate Morton

Continuing the Australian theme, I’m a more recent convert to the writing of Kate Morton. Her haunting stories of family and tragedy shift between the present and the past, and the poignant, evocative prose in novels such as The Lake House is guaranteed to stir the soul.

9. Liane Moriarty

Liane Moriarty is another Aussie author I’ve recently come to enjoy. Her bestselling contemporary fiction show aspects of life I can relate to, such as the challenges faced by school parents depicted in Big Little Lies. Funny, incisive, insightful writing.

10. Melina Marchetta

Another author of Australian fiction I enjoy is Melina Marchetta, whose novel Looking for Alibrandi was on the High School Certificate English course for very good reason. Her insights into teen angst, and the challenges faced by migrants in urban Australia are heart-breakingly good.

11. John Marsden 

John Marsen is another Aussie author whose Tomorrow When the War Began series is exciting, tense, and teen-true. A great, though slightly unnerving, read, especially for young adults.

So many Australian authors I've never read!

12. William Shakespeare

I love some of the plays and poems by William Shakespeare, so I’m going to include him here too, due to his keen use of drama, romance, wit, and perceptive social observations. Twelfth Night is one of my favourites.

13. Marina Fiorato

Marina Fiorato is an author who used the story of Much Ado About Nothing in her lovely novel Beatrice and Benedick. Gorgeous writing!

And what a fabulous book cover!

14. Roseanna M White

A Christian historical author I enjoy is Roseanna M. White. I recently read her novel The Reluctant Duchess and loved it. Powerfully intense, yet threaded by wit and a sense of God’s grace.

Roseanna M White is one of my favourite Christian historical authors. 

15. Becky Wade

A Christian contemporary author I enjoy is Becky Wade. My ultimate favourite Christian novel is My Stubborn Heart, as much for the realism of its flawed main characters, as the wit and banter found within. Oh, and the ice hockey hero. I’ll always love an ice hockey hero J.

Yes, I definitely vote for Becky Wade!

16. God

Can I add the ultimate Author? The book that has influenced me more than any other is, of course, The Bible. So let’s include God – definitely leaving the best for last!

Yes, you can add a #16!

About Carolyn Miller

Carolyn Miller lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and four children. Together with her husband she has pastored a church for ten years, and worked part-time as a public high school English and Learning and Support teacher.

A longtime lover of romance, especially that of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer’s Regency era, Carolyn holds a BA in English Literature, and loves drawing readers into fictional worlds that show the truth of God’s grace in our lives. Her debut Regency The Elusive Miss Ellison released in February 2017, and her next, The Captivating Lady Charlotte released June 27. Both are available from Amazon, Book Depository, Koorong and more.

Connect with her:
www.carolynmillerauthor.com
www.pinterest.com/camillering
www.facebook.com/CarolynMillerAuthor/
www.twitter.com/CarolynMAuthor

About The Captivating Lady Charlotte

Responsibility, romanticism, and true love...

As the daughter of the Marquess of Exeter, Lady Charlotte Featherington always knew she was destined for great things on the marriage mart. Little did she imagine falling in love with a man on the eve of her parents announcing her betrothal - to someone else.

William Hartwell might be a Duke, but he suspects neither his title nor wealth will prove enough to hold the heart of the young lady who has captured his. The scandal surrounding his first wife's death makes trusting again difficult, while the mysterious happenings at his ancestral home, Hartwell Abbey, seek to separate before they are wed.

How can a young Lady negotiate her future when her heart demands the opposite of duty? Can they both learn to truly love from the legacy of Grace?

Now available from these leading retailers: Amazon.com, Amazon.com.au, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Christian Book, Book Depository and Koorong

Book Review: You'll Think of Me by Robin Lee Hatcher

A Great Christian Romance

Eighteen-year-old Brooklyn Myers left her home town of Thunder Creek, Idaho, to marry Chad Hallston—who left her just months later, when she announced she was pregnant. She’s spent the last ten years trying to raise Alycia on her own, with the help of the neighbour who introduced her to a loving God:

A God who loved her, a Savior who had willingly died for her, a Spirit who renewed her mind and gave her strength.

Now Esther, her babysitter and best friend, is leaving town and Brooklyn has no idea how she’ll juggle working with caring for Alycia. Until she finds Chad is dead, and she’s been left the Hallston property back in Thunder Creek.

 Derek Johnston is looking forward to buying the ten-acre Hallston property from Chad, to expand his organic farm. He isn’t pleased when he finds Chad, his best friend, is dead and has left the land and house to Brooklyn. To complicate matters, Chad has also asked that Derek be the father Chad never was …

Yes, it’s a great set-up. And it’s a great novel.

I loved all the characters, even while they struggled to love themselves and each other. I loved the developing relationships, the witty dialogue:

“Don’t ask what I think of that oversight. I might tell you.” 

Or

“I’ve hardly seen you lately. When would I have had the chance to tell you?”
“Ever heard of a telephone?” 

That sounds like something my grandmother would have said. I also loved the way Brooklyn’s Christian faith was woven into the story:

She unfurled her hands, turning them palms up. Hands empty and open. And suddenly she understood that open hands were the only way she could receive anything new.

And I loved the way we discovered more about the histories of each character—Brooklyn, Derek, and Chad—as the story progressed, and the way those character histories explained and deepened their present journey.

Because this is a romance, and romance is all about the journey. 

 A great story of love and second chances. Recommended for contemporary romance fans.

 Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

I'm Reviewing Grounded Hearts by Jeanne M Dickson at ICFW

Today I'm visiting International Christian Fiction Writers, to review Grounded Hearts by debut author Jeanne M Dickson. Click here to read my review.

You can find out more about Jeanne M Dickson at her website, and you can read the introduction to Grounded Hearts below:

I'm Reviewing The Priority Unit by Susan Page Davis at Suspense Sisters Reviews!

I'm Reviewing The Priority Unit by Susan Page Davis at Suspense Sisters Reviews. Click here to read my review.

You can find out more about Susan Page Davis at her website, and you can read the introduction to The Priority Unit below:

Book Review: The Evaporation of Sofi Snow by Mary Weber

The Hunger Games meets V Meets …

I don’t read a lot of Christian speculative fiction, because a lot of it is fantasy, a genre I don’t enjoy. I do enjoy science fiction, and I especially enjoy a good dystopian thriller. I picked up The Evaporation of Sofi Snow believing it was Christian dystopian, which was half right. It was dystopian, but it also had an element of science fiction.

What it didn’t have was any Christian content—almost the opposite, in that there was a lot of almost-swearing that I was surprised to see in a book from a major Christian publisher (e.g. gad knows, pissed, heck, WTF, mentions of sex and alcohol). Having said that, it’s obvious from the content, the comparisons, and the notable authors who’ve endorsed Sofi Snow that it’s not aimed at the Christian market. If you’re looking for a Christian dystopian novel, Sofi Snow is not the novel you’re looking for.

But if you’re looking for a fast-paced young adult dystopian thriller, The Evaporation of Sofi Snow may be perfect for you. 

It’s set in near-future Earth, eleven years after the Delonese arrive and sort out the problems of the Fourth World War. They also set up the games, a curious mix of the Hunger Games and the Triwizard Tournament, where teams of real-life gamers work through a maze created by their online gaming teammates.

The trouble begins when there is a terrorist attack at the games, leaving Sofi and her brother both declared dead. But Sofi is very much still alive … and she’s convinced Shilo is as well. So begins the race to save herself, find help, and locate and save Shilo.

The story is told in third person from two points of view—Sofi, and Miguel, the youngest of the thirty human ambassadors to Delon. I don’t know how a teenager got appointed to such an important role, but Miguel is more convincing than, say, Princess Amidala in the first Start Wars movie. Anyway, Miguel is a useful ally because he knows all the right humans and Delonese—even if Sofi is convinced he loathes her.

There were a couple of things which bugged me. 

I’m from New Zealand, so I didn’t understand many of Miguel’s lapses into Spanish (bobo, pierdete, cuate). Yes, I’ve heard of Google Translate. But that takes me out of the story. I didn’t like the cliffhanger ending, but I’d been warned it was coming, so I was annoyed at the suddenness and lack of resolution rather than being vitriolic at the feeling of having been cheated. And there was a “plot twist” towards the end that the characters seemed surprised by, but which had seemed obvious to me from page one. Maybe that’s because I’d read the book description and the characters hadn’t. Or maybe it’s because I watch a lot of TV sci fi.

Forewarned is forearmed. If you speak even a little Spanish and don’t mind cliffhanger endings, this won’t bother you. It’s the start of a series (it better be, with that cliffhanger ending!), and parts of the story are a little rough at the beginning as we are introduced to a future earth with an entirely new system of government.

Overall, The Evaporation of Sofi Snow is a fast-paced story with a lot happening all the time. 

Although I didn’t find it as compelling as The Hunger Games or the first two Divergent novels (let’s not mention the end of that trilogy), I’m sure it will find an audience with YA readers.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review. You can find out more about Mary Weber at her website.