LiteraryScape: Book Club: Recent Episodes
Melissa LaShure
Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels.
I have a few verses for today’s inspirational moment.
Hebrews 13:4 – Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.
Matthew 19:4-6 – “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh? So, they are no longer two, but one. Therefore, what God has joined together, let man not separate.”
If you’ve been with me long enough, then you know that the subject of marriage is one I am passionate about. The world has taken this amazing gift from God and torn it asunder. From redefining what marriage is by approving same sex marriages, divorce being common, to simple almost innocent comments that throw marriage under the bus.
Think about these statements and trust me, I’m guilty of either saying them, laughing about them, and even believing them.
· Happy wife, happy life.
· The old ball and chain.
· Take your brain out and leave it on the shelf, she’s in charge now.
They don’t paint marriage in a good light, do they? Here’s what else they don’t do; they don’t align with God’s word on marriage. That’s because they are lies from the pit of Hell. Satan works overtime to undermine God and His word.
I know some of you are shaking your head at me and thinking, she’s crazy. I did the same thing the first time our pastor pointed this out. Then I went and read all the verses in the Bible about marriage. That’s when I realized I had been following the world’s advice on marriage, not God’s.
This snippet of a scene from Julia David’s book The Passenger’s Promise brings us back to the heart and sanctity of marriage. To the way God intended marriage to be.
“I’ve seen you both attend, and will surmise that you’re both followers of Christ?”
They nodded again. That one was easy.
“The reason I ask is because marriage is similar to the covenant God made with us. The Almighty took us in as we were, even giving His most precious possession that we would have life with him. The sacrifice of His only son. Marriage is a covenant, not an agreement to be taken lightly.”
(Julia David, The Passenger’s Promise, page 210)
I love this nugget of truth that Julia wove into her novel. Do you look at marriage as a covenant? Do you hold it sacred? Are you teaching your children this through your own marriage? What kind of marriage do you want for your children?
I know, I am throwing some tough questions at you. However, they are worth considering. When I took the time to examine my own thoughts on marriage, and how well they aligned with God’s word, it wasn’t pretty. However, I can tell you that through God’s grace, love, and mercy I now have a marriage that’s foundation is firmly rooted in God’s word. It’s stronger than it has ever been because my husband and I live out our roles as husband and wife according to God’s instructions.
Take time to examine your views on marriage. Do they align more with God’s word or the world’s view? When you realign with God’s word, He’ll bless the socks off your marriage, and you’ll watch your children enter into a Godly marriage too.
In this episode Tiffanie, Jamie, and Melissa discuss The Station Keeper’s Surrender. This is the second book in Julia David’s Wells Fargo West series.
We met the young widow, Ava Farrow and her sweet son Matthew, in The Messenger’s Mischief. Their adventure continues as she struggles to find her way in a wild and dangerous land.
Captain Adam Townes never wanted to lead a fort. However, the war had pushed him from his comfortable engineering position to Captain. He may lack confidence in his leadership skills, but when he finds Ava manning the Wells Fargo Station on her own, he takes charge in ensuring her and Matthew’s safety.
You can well imagine that Adam’s insistence and forceful ways don’t sit well with Ava. However, after a night of depending on each other to survive things begin to change. Check out this scene snippet.
“I’m sitting against the tree. Come back, you can rest against me.” Captain Townes’s hands felt like warm coals as they gripped her waist and tugged her backward. “I promise, I will never tell. But you are keeping me warm.”
Ava could barely swallow as she leaned against him. The contact was indeed helping her shaking limbs. She pulled her coat tighter to include his arms, and he wrapped his arms around her waist. Now, was she shaking from the cold or his hands on her?
His chest rose and fell against her back. Likely he felt the closeness as shockingly as she did. It had been many months since she’d been held by a man, and his heat was a much-needed comfort. The feeling of safety was so remarkable, she allowed her muscles to relax. He said he would never tell, and certainly, he would not read anything into this moment. They weren’t even friends, only two people needing to get out of the rain.
(Julia David, The Station Keeper’s Surrender, page 107)
The heat between these two grows into something most readers won’t be expecting. Don’t worry it all works out, just not how one might expect.
Enjoy this episode as we bring you more connections to these amazing characters, from our own lives!
Until next time happy and blessed reading!
Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels!
Luke 19: 9-10: Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost.”
As we dive into The Station Keeper’s Surrender by Julia David, we meet Ava. She is our leading lady who strives to be perfect and runs from her mistakes. Does that sound familiar? I think if we are honest with ourselves, we are all like Ava.
We strive to be perfect, to live according to God’s will, yet because we are human, we stumble and fall short of His glory. When this happens our first instinct is to run and hide. Like Ava and Adam and Eve. Yet Jesus seeks you out, even when you are wallowing in your sin and doubt.
I love how Julia reminds her readers, through Ava’s experience, that Jesus’s blood covers all our sins. His love for you and me is far greater than anything we can imagine. Check out this scene from The Station Keeper’s Surrender. This is after Ava has sinned in a way, she never dreamt she would and in turn she’s hurt and pushed away the man she loves.
Laney was at her elbow, giving it a squeeze. “I see your remorse,” she said deliberately. “God is looking for a contrite heart.” Laney waited, and Ava couldn’t meet her eyes. “He forgives all sins, all trespasses. That was the reason He sent His Son. There was a painful price to pay that day on the cross, but God believed you were worth it.”
Ava felt the sentiment rattle inside her, and, with a tremoring hand, she gave her friend a pat on the shoulder.
“Maybe your job, your independence was taken.” Laney hinted. “But there is no prison as harsh as living unforgiven. High expectations on oneself make for a long fall. And I know you, Ava—you’ve done everything by the Southern belle rule book.” Laney chuckled “Is there such a thing?”
“I remember when I first met you, you seemed perfect. Perfect in speech, poise, and beauty. It was like you were made of porcelain. I was a fumbling, nervous ninny goat around you.” Laney puffed a small laugh and held her arm until Ava would look at her. “This reckless night, your fall, is something you never saw yourself capable of?”
“I’ve made a lot of mistakes,” Ava whispered, glancing back at Matthew. “But at least not with a good man, like this.”
“With this mistake, ask God why? Could this be an opportunity to allow the Lord to heal your heart? He didn’t come for the perfect. He came to be living water for the confused and broken. Let Him gather you, forgive you, and hold you close.”
(Julia David, The Station Keeper’s Surrender page 194)
Oh wow. Just let those words soak in, Let Him gather you, forgive you, and hold you close. Nothing. I repeat nothing compares to letting Jesus gather you in His arms, hold you close and forgive you. There are no words to describe the peace and wholeness of knowing Jesus.
Jesus brings you complete healing and the strength to fight the good fight when temptation comes your way. Don’t live another day in your self-made prison of unforgiveness. He is seeking you, knocking on the door of your prison. Open it! Run into His loving arms and live in true freedom.
This inspirational message reminds of For King and Country’s song, Run Wild. I am putting a link to the video in the blog post. I encourage you to just listen and let the words soak in. We were made to run wild, live free, and love strong.
In this episode Tiffanie, Jamie, and Melissa discuss The Messenger’s Mischief by Julia David. This is the first book in her Wells Fargo West series.
Miss Elaine Balderhoff is as sweet and innocent as they come. As the new schoolteacher in Virginia City, she works hard to maintain propriety while showing her students the love of Christ.
Not everyone in town has honorable intentions towards her. In fact, her boss is quite sleezy. Thankfully, she resides at the widow house, and they help keep her safe. Along with her hero Sawyer Roth.
Sawyer is a shot gun rider for Wells Fargo. He isn’t educated like Eliane, but he doesn’t let that stand in the way. Especially when she gets herself into predicaments and he must save her. Check out this scene snippet.
“Only you would hit the only nest in the only tree in miles.” He took her wrist and pulled them to standing. “Watch. . .oh no. . .they’re not happy.” Sawyer pulled her closer to the water’s edge and yanked off his boots.
Laney could not believe her eyes as the swirl of buzzing darkness came closer. How could so many bees come from that hive? “This is your fault!” she grabbed his shirt as they tried to weave opposite the swirl and swarm coming closer.
“In the water now!” Sawyer drug her in, the cold water soaking her moccasins and skirt layers.
“No, Sawyer!” Laney panted, clinging to him. “I can’t swim!”
He pulled her further, the water covering her waist. “You don’t need to swim.” He leaned to the side, and the bees bussed inches from them. “Get under!”
(Julia David, The Messenger’s Mischief, page 128)
This is just one of many mishaps Miss Elaine Balderhoff endures on her way to love. She is character most of us can relate to. Tiffanie, Jamie and I share experience we’ve had that are similar to our damsel in distress, Laney.
If you need a laugh, you’ll not only enjoy this episode, but you will enjoy reading Laney’s adventure in The Messenger’s Mischief by Julia David!
Until next time happy and blessed reading!
Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels.
Psalm 78:5-7: He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.
In Julia David’s novel, The Messenger’s Mischief, her leading lady Miss Elaine Balderhoff is a God-fearing teacher. She possesses a sweet innocence that is deeply rooted in her relationship with God. No matter what situation she finds herself in, and she gets into plenty of precarious ones, she is quoting God’s word and speaking life into those around her.
The snippet of a scene below is a word of encouragement she receives from her hero, Sawyer Roth. She shares a painful memory of an event when she was in school and was mistreated by her classmates and teacher. Her experience was vastly different from how she taught and treated her own students.
Laney stopped with heart pounding, looking everywhere but at him. This is what the curious miner’s children would see, the new teacher in a squabble with a man? She straightened her spine and tried to find her composure. “I apologize for all my Bible lessons, Mr. Roth. Please forgive me and allow me to pass.”
“No.” His voice lowered. “I was riled by what those children and that teacher did to you. Then you brought it back to me and that riled me more. And those are both pitiful excuses to be coarse with you." A low growl escaped, and he ran his hand down his face. "I think these children--I'm sayin’ this honest—they’re lucky to have a teacher like you. One who’d never hit ‘em to make them mind, one who’d never humiliate ‘em in front of others. One who cares enough about their souls to show them the truth of the Bible.”
(Julia David, The Messenger’s Mischief, page 84)
As an educator I absolutely love this scene. In my time as a teacher, I have had the joy of nurturing students and sharing Jesus. Our children deserve to the know the truth. There is only one source of truth when it comes to instructing them on how to live their lives, the Bible.
The enemy has misused the concept of separation of church and state to remove God from our schools. The effects of this can be seen in the degradation of our society. I don’t want to focus on the negative, but it is important to point out that removing God from our lives, has led to a society of hurting and lost people.
Do you stop and think about your children’s souls? Don’t you want to give your children the best? Well, the best is Jesus Christ who redeems us and presents us to His father as wholesome, clean, and new. So that, we may have everlasting life in paradise with Him.
Now isn’t that what you want for your kids? It’s time to tell Satan to take hike because our children are children of God. Teach them how to live for God and even if they stray, they will come back to Him who can and will redeem them.
It is our job to teach our children how to live for God and they in turn will teach their children for generations to come. This is the only legacy worth leaving behind. I want to end by re-reading our verse for today.
Psalm 78:5-7: He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.
A chance to sit down and talk with award-winning author Julie Lessman, is always a treat. You can’t walk away without being inspired by her testimony and commitment to serve God. It’s the same kind of inspiration you get when you read her books!
Let's start with your leading ladies and what inspiration did you draw on to create such well-developed ladies that your readers can relate to?
Well, the first one of course is the heroin in Passion Most Pure, the first book. And that is Faith. And the reason that I could draw from that is because Faith is my spiritual self. I mean, everything she does in the book is exactly what I do. In a sense, it was my love letter to God. It was my first book. And I wanted to just infuse my spirituality into that book, which is what I do. In other words, I pray about absolutely everything. I talk to God.
I get mad at him, you know. There's a scene in the middle of the book where she literally turns her back on God. That actually happened to me. I was so angry at him that, in my mind, I just turned around to walk away. And I felt like I walked into a room with three walls. It was like I was cornered. And I remember getting so mad saying, I can never go back to my other life. I can't turn my back on you because I'll be miserable. I'll be ruined. You've ruined me for the world. I mean, I remember that so clearly.
I call myself a CDQ, which is a caffeinated drama queen. And I am, and that's what I did. So, Faith is me. I've got a temper, just like her. That's my spiritual self.
Charity is my carnal self. She is who I was before I became a Christian. I was selfish, I was promiscuous, I was, you know, sibling rivalry. You know, I was so jealous of my sisters. I have nine sisters and three brothers, or I did, many of them are passed on now. I'm number 12 out of 13. But I was just like Charity, and I was like a little vamp. Not that, I mean, I wasn't good looking or anything, but I tried, you know. No, I never believed that, but I was a wild child of the 60s and 70s. So, Charity is me.
So yes, those two characters in particular are drawn from my...alter ego, as you might say, I guess.
Lizzie is my dreamer self. Lizzie is my love for romance. I literally did not write my first book until I was in my mid to late 40s. It might have been 50s even. Yeah, it was 50s. I'm sorry. And I wouldn't do it because I would not allow myself to read romance or write romance because, like the world, a lot of the world looks down on romance. Like, oh. If you read romance, you're not a businesswoman, you're not this, you're not that, you know what I'm saying? And so, I was kind of a little bit of a snob that way too.
And one day I'm sitting in a beauty salon and I'm sure I've told you this story in the past where I was reading a Newsweek cover article that it had a Christian rock concert on the front. It was in 2001, right about the time the Passion of the Christ came up. And remember Hollywood.
Mel Gibson through Hollywood back on its heels because they went, Oh my gosh, there's a Christian market. And so, I was reading this Newsweek article and what it was saying on the inside, it was that Christian music, Christian books and Christian movies was, a multi-billion dollar industry that was not being realized. It was there and nobody was looking at it. And so I went, I'm sitting there reading and I felt like in my spirit, now's the time to finish your book.
I like to think it was the Holy Spirit. It was one of the books that I started when I was age 12, after I read Gone with the Wind. I was so enamored of that book that I immediately sat down like a million other, you know, American girls, I'm sure, and started writing the great American novel, you know? And I didn't have the audacity to think that I could do Civil War like Margaret.
So, I did World War I with an Irish Catholic family. I wrote 300 pages when I was 12. And that book is what was my debut novel some 40 years later. So that's the story on that. So, Lizzie's my dream. To continue with Lizzie, she's a dreamer. She has a nose in a book, romance all the time.
And I finally, when I was sitting there and, I thought, no, I can't write a romance. And it's like God set me free. Like he said, I created you for this. It was such a deep desire of mine to write romance. I mean, because I never had love growing up. So, I wanted that. I wanted to show what kind of love and marriage that God could give you if you let him.
And so, it was like he literally took the shackles off it. I couldn't care less what anybody thought of me writing romance and so I did. So, Lizzie's my dream herself. So those three components are all me.
Marcy, on the other hand...Well, Marcie's a real stabilizer, which is something I did not have growing up. Marcie is the mother I wished I had. My mom died when I was 16. She did not like me.
When I wrote this book, my first book I was 12. My little sister used to beg me to read it to her and I would. And my little sister was my mom's favorite. And so, she said, Julie, she says, let mama read it. So, I gave it to mama to read. And I was so excited. I waited a couple of days and I finally didn't hear anything from mama. She didn't say anything. So, I said, well, mama, I said, you know, what do you think of it so far?
And she said...I'm sorry Julie, but it was so dry. I couldn't get past the first page. That was what my mother said to me That's the kind of relationship I had. When my younger sister Katie, who I loved with a passion, was a baby mama really loved her. And so, if she did something wrong mama blamed me because she thought I was a bad influence. So my mother and I had just no relationship at all. I didn't like her. She didn't like me.
When she died when I was 16, I remember thinking to myself, oh, well, I guess I can get some mileage out of this at school because people feel sorry for me. I mean, that's how cold I was. That's how removed I was from that woman. So, when I became a Christian at, you know, age 23, it's like God changed everything for me. He healed my heart.
And so I…Marcy was in the original book when I was 12, but of course when I was in my 50s, I fleshed her out because I had already been a mother and I knew what type of mother God wanted. What He wanted mothers to be like, a stabilizer, loving, who dealt with her own sins.
Well you know about Marcy's struggle in book three. She deals with her the way God wants us to deal with them. So, Marcy was my heroine I just admire her a lot and that's the kind of mother I wanted to be and that's the kind of mother I wished I had
Can you tell us a little bit about your inspiration behind each of your heroes?
Marcy and Patrick's marriage is based on my husband's mine. There’re the arguments, there's the fighting, but there's the cohesiveness of having God in the middle of our relationship. So, he's like Patrick.
Anyways, my heroes are, from my head of what I love in a man. I want a man to be a man. I believe God made men to be respected and women to be cherished. I mean, it's the whole Garden of Eden thing. I mean, what women want more than anything is to be cherished and loved.
They can say they want respect and respect is good, but deep down in our hearts I believe they want to be cherished and loved. I believe that's priority number one. And for men that's not priority number one. For men it's respect. They want to be respected by the woman they love. If the woman rides roughshod on them, their respect plummets. I really think it's a product of the Garden of Eden.
Adam abdicated his responsibility. He was right next to her when they were tempted. It was his responsibility as her headship to step in and say, no, you're not doing this. And he abdicated it to her and followed her lead. And since that day, women have been trying to lead men in marriages, in relationships and be the head. And that's not the way it was meant to be.
In the bible it says women respect your husbands and husbands cherish your wives. I mean He lays it out pretty clearly and I believe it's cause and effect. I have proved it in my marriage. I'm a real strong-willed person my husband's a real laid-back easy guy. I could have led him around by the nose, well probably not. That's why I love him because he wouldn't.
Let me tell you something, my respect level for him went right to the roof. That's what I mean, cause and effect. And he would tell you this to this day, if he walked in here, he would say, my wife taught me what a marriage is. My wife taught me how to love because I, not because I'm good. Oh Lord, no. All I did was apply biblical precepts to my marriage.
If he did something to make me mad instead of screaming back and yelling at him, trying to get back at him, I just started praying for him. God bless him. God open his eyes to you and help me to be the wife he needs me to be. And then I would serve him. By serve him I mean I wouldn't retaliate in any way. I'd just go on and still do what I would do, fix him dinner and give him a note, a sweet romance note ,no matter what he did. That was the way I would do it.
It was the blueprint for our marriage. And to this day, we have a marriage exactly like Marcy and Patrick's. It's not perfect, but it's absolutely as perfect as you can get on this planet is what I think. And so that's Patrick.
Colin, oh my gosh, Colin is the ultimate bad boy. I am an author who loves bad boys. I think I do because it's part of that aspect of, I want, man who's strong enough to stand up to me. Who is not going to let me lead him around by the nose. And a man who's, I guess, almost kind of world bad. That's a little bit of my carnal self, I guess.
So, every one of my heroes has a strength, whether he's a bad boy, whether he used to be a bad boy and now he's serving God, there's a real self, not self-respect, but they're not going let people push them around.
That's why my heroes have that component. I think that's why you're attracted to them. And I think that's why romance exists.
It puts a foundation of humanity in there. And it gives you an opportunity to explore who they are, where they came from, why they're that way. Did their mother, you know, control the father? And so, they're retaliating because the natural bent of a man that God put in a man is to be the head of the family.
What I liked about Collin, he was emotional enough to relate to women. That's why they liked him. That's why he was a bad boy. He had a sensitivity about him, but the baggage he carried from his past hampered it. And so, it was really fascinating for me to take that Component and bring him along and see what it took to bring him to Christ. I normally don't like real emotional men, sounds weak to some people.
Mitch oh gosh Mitch is one of my favorites I'd have to say Mitch and Luke are my two favorite heroes. I just love him. I can't fully tell you why. I like the totally masculine, gruff type, no nonsense. He's not going take any garbage.
And actually, I had a dad like that. If you tried to give him an excuse, he'd go, cut the excuses. So, you were down to bare bones and you had to be honest. That was a little too gruff for me. But Mitch, he just doesn't pull any punches. He doesn't talk, not a lot of words. It's sparser. I like that. I like that a lot in a man. You know, he's a no-nonsense man whose desire for the woman he loves knows no bounds. That's why I have Mitch and Charity as the sexiest couple. I mean, he's just, can't get enough of her, and she can't get enough of him. And that component is something that I really think we need more in marriages.
Brady is a man who loves God more than anything else, but since no one is perfect, he had to have a dark past. So again, you've got a strong man of God, but we all have clay feet. Christians with clay feet, that's what we are. We're going stumble, we're going fall. And that's the beauty of Christ in our lives because to see a life transformed, I think that's one of the most, richest lessons you can learn and read in a book. So that's why I like to start with bad boys and, you know, lumps of clay and just mold them to get what really God intended them to do.
We have so much more that we discussed with Julie. Be sure to listen to the episode or watch it on Rumble! You won’t want to miss the revelations and exciting news on Julie’s upcoming release on October 1st. In fact you pre-order A Dare and a Prayer here!
You will want start from the beginning, so we’ve each book in the O’Connor family series with links to purchase on Amazon. Have fun falling in love with the O’Connor’s!
Prequel: A Light in the Window
Book 1: A Passion Most Pure
Book 2: A Passion Redeemed
Book 3: A Passion Denied
Book 4: A Hope Undaunted
Book 5: A Heart Revealed
Book 6: A Love Surrendered
Book 7: A Wing and a Prayer
Book 8: A Hope and a Prayer
Book 9: A Dare and a Prayer
This week's inspirational moment is not coming from a historical Christian romance novel, but rather we are sitting down with Sarah Turnquist and Gregg Bridgeman to talk about what is a biblical marriage.
As you know a biblical marriage is a topic I hold dear and near to my heart. We live in a culture where marriage is not held sacred, and sex is a recreational sport. However, God gives shows us through his word how marriage should be. It is beautiful gift from God, when we follow His precepts.
How would you define a biblical marriage?
Sara R. Turnquist: My husband and I have been married for 15 years and what I would define a biblical marriage as is the way that God defines it. It is two people that are pursuing Him and linking arms together on that journey.
Gregg Bridgeman: That's awesome. So, the thing that impresses me about marriage is God's design for marriage and we first encounter that in Genesis 2 when Adam first sees the woman. So, God puts him into a sleep, and he takes the woman out of man and makes the woman, and he stands up and he sees her and he says the biblical equivalent and I've looked up the Hebrew of hubba hubba.
He says, oh my goodness, this then is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. And for this cause, a man shall leave his parents and cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh. And the coolest thing that people overlook about that, is that it is the first example of prophecy in the entire Bible. Because Adam didn't have parents and neither did the woman. But somehow, he knew.
That was God's design for marriage, for them to cleave unto each other and become one flesh. And so, I believe that is biblical marriage. And you know, He designed men in a certain way, and He designed women in a certain way despite this current secular nonsense. And when you fulfill those roles according to His will, you tend to get along really well.
Melissa: I love that. I really, I could not agree more with both of you. God uniquely designed women to fulfill one part and men to fulfill the other. When we link up together, it's amazing. We balance each other out.
What would you say we need to do to have a biblical marriage today?
Gregg Bridgeman: Dr. Emerson Eggerich just wrote a book called Love and Respect and it's kind of important that we understand that. You know, I honestly could do without love, but I could not do without respect. But my wife likewise cannot do without love. So, I don't have to respect her, but I have to love her. And you know, the interesting thing about that is she doesn't even have to deserve it or earn it. It's still incumbent upon me to love her sacrificially just as Christ loved the church. And the converse of that is I don't really have to earn my wife's respect, because it's her duty to respect me no matter what.
And so, there's this cultural idea today that it has to be earned every day. And that just is not correct. If we love our wives, as Christ loved the church, if we respect our husbands, you're going get along.
Then the thing that my wife and I have done over the years is we've also invested in each other's love languages. Mine is gifts and hers is not. Early on I would bring home these gifts. You know you go to a store and see some little doodad and think they’ll love this. By handing this little gift to her I’m saying, I love you. What she's thinking is, why is he bringing garbage into the house. So, I learned that my love language is gifts, and her love language is service. Which took some adjustment for me because I'm very independent. I don't want to have the appearance that I'm not self-sufficient.
But to let her serve me is her love language for me. And so that was challenging for both of us to work that way. But those are just a few things. I think if you read the Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman, you'll get an education if you've never read it. And I would also recommend Love and Respect by the Eggerich.
What are your thoughts on how the home should be with the husband as head of the household?
Sara R. Turnquist: The issue of submission is a biblical one and it, like you're saying, it's very clear the way scripture lays that out. The pastor that did premarital counseling with my husband and I told my husband something that has really changed our perspective on submission. He said that, you know, as Christ loved the church, the man loves his wife. And so, my opinion and my viewpoint are important to be heard. It's valuable.
But if we come to a crossroads where we can't come to an agreement, then that is when I submit. But this pastor said to my husband, he said, the number of times in your marriage, your whole marriage, 50 year marriage, no matter how long it is, that you truly have to ask your wife to submit just because I said so, you should be able to count it on one hand at the end of your marriage, at the end of your life. And just like Greg said, it’s a beautiful picture of how Jesus loves his church and how the church submits to Jesus' authority. When it's working the way God designed it to, it's a beautiful, beautiful thing.
Gregg Bridgeman: I couldn't have said it better. I think in terms of biblical manhood, a lot of that is lost today, especially among Christian churches because as I read scripture, men have three obligations, and they all start with P. You have to provide. You have to protect. It takes courage, selflessness, and sacrifice to protect your wife, your family, your kids. A lot of cowards out there abdicate that. But you also have to be the high priest of your home. You have to be the spiritual leader and very much in tune with what Christ wants. What God wants for you and your family. You're the decision maker. Ultimately the responsibility is yours.
I'll go back to Genesis again. You know, Eve eats the apple. She hands it to Adam with her, the man with her, right? A lot of people would like to pretend that Adam was somewhere else in the garden. He was right there beside her the whole time.
God comes into the garden and what does he say? Eve, come here. You and I have a bone to pick, right? That's not what he says. He says, hey Adam, what's up? Which means if my bride, Hallie, messed up really, really bad and Jesus rang our doorbell the next day, Hallie answers the door. Jesus says, “Hey Hallie, how you doing? It's good to see you. Is Greg home?”
Because it is my responsibility as the spiritual head of my household to cover my family and to protect my family. And that I think is the biggest thing that's lacking in western churches, is men taking responsibility for the spiritual leadership of their home. By responsibility, I mean accountability because one day you're going to have to answer for that.
Melissa: I love that. Our pastor always talks about it's the husband's job to present his wife as a beautiful bride to Christ. And I just love the picture that puts in your mind.
I just want women to know, when you marry a man of God, there's full trust there. Mys husband is never going make a decision that hurts us. I trust him completely. The freedom that I feel knowing that I've given up that struggle to be in control. That it's not my responsibility, it's his. There's just so much freedom in that. So, I hope women can grasp a hold of that today.
Sara R. Turnquist: I definitely feel, for myself, the times that I find myself having to make myself submit is those times when I want to be right. When we're having a difference of opinion and that's the moment where inevitably the spirit will say to me, just hold on. Because I want reconciliation and restoration more than I want to be right. And so, I trust God's design, and I trust the Jesus in my husband, in those moments.
Gregg Bridgeman: Some really bad advice, is to just give in as a guy. Well, honey, whatever you say. The reason that that's bad advice is because your wife is your wife. She's the mother of your children. She deserves respect on many levels and to condescend to her and coddle her like she's a child having a tantrum is not right or loving or what she deserves.
What you need to do is stand your ground and lovingly finish that disagreement. And you know, whenever Hallie and I get to that point where she just doesn't want to speak to me, then I just tighten all the jars in the house and eventually she'll have to come talk to me.
What other advice would you give speaking to people today about marriage?
Sara R. Turnquist: I got this piece of advice from my parents. At the time of course when you're a teenager and you know everything, I was like, oh my goodness, that's so ridiculous. But they said don't ever date someone that you wouldn't marry. And that includes things like being unequally yoked, dating someone who is pursuing something sinful in their life, whether they're a believer or not. And so, I followed that advice because I again respected my parents. Even though I thought it was totally dumb.
But I saw girls around me dating guys just because they were having a good time and then who do you end up marrying? Someone that you date. They end up in love and feeling like, oh, I can change him. So, I would strongly advise girls today, young people today, to prayerfully think about and pray, ask God, what has He designed for you in marriage. What kind of person has He designed for you in marriage?
As you pursue Christ, honor what you feel like He's led you to write down on that list. I did that at one point, and I was really surprised at how God fulfilled the things on my list. I was surprised at some of the things that weren't on the list that I thought for sure would be. But be mindful about who you spend your time with dating. Be wise and pursue what God wants for you because He designed us, and He designed our mate.
Gregg Bridgeman: One of the things that we schooled our kids to do, starting from a very young age was to pray for their future spouse before they met them, because you know God made that person specifically and especially for you in the same way that he made you for that person. So, while you're setting about improving yourself, it's wise to pray for that person and to pray for the wisdom to recognize them when God reveals them to you.
The other thing is after you've been together long enough to know that you're headed for marriage, my really, really strong advice, which is very unpopular, is get married. And the problem with that is that our secular culture keeps saying, wait. Wait till after you graduate college, wait till after you get your career started, wait till you're 35. The problem with that is wait's what broke the bridge down. The issue is that most parents don't support young marriage anymore. They used to. People used to get married in their late teens or early 20s.
This is a recent phenomenon and it's very unhealthy. The advice for men, unfortunately is, go sell your wild oats. Be promiscuous before you get married. That's completely wrong. For women, it's, wait until you're very late into your childbearing years. Which is also bad advice. So, my advice is that parents have a responsibility to support that marriage and the young people need to go ahead and get married.
Melissa: I'd agree because when you do that, it avoids that whole sin of sex outside of marriage too. I love the advice that you gave. Our pastor always says who you marry is the second most important decision of your life. The first is to follow Christ and the second is who you marry.
He also says, you don't settle for anything less than what God wants for you. You just run your race for God, and pretty soon someone's going be running right beside you. At that point, turn and say hello.
Gregg Bridgeman: Absolutely. This phenomenon of waiting forever is very recent. It came along with about the third wave of feminism, because it was absolutely not an unusual circumstance to marry as young as, 16 in the 30s and 40s. These are the folks that, stayed married for 65 years or so. Literally until death does you part. So, I think the waiting is nonsensical, really.
It instills doubt and allows the deceiver to come in and introduce a lot of thoughts that maybe wouldn't be there if you had someone who you were married to.
Melissa: You're talking about the next wave of feminism, and I know that's one of the topics that's being discussed at your Christian Writers Conference, right?
Gregg Bridgeman: Absolutely. The Kentucky Christian Writers Conference is the 27th annual Kentucky Christian Writers Conference. Our venue this year is at the Elizabeth Town Community College, which is there in the heart of the bluegrass. We're doing an awful lot to celebrate marriage. One thing is if you're a writer, but your spouse is not, you can go ahead and bring your spouse.
And then there's entertainment and activities that we do during the meals. So, for meals and incidentals, your spouse can attend all the mealtimes with you and have full access to the facilities, and the prayer room during the conference. We understand that even if your spouse is not a writer as you are, they're certainly your inspiration. That relationship is absolutely critical and important, and so we wanted to not leave them out.
The other thing we're doing, we're having a special session on Thursday, which is an intensive. I have the honor and privilege once more to be teaching that intensive with JP Robinson, who is a pretty cool historical writer. JP and I are going to teach on four pretty controversial topics.
We are talking about the different roles of men and women. We're also going to confront biblical manhood and how to write men well, whether they're bad guys or good guys. We're going to confront the ideology of feminism and race, which is kind of an interesting topic for JP and me to teach, because JP is a lot darker than I am.
Then we want to talk about identity. And identity is a tough one to tackle currently where people think that gender is a social construct. Well, I'm sorry but it's really not. There are men and there are women. And then there's folks that need help. So, we're going to talk about that and hopefully give some tools that they can use to tackle those controversial topics in our culture. We're teaching it in a family-friendly and loving way, and we're giving encouragement on all of those topics.
Our keynote is Diane Mills. Just an amazing, talented, gifted, multi-published author, and inspirational speaker. Very instrumental in founding the Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference, and many other things. She's just involved in so many things and we are honored to have her.
Sara R. Turnquist: I always think that one of the great things about this conference is the networking that you're able to do in person. I know there was an attempt to replicate it virtually and that worked, you know, ish, but being able to sit across from someone and say, hey, what do you write? Or, hey, I write that too. Or, let me give you this great resource. Or, what did you think of the class? It’s about writing and life too.
Gregg Bridgeman: Our theme is unscrambled, because it seems for the last half decade or so has been pretty scrambled as a culture. We want to make our mark and try to unscramble that.
I can't say enough about the folks that, that volunteer on the committee, that serve on the executive board year after year, and that make it come together.
I also can't say enough about our conference. We have fun and amazing worship. We will have inspiration, fun entertainment, and games during the mealtimes. But, as Sarah said, the networking is really key because writing is kind of a solitary profession. You're all by yourself except for all the voices in your head, right? So, it's good to be next to another human being, or in this case, 60 to 100 human beings that are just like you and know your challenges and know your struggles and feel your pain. Maybe some are more mature than you in their writing journey, maybe some are not. You have the opportunity to find a mentor or be a mentor. You end up making connections and having relationships that just span decades or a lifetime and have so much meaning and can really change lives.
Writing, especially when you write for Christ, when you sit down, and you pray and you open yourself up to the Holy Spirit and every word that comes out on the page is God-inspired. What you're doing in that craft is really emulating Christ because Christ, every time he taught, he taught with little fictional parables. He taught with little stories.
And so, we have this gift of story that we're using as a tool to communicate the gospel. And the truth is, we can put that out into the world, and then we can leave this world, and 50 or 100 years later, that work that you did can touch a life. C.S. Lewis has been dead a lot longer than he lived. But people still read Mere Christianity and the Chronicles of Narnia, Grief Observed, and on and on it goes.
He's still changing lives and he's been dead almost a century. The same could be said of any Christian author. You do this work for God, and you dedicate it to Him and write it for His glory. And 50 years after you're gone from this world, someone could find your work and it could change their life. And then you still get to hear, well done, good and faithful servant, enter now into my glory. And how awesome is that? How amazing is that as a mission in life? We definitely want to nurture that.
Another thing we're doing is opening up to the kids. If you have a kid in your life or five kids in your life or a neighbor kid or a nephew or a kid in your homeschool class. With your paid ticket, you bring your kids, and you pay for only meals. And we are opening up the entire conference to them, ages 10 to 17. They get the whole shebang.
We have a special teen track. They're not obligated to go to that. They can go to the grown-up classes if they feel so led. But we really want to nurture that next generation of Christian authors, too.
You know, Christ said, suffer the little children to come to me and forbid them not. Don't forbid the kids to come to me. To be Christ-like, we want to never forbid the children to come. In fact, nurture them, equip them with skills. You have New York Times bestselling authors, Wall Street Journal bestselling authors, USA Today bestselling authors who are teaching along with agents, and editors. It is a real deal. And it's a great opportunity to find that upcoming talent and to really uplift and encourage them in that way.
Don't let anything be a stumbling block to you. Bring your wife and bring your kids. It's affordable and when you walk out of there, you're going to feel like somebody filled the Grand Canyon with information and then upended it atop you. You're going to just be buried in information.
But as you sift through everything that you learned and gleaned over the weeks and months that follow, I can't even express the value that you're going to find there. It is the biggest little conference in the world.
In this episode Tiffanie and I will be discussing the third and final book in Julie Lessman’s Daughters of Boston series, A Passion Denied. We dig into this shocking romance story and share some funny memories that are like what the O’Connor family experiences.
If you have been reading this series from the beginning, then you know all about Katie Rose and her stubborn ways. She and Cluny, a young boy Brady takes in, really know how to push each other’s buttons. Of course, during one of their battles Katie Rose is caught by Patrick. He’s unaware of how Cluny has provoked her. Check this scene out.
“Wait, aren’t you going to say something nice about me?”
He turned and grinned, the victory in those blue eyes as sure as the cocky tilt of his chin. “Sorry, Katie Rose. Ain’t enough candy in the world.”
Katie blinked. Then cut loose with a kick tin his shin that nearly doubled him at the knees.
“Katie Rose? What the devil are you doing?” Patrick could hardly believe his own eyes. Was the dim lighting of the hall playing tricks, or had he just seen his eleven-year-old daughter haul off and kick Cluny? Sweet heaven, but she was a bully!
(Julie Lessman, A Passion Denied, page 263)
I’m sure we’ve all been Katie’s shoes. Trying to plead our case, but our parents are only going off what they saw or heard. This scene reminded me of a little fight I got into with a boy at Katie’s age. Unfortunately, my mother only heard my reaction to his unkind comment. Needless to say, I took a punishment, that my parents ended up coming back and apologizing for. You’ll have to listen to our podcast episode to hear the whole story.
Izzy and Brady’s first kiss does not go as one might think. In fact, I think Brady’s reaction will surprise you. Check out their first kiss.
“Beth, are we okay?” He ducked his head to search her eyes, then brushed her hair back from her face. A smile shadowed his lips. “Still friends?”
Friends. A deadly only a kiss could cure. Resolve stiffened her spine. “Sure, Brady…friends.”
He smiled and tucked a finger under her chin. “That’s my girl. Now what do you say we pray about some of these things?”
He leaned close with another quick kiss to her brow, and in a desperate beat of her heart, she lunged, uniting her mouth with his. She felt the shock of her action in the jolt of his body, and she gripped him close to deepen the kiss. Waves of warmth shuddered through her at the taste of him, and the essence of peppermint was sweet in her mouth.
“No!” He wrenched back from her hold with disbelief in his eyes.
(Julie Lessman, A Passion Denied, page 62)
When Brady finally feels free enough from his past to pursue Izzy, he takes her fishing. Their experience is quite entertaining and again similar to one of my own. Only I didn’t hook my husband in the pants with the fishhook! You’ll have to listen to the podcast to get the full scoop, but until then enjoy this funny scene.
She bit her lip and tentatively took the rod. “Well, okay, but I’m not sure I’ll be all that good. Let’s see, I hold it like this…then I press this…and then I do this…” In one fierce jerk, she whipped the line high over her head and yanked it back down.
“Whoa, little buddy, the fish are in the lake, not in my trousers,” Brady said with a chuckle. He carefully took the rod from her hands and reached back to disengage the hook from the seat of his pants.
(Julie Lessman, A Passion Denied, page 326)
In the last novel, A Passion Redeemed, Julie blew her readers away with the revelation of Charity’s past and Mitch’s. Believe or not, she throws a shocker out about Brady’s past that will blow her readers away! In fact, Izzy doesn’t handle the news well herself.
“Is it true?” Lizzie shouted. Thoughts of his depravity flashed in her mind, and she felt sick to her stomach.
He turned and walked to the back of the shop.
Lizzie followed, her heart hammering in her chest. “I want to know, Brady. Is it true?”
He kept his back to her and lowered his head, his tension obvious from the muscles straining his shirt.
…Her fury rose and she flew at him from behind pummeling him hard with her fists.
He spun around to fend her off, and Collin restrained her from behind. “Lizzie, stop!”
She wrenched against Collin’s hold, her chest heaving as revulsion rose in her throat like vomit. “It’s true, isn’t it?”
… “Yes.”
(Julie Lessman, A Passion Denied, page 408)
Whew! What an intense scene! You are going to love the up’s and down’s of Izzy and Brady’s love story.
LiteraryScape gives A Passion Redeemed by Julie Lessman 5 out of 3 lassos because we are sure it will have you hooked and hog-tied from beginning to end!
The adventure, mystery, and romance level for A Passion Denied are as follows:
Adventure = Mocha
Mystery = Latte
Romance = Double Latte
Rating Scale: espresso=very little, mocha = medium amount, latte = a lot
Don’t forget to visit Julie Lessman’s website to learn about her amazing giveaway! You could win a character named after you in her next book A Dare and a Prayer, a signed paperback copy, and a $25 Amazon gift card. Click here to learn more!
Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels!
You Are Forgiven
1 John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Julie Lessman packs her novel, A Passion Denied, with words of wisdom and inspirational truth. In this novel you continue to watch the O’Connor family grow as John Brady and Izzy fight for their love.
We also meet a new character, Mary. She joins Izzy and Brady for Bible study. During one conversation she reveals her uncertainty that God could and would forgive all sins.
A hoarse laugh erupted from her throat. “I’m not sure God can forgive everything.”
“He can and he will. You can count on it. The Bible is riddled with sinners he’s forgiven—cheats, murders, prostitutes, you name it.”
(Julie Lessman, A Passion Denied, page 142)
I love this reminder. The Devil works hard to keep us trapped in our sin, shame, and regret. He places labels on us that drag us down under their weight, keeping us from living to our full potential.
God on the other hand gives us labels that free us from our sinful prison. Forgiven, loved, chosen, and child of God are just a few. Jesus paid the price for our sins on the cross and freely offers forgiveness to everyone who repents and bows down before Him. It is a glorious feeling when He lifts the weight of our sin, and the labels Satan has given us, off our shoulders!
If you are struggling today to accept the fact that God and will forgive you of all your sins, then please read your Bible! As Julie said it is riddled with real life accounts of sinners like you and me, who God not only forgave, but used to further His kingdom!
True to Julie’s writing style, she has packed many more inspirational messages in her novel. However, this message trumps them all. It is the one message we need to save our souls and secure our place in Heaven.
Pastor Jim Brown likes to call it your exit plan. Where will you go when death claims your earthly body? Do you have an exit plan?
My exit plan is Jesus Christ. Not only do I know where my next breath will be when I breathe my last on earth, but He walks with me every day. I know I am a child of God, and I am secure in His love. With Him I don’t just survive the challenges of life on earth but thrive in them!
My prayer is for you have that same hope in Jesus Christ. If not, then I encourage you to seek Him. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain!
In this episode Tiffanie and Melissa discuss A Passion Redeemed. This is the second book in Julie Lessman’s Daughters of Boston series. Fall further in love with O’Connor family with this passion packed romance!
We left off with Mitch heading back home to Dublin with a broken heart after giving Faith up to Collin. And who should be waiting for him, scheming ways to make him hers? Charity.
“Don’t underestimate me, grandmother, I won’t lose him. Whatever it takes—” She pivoted slowly, arms stiff and fingers taut as she gripped the wooden box. Her left brow angled dangerously high. “And I do mean ‘whatever’—I will become Mrs. Mitch Dennehy, mark my words.”
(Julie Lessman, A Passion Redeemed, page 135)
The battle for love is fierce as Charity puts herself in dangerous situations to capture Mitch’s eye. Yet she is not the only one battling. Mitch has a desire for Charity that rages and begs to be satisfied. However, her lack of faith causes him to turn to God for the strength to deny himself the one woman he loves with heart and soul.
Drama and shocking events from the past will keep you turning the page as you discover why Charity is the way she is. I can guarantee you will be as devastated as Patrick and Marcy when Charity’s buried memories surface.
Patrick turned and slumped into Marcy’s arms with a violent sob.
Mitch stared for several seconds, a wave of compassion dousing his anger. He finally spoke. “Mr. O’Connor, Charity is desperate for your love. She needs to heal. And only your love and God’s can accomplish that.”
(Julie Lessman, A Passion Redeemed, page 351)
I love how Julie keeps every member of the O’Connor family in each of her books. You end up feeling like one of the family. You will enjoy Collin and Faith, they are still going strong as they eagerly await their wedding day.
“I’m a twenty-five-year-old-red-blooded American male. I love you, Faith, and I want all of you. Now!”
She shivered in his arms, his words and touch sending dangerous goose bumps over her body. “I know, me too, Collin. I thank God every day I’m going to be your wife.” She pulled away to look up at him, her eyes gentle. “But it’s because of what God did for us, bringing us together, that we wait…and wait patiently.” She pushed a strand of chestnut hair away from his forehead. A rush of love filled her as she searched the depths of his clear, gray eyes. “Once we’re man and wife, I’ll be all yours.”
The wicked grin resurfaced. “It could be days before we come up for air…”
(Julie Lessman, A Passion Redeemed, page 169)
LiteraryScape gives A Passion Redeemed by Julie Lessman 5 out of 3 lassos because we are sure it will have you hooked and hog-tied from beginning to end!
The adventure, mystery, and romance level for A Light in the Window are as follows:
Adventure = Mocha
Mystery = Mocha
Romance = Double Latte
Rating Scale: espresso=very little, mocha = medium amount, latte = a lot
Don’t forget to visit Julie Lessman’s website to learn about her amazing giveaway! You could win a character named after you in her next book A Dare and a Prayer, a signed paperback copy, and a $25 Amazon gift card. Click here to learn more!
Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels!
Unequally Yoked
2 Corinthians 6: 14 – Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?
In Julie Lessman’s book A Passion Redeemed, we watch Mitch struggle with his attraction to Charity. God’s word gives him the strength to follow God’s will for him. I love how the snippet below shows how God’s precepts protect us. In Mitch and Charity’s case it protected both of them. If Mitch had caved and married Charity before she came to know Christ, she may never have truly found God. And they may never have ended up with the amazing marriage they enjoy in the end.
He sat up and opened his eyes, flipping the pages of the Bible at random. He settled on 2 Corinthians, and his eyes widened as he scanned the page. Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?
A ghost of a smile flitted across his lips. So much for Bridie’s implication that he pursue Charity O’Connor. “As far as the east is from the west,” so is Charity from her God.
(Julie Lessman, A Passion Redeemed, page 36)
Those who have a relationship with Jesus are not to enter a marriage with someone who is not a believer. I know the world says opposites attract and to some degree this is true, but not in who you marry. When you marry you become one, something that is impossible when you do not share the same belief.
I love these words pastor Jim Brown shared: Who you marry is the second most important decision in your life. The first is to follow Jesus Christ. I cannot sum it up any better than that.
Pray for Those Who Persecute You
Matthew 5:44 – But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
A traumatic event from Mitch’s past is revealed during this novel. As it comes to light you watch him struggle with how to move past it. Julie wrote an incredible scene on how to lean on God through the struggle of forgiving and loving your enemy. The scene below is a conversation between Mitch and God.
“All right God, I’m done. Done keeping you at arms length. Done doing it on my own. I’m ready to give you everything—my life, my hopes, my desires. Help me. Guide me. Show me what to do.”
Forgive.
His jaw tightened and then released. Slowly, he expelled a weighted breath, like fingers being pried away and letting go. “Okay, I’ll try. But not on my own. Help me.”
Pray for him.
The concept was clear, but the application was as foreign as the Greek in which the apostle Matthew had penned it: love your enemies…bless those who curse you…pray for those who persecute you.
Mitch closed his eyes unable to imagine ever uttering a prayer for Rigan. “I can’t.”
Pray.
His fists balled on the edge of the sink. Faith had once told him, when you can’t pray, pray that you can. He opened his eyes to glare upward. “All right…help me to want to pray.”
(Julie Lessman, A Passion Redeemed, page 108)
Have you ever been in Mitch’s position? Forgiving someone who has wronged you is hard and something you cannot do without God. I love how Julie reminds everyone, through this scene, to pray. Prayer and God’s word is the only way you will be able to not only forgive your enemies, but love, bless, and pray for them.
There are so many more inspirational moments in A Passion Redeemed, especially as Charity finds her way to Christ. Julie’s novel will not only entertain you, but you’ll also walk away filled with hope and inspiration!
I wanted to mention that Julie will be running a book giveaway soon! Just be sure to sign-up for her newsletter, at https://julielessman.com or follow her on Facebook. She will be announcing the contest this week!
Best of luck and until next time happy and blessed reading!
In this episode Tiff and I are discussing Julie Lessman’s book A Passion Most Pure. We get to follow Patrick and Marcy into parenthood as they help their children navigate adult life and love.
Sibling rivalry is rife in this novel as our leading lady Faith is in a constant battle with her younger sister Charity. Readers will grow a great disdain for Charity as she connives and manipulates to hurt Faith and get her way. Charity purposely pursues the man Faith has been in love with since childhood. However, she doesn’t stop there. When Faith becomes engaged to another man, Charity sets her sights on him too.
Charity honed in on the tremor in Faith’s voice. “Worried?”
“No, why should I be?”
“No reason. It’s just I know you’re very anxious to please God, so if he tries to kiss you, you’ll want to make sure it’s on the forehead like a good girl.”
Faith took a step forward, her fingers curled in a fist. “Why do you do this? Why do you pick on me like you do? You have everything you want. Why attack me?”
Charity smiled easily as she selected her clothes for her date with Collin. “I don’t know, for sport, maybe? You’re just so easy to pick on, I guess.”
(Julie Lessman, A Passion Most Pure, page 181)
Patrick and Marcy hit some rough patches as they navigate the turmoil of two of their daughters being in love with the same man. A man that neither of them want for a son-in-law, at first. Patrick understands Collin because he was Collin before Marcy got a hold of him. Right down to frequenting Brannigan’s. The same bar Patrick and Sam hung out as young men. However, Patrick is a man of God now and fights for his daughters the best way he can.
“Well, make no mistake about it, Collin. I will fight you every step of the way on this. And I’m very sure you and Charity will do the same. However, my boy, I’m afraid you’re forgetting one very important thing.” Patrick slapped Collin on the shoulder, then buttoned his coat and headed toward the door.
Curiosity apparently got the best of Collin McGuire as he grabbed Patrick by the arm. “And what might that be, Mr. O’Connor?”
The faint smile on Patrick’s lips felt almost peaceful. “Never—and I repeat never—underestimate the power of a father on his knees.” And with that he left, leaving Collin, despite the warmth of the pub, very much out in the cold.
(Julie Lessman, A Passion Most Pure, page 81)
Per her usual Julie packs, the passion into her novel. However, she lets Patrick and Marcy’s passion shine just as much as Faith and Collin’s. You’ll enjoying seeing their married love star alongside young love. Here’s just a sneak peek of the passion you’ll get when reading this novel.
“Oh, Faith, I love you. I can’t help it, I do.” His words tumbled out in a rush of husky rasps, between hungry kisses roaming the softness of her neck and her face. His hands pressed hard against her back, drawing her to him.
She wrenched herself from his grasp and stumbled from the swing, limbs quivering as she stood. “Collin, we can’t!” she gasped, but the intensity in his face told her he wasn’t listening. He rose and caressed her shoulders with his hands, eyes burning into her until she thought she would faint. He bent to kiss her again. A riptide of heat swelled, causing her to moan as he pulled her back to the swing.
(Julie Lessman, A Passion Most Pure, page 201)
You will laugh, cry, rage, and sigh as you read A Passion Most Pure. Julie Lessman takes her readers on an amazing journey of faith, love, and sacrifice as the O’Connors navigate life and WWI.
LiteraryScape gives A Passion Most Pure by Julie Lessman 5 out of 3 lassos because we are sure it will have you hooked and hog-tied from beginning to end!
The adventure, mystery, and romance level for A Light in the Window are as follows:
Adventure = Mocha
Mystery = Espresso
Romance = Double Latte
Rating Scale: espresso=very little, mocha = medium amount, latte = a lot
Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels!
The Green-Eyed Monster
1 Corinthians 3:3 – You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?
Paul had called the Corinthians infants in their faith because they were not yet spiritually mature. Jealousy can creep up on you or ignite in an instant. Either way, without God and a mature faith, you can easily be consumed with it. Without realizing it all your choices, words, and actions are centered around the green-eyed monster.
Julie’s wisdom character, Mrs. Gerson, is one you will fall in love with. She is the sweet elderly neighbor who is an honorary member of the O’Connor family. Her wisdom is poured into Faith and Marcy throughout the series. In the snippet below Faith is remembering her conversation with Mrs. Gerson as she struggles with her jealousy over her sister dating the man of her dreams. Let me clarify, Faith’s sister Charity is dating the man Faith has been in love with since they were children.
“My dear, anger is a natural human emotion we all experience,” Mrs. Gerson had told her. “The Bible says to be slow to anger and sin not, making it clear anger in itself is not a sin. It’s what we do with it that’s right or wrong. Do we become bitter, or do we forgive? Ah, but jealousy, now that’s a horse of quite a different color. Jealously is a condition of the heart involving so many things that stem the flow of God’s blessings—self-pity, an ungrateful heart, bitterness, and a lack of faith that God knows what’s best for you. Understand me, Faith, few people can stand before jealousy.”
(Julie Lessman, A Passion Most Pure, page 28)
Stand rooted in God’s word. Grow in your faith. Beat jealousy back with prayer!
Boundless Passion
Song of Solomon 1:2-4: Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—for your love is more delightful than wine. Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes; your name is like perfume poured out. No wonder the maidens love you! Take me away with you—let us hurry! Let the king bring me into his chambers.
If you are a fan of Julie’s work, then you know she packs her novels with passion. Not passion of the world, but God’s passion. We live in a fallen world and when we pursue its version of passion, we sell ourselves short of God’s boundless passion.
Yes, God is a passionate loving God and He intended for man and wife to experience that passion within the bounds of matrimony. If you don’t believe me then read Song of Solomon. Whew! That’s a love story packed with heat, desire, and passion! God put it in His word because He wants you to know that love and passion pursued according to His precepts is far more fulfilling than the passion of this world.
Faith is struggling with the feelings and desires Collin stirs in her. Check out just a snippet of Mrs. Gerson’s response to her. This is just a small piece of a great conversation between these two that you’ll want to read!
Mrs. Gerson tilted Faith’s face in her hands. “Dear Faith, those same wonderful feelings will knit you to your husband some day in a romantic bond that God intends. The feelings you experienced when this young man kissed you—the racing heart, the lightheadedness, the overpowering warmth and sense of the moment—these are all good things. Created by a God whose love for you, if you can imagine, far surpasses how Collin made you feel. God intended for these wonderful feelings to be experienced between a man and his wife. But we live in a fallen world, my dear. Many choose to pursue such feelings outside of God’s intent.”
(Julie Lessman, A Passion Most Pure, page 58)
The world’s passion is cheap leaving you alone to wallow in your guilt and shame. God’s passion is rich and pure leaving you in your lover’s arms basking in love and fulfillment.
There are so many more inspirational moments in Julie’s book, A Passion Most Pure. I could go on and on, but I will stop there. You are going to want to read this amazing love story, so I put a link below the blog post for this episode. However, I want to leave you with some words of wisdom from Mrs. Gershon.
“You know Brianna, I think of life as very much like a game. The one who created it gave us the rules by which it is to be played, rules designed to help us win, rules to help use be happy. The problem is many times we choose to play by our own rules, and then we’re at a loss to understand why we never win.”
(Julie Lessman, A Passion Most Pure, page 121)
Seriously, read this novel! If you want an inside look at a Passion Most Pure, be sure to catch episode 76 airing this Friday on Rumble and your favorite podcast platform. Until next time happy and blessed reading!
In this episode Tiffanie and I discuss Julie Lessman’s prequel to her Daughters of Boston series, A Light in the Window. This is the love story of Marceline Murphy and Patrick O’Connor, the matriarch and patriarch of the O’Connor family.
Julie captures her readers with an introduction to our hero, Patrick O’Connor, that is both humorous and romantic. Patrick is quite a rogue and bad boy. He and his best friend Sam are drinking the sacred wine in the confessional, because they can’t afford drinks at their favorite bar, Brannigan’s. Hilarity ensues when Father Fritz catches them. However, before they are caught Patrick shares his feelings for Marcy after seeing her from a distance.
“If I am sick, I’ve died and gone to heaven, then, ‘cause I saw my first angel today.”
“Did you, now?” Sam leaned back, a gleam in his eye as he hooked an arm behind his head. “Who and where?”
Patrick exhaled slowly, pulse picking up. “No idea who she is, but I saw her walking into the convent with Sister Francine today when I was playing basketball with Father Fritz and the guys…” He shot Sam a silly grin, but he didn’t care. “And all I can say is—I’m in love.”
(Julie Lessman, A Light in the Window page 13)
Doesn’t that snippet make you sigh as you start to fall in love with Patrick?
Of course, he can’t just get Marcy, the girl of his dreams. As the Southie neighborhood rogue, he’ll have to go through a God transformation to win her heart. This isn’t his first option as he makes a bet with Sam to see who gets to date Marcy. Not a good bet to make with your best friend as you can imagine.
The battle between these two men for Marcy’s heart is rife with drama and heartache. Patrick is not the only one who must ask God to show him his weaknesses and help him make the right decision. Marcy Murphy is in love with an idea that could cost her, her happily ever-after.
Mima bent close, her words warm and husky in Marcy’s ear. “Not to worry, darlin’—the decision may be yours, but the strength and wisdom will be all His. Because never forget…” Mima tipped her face up, shoring Marcy with a deep faith carefully honed by time. “God honors those who honor Him, and He always answers their prayers.”
Her heart quickened at Mima’s word while thoughts of her struggles with Sam pummeled her mind. Those who honor Him…She closed her eyes, and peace descended while her lips moved in silent prayer. Oh, Lord please—let that be me! (Julie Lessman, A Light in the Window page 266)
We can guarantee you will not only be hooked by A Light in the Window, but hog-tied! LiteraryScape gives Julie’s novel 5 lassos out of 3 as it exceeds our expectations!
The adventure, mystery, and romance level for A Light in the Window are as follows:
Adventure = espresso
Mystery = espresso
Romance = Double Latte
Rating Scale: espresso=very little, mocha = medium amount, latte = a lot
Be sure to get your copy of A Light in the Window Today, by clicking on our affiliate link below! Next week we’ll dig into A Passion Most Pure as follow Patrick and Marcy into parenthood and WWI. Until next time happy and blessed reading!
2 Corinthians 6:18: “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels!
First of all, I hope everyone had a wonderful summer break! As we head back into the school year, I pray God goes before you and blesses each day as you serve Him!
I am thrilled to come back from summer with a series by one of my favorite authors, Julie Lesman! Today’s inspirational moment comes from her novel A Light in the Window. We will be discussing this book further in Friday’s episode, so be sure to tune in!
Julie packs her novels with grit, drama, passion, and God’s truth, so I will share a few inspirational messages from her novel. They all circle back to the fact that God is our Father. We are His sons and daughters. And He is a good, awesome, and loving Father!
Thwarted View of God
I want to start by talking about the potential we have in carrying a thwarted view of God in our minds. Julie’s hero Patrick O’Connor has a demeaning father who is abusive both physically and verbally. Patrick compensates by leaning on his own confidence and ability to have any woman he wants. Which he does, as he is the Greek god of the Southie Neighborhood.
That is until he meets the woman of his dreams Marceline Murphy. She is a woman of God who has no desire to be with the neighborhood rogue. I say all of this to set up the snippet of a scene between Patrick and Marceline. He is practically begging Marcy to give him a chance. Let’s listen to the snippet and then dive in to find God’s truth! (This snippet starts off in Patrick’s head as he recalls his father’s words to him.)
“You’re a waste of a man, Patrick O’Connor,” his father would say, “selling your soul to the devil instead of living for God.” But then it was “God” Who belittled him through the very judgment in his father’s eyes, rejected him through the condemnation in his father’s barbs. While the devil had only given him free reign to be accepted and approved, if only in the eyes and hearts of Southie lasses. Defiance steeled his jaw. All but one. His gaze flicked up to the blue eyes soft with pity and angel’s face gentled with empathy that was nothing more than condescension in disguise. Oh, how he craved to turn his back the very faith she espoused. (Julie Lessman, A Light in the Window page 86)
The scene spirals out of control from here as you can well imagine. However, I want to stop and look at Patrick’s thwarted view of God. He equates God the Father with his earthly father, yet the two are nothing alike.
Unfortunately, many of us have been or still are stuck in this thwarted view of God, just like Patrick. In fact, Julie also held the same view as Patrick until she surrendered her life to our only one true Father, God Himself!
I was blessed with a wonderful loving earthly father who provided and protected. Which was quite a job for him as God gave him six daughters! Yeah, you can imagine but let’s get back to the topic here. I have always viewed our Heavenly Father as loving and protective because that is the example my father gave me.
Now, I don’t share this to make anyone feel bad about their father or to raise mine up because as great as my dad is, he’s still human and makes mistakes. I share my experience to show you how our earthly fathers have the influence and power to set us up for a loving relationship with God or to push us away to the point we hate our Heavenly Father and want nothing to do with Him.
A man’s lack of faith and willingness to compromise will be passed on for three generations. A man who stands in faith and lives for God blesses his family for generations to come. (Pastor Jim Brown) Our father’s carry a huge responsibility. One they can excel at if they surrender their life to God.
If your earthly father has not provided you with an example of our Heavenly Father that reflects God’s great love for you, then I want you to know that God is the best and most loving Father you will ever have. He will never leave nor forsake you. Don’t let your earthly father thwart your view of God!
I want to quickly address this line from Patrick’s thoughts: While the devil had only given him free reign to be accepted and approved, if only in the eyes and hearts of Southie lasses. This is how Satan works. He disguises himself and highlights the good while covering the death that comes from your sins. He accuses you and assigns you an identity in shame, keeping you from God’s freedom. (Pastor Mike Sillman)
Don’t fall for the devil’s schemes. Cling to God’s word and tell Satan to take a hike!
The Power of Prayer
Julie brings in a wonderful mentor for Patrick, Father Fritz. He’s full of wisdom and quite a hoot to boot! He lead’s Patrick through his God transformation. I am going to share a snippet of a conversation between the two of them where Father Fritz is encouraging Patrick to beseech God in prayer.
It was Patrick’s turn to laugh. “Come on, Father, do you really think God would listen to me any more than Marcy did?”
Father Fritz studied him with a faint smile. “Actually, Patrick, He has a propensity for prayers uttered from the heart, especially when one bows his knee at His throne.” He squinted, scratching the edge of his chin. “Tends to be a wee bit partial, He does, to a man after His own heart as I recall. Just look at King David in the Bible--a bit of a rogue such as yourself, lusting after another man’s wife, and yet God called him ‘a man after His own heart.’ Why?” Father Fitz leaned in, his gaze pinning Patrick to the wall. “Because he repented of his sins and moved on to be the man God called him to be--a man who not only lives his life for God, mind you…but with Him.” He slowly leaned back in his chair, his eyes never leaving Patrick’s face. “Something tells me, my boy, that before a man can truly win the heart of a woman like Marceline Murphy, his own heart must be aligned with God’s. So…if this young woman means to you all you say she does…”
A nerve twittered in Patrick’s temple. “She does.”
“Well, then I would think you’d want to hedge your bets with a chat or two with the Almighty, wouldn’t you?” (Julie Lessman, A Light in the Window page 196)
Wow, what a powerful scene! Prayer often tends to be our last resort, but it should be our first line of defense. In fact, praying and talking to God should be as natural as talking to your best friend and something you do daily. Prayer is powerful and I don’t say that to be cheesy, I truly believe it. I love how Julie says we should hedge our bets with a chat with the Almighty. All I can say is Amen because when God is in the middle of it, anything is possible!
Patrick is not the only one who struggles throughout this novel. Marcy is facing her own doubts and fears. She is blessed with a wonderful mother and grandmother who pour wisdom into her. Here is a snippet of a conversation with her grandmother.
Mima bent close, her words warm and husky in Marcy’s ear. “Not to worry, darlin’—the decision may be yours, but the strength and wisdom will be all His. Because never forget…” Mima tipped her face up, shoring Marcy with a deep faith carefully honed by time. “God honors those who honor Him, and He always answers their prayers.” (Julie Lessman, A Light in the Window, page 266)
God answers our prayers in His timing, which isn’t always aligned with our timing. Your prayers do not have an expiration date. Seek God’s will and pray unceasingly!
I could go on with the many inspirational moments Julie gives her readers, but I will stop here. You will love Patrick and Marcy’s story! I strongly recommend it along with all of Julie’s books. I will put a link to A Light in the Window below.
In Friday’s episode Tiff and I will dive into the novel and give you the scoop! Then next week we will follow Patrick and Marcy as they navigate WWI with their family, in Julie’s novel, A Passion Most Pure. Until next time happy and blessed reading!
1 Peter 3:7: Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives and treat her with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.
Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels.
There are many verses in the bible that address marriage and the roles and responsibilities of the husband and wife. Unfortunately, many of these verses are taken out of context to serve worldly views and selfish desires. Marriage is not for the selfish, but rather the selfless.
Marriage is a gift from God; therefore, he provides us with instructions so that we can fully experience His blessing. I love how Jody Hedlund weaves this into her novel, The Last Chance Cowboy.
This scene happens right before Dylan marries Catherine. Of course, their marriage was fast and one of convenience.
“I trust that you’ll make it your mission to love your wife the way Christ instructed?” “Didn’t realize Christ had instructions for me.”… “Yes.”… “The Bible most certainly has advice for how husbands are to love their wives.”… “Maybe we can sit down soon and you can fill me in on the advice.”
(Hedlund, Jody p. 73 The Last Chance Cowboy)
Our pastor always says that who you marry is the second most important decision in your life. Marriage is not something to take lightly. His advice is to pray and focus on running your race for God. Soon a man or woman of God will be running beside you. At that point turn and say hello!
I will leave you with this thought: Men of God make the best husbands. Women of God make the best wives.
Today I am bringing you the third book in Crystal Caudill’s Hidden Hearts of the Gilded Age series(affiliate link). We had Crystal on the show back in March where we discussed the prequel and first two books in this series. I have to say, Crystal ups the game each time she writes a book. I cannot wait to read her future books! Now let’s dig into Counterfeit Faith!
I just have to say that Crystal created the perfect woman for Josiah. Gwendolyn is sweet, courageous, and wise. Which makes her the best fit for Josiah, who is chivalrous romantic with a propensity to flirt and save a damsel in distress. However, when he finds the one, he is hopelessly devoted, and Gwen finds all his flirtations focused on her!
Gwen and Josiah’s love story is quite the adventure, as there are many foul players with deplorable morals, living near them. As we know Gwen is the Matron of Final Chance House of Refuge. Taking in children from the streets is a joy, but there’s also danger. One of the former boys, Quincy, returns to make life miserable and dangerous for everyone.
Crystal Caudill did an amazing job at creating a rather dark and dangerous character. Here is a little snippet from page 14.
“Maybe, I’ll start with setting flame to your skirts like the witch you always were.” Quincy stopped walking, lost in the imaginings of his depraved mind. “Yes, that’s what I’ll do. Just a foretaste of what can happen if you open your yap.”
There was no doubt he’d do it. He’d tortured animals that he’d claimed to adore. How much more delight would he take in harming his enemies?
Far more is revealed about Quincy, that will send a cold chill up your spine. He is one depraved man, who soon gets his comeuppance.
You will also discover why Josiah has been engaged nine times, plus he has a secret that only his family knows, until Gwen comes along. There are so many revelations throughout this book it is sure to keep you turning the page. I cannot share much more without giving things away, so I will stop here. Although I would love to discuss this book further!
I am sure we will have Crystal back on the show this fall as her final novella for the Hidden Hearts of the Gilded Age, releases in September.
LiteraryScape gives Counterfeit Faith 3 lassos! We are sure this book will have you hooked, and hog tied!
Element ratings for Counterfeit Faith (affiliate link):
Adventure: Mocha
Romance: Mocha
Mystery: Latte
(Rating Scale: Latte= A Lot, Mocha = Medium, Espresso = An Expression)
Be sure to visit Crystal Caudill’s website to stay up to date on her latest releases. I’ll have a link in the blog post for this episode.
Titus 2:11-14: For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope-the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels.
These verses from Titus are so encouraging as we face our temptations and vices on a daily basis. We all have them. Maybe for you it’s gossip, or lust, or alcohol, or vanity, or pride. Whatever the temptation or vice is, we have the strength to turn away from it when we turn to God.
I love how the verses say for the grace of God brings us salvation and teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age. For the grace of God. What would we do without Him?
In today’s world where the devil’s lies have taken a root hold on society, and I am sure you can think of many of them, it becomes harder and harder to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives. Yet when we do, we honor God, further His kingdom, and strengthen the faith and backbone of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. For it is not only for your sake that you turn from your temptations, but for the sake of others and God’s Kingdom.
We’ve been talking about Dylan from Jody Hedlund’s Last Chance Cowboy. He is the prodigal son who has run away from his vices not only for himself, but for the sake of others and to honor his God who saved him.
But since the day he’d left Chicago, he’d run away from his vices and hadn’t looked back. Like the prodigal son, he’d repented of his waywardness. He’d taken to hear the words of Psalm 1 and vowed not to walk in the counsel of the ungodly, not to stand in the way of sinners, not to sit in the seat of the scornful.
(Hedlund, Jody p. 36 The Last Chance Cowboy)
Dylan’s story is the perfect ending to Jody Hedlund’s Colorado Cowboy’s series. If you have not read this series yet I highly recommend it. You will be inspired by all the obstacles God helps this family overcome.
I will leave you with this final thought: Exercising self-control is possible with God.
Welcome back to another summer reading recommendation. Today I will give you the scoop on Beloved Beulah (affiliate link). This is the fourth book in Danni Roan’s Strong Heart Open Spirit series. (Read back cover)
Beulah is not your typical heroine and Silas is not your typical hero, yet their story will capture your heart. I think too often we say love and passion is only for the young, but we can have it no matter what our age. Danni Roan shows this in Beulah and Silas’s love story.
I enjoyed the sweet gentleness of this love story. If you are looking for a quick read with a slower pace then, this is the book for you. It is only 88 pages long and filled with a sweet and gentle love between Beulah and Silas.
There is also a surprise ending that I personally enjoyed, simply because of my own life’s circumstances. However, I will stop there because I don’t want to give the surprise away!
LiteraryScape gives Beloved Beulah 2.5 lassos! We are sure this book will have you hooked and semi-hog tied.
Element ratings for Beloved Beulah (affiliate link):
Adventure: Espresso
Romance: Mocha
Mystery: Espresso
(Rating Scale: Latte= A Lot, Mocha = Medium, Espresso = An Expression)
John 1:16: From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another.
Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels.
Grace is defined in my NIV bible as God’s free and unmerited favor for sinful humanity. Merriam-Webster gives these definitions: 1) unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification, 2) a virtue coming from God, 3) a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine assistance.
When I think about grace, I always pair it with mercy which is forgiving and compassionate. I was once told that mercy is God sparing us from his full wrath because of our sin. Basically, sparing us from the punishment we deserve because of our sin. Grace is what God extends to us when we repent and turn to Him.
In Jody Hedlund’s novel, The Last Chance Cowboy, we finally get Dylan, the prodigal son’s story. If you’ve read the series then you know that Dylan has been chasing the pleasures of this world in order to satisfy the void in which only God can fill. His sins had caught up with him and he was driven from his home and family. God shows him mercy by providing a way for him to return home and start again as a man of God. Here is a little snippet of Dylan expressing his thanks to God.
“Thank you for lettin’ me come back here. For giving me a second chance.” His whispered prayer settled in the silence around him, broken only by the nearby trickling of a creek filled with melting runoff.
(Hedlund, Jody p.34 The Last Chance Cowboy)
We’ve all been in Dylan’s shoes. We battle with the flesh and sometimes our sinful nature carries far away from God. When we finally come back to Him, he showers us with His grace and mercy, through second chances. I don’t know about you, but I am glad our God is the God of second chances because I’ve certainly had my fair share of them.
I realize Dylan is a fictional character, but his story shows God’s grace and mercy in action. His life is filled with blessings as he reunites with his family. He isn’t spared from the consequences of his sin, but he is able to face them through the grace of God. You’ll have to read the story to find out how God blesses him even through his consequences.
I will leave you with this final thought: Our God is the God of second chances!
Welcome back to another summer reading recommendation. Today I will give you the scoop on Sadina’s Stocking (affiliate link). This is the third book in Danni Roan’s Strong Heart Open Spirit series.
Sadina’s story will capture your heart immediately. She married a man whom she thought loved her, but she soon found out he had wondering eyes. When he left her alone and destitute to raise their daughter, her mother-in-law turned on her along with others in the community. Sadina does her best to provide for her daughter, while staying in the shadows.
Edward has been in love with Sadina since they were children. Family affairs took him away for a few years. He’s come back with the hope of making Sadina his wife. He’s surprised by where her life is but not deterred from his goal of marrying his childhood sweetheart.
Sadina struggles to get past her trust issues and feeling unworthy of Edward’s love. Edward works to show Sadina she is not only worthy of his love, but it is freely given to her as she has captured his heart.
Moving to his ranch should be a fresh start for Sadina and her daughter, yet her insecurities haunt her. There is a beautiful young woman in town who is very forward with Edward in hopes of stealing him away from Sadina. You’ll love how Edward puts her in her place.
At this point you may be wondering why the book is titled Sadina’s stocking. Well, as you can imagine she lives with a fear of being abandoned by her husband. Even though Edward tells her daily how much he loves her, the young woman from town places doubt in her mind. Sadina’s stocking provides her with a safety net should she need. However, she’ll use her stocking to show Edward he has won her trust.
This is a short and sweet romance that will have you falling in love with the handsome rancher, Edward and Sadina’s sweet daughter.
LiteraryScape gives, Sadina’s Stocking (affiliate link) 2.5 lassos! We are sure this book will have you hooked and semi-hog tied.
Element ratings for Sadina’s Stocking (affiliate link):
Adventure: Espresso
Romance: Mocha
Mystery: Espresso
(Rating Scale: Latte= A Lot, Mocha = Medium, Espresso = An Expression)
Sadina’s Stocking (affiliate link) is the third book in Danni’s Strong Hearts: Open Spirit series (affiliate link). All four books can be found on Kindle. Currently, they are part of Kindle Unlimited.
I am a big fan of reading paperback books, but I’ve recently enjoyed several books with my Kindle Unlimited subscription (affiliate link). If you find yourself traveling this summer, then Kindle Unlimited (affiliate link) is the best way to bring your library with you!
Until next time happy and blessed reading!
Christ the Solid Rock
Matthew 7:25: The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels.
Today’s inspirational moment gives such a visual and for me has been any easy concept to understand, but one that is easily forgotten during trials. I am going to read the entire parable, because Jesus said it best when he taught the difference between the wise builder and the foolish builder.
Mathew 7:24-27: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.
Picture your dream home. The one you’ve built in your head a thousand times. Now imagine you have the opportunity to build that dream home. Would you build it without a foundation? Would you build it in a flood zone? Of course not!
Yet too often we end up like Ivy, in Jody Hedlund’s novel, Falling for the Cowgirl. She’s placed her hope in man and you slowly see her world crumble. First the man she loves walks away from her thinking it’s what’s best for after her brother’s chase him off. Then her baby niece, whom she is close to, dies. You can see how her world is crumbling. I won’t give any more away, in case you haven’t read the book. However, through these events and how she reacts to them, you realize she has been putting God on the back burner and placing her trust in man.
Thankfully, Judd pushes Ivy to get up and keep living.
"You get on with building your life on the good Lord 'cause He's the only thing that ain't gonna crumble away when the going gets rough and people leave you behind. Believe me, I oughta know."
(p. 297 Falling for the Cowgirl by Jody Hedlund)
Your life is your house. Jesus is giving you the opportunity to build your life, your hopes, your dream on Christ the solid rock. He will never leave you nor forsake you. During your trials he walks with you and give you strength, peace, and courage.
Don’t waste your time constantly rebuilding your life because you’ve placed your hope in man. Reach out and take Jesus’s hand. Build your life on Him and you’ll never have to rebuild your life from the ground up again.
I will leave you with this final thought: Keep your feet on firm ground by trusting in God, not man.
Welcome back to another summer reading recommendation. Today I will give you the scoop on Celestre’s Song (affiliate link). This is the second book in Danni Roan’s Strong Heart Open Spirit series. (Read back cover copy)
Danni starts off by bringing you a scene that breaks your heart for Celestre. Her first marriage was rife with suffering, and it has followed her even after her husband’s death. She takes on an unusual, yet hopeful mail order bride offer, in hopes of living quietly in the background for the rest of her days.
Trevor is hoping to have a live-in maid and caregiver for his two young children as he takes on Celestre as his mail order bride. After losing his wife, his heart cannot fathom loving another woman. However, circumstances draw him to his new bride.
This is a short and sweet romance that will have you falling in love with the handsome rancher, Trevor and his two darling children.
LiteraryScape gives, Celestre’s Song (affiliate link) 2.5 lassos! We are sure this book will have you hooked and semi-hog tied.
Element ratings for Celestre’s Song (affiliate link):
Adventure: Mocha
Romance: Mocha
Mystery: Espresso
(Rating Scale: Latte= A Lot, Mocha = Medium, Espresso = An Expression)
Celestre’s Song (affiliate link) is the second book in Danni’s Strong Hearts: Open Spirit series (affiliate link). All four books can be found on Kindle. Currently, they are part of Kindle Unlimited.
I am a big fan of reading paperback books, but I’ve recently enjoyed several books with my Kindle Unlimited subscription (affiliate link). If you find yourself traveling this summer, then Kindle Unlimited (affiliate link) is the best way to bring your library with you!
Until next time happy and blessed reading!
Matthew 28:18-20: Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always to the very end of the age.
Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels.
I don’t know about you, but those verses both inspire and intimidate me. We are to further God’s kingdom by sharing Jesus with others. However, it doesn’t stop there. We are also to train others up in the way of the Lord and help them grow in their spiritual walk.
The fear of rejection keeps us from sharing Jesus. It is the fear our enemy uses to keep us from furthering God’s kingdom and leading others from death to life. Most days I feel inadequate and unprepared to share Jesus. Yet his first disciples didn’t hold doctorates in theology and were not ordained pastors. They were everyday people like you and me.
In the novel Falling for the Cowgirl (affiliate link), Jericho witness to the criminal he has captured.
"From what I learned in the Good Book, we all have sinned and deserve to die."
(p. 259 Falling for the Cowgirl (affiliate link) by Jody Hedlund)
Jericho was your everyday man with a rocky past, yet he not only accepted Jesus as his savior, but he also shared Jesus with others. Even the most ruthless criminals he was charged with bringing in. Talk about intimidating!
I’ve heard it said that it takes a person, hearing the invitation to accept Jesus as their savior, seven times before they take the leap of faith. Just imagine the person whom fear is holding you back from, could be waiting for that seventh invitation.
I will leave you with this final thought: If we don’t tell others the good news, who will?
Summer is on our doorstep. Which means we have sunny days filled with relaxing in our favorite outdoor reading nook and diving into some great summer reads. For the next several weeks I will be brining you some inspiring reads to fill your summer days with reading!
We are kicking off Memorial weekend with a quick read by Danni Roan. Maggie’s Valley (affiliate link) is the first book in Danni’s Strong Hearts: Open Spirit series (affiliate link). All four books can be found on Kindle. Currently, they are part of Kindle Unlimited.
I am a big fan of reading paperback books, but I’ve recently enjoyed several books with my Kindle Unlimited subscription (affiliate link). If you find yourself traveling this summer, then Kindle Unlimited (affiliate link) is the best way to bring your library with you!
Okay, now let’s get back to Maggie’s Valley (affiliate link). Maggie Weston is one brave woman. When her husband passes away, she decides to move back to her father’s house out west in a remote valley. A place that sounds absolutely beautiful and peaceful. It soon becomes a sanctuary for Maggie and the many people in need who show up on her doorstep.
A teenage boy, a very old and very sick Indian, a U.S. Marshal with a bullet wound and let’s not forget the motherless mountain lion cubs. Maggie is a kind and fearless woman who extends God’s love to those in need around her. She ends up with unlikely pets, friends and family as God blesses her obedience to His calling.
As always things are not easy for Maggie and danger lurks around the corner. With the help of God and her new friends she’s able to bring about peace and justice not only for herself, but for her neighbors.
If you are looking for a quick inspirational read with adventure and romance, then Maggie’s Valley is for you.
LiteraryScape gives Maggie’s Valley (affiliate link) 2.5 lassos. We are sure this story will have you hooked and slightly hog-tied!
Element ratings for Maggie’s Valley (affiliate link):
Adventure: Latte
Romance: Mocha
Mystery: Mocha
(Rating Scale: Latte= A Lot, Mocha = Medium, Espresso = An Expression)
1 Thessalonians 5:15: Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.
Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels.
Have you ever been tempted to serve revenge? The overabundance of crookedness, wickedness, and injustice that has invaded our world, can push you towards revenge. I have on more than one occasion been tempted to mete out my own form of justice, yet in the end it would hurt me more than the guilty party.
In the novel Falling for the Cowgirl, Jericho retrains himself from serving revenge rather than justice.
As much as Jericho wanted to make the man suffer for all he'd done, he couldn't let revenge have a greater need inside him than justice. After all, revenge had to do with payback for selfish satisfaction. But justice was about righting wrongs for the good of everyone.
(p. 256 Falling for the Cowgirl by Jody Hedlund)
Justice is for the good of everyone. I love the way Jody Hedlund worded this. Revenge is payback that brings self-satisfaction, for a fleeting moment. That satisfaction never lasts and ends up eating away at you. However, when justice is served, it rights wrongs and brings peace and goodness to everyone.
If you’re like me, it feels like justice is nowhere in sight these days. However, I believe it lies within the hearts of those of us who serve God and call Him our Lord and Savior. Because of our relationship with Him and His word, which is our standard of truth and justice, we can bring justice back into this world by standing up for what is right in the eyes of God.
Our flesh will always desire revenge, but when we serve justice it points others to Christ. Remember Deuteronomy 32:35 It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them. God will avenge his people.
In the meantime, find peace and strength in 1 Peter 3:9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. Trust me the enemy doesn’t know what to do when you turn around and show them kindness.
I will leave you with this thought: Revenge never leaves you feeling good, yet just justice brings goodness to everyone.
In this episode Tiffanie, Jamie, and Melissa take on trivia for Tracie Peterson’s series Brookstone Brides. The winner of this match may surprise you.
I will caution you; we try really hard not to give away any spoilers. However, in this episode I accidently the spill the beans. I do apologize, but if you haven’t read the series yet you may not want to wait to watch or listen to this episode.
Here are a few trivia questions for you!
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What are the names of the horses Lizzy uses in the show?
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Who did Lizzy’s uncle bring in, to improve the show?
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What did Lizzy name the horse her parents gave her for Christmas?
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What color is Mary’s hat?
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What fruit did Mary shoot off Chris’s head?
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Chris grew up just outside what city?
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Who is Ella’s maid and childhood friend?
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Who said, “Yes, but not my woman and not my baby.”?
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Where did Chris and Mary get married?
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Who kidnapped Ella?
I hope you enjoyed this short, but fun filled trivia episode. Don’t forget to buy your Brookstone Brides books either from us or using our amazon affiliate link here.
Stay tuned for next week’s episode as I share some sweet novellas to kick off your summer reading! Until next time happy and blessed reading!
Matthew 6:33: But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels.
How often do you find yourself saying I will get to God once I get this, this, and this in order in my life? We get so caught up planning our lives out that we plan God right out of it. When in reality He’s the one we need most and the only one who can truly help us live our lives in a way that honors him.
In the novel Falling for the Cowgirl, Ivy struggles to place God first.
She didn’t doubt she’d disappointed God too. He was probably sighing and throwing His arms up at her antics, especially lately. She had to do better. And she would, once she had a place, she could finally call home. (p. 190 Falling for the Cowgirl by Jody Hedlund)
Have you ever been in Ivy’s shoes? I have sometimes, even on a daily basis. About the time I hit my tenth roadblock of the day I finally realize I’ve tried doing things without God. And let’s be honest, life gets frustrating and messy without Him! I am so thankful He loves me and welcomes me with open arms mess and all. I can say God is the best picker upper of our messes. No one can heal and restore us like He does. So, stop waiting until you’re perfect to seek Him, He wants you now!
I will leave you with is final thought: God doesn't want you after you get your life in order,
but now as you are.
The story that ends them all! Tracie Peterson brings the multiple storylines in her Brookstone Brides series to an unforgettable end.
In this episode Tiffanie, Jamie, and Melissa give you the scoop on What Comes My Way, by Tracie Peterson. We won’t give away any spoilers, but you’ll learn enough about this adventurous story to want to read it yourself!
If you’ve kept up with our episodes for this series, then you know there are A LOT of storylines that started in book one, When You are Near. And all those storylines are ready to get their ending. Tracie Peterson will bring you surprise and satisfaction with each ending!
As usual we dive in and give you are reactions and much more! Be sure to check out our podcast on your favorite podcast platform and don’t forget our Rumble channel where you not only get to hear our reactions, but you can see them too!
LiteraryScape gives What Comes My Way, 3 lassos! This book will have you hooked, and hog tied!
Adventure Level = Mocha
Romance Level = Espresso
Mystery Level = Mocha
(Latte= A Lot, Mocha= Medium Amount, Espresso= An Expression)
Check out more books by Tracie Peterson here.
Be sure to sign up for our newsletter below and follow us on your favorite podcast platform! We have more amazing historical Christian romance novels to come.
Psalm 37:23-24: If the Lord delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.
Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels.
How much peace does Psalm 37:23-24 bring to you? I love the image of God upholding me with his hand.
Recently my husband and I faced a decision that most people would not consider difficult, but for us it was. We spent weeks in the throes of indecision to the point we were ready to put the sheepskin out on the deck. Sometimes the waiting and trying to discern God’s will can feel like you are in a constant state of tug-of-war.
Our church has been studying the life of Joseph and what others call the Joseph Factor. The series has been very enlightening. If you’re interested you can watch the sermons online here. In the most recent sermon, we were reminded that Joseph waited 13 years before the dreams God gave him came true. During that time God was preparing him for what he would be called to do. God’s preparation is tailored made for your future. (Pastor Jon Rauch)
Pastor Jon Rauch gave these 4 tips when you find yourself in the waiting or in the throes of indecision as you seek God’s will.
- Don’t rush to gain a position that is beyond your character development.
a. Develop your personal relationship with Christ.
- Recognize that God’s delays are God’s perfect timing.
a. Our lives are under the loving hand of God.
- Hold on to God’s promises.
a. He is good on His word. You can trust Him.
- Serve God wherever He has you.
a. God blesses your work.
In the novel Falling for the Cowgirl, Jericho resists God's direction when it comes to Ivy. Judd offers him words of wisdom.
The pages of Judd's Bible rustled as he flipped through them. "Good thing for us, we ain't alone in the slogging. The Lord says in Psalm 37..." (p. 78 Falling for the Cowgirl by Jody Hedlund)
I just love Jody’s character, Judd. We all need a Judd in our lives. Someone who is constantly pointing us back to God and speaking truth, in love.
I will leave you with this thought: Consult God daily, in all things and walk in His perfect
will.
The adventure and mystery continue in Wherever You Go, the second book on Tracie Peterson’s Brookstone Brides series. Sharpshooter Mary Reichert takes center stage as her love story with journalist Christopher Williams unfolds.
Their relationship is built on trust as Christopher finally shares his family’s deepest, darkest secret. Not to mention, he volunteers for her shooting act, literally trusting her with his life. Mary doesn’t bat an eye while shooting at Chris or at discovery what his family has done.
Let’s not forget the other players in this series, Wes, Lizzy, Ella, Phillip, and many more continue their journeys alongside our star couple. There is no doubt you’ll be a shocked as we are by Jason’s actions!
Tracie keeps her readers turning the page with a sweet romance filled with adventure and mystery. The twists and character changes will drop your jaw as you travel with the Brookstone Brides!
LiteraryScape gives Wherever You Go 3 lassos as we are sure it will have you hooked and hog tied!
Adventure Level = Mocha
Romance Level = Espresso
Mystery Level = Mocha
(Latte= A Lot, Mocha= Medium Amount, Espresso= An Expression)
Check out more books by Tracie Peterson here.
Be sure to sign up for our newsletter below and follow us on your favorite podcast platform! We have more amazing historical Christian romance novels to come.
Prayer and Temptation
James 4:7: Submit yourselves then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels.
Prayer is our open line of communication to God. How often do you use it? Do you have a healthy prayer life? When do you find yourself turning to God in prayer?
I was recently challenged by our pastor when asked these questions. It’s easy to fill our schedules and push our prayer time to the back burner. In some cases, it becomes non-existent. When we pull away and stop communicating with God daily, we drift away from Him allowing temptation a foot hold.
Prayer not only connects us with God, but the power of the Holy Spirit.
In the novel Falling for the Cowgirl, Jericho pushes Ivy away to resist temptation and turns to prayer.
Her frigidness would keep him cooled off, and that's what he needed. That, and a good dose of prayer for resisting temptation. (p. 78 Falling for the Cowgirl by Jody Hedlund)
If you’re like me and need to reboot your prayer life, I have a few suggestions for you.
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Start with setting aside 15 minutes a day to read your Bible and pray.
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Write your prayers down in a prayer journal.
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Find a quiet space to spend time in prayer.
There are a couple of books on prayer that I would suggest for you to read. These books helped breathe new life into my prayer life.
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Praying for Your Elephant: Boldy Approaching Jesus with Radical and Audacious Prayer by Adam Stadtmiller.
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Just Ask: The Joy of Confident, Bold, Patient, Relentless, Shameless, Dependent, Grateful, Powerful, Expectant Prayer by J.D. Greear
I will leave you with this final thought: When temptation strikes lean into Jesus. He will give
you the strength you need to resist!
Tracie Peterson kicks off her Brookstone Brides series with a love that has been on hold for far too long. Wes and Lizzy have been in love for years, but they could never connect. Years later circumstances bring them together, however there are still obstacles to overcome.
Multiple story lines begin in When You Are Near that won’t conclude until the final book in this three-novel series. You’ll meet all our heroes, heroines, and villains as this series unfolds.
Tiffanie, Jamie, and Melissa agree that Jefferson Spiby is a creep! This something readers discover the first time they meet him. His inappropriate comments get our book club sharing some our most embarrassing moments with men and their pickup lines. These stories will make you laugh and drop your jaw!
Don’t miss this entertaining episode as we give you an inside look into Tracie Peterson’s book, When You Are Near.
LiteraryScape gave When You Are Near a 2.5 lasso rating. We can guarantee you’ll be hooked and partial hog-tied by this novel. Check out our element ratings below.
Adventure Level = Mocha
Romance Level = Espresso
Mystery Level = Mocha
(Latte= A Lot, Mocha= Medium Amount, Espresso= An Expression)
Check out more books by Tracie Peterson here.
Be sure to sign up for our newsletter below and follow us on your favorite podcast platform! We have more amazing historical Christian romance novels to come.
Romans 5:8: But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels.
Do you struggle with wrapping your mind around all that Christ did on the cross for you? Has anyone every loved you as much as he does? While you were still His enemy and spoke out against Him, He died to save you from the pit of hell.
Not only did Christ suffer the cross to save you, but He offers you healing. Within in His arms we find refuge, strength, and peace.
In the novel To Tame a Cowboy Brody realizes he needs God before he could have Savannah.
He wouldn't be able to love her the way she deserved until he first found peace and healing in the One who was waiting patiently for him. (p. 295 To Tame a Cowboy by Jody Hedlund)
I love how Jody wove this message into the story. God patiently waits for you while He relentlessly pursues you.
I will leave you with this final thought: Salvation brings healing to the heart and soul. It is a free
gift from God.
Tune into our interview with author Misty M. Beller and get a behind the scenes look at her Hearts of Montana series.
Today I am sharing some notes from Pastor Mike Silliman’s sermon on Christ’s second coming. His full message can be found on Grace Community Church, Goshen Indiana’s website. I will put a link at the bottom of this blog post.
Do you long for Christ to return? How we long for Christ’s return effects how we live our lives. It has also been said that, the degree to which we long for Christ’s return is a measure of our spiritual condition.
We are to long for Christ’s return and continue the work He has given us. Yet we get distracted by “pit stops” on our journey to Heaven. When we get distracted by things of earth, we stop longing for our home with Christ.
There are 1,845 Biblical references to Christ’s second coming. These outnumber the references of Christ’s first coming by 8 to 1. We know that Christ came the first time and fulfilled over 200 prophecies, therefore we know He will come again to fulfill the 1,845 Biblical references to His second coming.
2 Peter 3 gives us direction in how to live in light of Christ’s second coming.
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2 Peter 3:1-2: Live under the authority and radical obedience of God’s word because it is our standard of truth. We will not be swayed by the currents of culture. Did you know there are 3 things that lead to moral social change in society? Think about these and where we are today, at least here in America. 1) What was once universally condemned is now universally accepted, 2) What once was condemned is now celebrated and what was celebrated is now condemned, 3) Those who refuse to accept or celebrate changes are condemned.
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2 Peter 3:3-7: We will not run from or hide from unbelievers, scoffers, and mockers. Instead, we will remain steadfast in what we know is true and let our light shine brightly. The gospel was written for us, at this time.
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2 Peter 3:8-10: We will see perceived delays as God’s divine appointments. We will be “hope dealers” to the hopeless and hurting. His delay allows others to come to Him. Imagine if God returned one week before you accepted him as your Lord and Savior?
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2 Peter 3:11-12: We will live a life of daily repentance. Putting to death the sin that entangles us and pursuing a spirit-filled life of godliness. Reorient your life to a gospel centered life that bears fruit.
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2 Peter 3:13-16: We will live our lives with balance, longing for Heaven tomorrow while at the same time living on mission today.
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2 Peter 3:17-18: We will make the necessary adjustments to our lives so we can grow in grace and be good and faithful stewards until Christ returns.
I know this is not our usual inspirational moment, but I hope you found it inspiring. As we face trials we’ve never faced before, may our hope, peace, and joy be anchored in Christ our solid rock. To hear this entire message from Pastor Mike Silliman, visit https://gracecommunity-church.com/watch. This is the third message in the Trilogy series.
Misty M. Beller wraps up her Hearts of Montana series with a sweet, adventurous love story that will have you hooked, and hog tied from beginning to end!
We’ve walked through Aaron’s darkest moments, starting in Love’s Mountain Quest, where he arrives on the scene as a tough, cold hearted, gang member. To a broken man lying in the pit of despair in Faith’s Mountain Home. Aaron finally gets his own story, and we get to see the tender, loving, honorable man of God he has become.
Our heroine Katie Barlowe, longs to be in control of her own life. Yet the circumstances Aaron finds her in leaves her dependent on a man she barely knows. Without his help she and her baby will not arrive to safe lodging before winter sets in.
Aaron is out of his league as does his best to help Katie reach safety for the winter. You’ll be surprised by just how determined he is as he battles the weather and his weak leg. In true Misty M. Beller style he’ll face many physical and mental obstacles before achieving his goal.
You’ll fall in love with Aaron as he falls in love with Katie and her baby.
LiteraryScape gives Misty M. Beller’s, Honor’s Mountain Promise a 3-lasso rating!
Adventure Level = Mocha
Romance Level = Mocha
Mystery Level = Espresso
(Latte= A Lot, Mocha= Medium Amount, Espresso= An Expression)
Find more books like Honor’s Mountain Promise. Check out our Book Buying Guide.
Misty has a new series! Visit her website to learn about these new exciting novels.
Nate and Laura make an unlikely pair as their past together has been anything, but loving. Misty M. Beller brings her readers another romance packed with unexpected events, compassion, and reconciliation.
Nate followed his twin brother Aaron into a life of crime, to keep watch over him. He’s finally been given a chance to set things right and start again. The lovely Laura Hannon caught his eye the moment he saw her being held hostage by his old gang. He knows his chances of ever winning her heart are slim, not to mention she deserved someone better than him.
His blood heated with every touch, every delicious taste of her. He had to pull back. Had to give her space to realize he wasn’t the man she should be kissing. No matter how much he wanted to be that person, she could do so much better. (Misty M. Beller, Faith’s Mount Home. p. 177)
Laura struggles to overcome the emotional trauma of being kidnapped abused by the gang Nate and Aaron used to run with. On top of that she is flooded with guilt for being the one who shattered Aaron’s femur when she accidently shot him.
She looked up to meet Nate’s eyes again as the pieces resettled into a clearer image. “I’ve chosen to forgive Aaron. I think it’s myself I’m struggling with. I didn’t mean to shoot him, but if he never walks again…” She couldn’t bring himself to speak aloud what might happen if he never walked again. (Misty M. Beller, Faith’s Mountain Home, p. 147)
Neither Nate or Laura feel they have a chance at finding love and a family. Each carry their own wounds from childhood, yet it’s their wounds that bring them together. Theirs is a sweet romance that arises from the ashes of their past.
Misty M. Beller continues to amaze her readers with unexpected turn of events. Be sure to visit https://mistymbeller.com to connect with Misty and stay up to date on her new releases!
Check out our discussion of Faith’s Mountain Home by Misty M. Beller, on our Rumble channel or on your favorite podcast platform.
Leave us a comment below and let us know your thoughts on Faith’s Mountain Home.
Be sure to sign-up for our newsletter and stay up to date on our book reviews and events!
John 15:13: Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels.
Don’t you just love basking in God’s love? Every day I am amazed how much He loves me and He shows me His love through His provision, His word, and His presence. No matter what I’ve done He waits for me with open arms, to shower me with His unfailing love.
In the novel To Tame a Cowboy Brody tries to wrap his mind around how much his family loves him.
Truth was he hadn't given them much reason to put their work on hold and go searching in the mountains for him. Why had they done it? Why did they keep loving him when he didn't deserve it? (p. 255 To Tame a
Cowboy by Jody Hedlund)
Brody is overwhelmed by the love his family has shown him, even though he had been difficult since returning from the war. God’s love for us is the same. We are difficult children who rebel and push away, yet He keeps seeking us, keeps loving us.
John 3:16-17 paints a picture of God’s love you and me. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Today I hope you know Jesus as your Lord and savior. It’s as easy as surrendering your sin and accepting His love and forgiveness. May you forever dwell in His unfailing love.
I will leave you with this final thought: God's love for you never changes. It is unfailing.
Philippians 4:13: I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels.
I can remember the first time someone explained to me that there were battles raging in the spiritual world for our souls. My mind conjured up this epic battlefield where angels and demons fought with swords. Although I have no doubt this happens, as an adult I’ve learned that the spiritual battle is fought on our knees.
In the novel To Tame a Cowboy Brody learns how to fight his demons.
He'd been fighting his demons with his fists, letting his anger get the best of him. And after every fight, he walked away feeling worse inside, knowing a better man wouldn't jump into a brawl and hurt people every chance he got. (p. 120 To Tame a Cowboy by Jody
Hedlund)
Have you been where Brody was? We live in the physical world and it’s easy to fall into dealing with our demons using things of this world like fighting, alcohol, drugs, food, entertainment. This list could go on and on, but we’ve all seen how using the things of this world to fight our demons leads to further destruction and carries us away from the one who can save us.
Meeting God on our knees allows him to work his good and perfect will through us. 1 John 4:4 says You dear children are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
I will leave you with this final thought: Demons are fought on the spiritual battlefield and God never loses!
From swooning to hair raising scenes, Misty M. Beller takes her readers on a harrowing adventure with her book Love’s Mountain Quest. This story is not for the faint of heart as Joanna, with the help of Isaac, tracks down the gang who has kidnapped her son and friend, Laura.
This novel will keep you turning the pages at one in the morning. Misty once again takes her characters through one obstacle after another before they get their happy ending. I must warn you some scenes may have you flinching as the villains in this story have a very accurate portrayal. No worries on it becoming graphic, as Misty keeps everything clean, but real.
Secrets are revealed as Isaac and Joanna race to rescue Samuel and Laura from a gang that’s grown reckless. A gang that is far more familiar than you realize. The question is, can their blooming love overcome past mistakes.
The LiteraryScape book club gives Love’s Mountain Quest 3 lassos as it is sure to have you hooked and hogtied. Check out our additional ratings below.
Adventure Level = Latte
Romance Level = Mocha
Mystery Level = Espresso
(Rating Scale- Latte=A Lot, Mocha=A Medium Amount, Expresso=An Expression Of It)
Join us next week as we continue the Hearts of Montana series. Be sure to stay up to date by signing up for our newsletter below.
Check out our Book Buying Guide to find your next great read!
Don’t forget to visit Misty M. Beller’s website to learn more about her books!
Until next time happy and blessed reading!
1 Peter 2:9: But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels.
Over the past few weeks our pastor has been preaching on the Joseph Factor. Digging into Joseph’s life in Genesis has been intriguing and challenging. His life was rife with hardships. Starting with his brother’s hating him to the point they wanted to kill him. Instead, they sold him into slavery. He was sold yet again and became a servant for Potiphar.
Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him and when he refused and ran away, she falsely accused him of trying to rape her. Joseph was then thrown into prison. There helped the chief cupbearer regain his position and asked they he mention him to the Pharoah and get him out of prison. Yet when the cupbearer was restored to his position he forgot about Joseph. He wasn’t released from prison for another two years.
Throughout these hardships God was with Joseph. He granted him favor in the eyes of all those who had held him captive. To the point they put him in charge of everything in their care. God blessed Joseph and those around him benefited from God’s blessings.
In the novel To Tame a Cowboy Savannah talks to Brody about his scars.
"You no longer have to be condemned by your scars. God can redeem anything. Whenever you look at or feel your battle wounds, instead of seeing all the ways you failed, you can see the strength you've gained through the hardships and realize wounds might shape us, but they can't determine who we are."(p. 229 To Tame a Cowboy by Jody Hedlund)
Imagine all the scars Joseph had on the inside and outside. Yet he lived in confidence and without complaining because he knew God was with him. Too often we focus on our woes and allow our current situation to determine whether God is with us or not. Joseph had it right. He didn’t allow his circumstances to dictate his faith or change what he knew to be true. He lived knowing God was with him and working all things out for his good and God’s glory.
Pastor Jim put it this way, scars are reminders that God can get us through. Know that God is always with you and your faith during the midst of hard times strengthens the faith of others.
If you’re in a valley battling with the enemy right now or standing on the mountain top. I hope you found this inspirational moment up lifting and I want you to remember that no matter where you are right now, God is with you!
I’ll leave you with this thought. God is working his good and perfect will through you and that leaves scars. Treasure them, but don’t let them define you, that’s what God does.
If you would like to dig deeper and journal on these inspirational topics, consider purchasing our 25 Day reading companion for Jody Hedlund’s Colorado Cowboys series. Click here for more information.
1 Corinthians 6:18: Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.
Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels.
Before we dig into today’s inspirational moment, I want to stop and look at the word purity. Dictionary.com gave these definitions of purity:
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The condition or quality of being pure; freedom from anything that debases, contaminates, pollutes
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freedom from any admixture or modifying addition.
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ceremonial or ritual cleanness.
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freedom from guilt or evil; innocence.
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physical chastity; virginity.
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freedom from foreign or inappropriate elements; careful correctness
Purity can take on different meanings depending on what the object of the subject is. Yet whether you are speaking about the purity of an object such as water or gold or the purity of one’s heart or body you are always describing the absence of any contaminate, filth or sin. Something with purity is whole, clean, innocent, and free from guilt and shame.
The concept of purity in the sexual sense is brought up many times throughout the Colorado Cowboys series by Jody Hedlund. Just a couple days ago I shared an inspirational moment from her book the Heart of Cowboy emphasizing the need to wait on love.
In other words, don’t put yourself in a situation where the flames of lust and desire can burn out of control and lead to sexual sin. Put barriers up that keep you from falling into this trap. For example, don’t plan to be alone with your boyfriend or girlfriend for any significant amount of time. Plan dates where you are around other people. Lay down guidelines from the start of the relationship. Keep your kisses short and sweet. These are all things that will help you remain pure until marriage.
In the novel To Tame a Cowboy Savannah is reflecting on her mother’s words of wisdom.
Her momma had always said a woman couldn't give away her favors so easily. A man wouldn't learn to cherish what he got freely but would prize what he worked hard to earn. (p. 162 To Tame a Cowboy by Jody Hedlund)
Another way I’ve heard this is why would he buy the cow when he’s getting the milk for free. For some these words of wisdom sting because they go against what the world has taught them. They’ve fallen for satan’s lie that sex isn’t a big deal. It’s just a pleasurable recreational activity that you can have with anyone at any time. He cheapens this beautiful gift from God, that when kept within the bounds of marriage it becomes something beyond your wildest dreams.
What I love about this quote from Jody Hedlund’s book To Tame a Cowboy, is that it points out that a man doesn’t cherish, and I am going to add love or respect a woman who satisfies his desires in bed without a commitment. Yet he will love, honor, and respect the woman who puts up the boundaries and refuses to go to the bedroom without a ring and an I do.
Until we get that ring and I do ladies we are in control. We determine whether we will give sex away freely or demand love and commitment. Putting these boundaries in place and living according God’s precepts protects you from the wrong men and keeps you from physical and emotional harm.
I also like to reiterate that our God is the God of second chances. If you’re listening to this podcast and you’ve already been sleeping with men outside of marriage you have a hope in Jesus to make you new. When you trust in Jesus as your savior and you turn from your sin, He can and will make you new and give you a fresh start. With his help you can heal from past relationships and start anew with firm boundaries that honor Him and His precepts.
If you’re in this situation I recommend listening to episode 20 where we interviewed award winning author Julie Lessman. Her testimony is powerful and an amazing example of how God can pull you from sexual sin and make you new in Him.
I hope you found this message inspiring. I would like to leave you with this final thought. Sex without the commitment of love and marriage is cheap. Don't sell yourself short. Honor God with your commitment to purity.
If you would like to dig deeper and journal on these inspirational topics, consider purchasing our 25 Day reading companion for Jody Hedlund’s Colorado Cowboys series.Click herefor more information.
Hope’s Highest Mountain is the first book in Misty M. Beller’s Hearts of Montana series. This novel will run you through the wringer! Misty is not afraid to pack her story with several punches as she takes her readers on an incredible adventure that few could survive.
Micah Bradley is the hero of this novel, and he is a true picture of a mountain man. Quiet yet strong, Micah’s physical strength and endurance will surprise you. While his inner struggle with the loss of loved ones shows his softer side and side of him that is in need of repair. And the only one who can restore Micah is God.
Ingrid Chastain is one tenacious heroine. She suffers severe wounds from her accident both physically and emotionally, yet she does it with such grace. Ingrid’s firm foundation in Christ keeps her grounded and focused on her mission to save the residents of Settler’s Fort from the outbreak of smallpox. Her faith and Micah’s physical strength make quite the pair on this perilous journey they find themselves in.
You’ll fall in love with the secondary characters Misty brings into Micah and Ingrid’s lives. Joanna Watson and her son Samuel are a dynamic duo who help both Micah and Ingrid in their journey of physical and spiritual healing. Plus, it’s hard not to fall in love with an adorable little boy who loves his mule!
Enjoy our discussion of Hope’s Highest Mountain by Misty M. Beller on your favorite podcast platform or on Rumble. Just look up LiteraryScape and you’ll find us. Be sure to follow us so you can stay up to date with our latest book club discussions.
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You can learn more about Misty M. Beller by visiting her website here.
Psalm 66:10-12: For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.
Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels.
I was once told that God pursues you and you can either go willingly and gracefully or kicking and screaming while he slowly peals your fingers away from the grasp you have on this world. This really painted a picture for me. Did you go gracefully or kicking and screaming?
I can say I ran into God’s arms willingly, but there have been times in my life where I have gone astray and He has had to pull me back, sometimes kicking and screaming. Isn’t it through our trials that we run and fall into His strong and capable hands.
In the novel To Tame a Cowboy Savannah is reflecting on how God pursues us.
As wild as they were, they had incredible potential if tamed by the right hands. Wasn't that how it was with God? When others gave up, He kept going, kept pursuing, always seeing the potential of a person tamed by His hands. (p. 67 To Tame a Cowboy by Jody Hedlund)
The trials we face are never enjoyable, but I am thankful He uses them to draw us to Him and refine us for His will. As many times as I have strayed, I am thankful God pursues me and sees my redemptive potential.
I will leave you with this thought: God sees your potential and guides you to live to your fullest redemptive potential, because he loves you!
Ephesians 4:32: Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels.
Ahh forgiveness. Something we eagerly accept yet struggle to give. It’s natural that when someone hurts us, we put up a wall to protect ourselves. The problem is that wall keeps us from being able to forgive the person who wronged us.
In the novel The Heart of a Cowboy Flynn has to work through forgiving his brother Wyatt.
Flynn pushed aside the bitterness toward his older brother as he'd done earlier when he'd been praying. Maybe it was time to let bygones be bygones. (p. 196 The Heart of a Cowboy by Jody Hedlund)
Remember in Matthew 18 Peter asked Jesus how many times we should forgive those who have sinned against us. Jesus replied by saying, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” Ouch, that seems like a tall order especially when the same person continues to hurt you.
Forgiving someone does not mean you give them your trust again. Rather forgiving them frees you from harboring ill will toward them and allows you to move on. Whereas being unwilling to forgive holds you hostage. Once you forgive someone, you can be wise in how you interact with them in the future.
I will leave you with this thought: Holding on to bitterness hurts you and does nothing to the one who wronged you. Yet forgiveness sets you free and blesses the one who hurt you.
Did you know the Secret Service cases in Crystal’s book are real? We loved connecting with author Crystal Caudill! She has such a passion for her writing and the research she completed for her Hidden Hearts of the Gilded Age series. In this episode you will get the behind the scenes look at this book series that will have you hooked, and hog tied!
Crystal’s debut novel series will release its final installment in September of 2023. Be sure to visit https://crystalcaudill.com to sign up for her newsletter and stay up to date on her releases.
We plan to have Crystal back on the show in the near future so stay tuned as we expect many more exhilarating novels from her creative mind!
In the meantime, be sure to get you copies of her Hidden Hearts of the Gilded Age books today. Check out our links to purchase here!
Song of Songs 8:4: Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.
Waiting to have sex until you are married is a topic that is near and dear to my heart for two reasons. One I have watched so many family and friends suffer the consequences of having sex outside of marriage, because it does not align with God’s precepts therefore it blocks his blessings. Two, because I waited to have sex until I was married and I can say the blessings he has bestowed upon our marriage, was worth the wait and I want others to experience this too!
In the novel The Heart of a Cowboy Flynn reflects on a past relationship.
After stirring up physical longings with Helen, now it was all the harder for him to control his desires. He reckoned that was one of the reasons the Good Book said not to stir up love before the time was right for it.
(p. 145 The Heart of a Cowboy by Jody Hedlund)
In a culture that is riddled with the lie from the pit of hell, that sex is just sex, and you can and should participate whenever you want with whoever you want, it is refreshing to read a romance novel that shines the light of truth on this lie. God’s word is the standard for truth. You will never find verses in the bible that condone sex outside of marriage. You will however find many verses that warn you against it and tell you that death and destruction follow those who are slaves to their fleshly desires. 1 Corinthians 6:18 – Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits out outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Flee being the key word in that verse. Flee means to run away as if the devil himself were chasing you!
You will find many verses on how those who wait until marriage are showered in God’s many blessings because sex is a gift from God to man and wife. This is because those who obey God’s commands are blessed by Him. I strongly encourage you to read 1 John as it is full of encouragement as speaks to following God’s commands and measuring everything to God’s word. If it doesn’t align with God’s word, it’s a lie.
Song of Songs paints a beautiful picture of the kind of love and passion God blesses a man and wife with. All you have to do is obey His commands.
When talking about this topic I must remind everyone that our God is a God of second chances. If you’re like Flynn and had sex outside of marriage, but now desire to live for God, He will make you new. When you enter a new relationship, He will give you the strength to do things His way and if you obey, He will bless your marriage beyond your imagination!
I will leave you with this thought: Don’t trade love for fleeting lust. Love is worth the wait.
Job 12:10: In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.
Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels.
What peace that verse brings. For there are no more capable hands than God’s. It is such a blessing to know he holds us and the ones we love in our hands. Yet at the same time we struggle to relinquish complete control as we try to do everything we can, to protect the ones we love.
In the novel The Heart of a Cowboy Flynn struggles to release control to God.
He released a tight breath. If only he could be in all places at all times. Then maybe he'd be able to keep everyone safe. "You're not God." Linnea's comment came back to taunt him.
(p. 127 The Heart of a Cowboy by Jody Hedlund)
Have you ever felt like Flynn. Overwhelmed by the weight of responsibility of the safety and provision of those under your care? Ever need someone like Linnea to remind that you’re not God? That God is in complete control. All we have to do is lay our needs and requests at his feet. For he knows what we need before we even ask!
Psalm 23 is a beautiful picture of how David wholly relied on God for his provision and protection. I would also encourage you to read Joseph’s story starting in Genesis 37. God is sovereign and work all things out for our good!
I will leave you with this thought: There is freedom and security in giving God complete control.
Crystal Caudill takes her readers on a nail-biting adventure with her newest addition to the Hidden Hearts of the Gilded Age series, Counterfeit Hope.
If you enjoy books filled with danger, adventure, nail biting scenes, and romance you’ll get it all in Counterfeit Hope! Not to mention you’ll be rooting for the underdog up to the very end!
Remember that infuriating and unlikable Secret Service agent, from Counterfeit Love, Andrew Darlington? Yeah him! I hate to tell you, but you’ll be in love with him by the end of this story. Andrew is the picture-perfect knight in shining armor as he faces his past and rescues a damsel who has been in distress since childhood. His tender and protective side will throw you for a loop at first, but it fits him well!
Lu Thorne has been bought, sold, used, and abused. She’s smart, cunning, and has learned to do what she must to survive and ensure the safety of her son. Lu has lived her life without hope or love until she meets Andrew and God.
Going against odds that only God can surmount, Andrew and Lu fight for truth, justice, and love!
Be sure to visit Crystal Caudill’s website and check out her amazing book club kits! You’ll want to sign-up for her email list and keep up with her new releases, especially with the third book to her Hidden Hearts of the Gilded Age releasing in May!
Want to find more great reads in the historical Christian romance genre? Check out our book buying guide for books you’re sure to love!
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Matthew 6:30: If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels.
What peace this verse brings during tough times. The Bible is filled with story upon story of God’s provision for his people. Think back on your times of need. How did God come through for you? I can remember being just married and in college. Money was tracked to the penny. I’m sure everyone has gone through that at some point in their life. We shouldn’t have been able to pay all our bills and still have money for food, yet somehow God made it happen month after month.
In the novel The Heart of a Cowboy by Jody Hedlund,
the heroine Linnea repeatedly quotes Matthew 6:30.
The verse brings her comfort during her trials.
For God is a good father who knows how to give good gifts and care for His children. He has every resource at his fingertips and eagerly awaits to provide for you, all we must do is ask. Don’t let fear hold you back, for our God can do all things!
I will leave you with this thought. Fear is an attack on your faith, fight it with the word of God.
1 Peter 4:13: But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels.
What is your initial reaction to this verse? If you’re like me, you did a double take and said, what? No one likes to suffer, so how are we supposed to rejoice in our suffering? Where is that joy and peace at, right?
Believe it or not it comes in the suffering, and it is beyond anything on this earth. It has taken me a few years to get this concept and I hope this helps you get to the point where you can rejoice in your suffering. For I have found that it is in our suffering that we draw near to God and His glory shines through when we rejoice bringing glory to Him who sustains us!
Paul gives us a great picture of this in 2 Corinthians 12: 1-19. I am going to zero in on verses 7-10. To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecution, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
In the novel A Cowboy for Keeps by Jody Hedlund, the
hero Wyatt suffers another blow. Judd speaks wisdom and truth to him.
“Been hanging my hat something my ma taught me
from the Good Book,” Judd continued, jawing more now
than he had in a month. “She always said, we ain’t
supposed to be surprised when we come against fiery
trials. If the Lord suffered, then we gotta expect the
suffering too.” (p. 229 Jody Hedlund, A Cowboy for
Keeps 2021)
For we can do nothing apart from God. Someone is always watching the way you live your life and respond to obstacles and crisis. When we lean into God and allow His strength to shine through our weakness, we point others to Him. Isn’t that we are all striving to do?
Let me leave you with this thought. When you choose to live for Christ, you are opposed by His
enemy. Expect to suffer for your faith, but also expect the Lord your God to protect and sustain you!
Crystal Caudill’s debut novel is sure to have you hooked and hog tied from beginning to end. The mystery, adventure, and romance will keep the pages flying through your fingers.
Part of what keeps Crystal’s readers engaged is the amount of true history is woven into her novel. She has spent an incredible amount of time researching the start of the Secret Service and their cases on counterfeit money rings in the 1800’s. Her characters are fictional, but the cases are real!
Broderick and Theresa are surround by men and women of God who point them in the right direction as they fight for the truth and their lives. Here are some snippets from a couple of my favorite scenes from Counterfeit Love.
“We’re barely speaking.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s your fault, not God’s.” Lydia gentled her tone as she took both of Theresa’s hands in hers. “I know you’ve been struggling, but no matter what happens or what you think you’ve lost, you cannot lose God. He pursues you with an unstoppable passion. He wants to be with you, and sometimes it takes stripping everything away for us to realize how much we need Him. If you have nothing left, then turn to the One you do have. He’s there waiting.” (Crystal Caudill, Counterfeit Love, p.210)
Abraham speaks truth to Broderick about his choices concerning Theresa.
“Don’t take my allowing you to see her as approval. God called us to be heads of our households, and it takes a mature man in Christ to put the needs of his wife above his career. You’ve been lying to yourself about what choice you made. You have one chance to make things right.” His mouth twitched. “If you don’t, you’re paying for my hotel room. Theresa’s still awake in the guest room. Upstairs, last door on the left.” (Crystal Caudill, Counterfeit Love, p. 213)
Abraham and Lydia Hall are wonderful supporting characters as come along side our hero and heroine to help them on their journey to God and truth.
LiteraryScape gives Counterfeit Love by Crystal Caudill 3 lassos! Our book club was hooked, and hog tied, and we guarantee you will be too! Check out our mystery, romance, and adventure ratings below.
Mystery Level = Latte
Romance Level = Mocha
Adventure Level = Latte
*Rating levels: Espresso=very little/an expression of it: Mocha= a medium amount: Latte= A lot
**Lasso Ratings: 1 lasso=throw and a miss 2 lassos= hooked 3 lassos=hooked and hog tied.
1 Peter 5:7: Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels.
Do you find yourself buried in worries and overwhelmed by anxiety? I must admit this happens to me more often than I like. Most days I am doing fine, but it just takes one incident or news of a struggle that a family member is facing, to trigger the worry.
Now, how often do you take that anxiety and give it to God? Or do you ever feel like Greta from Jody Hedlund’s novel A Cowboy for Keeps?
In the novel A Cowboy for Keeps by Jody Hedlund, the
heroine Greta struggles with feeling as though she is
unwanted and burden to everyone in her life.
God was surely weary of all her problems. Why would
He want to hear from her again, with one more trouble.
(p. 249 Jody Hedlund, A Cowboy for Keeps 2021)
If you have felt like Greta or feel like her now, I want to remind you of what Jesus said in John 16. In verses 16 through 33 Jesus is speaking about His name in prayer. Let’s zero in on John 16: 23 & 24.
In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
I want to encourage you to cast your cares upon the Lord and boldly pray over your worries in Jesus’s name. For our God is mighty and his shoulders are big enough to carry your load!
I will leave you with this thought: God does not see you as a burden, instead He eagerly awaits to answer your prayers.
Proverbs 18:21: The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels.
Have you ever been wounded by the words of others? I’m guessing everyone is raising their hand. I’m not sure anyone goes through life without ever hearing an unkind word said about them or to them.
Now here’s the hard question. Have you ever wounded someone with your words? You may not be raising your hand now, but most likely your heart is pricked by that question. We are human and therefore imperfect which means we sometimes lash out with our words.
Proverbs 12:18 says, Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
In the novel A Cowboy for Keeps by Jody Hedlund, the
hero Wyatt struggles to overcome the words of death
his stepfather spoke to him.
"The truth is," Rusty continued with a harder jab, "you
were a failure, and you'll always be a failure." (p.89
Jody Hedlund, A Cowboy for Keeps 2021)
God’s word has much to say about our words, because God knows how our words can speak life or death over someone. Think about the reckless words and insults that have been slung at you. How long did it take for you to overcome them? Are you still wrestling with them? If you are I want to encourage you to give those words of death over to the Lord and let Him speak truth into your life.
At the same time ask Him to help you use your words to speak life into those around you. For His word says that the tongue has the power of life and the tongue of the wise brings healing. In a world full of hurt and riddled with sin, we need more people speaking words of life into and over people.
I’ll leave you with this thought: If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.
Debut author Crystal Caudill draws her readers in with this action packed, mysterious novella. Counterfeit Truth will have you hooked, and hog tied from the nail-biting opening scene to the celebration of love ending scene.
Our heroine Felicity is quite the determined lady. Having spent her whole life trying to win her father’s approval, she finds herself in quite a pickle that only our hero Hayden can get her out of.
Hayden’s been in love with Felicity for a while but doesn’t realize it. The comical prodding of his mother helps open his eyes to his true feelings for this feisty woman who has captured his heart.
If you enjoy romance stories with mystery and adventure, then Crystal Caudill is the author for you! LiteraryScape book club gave Counterfeit Truth an overall rating of 3 lassos! We gave the romance level an espresso rating, adventure a latte rating and the mystery level a latte.
Crystal has become a new favorite among our book club! We can’t wait to bring you more from her Hidden Hearts of the Gilded Age series, next week! Visit Crystal’s website to learn more about her upcoming releases!
Be sure to sign-up for our newsletter below and stay up to date on the latest reads in the historical Christian romance genre.
Looking for more great reads? Check our Book Buying Guide for our top picks!
What led you to become an author?
Jody has been writing practically her whole life. When she was in Junior High, she entered a writing contest and won! This was a defining moment in her career as a young writer.
Who was the easiest character to write for Colorado Cowboys?
Dylan was the easiest character for Jody to write based on her connection with him as a prodigal son. She herself was a prodigal child and one of her children was too.
Who was the hardest character to write for Colorado Cowboys?
Jody found Catherine to be the hardest character to write because she is lying for part of the story, and it was difficult to make her a character that readers would like.
Who was your inspiration for the character Judd?
Judd isn’t based on just one person, but rather a combination of wise people Jody has known.
What actors could you see playing each of the heroes in Colorado Cowboys?
You might be surprised to learn that Jody googled hot cowboy pictures to get her inspiration for each of her heroes in this series!
Can you tell us about some projects you are currently working on?
Jody is currently working on a few projects, but if you’re a fan of her Colorado Cowboys series you’ll be happy to know she is working on a Colorado Cowgirls series. This series will follow some of the other characters you’ve come to love in Colorado Cowboys!
How can our listeners connect with you?
Visit Jody’s website www.jodyhedlund.com to sign-up for her newsletter and to follow her on social media!
Be sure to listen to the episode to get the full scoop from Jody!
If you enjoyed this series and want to share it with your friends, consider purchasing our book club kit for just $17! We can guarantee you’ll have lively deep discussions and fun with our discussion questions, trivia and BINGO games! Visit www.literaryscape.com for more information.
Do you want to dive deeper into the biblical principles Jody has woven into this amazing series! Check out our reading companion journal. It will take you through the entire series and provide you with scripture and reflection questions to enhance your reading experience! Click here to learn more!
Today’s the day! The fifth and final installment of Jody Hedlund’s Colorado Cowboys series is finally available!
The Last Chance Cowboy is the perfect ending to such an adventurous and romantic series. Dylan is a flirt like no other, but he’s now a man of God. His story will have you laughing, crying, and swooning!
Catherine is the perfect picture of innocence and damsel in distress. Her reactions to Dylan’s forward flirtations will having laughing and blushing. When her past lands on her front door, you’ll love her even more for choosing to do the tough but right thing.
Jody brings the entire McQuaid family back together for this unforgettable prodigal son story. You won’t be able to put this one down as the McQuaid men ride to save Dylan’s lady love!
Be sure to get your copy today!
Want to share the fun with your friends? Check out our Colorado Cowboys book club kit filled with discussion questions, trivia, and BINGO!
Want to dive deeper into the Colorado Cowboys series? You’ll love our 25-day companion reading journal filled with scripture, thoughts of the day, and 5 minute journaling reflections.
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Hold the phone! Jody just wrapped up her Colorado Cowboys series with the best story yet! I didn’t think she could pull me in any further than I already was with this series, but right after finishing The Last Chance Cowboy, I was ready to read it all again!! Seriously I had 45 sticky notes in this book alone out of the 100 sticky notes I used for the whole series! This is a story you won’t want to miss. Check out our inside scoop below!
Dylan is the prodigal son. We know from books 2, 3 and 4 (The Heart of a Cowboy, To Tame a Cowboy and Falling for a Cowgirl) how Dylan couldn’t resist the pull of alcohol, gambling, and sex. God finally gets a hold of his heart and watching this rake turn into a man of God is breath taking!
“Thank you for lettin’ me come back here. For giving me a second chance.” His whispered prayer settled in the silence around him, broken only by the nearby trickling of a creek filled with melting runoff. (Hedlund, Jody p. 34 The Last Chance Cowboy)
Jody does a wonderful job of bringing light to the consequences of our sins. She once again hits on a topic that is near and dear to my heart, purity. Dylan’s vices got him into a heap of trouble. God saved him and forgave him, but and others still had to face the consequences of their sin. This next scene really ties back into the scene with Savannah in To Tame a Cowboy as she talks about a lady not being free with her favors.
Not many entries later, Kit described how Dylan had proposed marriage and how she’d given in and slept with him, telling herself everything would be okay because they were getting married. The next few accounts dripped with anger after Kit discovered Dylan had left Chicago for Colorado and hadn’t bothered to say good-bye. (Hedlund, Jody p. 27 The Last Chance Cowboy)
She follows this scene up with a powerful reflection from Dylan. No one ever talks about the regret they have for not following God’s precepts and having sex outside of marriage. Jody brings this to light through Dylan.
But even has he opened the door, his guilt opened wide right along with it. He’d never been with a woman who hadn’t wanted to be with him. He’d always made sure of that. Even so, he’d still been wrong to give in to fleshly pleasures outside of the bounds of marriage. He regretted his immorality and wished he could go back and stay chaste. (Hedlund, Jody p. 40 The Last Chance Cowboy)
The humor Jody laces throughout this story will have you laughing out loud! You get to meet some new citizens of Fairplay, Colorado that you will fall in love with. Their humor comes in at just the right time!
“I’ve found evidence of another mouse, Sheriff.” The older woman’s delicate face creased with anxiety. “It’s gotten into my drawers and nibbled on some my garments. I’ll have you know, it’s eating my unmentionables.” (Hedlund, Jody p. 58 The Last Chance Cowboy)
Being the sheriff in an up-and-coming wild west town brings danger to Dylan’s front door, putting him and the ones he loves in danger.
“You know I’ll shoot you before you can pull your trigger.” Dylan continued. “And you also know I ain’t gonna miss.” (Hedlund, Jody p. 181 The Last Chance Cowboy)
With Dylan being our hero, you know Jody is packing his story with heat when it comes to the romance! He’s been a ladies’ man his whole life, but now that he is a man of God he focuses all his romance on one lucky lady, his wife.
He didn’t let her end the kiss so easily and angled in as though he had no intention of bringing this ship to shore. He made a soft groan at the back of his throat and skimmed his fingers up to her neck. As he deftly pulled the first pin form her hair, a hot current swept her along with a new, delicious bliss. She wanted him to keep going, wanted to see where this tide took them. (Hedlund, Jody p. 200 The Last Chance Cowboy)
As if the sizzling romance scenes weren’t enough, Jody packs a double barrel punch with Dylan’s irresistible flirtations! He is a gorgeous, honorable, new man of God that no woman can resist!
Dylan stretched his arms over his head and grabbed the rods of the metal headboard. “No need to call them, darlin’. I’ll let you tie me up.” (Hedlund, Jody p. 216 The Last Chance Cowboy)
I have to stop here before I give the whole story away! I must say if you are a fan of historical Christian romance, you will not be disappointed in Jody Hedlund’s The Last Chance Cowboy. Although this is now my favorite book in the series, I strongly suggest reading the entire series in order to truly appreciate Dylan’s story and how much God has done in his life.
LiteraryScape Book Club gives Falling for the Cowgirl by Jody Hedlund 3 lassos! Dylan and Catherine’s love story is sure to have you hooked and hog tied!
Check out our ratings for category below to be sure this book is a fit for you.
Mystery Level = Mocha (There is a medium amount of mystery to this story.)
Adventure Level = Mocha (There is a medium amount of adventure in this story.)
Romance Level = Latte (There is a lot of romance that sizzles in this book.)
Be sure to sure to get your copy of The Last Chance Coboy by Jody Hedlund today! Check out our Book Buying Guide with direct links to purchase on Amazon.
Be sure to check out Jody’s website as she has plans to bring you even more the loveable town of Fairplay!
Stay tuned for next week’s episode as we dive into the Colorado Cowboys series with author Jody Hedlund!
We’d love to have you stay in touch as we bring you the scoop on novels in the historical Christian romance genre all year long! Sign-up for our newsletter below and don’t miss out on great reads and fun author events!
Ivy, having been raised by her four older brothers, is a bit of a dare devil and tomboy. She frequently finds herself in compromising situations and our hero Jericho is always there to save her.
She spread her bodice further over her chemise to act like a shield, although it did nothing to cover her very bare arms. Her mind returned to the night she was caught in the bog, when he’d seen her in underdrawers. And the time before that when he’d caught her bathing in the creek. The same question she’d asked the night at the bog taunted her: Why was he always coming across her when she was indecent? (Hedlund, Jody p. 146 Falling for the Cowgirl)
Jericho struggles to keep his distance from Ivy. He promised her brother Brody years ago that he wouldn’t touch her but would protect her. Yet his heart betrays him as he falls further in love with this young feisty cowgirl. His job and his past also keep him from pursuing his love for her, as works to keep her out of danger.
“Put down your guns Bliss, or I’ll start carving her up.”
Jericho set one gun down on the rock in front of him and then placed the other next to it. “There. Now take me instead of her.”
“I’m not a fool. I know exactly how much you care about Miss McQuaid. You made that quite clear since your return. And I know you’ll do anything to keep her safe.” (Hedlund, Jody p. 239 Falling for the Cowgirl)
Oh my, the romance sizzles in this book as Ivy unashamedly pursues Jericho, while he attempts to keep his distance. But he is only a man after all!
He swooped down and captured her mouth with all the power and decisiveness of a cowhand roping a steer. He knotted them together, tightly, tautly, with no room to breathe.
When her arms slipped around his shoulders and she pressed into him, a dangerous jolt rocked him, warning him to let go, not to take this any further. But her mouth moved against his with a passion and fervor that rivaled his. And it only tied the knot more firmly, wedging them together so that he couldn’t let go of her.
Ivy hits an all-time low after she is hit with one loss after another. Our loveable Judd comes to the rescue with is proverbs.
Her mind spun, trying to make sense of Judd’s advice. But she couldn’t wrangle the wisdom from his proverb.
As if sensing her confusion, he continued. “You get on with building your life on the good Lord ‘cause He’s the only thing that ain’t gonna crumble away when the going gets tough and people leave you behind. Believe me. I oughto know.” (Hedlund, Jody p. 297 Falling for the Cowgirl)
LiteraryScape Book Club gives Falling for the Cowgirl by Jody Hedlund 3 lassos! Ivy and Jericho’s love story is sure to have you hooked and hog tied!
Check out our ratings for category below to be sure this book is a fit for you.
Mystery Level = Mocha (There is a medium amount of mystery to this story.)
Adventure Level = Mocha (There is a medium amount of adventure in this story.)
Romance Level = Mocha to Latte (There is a cross between a medium amount to a lot of romance that sizzles in this book.)
Be sure to sure to get your copy of Falling for the Cowgirl by Jody Hedlund today! Check out our Book Buying Guide with direct links to purchase on Amazon.
Stay tuned for next week’s episode as we dive into The Last Chance Cowboy. The fifth and final book in Jody Hedlund’s Colorado Cowboys series, which releases on February 14th! Be sure to check out Jody’s website as she has plans to bring you even more the loveable town of Fairplay!
We’d love to have you stay in touch as we bring you the scoop on novels in the historical Christian romance genre all year long! Sign-up for our newsletter below and don’t miss out on great reads and fun author events!
Never have I read a story about a wounded soldier that was so moving. Jody does a wonderful job of capturing all aspects of Brody McQuaid as he finds his way back to peace with God. He was always known as the tender heart in the family, but he was determined to fight in the Civil War, going against his family’s wishes. Unfortunately, this decision left him with some deep scars that he wrestles with until he hands them all over to God.
Wasn’t that how it was with God? When others gave up, He kept going, kept pursuing, always seeing the potential of a person tamed by His hands. (Hedlund, Jody p. 67 To Tame a Cowboy)
You will fall in love with Brody’s adorable niece Flora! She is a shining light in his life during some of his darkest times. Jody captures Flora’s sweet child innocents in scenes that will melt your heart, make laugh, and want to pull her out of the pages to hug!
She patted the mattress, mimicking what he did for her every night. And once he stretched out, she pulled the covers up and made a production of tucking every hem of the blanket around him snugly. Then she sat on the edge and proceeded to tell him the story in a singsong voice that imitated the way he read to her. (Hedlund, Jody p. 90 To Tame a Cowboy)
The message of purity is pulled into this story through our leading lady Savannah as she becomes friends with Brody’s younger sister, Ivy. This is something that is near and dear to my heart as I work with young ladies at school. Jody does an amazing job of passing this message on in a clear and concise manner.
Savannah paused, surprise coursing through her. She hadn’t known Ivy was courting anybody. And even if she was, a lady needed to use restraint. Her momma had always said a woman couldn’t give away her favors so easily. A man wouldn’t learn to cherish what he got freely but would prize what he worked hard to earn. (Hedlund, Jody p. 162-163 To Tame a Cowboy)
For those who love the romance, don’t worry Jody didn’t leave that out! She has scenes that make your heart flutter and leave you saying “Ahh…” as you slowly expel a breath of air. The romance in this book will have you longing to curl up in the arms of your own cowboy!
At her movement, his hands against her stomach drew her toward him more securely. The long length of his fingers splayed across her ribs almost possessively. He wasn’t touching her directly. A coarse woolen blanket covered her skin. Her bare skin.
LiteraryScape Book Club gives To Tame a Cowboy by Jody Hedlund 3 lassos! Brody and Savannah’s love story is sure to have you hooked and hog tied!
Check out our ratings for the categories below to be sure this book is a fit for you.
Mystery Level = Espresso (There is an expression or very little mystery to this story.)
Adventure Level = Mocha (There is a medium amount of adventure in this story.)
Romance Level = Mocha to Latte (There is a cross between a medium amount to a lot of romance that sizzles in this book.)
Be sure to sure to get your copy of To Tame a Cowboy by Jody Hedlund today! Check out our Book Buying Guide with direct links to purchase on Amazon.
Stay tuned for next week’s episode as we dive into Falling for the Cowgirl. The fourth book in Jody Hedlund’s Colorado Cowboys series. Be sure to check out Jody’s website as the fifth and final book of the series comes out on February 14th!
We’d love to have you stay in touch as we bring you the scoop on novels in the historical Christian romance genre all year long! Sign-up for our newsletter below and don’t miss out on great reads and fun author events!
In this episode we dig into the second book of Jody Hedlund’s Colorado Cowboys series, The Heart of a Cowboy. She brings her readers an irresistible cowboy who is a brother, protector, and lover.
Fall in love with the second oldest sibling of the McQuaid family. Since Wyatt moved out west to create a home for them, Flynn has stepped up as not only the oldest brother but also as father figure for his younger siblings. His love for his siblings is fierce.
Flynn held Ivy’s gaze a moment longer, then shifted it to Linnea. The crinkles at the corners of his eyes spoke of worry more than anger. She guessed he was one of the older brothers Ivy had spoken about, trying to take care of his younger siblings now that his parents were gone. (p.18 Hedlund, Jody The Heart of a Cowboy)
The heart of a man changed by God only heightens Flynn’s desire to protect all of those under his care. He’ll stop at nothing to keep his family and Linnea safe, but he must learn to trust God with their protection and safety.
He released a tight breath. If only he could be in all places at all times. Then maybe he’d be able to keep everyone safe.
“You’re not God.” Linnea’s comment came back to taunt him. (p.127 Hedlund, Jody The Heart of a Cowboy)
Linnea falls hard for the handsome, capable, strong, yet gentle cowboy. Flynn is not immune to the beauty and kindness of Linnea. As they travel together he not only saves her from peril, but falls in love with her. Linnea discovers that Flynn is a man capable of great love.
He reached for her. Lord Almighty, help him. He shouldn’t do this, but he knew he was going to. He skimmed his fingers over the high arched cheekbone even as he leaned toward her. Her breathing hitched. The soft intake added fuel to the low-burning fire inside. He couldn’t stop himself now-didn’t want to stop. He let himself caress her ear and then find the back of her neck. As he used the pressure to tug her nearer, he shifted his weight, bringing himself against her. (p. 197-198, Hedlund, Jody The Heart of a Cowboy)
This is a story you’ll want to read. Check out our Book Buying Guide to purchase this book and others like it.
Be sure to visit Jody Hedlund’s website to stay up to date on her latest writings. The fifth and final book in the Colorado Cowboys series will be released on February 14th! You won’t want to miss Jody’s book launch!
Fall in love with a cowboy! Jody Hedlund’s novel A Cowboy for Keeps is the first in her five-book series, Colorado Cowboys. This is a series that takes you back to Colorado and into the arms of some mighty handsome cowboys!
Meet the first cowboy you’ll fall in love with, Wyatt McQuaid. He is the oldest of five siblings and has taken it upon himself to carve out a new home for his family. When faced with trials and a bleak future he makes a deal that gets him the wife of his dreams. This ruggedly handsome, strong, yet gentle cowboy will have you swooning!
His tenderness and attentiveness melted Greta’s heart. Not many men could be as strong and rugged as Wyatt and yet display such gentleness with a little girl. P. 140
Greta becomes a mail order bride in hopes of finding a home out west where her little sister Astrid could find healing from consumption. She never expected to marry a man like Wyatt. She soon finds herself falling in love with this handsome cowboy!
“So when do we leave for the hot spring?” His voice rumbled by her ear with the hint of a promise.
“I’m ready whenever you are, Cowboy. As long as you’re sure that’ll cure your heartache.”
“Ah, darlin’. There ain’t nothin’ that could cure it more.” His lips connected with the pulse in her neck, and she nearly gasped out her pleasure. P. 330
You’ll get a healthy dose of wisdom and truth from Judd as he works to help this young family become rooted. He’s a man with a sad past, but he uses the trials God has taken him through to mentor Wyatt and Gretta. You’ll fall in love his many “Judd Proverbs”.
“Been hanging my hat on something my ma taught me from the Good Book,” Judd continued, jawing more now than he had in a month. “She always said, we ain’t supposed to be surprised when we come against fiery trials. If the Lord suffered, then we gotta expect the suffering too.” P. 229
Astrid is the fun-loving girl who brings the story together. She doesn’t let her illness keep her from living life boldly. Her innocents and antics will have you laughing. Like flat out telling a stagecoach robber he looks silly with his face covered up.
Astrid took several steps in the direction of the closest robber. “Why are you wearing a sack over your head?”
The thief’s gaze darted over the passengers revealing a crooked, lazy eye that didn’t focus. “It’s what robbers do kid.”
“W-e-l-l.” Astrid drew the word out and cocked her head. “It makes you look kinda silly, like a scarecrow.” P. 11
If you love historical Christian romance novels with cowboys, and a little mystery then this is the book for you. Check out our ratings below!
Romance Level = Mocha (Medium)
Adventure Level = Mocha (Medium)
Mystery Level = Espresso (Small)
(Rating System: Espresso=very little, just an expression, Mocha= a medium amount but not all consuming, Latte= there is a lot!)
Our overall rating of the book is 3 lassos. Jody’s story had us hooked and hog tied!
(Rating System: 1 lasso= a throw and a miss, 2 lassos= a throw and hooked the horn, 3 lassos= hooked and hog tied.)
Learn more about Jody Hedlund and her books at www.jodyhedlund.com.
You find a link to purchase this book and more on our Book Buying Guide. Until next time happy and blessed reading!
Welcome back from the holidays! I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas and a beautiful start to your new year!
In this episode I will be kicking off our 2023 book club for historical Christian romance novels. Check out what we will be reading and learn about some new and exciting events coming your way!
I am so excited to share the list of series we will be reading this year! If you want to purchase these, read along with us, and support the show; use the links in our Book Buying Guide!
Colorado Cowboys by Jody Hedlund
Hidden Hearts of the Gilded Age by Crystal Caudill
Brookstone Brides by Tracie Peterson
Strong Heart Open Spirit by Danni Roan
Daughters of Boston by Julie Lessman
Wells Fargo West by Julia David
Cross Family Saga by Jodi Bayse
Under the Northern Skies by Lauraine Snelling
Cripple Creek by Sara R. Turnquist
So far, we have booked interviews with Jody Hedlund, Crystall Caudill, Julie Lessman, Misty M. Beller, and Sarah R. Turnquist. We are looking forward to connecting with more of our featured authors. Something exciting about our first two series of the year is that the next book in each of these series will be releasing in February. Jody Hedlund’s Colorado Cowboys will have its final installment released on February 14th. We will be able to give you a sneak peek into this book, so be sure to stay tuned. The next book in Crystal Caudill’s series the Hidden Hearts of the Gilded Age will also be releasing in February. Crystal is a new and upcoming author in the historical Christian romance genre, so be sure to stay tuned for her interview coming in March. This will not be last book of this series, so we will have her back in 2024 when she wraps the series up with her final installment.
If you have been with us for a while, then you are aware that in the past we have had live Q&A’s where you the listener get to jump in on a live video call with some of your favorite authors! We are excited to announce that in 2023 we plan to bring more of these events to you! Be sure to sign-up for our newsletter or become a book club member to be among the first to know about these events!
Our newsletter is free, and you can sign-up by visiting literaryscape.com and scrolling to the bottom of the page.
Our Bookies book club is $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year. You can join by visiting literaryscape.com. Book club members enjoy a 10% discount at our online store, early access to our content, access to our reading list, entry into our giveaways, and invitations to our exclusive live events with podcast members and guest authors.
If you enjoy our content, please consider becoming a member or giving a donation at literaryscape.com as your membership and donation supports this channel so we can continue to make content for you!
Last year we did giveaways for anyone who was on our newsletter list. This year we will be doing giveaways for anyone who is a member. We’d love to have you join our membership, as we will be adding monthly book club meetings and trivia nights!
Here’s to a new year filled with historical Christian romance novels, by award winning authors!
Wow friends! I cannot believe we are at the end of 2022! What an amazing year of reading we have had on the LiteraryScape Book Club podcast. I cannot thank each and every one of you enough for joining us and reading along with us.
In this episode I am taking you back through each of the series we read and discussed this year. I’ll be sharing my favorite characters, scenes, and novels from each series. If you have not read all these books yet I highly recommend them. We read novels that range from the sweet romance to mystery and romance, to adventure and romance all the way to passion packed romance. All clean and inspirational of course!
Look at this list of series we read this year! In total we read 26 novels and 6 novellas! (Want to purchase these books and support the show? Click here to view our Book Buying Guide.)
Brothers in Arms by Mary Connealy
The Sheriffs of Savage Wells & Healing Hearts by Sarah M. Eden
Mesquite Springs by Amanda Cabot
Silver Lining Ranch by Julie Lessman
Brides of Last Chance Ranch by Margaret Brownley
Shenandoah Valley by Andrea Boeshaar
Westward to Home by Melody Carlson
Frontier Vows by Melissa Jagears
Hangers Horsemen by Karen Witemeyer
Painted Vessels by Gina Renee Freitag
Novellas
Dog Days of Summer by Amanda Cabot
Bride Rides Herd by Mary Connealy
Last Chance Christmas by Julie Lessman
A Cowboy for Christmas by Ruth Logan Herne
As much as I enjoy sharing my favorites with you, I’d love to hear about yours. Below are the questions for this episode and I’d love to hear your answers, just post them in the comments below!
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What were your top 3 series we read this year?
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What were your top 3 novels we read this year?
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What were your top 3 novellas?
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Who were your favorite characters?
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What were some of your favorite scenes or lines?
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Did you find a book or series that you will read again and again?
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What was your favorite giveaway challenge? Click here to view the videos.
Be sure to come back next week for our 2023 reading kickoff! We have some new and exciting events coming!
It’s just a couple of days away from Christmas! What a fun and beautiful time of year when we celebrate our Savior’s birth. I hope you and your family are able to enjoy time together to celebrate our Lord and the amazing gift He brought us!
We are wrapping up the year with a Christmas novella by author Ruth Logan Herne. This Christmas love story mirrors Ruth’s story, from the bible. You’ll find our heroine to be full of faith and laboring in the fields of a wealthy rancher. Our hero has been through many trials leaving his faith in shambles.
The faith and courage of a loveable side character will bring these two together for a cozy Christmas romance you can enjoy while snuggled up on your couch!
Have a wonderful and blessed Christmas!
Last Chance Christmas by author Julie Lessman, is a sweet historical Christian Christmas romance novella.
Grace is accident prone and when she enters Cole’s life, she brings excitement. What he didn’t expect was to fall in love with this vulnerable, sweet, young lady who capture’s his heart and the heart of his daughters.
Past sins, choices, and consequences cannot be outrun, but they can be washed away. Julie brings to light the grace and mercy of God as Grace’s past catches her and Cole’s past is used to save her.
Enjoy this sweet Christmas romance and it’s reminder of why Christ came to earth to save us all!
Want to enjoy more with readers like you? Consider becoming a member of our book club today! Visit www.literaryscape.com to sign-up.
Get your copy of this Christmas novella and three others and support the show by using our affiliate link: https://amzn.to/3HCmy6s .
Wow! What an incredible morning! We had the honor of hosting four amazing historical Christian romance authors along with their readers for a live Q&A session.
In this bonus episode you will get to listen in as readers ask authors Margaret Brownley, Melissa Jagears, Julie Lessman, and Karen Witemeyer questions about their writing and writing process.
Each author brings their own unique style to their stories.
If you are a reader who enjoys mystery and humor, then you’ll love Margaret’s novels.
Are you a reader looking for in depth characters that grow and find themselves in the Lord? Then be sure to check out Melissa’s books.
Do you love to read clean romance novels packed with passion? A book by Julie will take you there and back again!
More of an adventurous romance reader? You’ll fall in love with Karen’s novels.
Just want to send out a huge thank you to our guest authors and our participants. Connecting authors and readers is what we love to do here at LiteraryScape, so thank you for making that happen today!
If you want to be part of future events like these, be sure to sign-up for our newsletter by visiting www.literaryscape.com and scrolling to the bottom of the page.
Want even more from our book club? Become a member today for just $2.99 a month or $29.99 for a year. As we head into 2023, we plan to make it the best year yet for our book club members!
Professional seamstress turns writer!
Gina Renee Freitag is an indie author who has published four books in her Vessels series. Her books fall within the historical Christian fiction genre and have a pinch of romance thrown in.
Her writing style will draw you in and keep you turning the pages as you try to piece together the many story lines. Gina effortlessly weaves the fabric of her characters’ lives together to bring about ‘the bigger picture’.
If you have read any of Gina’s novels, you’ve noticed she has a unique style to her timeline. During our interview Gina shares how she got started with writing and why she writes the way she does.
Be sure to check out Gina’s Vessels series on Kindle Unlimited. Follow Gina on Instagram and Facebook, @paintedvessels, as she has some exciting releases coming soon!
Tiffanie and I were thrilled to have the opportunity to interview award winning author Karen Witemeyer. She is the author of the Hanger’s Horsemen series that we have been reading and discussing this past month. Karen is also the recipient of the 2022 Christy Award, the 2022 ACFW Carol Award, and 2022 Hold Medallion Finalist with her Christmas novella titled, A Texas Christmas Carol.Did you know that Karen took three of her favorite TV shows and used them as inspiration for the Hanger’s Horsemen series? If you have read the series, I am sure you can figure out what at least two of the three TV shows were, as they make a pretty strong appearance in the first book, At Love’s Command. (Want to know what those 3 TV shows were? Listen to our podcast episode posted above.)Which book was your favorite in the Hanger’s Horsemen series? What was your favorite scene? Find out Karen’s answers to these questions and more during Episode 45! Don’t forget to post your answers to these questions in the comments below!
Romans 8:38-39- 38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Luke and Damaris face many challenges as they navigate through the mystery of Damaris’s brother’s death. Karen weaves many biblical truths throughout this incredible love story.
Romans 8:38-39 captures the heart of this book as the characters lean on God instead of their own understanding.
Luke’s loyalty to the ones he loves knows no bounds, just as God’s love, grace, and mercy know no bounds.
You’ll walk away inspired Damaris’s sweet and gentle spirit and Luke’s strong, loyal, and protective nature as they capture and display God’s great love for us.
Don’t forget to sign-up for our free live Q&A on December 10th at 11:00am EST with award winning authors Karen Witemeyer, Melissa Jagears, Margaret Brownley, and Julie Lessman! Click here to sign-up today!
Be sure to check out our store and use discount code BF2022 from Black Friday through Cyber Monday and get 50% off your order! Members receive an additional 10% off!
Stay up to date on all LiteraryScape has to offer by signing up for our newsletter below! Until next time happy and blessed reading!
Karen Witemeyer brings “Preach” aka Luke Davenport’s story to life in her book In Honor’s Defense. Fall in love with the last horseman to be hooked and hogtied by his lady love.
Luke literarily walks through fire for Damaris and her nephew Nate. He takes on a cattle rustling case that becomes more complicated and dangerous as he falls for the sweet and quiet Damaris.
Damaris has always been in the background and often forgotten by her own family. A second glance from Luke was not what she was expecting. Nor did she ever dream of catching the attention and love of a loyal, honorable, man of God.
Who is more like Damaris, Tiffanie or Melissa? What would you do if you woke up to frogs and snakes in your bed? Find out this and more as we dive into In Honors Defense by Karen Witemeyer!
Don’t forget to sign-up for our free live Q&A on December 10th at 11:00am EST with award winning authors Karen Witemeyer, Melissa Jagears, Margaret Brownley, and Julie Lessman! Click here to sign-up today!
Be sure to check out our store and use discount code BF2022 from Black Friday through Cyber Monday and get 50% off your order! Members receive an additional 10% off!
Stay up to date on all LiteraryScape has to offer by signing up for our newsletter below! Until next time happy and blessed reading!
Are you wondering what a kiddy snatcher is? Karen Witemeyer brings two love stories to life in a mystery that has her readers guessing until the very end.
Fall in love with two of the Hanger’s Horsemen, Johan & Mark, as they embark on their own love journey. Karen is sure to draw you into their adventure with a bizarre opening scene, as these two happen upon a woman in distress.
The children in this story will capture your heart and make you want to pluck them from the pages, just to give them a hug. Karen brings in several kids, each with their own loveable personality, as Jonah and Mark fall in love with the caretakers of the foundling home, Eliza and Kate.
Be prepared for all the Horsemen to ride to the rescue as Johan and Mark get pulled into a case that gets out of control fast!
Don’t miss this exciting episode where we dive into the second book in Karen Witemeyer’s Hanger’s Horsemen series, The Heart’s Charge.
Stay tuned for part two as we dig into the biblical truths woven into this amazing story, that will truly leave you inspired!
Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and give us a 5-star rating on your favorite podcast platform!
Be sure to become a member of our book club today and join us on December 10th for a live Q&A session with Karen Witemeyer, Julie Lessman, Margaret Brownley, and Melissa Jagears. Plus, by becoming a member for just $2.99 a month you will be entered to win our end of year 4 series giveaway! Check out the details below or visit www.literaryscape.com today!
Visit www.literaryscape.com/literaryscape-book-club/dr-quinn-meets-the-a-team for more details!
Author Karen Witemeyer melds together two of her favorite TV shows in this adventurous romance novel.
Fall in love with the A-Team from 1800’s Texas. Captain Matthew Hanger leads, Luke Davenport aka Preach, Mark Wallace, and Jonah Brooks on missions to defend the defenseless and serve justice.
Josephine Burkhart works hard to earn the respect of her patients in a time when few women in the west were doctors. Matthew Hanger gives her respect within moments of meeting her, as she works to save the life of one of his own.
Thanks to Josie’s brother, Charlie the prodigal son, she and Matthew have a dangerous courting experience, that leads to a deep-rooted love for one another.
Not even a bullet can stop Matthew from rescuing his lady love and serving justice to the man who took her and threatened her life.
The best part about Karen’s writing is how she effortlessly weaves in biblical truths, while taking her readers on an incredible love journey!
Visit www.literaryscape.com/literaryscape-book-club/how-to-find-a-husband for full episode notes.
Do you have a plan to find your man? Author Melissa Jagears does, and it was the inspiration for kicking off her Frontier Vows series, with Romancing the Bride.
If you have been following along for the last month, then you know we have enjoyed the adventurous romance stories by Melissa Jagears. She joins us this week to share the creativity behind the Frontier Vows collection.
Ever wonder why an author starts writing? Would you believe it was because Melissa was bored? She isn’t your typical author, but it is apparent that God has given her the gift of storytelling. Be sure to tune into Episode 40 to get the full scoop!
If you haven’t jumped into Melissa’s Frontier Vows series, its time. LiteraryScape Book Club gives it a 3-lasso rating! Melissa breathes life into her characters, and wraps you in the story, making you feel as though you are right there with them.
You can purchase the Frontier Vows series from LiteraryScape or from Melissa Jagears herself. Don’t stop with just one of her series. If you are fan of historical Christian romance, like us, then we suggest you also check out Melissa’s Teaville Moral Society series.
We cannot thank Melissa enough for joining us and we hope you enjoy this episode! Be sure to stay tuned as there are two more books coming for this series and we plan to revisit, once they are out.
It’s time to announce our lucky winner of the Frontier Vows series giveaway! Congratulations to Teresa Plunkett! You are going to love these books and we can’t wait to get them in your hands!
See more at www.literaryscape.com/literaryscape-book-club/marrying-mr-wrong
In this episode, Tiffany and Melissa will be discussing Marrying Mr. Wrong by Melissa Jagears, the fourth book in her Frontier Vow series.
Gwen McGill wants to be loved and accepted for who she is, but that's hard to do in a small town where everyone judges her by her father’s scandal. Unfortunately, the man she hoped would sweep her away from all the wagging tongues is no longer interested in marrying her. Unable to leave town she's determined to prove she's more than just a pretty face. Who knows how to bat her eyelashes?
For years, Timothy O'Connor has loved Gwen from a distance. Knowing someone like her would never be attracted to a lowly ranch hand with a blemished face like him. When Gwen unexpectedly shows up at the ranch asking him to help her learn how to attract a man of quality, Tim's feelings become even harder to suppress when danger pushes them together, they discover there's more to each other than either of them imagined.
Though God is no respecter of persons, is the desire of their heart strong enough to defy society's expectations?
Let's start with our heroin Gwendolyn McGill. She is a far more complicated character than she had appeared to be so far in this series. What are your thoughts on her?
I like discovering how smart she really is and that she's strong and courageous. Gwen faces a lot of challenges and has battled with some deep insecurities, I think since the death of her mother.
And then there's Timothy O'Connor. He is an unlikely hero. What are your thoughts on him?
I have to admit, when we first met Timothy in Romancing the Bride, I didn't care for him at all. He didn't come across as someone who could be honorable in my opinion. However, he started to grow on me during Pretending to Wed, and now after reading his story, I think he's my favorite hero so far in this series.
Gwen's brother Bo plays more of a role in this story. How do you feel about him now that you know a little bit more about him?
I like him. He seems wise, beyond his years, given how his dad is. He does truly care for the happiness of his sister. And he caught on right away that Timothy was an honorable man who loved his sister unconditionally. Bo looked past Timothy's financial state in family drama to see the real man behind the rags, and I really liked him. And I hope he gets a love story of his own
In this story we also get to see and learn more about Timothy's family. What are your thoughts on his family and the trials they face?
It was very depressing. Timothy was so hesitant with Gwen because his mother had just jumped in the first relationship where they gave any attention, and Timothy had not really had a lot of tension from the ladies.
Eric Wright was Gwen's love interest at the beginning of the story. What did you think of him?
My first thought was what a self-absorbed rich man.
Daniel is a character we have not heard of since the first book, Romancing the Bride. He does make a short but mysterious appearance in this story. What are you thinking or wondering about him?
Okay, so at first my thoughts were seriously, Daniel, how could you continue down that road of destruction after what happened in Romancing the Bride? But then more things start to come to light and I started to have hope that just maybe he was a good guy still deep down.
Both Gwen and Timothy face prejudices from the town's people because of their fathers. Gwen's father had been the mayor and swindled people out of their homes and land. Timothy's father was a drunk, gambler, lazy, and not good on his word. How do you think these similarities played into their relationship?
They both had some deep daddy issues.
So, what did you think about Gwen trying to spend more time with Timothy by always being at the Keys ranch?
He was just kept putting her off. Saying I'm not going to help you try to be someone else to attract a man.
Taking on the mission of rescuing feral kittens from certain death led Gwen and Timothy to the event that brought them together. What do you think about this event, and did it go the way you thought it would?
Absolutely love the way things unfolded between them and how much she came not only to realize she was in love with Timothy, but that she missed him when he wasn't near.
Timothy struggles with his looks and financial position. Both keep him from pursuing Gwen, who is the prettiest and richest girl in town, and from accepting her affections as truth. What are your feelings towards him as he struggled with this? Could you relate to him?
My heart broke for him because, of his struggle with acne and being a string bean, no matter how much he ate. I felt like that was relatable until I got into my mid-twenties. Not so relatable anymore. Now I have to watch what I eat. It is difficult to be comfortable in your own skin at times, but you have to keep reminding yourself that your identity is in Christ and not in what men and women think of you.
Gwen struggles with just being herself. She's always changing to attract the next man she targets because she so desperately wants to be married. What were your feelings towards her as she struggled with this? Could you relate to her?
Again, I felt sorry for her always trying to be someone she wasn't. Just to please the man that she happened to be dating at the time. Our pastor says all the time, be the kind of person you want your future spouse to be, and you will soon attract that person.
Nolan, Jacob, and Bo really helped push Timothy towards pursuing Gwen. Did you enjoy their fun-loving quips as they pointed out the obvious to Timothy that Gwen liked him?
I did really like those things. They're three older men that come alongside Timothy and are like, come on man, she really is into you.
How would you rate Marrying Mr. Wrong by Melissa Jagears?
I really enjoyed it. It was just so well written and this one had a little more of the damsel in distress piece that I so enjoy.
Don't forget to tune in next week as we discuss the Frontier Vow Series with author Melissa Jagears.
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In this episode, Tiffanie and Melissa will be discussing the third book in Melissa Jagger's Frontier Vow series. Depending on you.
Leah Winslet's life was ideal until a disastrous day. She nearly died because of her husband's deceit. When he returns home weeks before Christmas, she knows the best gift she can give him is forgiveness. But how can she relinquish her hard won independence knowing he plans to turn their family's life upside down.
Bryan has always known his wife was a gift he'd never deserved. But how can he provide for her in a town that no longer wants anything to do with him? He longs to atone for the misery he put his loved ones through. But when he brings a family member home for the holidays, they may end up even further apart with emotions high and their marriage at stake.
Will this season bring the hope they need or are their rifts too large to mend?
Melissa: At first, I was surprised to find that this was a novella. It was a super short, very quick read, but then looking through more of Melissa Jagger's series, it seems she places novellas in most of her series.
Leah and Bryant's story has really been a background or side story so far in this series. Did you enjoy having a story centered on them?
Tiffanie: I did like having that wrap up and yeah, I liked how they processed through their emotions in this book, both of them. I think down the road, one of my struggles with this book is how they just did not communicate with each other, and I feel like that was kind of their downfall in the first place.
Melissa: I really enjoyed reading more about them. And I like the complexity of Melissa's characters and how real they feel.
So as a husband and wife, Leah and Bryant face, one of the hardest obstacles to overcome in a relationship, Broken trust. How did you feel about the way Leah and Bryant dealt with the entire situation?
Tiffanie: At the beginning, I was very frustrated with how they were, especially how Leah was so forgiving, towards Celia and other people. Then she just kind of wasn't with her husband. But I think part of that too was herself.
Melissa: She was scared to be kind of like that naive person again.
Tiffanie: Yeah and didn't want to get her heart broken again.
Melissa: So, I really felt for both of them, Bryant had sunk to some all-time lows because of his choices, which he made in an effort to keep from disappointing Leah and losing her love in the first place. I can remember when reading Romancing in the Bride, I was desperately wanting him to just confess before it was too late. I thought he handled coming back to Armell with dignity and grace and I loved how we got to see what a loving father he is because we hadn't seen that yet.
With Leah this time you see all the struggles, the lessons she's learned. And I just enjoyed how Melissa brought in the story of Ruth from the Bible and how she had laid at Boaz’s, I hope I say that right. Some of those Bible names are hard to say, but she laid at his feet, and how that story helped Leah take that first step in just sleeping in the same bed again.
What are some themes or messages or life lessons you felt were woven into Leah and Bryant's story?
Tiffanie: I feel like the main one was trust when it's broken, how hard it is to get it back.
Melissa: Yeah, I also think that God's forgiveness was woven in there as well.
Tiffanie: And the communication aspect of marriage is very important.
Melissa: I felt like Leah learned not to put someone on such a high pedestal, that you're oblivious to their wayward ways. You know, I feel like only God can sit up there as perfect, and I felt like she had elevated Bryant so much. It went too far. It went to the point that she didn't see any of his wrongdoings.
Did you enjoy the fact that their story took place during Christmas?
Tiffanie: I did. I think that kind of helped, things move along and show the happy aspects of the family.
Melissa: I did enjoy the Christmas theme and the miracles in Leah and Bryant's life that parallel the miracle of Jesus' birth. One being focused on trust. I mean, can you imagine the trust that both Joseph and Mary had to have, not only in God, but in each other, it's especially considering the times, it's just amazing.
Were there any scenes or characters that you really enjoyed in this story?
Tiffanie: Like that scene of Oliver actually playing with the baby on the floor. I loved Spencer and the joy he brings along with the comedic relief
Melissa: Yes, I enjoyed all of Spencer's scenes, but especially the one where he's getting a wedgie from the rigging as he's playing the flying angel during the Christmas play.
Thank you for tuning to our discussion of Depending on You, by Melissa Jaggers. Don't forget to tune in next week as we discuss the fourth book in her Frontier Vow series. Marrying Mr. Wrong.
You Won't want to miss the exciting video where we determine our winner, along with our podcast interview with Melissa Jaggers coming on November 4th. Consider Becoming a member today. Thank you for your support and until next time, happy and blessed reading!
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Never before have I read a book so well written that I wanted to turn around and start reading it again, right after finishing it. Julie Lessman has created characters with depth, that draw you in and keep you wanting more.
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In this episode we discuss the first book of Mary Connealy's Brothers in Arms series, Braced for Love.
How could love bloom from a true shot gun wedding? Case Claxton is a wild one swearing no woman would ever capture and hog tie him. His tune quickly changes when finds a gun pointed to his chest and a preacher urging him to say I do.
Listen as we unpack the third book in Lori Copeland’s Men of the Saddle series, The Maverick.
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In this Episode we discuss the second book in Lori Copeland’s Men of the Saddle series. Beau Claxton has lost his wife Betsy and their unborn child. He drifts for a year and becomes a shell of a man until Charity Burk rescues him from a wolf attack.
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In this episode we discuss The Peacemaker. The first book in Lori Copeland’s Men of the Saddle Series. Dive into the amazing characters Lori has created. Gain some fun facts about Jesse James and his brother Frank. Enjoy the comical stories that connect us to Cole and Wynne!
In this episode we interview Mollie Campbell author of Taking on Twins and Orphan Train Sweetheart. Find out where Mollie pulled her inspiration from, who her characters are based on and how she published her books. This episode will also reveal insights into the third and final book of the series along with who Mollie Campbell really is! You can find additional information at literaryscape.com.
In this pilot episode Tiffanie, Jessica and Melissa will be discussing the book Taking on Twins by Mollie Campbell. Jake Hadley expects challenges when he returns to his frontier hometown but caring for orphaned toddler twins wasn’t part of the equation. He would be out of his depth without the help of his once sweetheart Coralee, now widow of his best friend.
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