Carolyn Astfalk's Blog, page 21

First Line Friday – Warrior of the Kizan

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Warrior of the Kizan



by Ann Margaret Lewis



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Death, death . . . The crunch of the snow said the word to him over and over.

I can hear this first line. The crunch of hardened snow beneath boots in a steady rhythm as he plods along. Death, cold and foreboding – again and again. It sets a tone for the book and what we can expect. Is it a death from the past that haunts this character, the threat of near death, or death in the future? Or all three? His own death or someone else’s?

What’s the first line of the book you’re reading? Or the book nearest to you?

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Seven Quick Takes

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Massachusetts Vacation Edition

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By chance, I finished listening to the audiobook version of The Mayflower Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse just before we left Hershey for Boston. We hadn’t even planned on visiting Plymouth Rock, but it ended up we did. I had a greater appreciation for the pilgrims and their sacrifices than I would have had otherwise. I needed a bit of a refresher. The rock isn’t much to look at, but it’s a quaint town.

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We confirmed on this trip what I think we already knew in our hearts. We are not city vacation people. We fare so much better in our element, which is nature (mountains, beach, forest) and historical sites. This is not a family that does well with walking on miles of concrete and using public transportation. It’s good to know your limitations, no?

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Ice cream really says vacation like nothing else. We stopped at two spots for delicious ice cream: Bedford Farms Ice Cream (Concord, MA) and Bertie’s Creative Creamery (Westwood, MA). We were hoping for some Boston Cream Pie, too, but couldn’t track it down outside of pricey, fancy five-star restaurants.

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Christ is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. I love that I can enter a Catholic church anywhere in the world and find my Savior in the tabernacle and experience a universal worship – the Mass. St. Catherine of Sienna Church in Norwood is stunning – much more than this picture reveals.

[image error]St. Catherine of Siena Church, Norwood, MA

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One of the best parts of this vacation was visiting with friends who, interestingly, don’t even live in Massachusetts but in New Hampshire and Maine. But it worked! Our kids loved hanging with their kids too.

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History is fascinating and critical to our present and future. Author George Santayana famously said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Perhaps my growing love of history and historical accuracy is why I was so bothered by seeing downtown Boston re-enactors with what looked like gay pride symbols affixed to their tricorn hats. (Gay Pride Month and all.)

[image error]Minute Man National Historical Park

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I hate the run-up to vacation. Inevitably, I failed to meet my husband’s expectations for readiness, with deadlines days before travel. We’re scrambling late into the night doing laundry, scouring the garage for missing items, and making all sorts of last minute preparations that result in raised voices and tears. On the flip side, there are the mounds and mounds of laundry to do when I come home and the hundreds of emails to sift through. Before we left, I was close to suggesting the rest of the family go on without me. I could stay home and get lots accomplished on updating the kids’ bedrooms. But it was a family vacation. The kids would balk if I tried to back out and rightly so. Despite the fact that even our little excursions (that usually involve hotel points, camping, or skimping on meals) stretch our budget, the experiences and the memories made are precious. I don’t regret our trip one bit. (But seriously, six a.m. highway traffic in New Jersey. What’s with that?)

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For more Quick Takes, visit This Ain’t the Lyceum.

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An Open Book

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Welcome to the July 2019 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart AND CatholicMom.com!



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Around the time of the D-Day anniversary (June 6), my husband began listening to The Dead and Those About to Die: D-Day: The Big Red One at Omaha Beach by John C. McManus. The book is an account of the harrowing World War II battle. With fewer WWII veterans remaining every day, this history takes on greater significance. So many, including my own father and father-in-law, spoke so little of the horror or the heroism they experienced.

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I’ve been listening to a historical novel that goes back a few centuries farther: The Mayflower Bride by Kimberley Wodehouse. It’s the first in the Daughters of the Mayflower Series, which in includes eight books by six different authors. While from the title you’d guess this is a romance, what strikes me most are the hardships faced by the pilgrims. Stormy seas, sea sickness, scurvy, a leaky ship, scarce food and water, threatening natives, and more. Crossing the Atlantic was not for the weak. Historical figures interact with fictional ones in this sobering account of the journey to the New World by “saints” and “strangers.”

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Many of the books I’ve been reading have yet to be released, and that includes one I’m ready to begin. The Killing Tide by Dani Pettrey is the first in her Coastal Guardians series. If you’re a fan of Christian romantic suspense, the author has two series under her belt already, and they are consistently entertaining. This series launches with a Coast Guard Investigative Service special agent butting heads with an investigative reporter who happens to be his boss’s sister as they try to uncover who is behind the death of one Coast Guard officer and the disappearance of another.

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This summer’s CatholicMom.com Book Club features Our Lady of Charity: How a Cuban Devotion to Mary Helped Me Grow in Faith and Love by Maria Morera Johnson. The Cuban history is fascinating, and the author’s experience as an exile enriches her account of her heritage and person devotion to the Blessed Mother under the Our Lady of Charity mantle. I was privileged to interview the author. The interview and a series of chapter reflections round out the summer book club. Learn more, including how to buy the book at a discount through CatholicMom.

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As the school year ended, my son told me about the great movie his Latin II class had watched. From his short description, I guessed that they’d watched The Eagle. Conveniently, I’d read The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutliff as part of Sabbath Rest Book Talk. Marcus sets out to discover the fate of his missing father, who led the Roman Ninth Legion. We requested the book from the library, and so began his summer reading.

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For his birthday, my now-high school junior (gulp!) received The Jedi Path. (You knew there were Star Wars books coming, right?) This unique book is an ancient training manual for Jedi. It includes history and lore of the Jedi order with notes from Yoda, Luke Skywalker, and others. My son says it’s great for Star Wars fans and just plain fun to look at, but he does warn that since Disney has acquired the Star Wars franchise, information included in the book is no longer canon.

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Star Wars: Master & Apprentice by Claudia Gray is the latest Star Wars novel, and this one is part of the new canon. It follows Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Jedi master and his padawan, before The Phantom Menace. Seeing as my son has been buried in this novel, for which he acquired a signed, hardcover copy, I’d say he thinks it’s very good.

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My little second grader is moving between picture books and chapter books. She attends a lunchtime book chat for children her age (Chewsy Readers) at our local library. In conjunction with this summer’s spaced-themed reading program, she brought home Dwarf Planets: Pluto, Charon, Ceres, and Eris by Nancy Loewen. Simple graphics and illustrations make the astronomy lesson palatable for all ages. She loved this book!

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We picked up an inexpensive copy of The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. This is one of those childhood classics that I missed out on, and I’d like to read it myself. Straight from the description: When orphan Mary Lennox moves to her uncle’s house, she finds lots of secrets, including nearly a hundred rooms. She discovers an escape in a secret garden and is determined to bring the garden back to life.

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My two youngest are enjoying Audacious Ignatius by Paul Mitchell with bright illustrations by Katie Mitchell Broussard. Who would’ve thought so many words rhymed with Ignatius? This brightly illustrated, rhyming picture book is a fun biography of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order. It’s a great introduction to the saint for young children – and a vocabulary-building book as well!

What are you reading? Share it at An Open Book and find new book recommendations too! #openbook
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Interview with Civil War Romance Author Amanda Lauer

Your trilogy of Civil War romances offer a blend of American historical fiction, sweet romance, and a gentle faith. How do you blend those to satisfy fans of each of those genres?

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This actually came rather easily to me, because this is the kind of book that I have been looking for since I started reading historic romance novels in high school. I love writing books that are based in fact, involving real-life figures and that highlight historical events in an engaging way. The primary characters in my books are Catholic, so featuring how their faith, like mine, is interwoven into their day-to-day lives came naturally to me. As far as the sweet romance goes, everyone loves a good love story with a satisfying ending! My preference in what I consume and in what I write is to give readers a glance at our couples’ romance without describing every detail. The rest is up to their imagination! 

What about the American Civil War era drew you to set your novels there?

History was always my favorite subject in school. Maybe it’s because I grew up as the daughter of a military vet (I went to three different high schools in four years), but I have a particular fascination with war history — specifically, the Civil War. What I find so interesting about the Civil War is that it is a parallel to what is currently going on in our own country, with the severe divide between people on opposite sides of the political spectrum. Hopefully my novels will cause people to look at the big picture and realize that, as Americans, we have more things in common than not, and that we would be better served by celebrating what we have in common than focusing on our differences. 

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I live near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and I’ve seen firsthand the timeless attraction people have to the Civil War battles, the era and culture, and the stories that have been passed down about it – from families and lovers with divided loyalties to ghost stories and more. What is it, do you think, that continues to fascinate us?

It’s almost unbelievable that only three or so generations back there was a war waged on the soil of the United States. This was the first war that has actual photographs and film footage of events that transpired during that time frame. It makes it more real for people. Maybe for that reason, the period has been romanticized. Despite the war going on, it seemed to be a simpler, more polite time, when loyalties were clearer, and communication was most often face-to-face. Deep down, people dream of living that kind of less-complicated and more down-to-earth life. 

I know your heroines bear some resemblance to your daughters. Would you explain how they are, in some ways, similar?

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When I wrote A World Such as Heaven Intended, Amara was loosely based on me or the person that I would like to be. However, after the book was complete I realized Amara’s character was very much like our oldest daughter, Stephanie. She is intelligent, determined, passionate and an achiever. When I decided to add to more books to the series, my editor wanted each of the three female protagonists to have distinct personalities. After thinking about it, it dawned on me that I had the three ideal role models for my characters. Bridget, in A Life Such as Heaven Intended, is sweet, faithful, empathetic and much stronger than she realizes, just like our middle daughter, Samantha. Josephine, in A Love Such as Heaven Intended, it a match for our youngest daughter Elizabeth who is adventurous, humorous, loyal and a go-getter (and maybe a bit spoiled as the youngest of four children)! 

How does novel writing fit into a busy life with other responsibilities – professional, familial, and social?

This is my mission, so I schedule time to work on writing my novels, even though I still work full-time with my health and wellness business, writing, proofreading, copy-editing, acting and modeling. Plus we are active volunteers at our parish. For the last several years I have committed to NANOWRIMO, so I have written the first 50,000 words of a novel each November. Then I spend the rest of the year finishing writing, copy editing, rewriting and marketing the final product. 

What project(s) are you working on now?

My next series is set in 1974 and is a story about a 7th-grade girl who attends a small-town Catholic school and is bullied by the class jock. It’s based on a real-life experience, so at my age this is probably considered historic fiction! There are two books in the series, the first one is told from the perspective of an adult looking back to that pivotal year in junior high, and the second book is the same story told from the perspective of that woman’s 12-year-old daughter from 2019 who gets a concussion the day before the first day of 7th grade and ends up waking up in her mom’s body and living her mom’s life for one school year. Talk about a shock to the system! The series depicts growing up in the “Wonder Years,” it’s a blast from the past for Baby Boomers and those who remember the 1970s, and it’s a story about redemption, forgiveness, and people who step up and become real-life heroes for someone who needs them. I’ve gotten a great response from my beta readers so far. I’ll polish the books up this summer and find a home for them with a publisher or publish them independently if I don’t find the right fit. 

Thanks so much, Carolyn, for inviting me to be a guest on your blog! 

Deep down, people dream of living that kind of less-complicated and more down-to-earth life. #civilwar #historicalfiction
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An avid reader and history buff since childhood, journalist and professional proofreader/copy editor Amanda Lauer fulfilled a lifelong goal with the publication of her debut novel, A World Such as Heaven Intended, on October 29, 2014. The second book in Lauer’s Heaven Intended Civil War trilogy, A Life Such as Heaven Intended, was published April 1, 2018. A Love Such as Heaven Intended was published April 20, 2019. This CALA award-winning and best-selling wholesome romance series was inspired by the true story of a Civil War hero. “All gave some; some gave all.”

Links:

Blog: https://aworldsuchasheavenintended.wordpress.com/

Website: http://www.fullquiverpublishing.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/amandalauer23

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My Summer Reading Accountability Post

Because the to-be-read pile looms large, both in physical books and in electronic books, I’ve created by own accountability post to keep me on track this summer.

I’m way behind.

Way . . . way . . . behind.

As proof, check out this list of books I meant to read in 2017 and didn’t.

Guess how many I’ve read as of midway through 2019? Go ahead, hazard a guess.

Three. Of the ten books I listed, I’ve since read three.

Then there’s NetGalley with thirty-eight books awaiting my attention.

The books I’ve won.

The books I’ve agreed to review.

The classics.

And, oh! The ones my kids have begged me to read.

In no particular order, here are my self-proclaimed “must reads” for the summer:

Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder Star Wars Ahsoka by E.K. Johnston Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson Where There’s Smoke by Susan May Warren Finding Grace by Laura Pearl Dying Every Day: Seneca at the Court of Nero by James Romm There You’ll Find Me by Jenny B. Jones Mercy’s Prince by Katy Huth Jones Joan of Arc by Mark Twain How the Light Gets In by Jolina Petersheim







Is there a book you MUST read this summer? What is it?

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An Open Book

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Welcome to the June 2019 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart AND CatholicMom.com!



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Do you read and/or listen to many books simultaneously? I’m usually listening to one audiobook and reading one ebook or paperback at a time. Occasionally, I’ll add another that I’m reading bit by bit. My husband has so many going I can’t keep track. One that sparked by interest is The Boy Crisis: Why Our Boys are Struggling and What We Can Do About It by Warren Farrell and John Gray. The blurb describes it as: “A comprehensive blueprint for what parents, teachers, and policymakers can do to help our sons become happier, healthier men, and fathers and leaders worthy of our respect.” It touches on mental health, fathering, and education. As a father of two boys and a Cub Scout and Boy Scout Leader, this topic is of great interest to him.

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Did you know whole books are written about sleeping in hammocks? Me neither. Enter The Ultimate Hang: Hammock Camping Illustrated by Derek Hansen. Whether you’re looking to lounge in your home, back yard, or intent on serious trail hiking, this book has tips and many illustrations for setup as well as staying warm, dry, and bug-free. Done right, the hammock should be more comfortable than the ground.

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Laura Frantz writes sweeping sagas filled with longing, heartbreak, and romance in the broadest sense of the term. In A Bound Heart, Magnus MacLeish, laird of a Scottish isle, is alternately drawn to and pulled away from his childhood friend, Lark MacDougall. Exiled from their beloved home, they are sent as indentured servants across the Atlantic to America. The narration is very well done with heartfelt emotion and Scottish accents that seem, at least to this uneducated ear, to be on point. Filled with lovely imagery and strong, honorable characters.

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I’ve just finished The Hidden Legacy: A Novel by Carrie Sue Barnes. Through this novel and Ellen Gable’s Great War-Great Love series, I’ve come to learn about the service of American nurses in France during World War I. This story is split between France during WWI and the beginning of the 21st century, moving between nurse Annie’s tumultuous past serving wounded soldiers and her relaying the tale to her granddaughter Laurel eighty-three years later. I was drawn into the characters’ lives and their attempts to love bravely and freely while letting go of past hurts.

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For the last fifteen minutes or so during weekly adoration, I’ve been reading The World’s First Love: Mary, Mother of God by Fulton J. Sheen through FORMED. In each chapter, I highlight beautiful and profound insights that I’m eager to share. Venerable Fulton Sheen’s clear thinking and wisdom are evident on every page. It’s a mix of spirituality, history, and theology.

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The last book for my son’s sophomore literature class is Thomas Bolt’s play A Man for All Seasons. The class reads portions of the play aloud together and other parts independently. I’m looking forward to watching the Oscar-winning movie adaption of this story of St. Thomas More’s conflict with Henry VIII with him once the school year ends.

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With the long days of summer looming ahead, my daughter has decided to give the rather long but beloved classic Little Women by Louisa May Allcott a try. We watched the movie adaption featuring Susan Sarandon and Winona Ryder several months ago, and I think my daughter will come to love the book.

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Eager to have a cavy of her own, my daughter is also reading Guinea Pigs by Kay Ragland. The pictures of the cuddly creatures are adorable, but there is also a lot of information about breeds and care though this book was written in the 1980s.

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Many, many nights in our home end with my youngest son requesting Secrets of the Rainforest: A Shine-a-Light Book by Carron Brown. Armed with my book light, the kids take turns shining it behind the pages to reveal the hidden creatures in the rain forest: the tapir, the leaf-cutting ants, the sloth, and more. Another quality book from Usborne!

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In anticipation of his older brother’s birthday, my little boy also borrowed Click, Clack, Surprise! (A Click Clack Book) by Doreen Cronin. The wry farm animals in this series of books entertain me as well as the kids, and this birthday-themed story centered on a duckling trying to ready himself for a party is cute.

What are you reading? Share it at An Open Book and find new book recommendations too! #openbook
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We Crave Fairness, We Need Mercy

Children have an innate sense of justice and fairness. If you spend any time with kids, you know the plaintive cry “It’s not fair!” surfaces with enough frequency to make a drinking game based on its utterance a dangerous affair.

Many times a week, I hear myself responding to those cries with a trite, “Life’s not fair.” In other words, “Suck it up, buttercup.”

True enough. And yet those words don’t take away the niggling rub that, well, gosh, it’s not fair.

And it’s not. Bad things happen to good people. Good things happen to bad people. Contests and awards and subjective. Mistakes are common. The rain falls on the just and the unjust and all that jazz. (Matthew 5:45)

I’ve had this conversation with all of my kids at one time or another, and I will again. Take the spelling bee and my oldest daughter. I quizzed her on every word in the lists provided for study. We spent hours studying.

The big day arrived, and she knew every word posed to the contestants in every round Every word.

Except the one that she missed in Round 3.

Had she been seated one chair to the left, she would never have encountered that word.

Life’s not fair.

While maturity has allowed me to shrug off more of life’s unfairness, it still rankles sometimes.

Is it fair that you have a congenital disease? Short legs? Your dad ran off? You’re infertile? You got cancer even though you were super health-conscious?

Our desire for fairness – for justice – is why the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11) can get under our skin like no other. Why should the dissolute, irresponsible son get the party while the responsible brother works his tail off day in and day out? What gives?

[image error]The Return of the Prodigal Son (1773) by Pompeo Batoni (public domain)

The thing is, we only worry about what’s fair when we’re on the “losing” end. When something good happens, we seldom worry about its fairness.

It’s not fair that we lived beyond birth. It’s not fair that we live in the age of antibiotics. Or that the sun has risen every morning of our lives.

It’s not fair that God sacrificed His only Son that we may have eternal life. It’s merciful.

At the basis of our cry for fairness is pride. And how do you temper pride?

With a dose of humility.

The older I’ve grown – or maybe the more I’ve come to recognize my own insignificance and my reliance on God’s providence – the more I crave mercy over fairness.

After all, if life were fair, we’d be deprived of learning empathy. And extending mercy.

I’ve been grappling with the tension between justice and mercy since at least the mid-1990s, when I re-evaluated my thinking about capital punishment based on Pope St. John Paul II’s encyclical Evangelium Vitae.

When it’s my turn to stand before God with all of my sins exposed, is it truly justice I’ll seek or mercy?

Mercy, no question.

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Theresa Linden illustrates this concept so beautifully in her supernatural thriller Tortured Soul.

I don’t want to give away too much of the story, but at its heart is conversion.

“It’s not fair,” she [Jeanie] whispered, gripping her blanket with clenched fists.
“No, not fair. Mercy.”

Tortured Soul by Theresa Linden

Nope, life’s not fair. God is merciful. Thanks be to God.

When it's my turn to stand before God with all of my sins exposed, is it truly justice I'll seek or mercy?
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Becky Wade’s Sweet on You Blog Tour

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On tour with Prism Book Tours.

Sweet on You (Bradford Sisters #3)
By Becky Wade



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Christian Contemporary Romance
Paperback & ebook, 368 Pages
April 30th 2019 by Bethany House Publishers

Britt Bradford and Zander Ford have been the best of friends since they met thirteen years ago. Unbeknown to Britt, Zander has been in love with her for just as long.

Independent and adventurous Britt channels her talent into creating chocolates at her hometown shop. Zander is a bestselling author who’s spent the past 18 months traveling the world. He’s achieved a great deal but still lacks the only thing that ever truly mattered to him–Britt’s heart.

When Zander’s uncle dies of mysterious causes, he returns to Merryweather, Washington, to investigate, and Britt is immediately there to help. Although this throws them into close proximity, both understand that an attempt at romance could jeopardize their once-in-a-lifetime friendship. But while Britt is determined to resist any change in their relationship, Zander finds it increasingly difficult to keep his feelings hidden.

As they work together to uncover his uncle’s tangled past, will the truth of what lies between them also, finally, come to light?

Goodreads│Amazon│B&N│Book Depostiory│ChristianBook │ BAM │ iBooks │ Kobo

My review

You know what would make this book better? A scratch ‘n sniff cover. Oh, the glorious descriptions of chocolate between these covers. And there’s the delicious story as well – a tender, sweet romance and a mystery.

One of author Becky Wade’s gifts is immersing the reader deeply in the psyche of her protagonists. Their histories, motivations, weaknesses, and, ultimately, their triumphs are so skillfully developed that the characters jump off of the page.

I have a weak spot for the victims of unrequited love, so Zander won my sympathy right off the bat. But Britt’s fierce independence eventually drew me in too. As a result, I thoroughly enjoyed their story as well as getting a glimpse of the other couples from previous books in the series along with the cabal of quirky characters that inhabit Merryweather.

The notes and text messages interspersed between chapters also wonderfully developed the story, bringing home Britt’s unrealized devotion to Zander. Amazing how many other girls, in here estimation, were “not a fit” for Zander. LOL

If you have’t read one of Becky Wader’s Christian romances, what are you waiting for?

Other books in the series

Tour schedule

Giveaway



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One winner will receive:



Tote bag highlighting Britt’s chocolate shop, Sweet ArtPaperback copy of Sweet on You$100 Visa gift card1 pound box of See’s chocolate trufflesSet of chocolate scented soapBox of colored pencils“Tattoo” coloring book

Enter on Becky’s website.

About the author



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Becky’s a California native who attended Baylor University, met and married a Texan, and settled in Dallas. She published historical romances for the general market before putting her career on hold for several years to care for her three children. When God called her back to writing, Becky knew He meant for her to turn her attention to Christian fiction. She loves writing funny, modern, and inspirational contemporary romance! She’s the Christy Award and Carol Award winning author of My Stubborn Heart, the Porter Family series, and the Bradford Sisters Romance series.

Website│Blog│Goodreads│Facebook│Twitter│Pinterest│Instagram

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Relevant Fiction Reviews: Split-time Novels

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I’ve yet to read many split-time novels, but I do enjoy those I’ve read! An author’s ability to skillfully interweave themes in two plot lines set in separate eras can enhance and deepen those themes while adding interest for the reader.

Hidden Among the Stars by Melanie Dobson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This beautifully written tale follows the lives of a handful of young Austrians living under Nazi occupation. One is a gifted Jewish musician, one is the young man who loves her, and another the childhood friend who loves him.

Interwoven is the story of Callie, aka Story Girl, a lonely bookstore owner in possession of two books connected to Austria and hidden treasure.

There is mystery, romance, and tragedy, but, in sum, it’s a novel about the power of stories – children’s stories and our own stories – internalizing them, living them, and marveling at the way the master storyteller has perfectly interwoven each of them.








The House on Foster Hill by Jaime Jo Wright

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’d read so many recommendations for this book, and I’d say, for the most part, it lived up to the hype.

The story moved back and forth between 1906 and present day in a small Wisconsin town, Oakwood. The constant threat of danger is centered on Foster Hill House, a mostly abandoned home and the site of at least one murder.

I enjoyed the historical heroine, Ivy, a complex, grief-stricken character with a fascination for the dead. Her best friend/childhood love turned investigator Joel works with Ivy to protect her while uncovering a murder and missing infant. During which time, of course, they revisit the past.

In the present, Kaine is running from the loss of her husband and a stalker that seems to have trailed her from California. She’ll find a protector/co-investigator in therapist/all-around good guy Grant.

The book moves at a nice clip between time periods, building to near simultaneous climaxes.

Fans of romantic suspense and a little spookiness will enjoy this novel! I listened on audiobook, and the narrator did a fantastic job varying voices. It was a pleasure to listen to.








The Wedding Chapel by Rachel Hauck

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Charming tale of two couples separated by decades, linked by blood, a small town, and a wedding chapel who recommit themselves to lasting love. Although I was able to predict the ending, it didn’t detract from the journey.

I enjoyed the interwoven stories and the movement between past and present and New York and Heart’s Bend, TN. I’m partial, however, to Jack and Taylor, whose history and obstacles could easily have filled a novel of their own. Their relationship struggles were honest and authentic.

The inspirational aspects only crystallized in the final chapters, leaving them feeling more like an add on than an integral part of the characters’ lives. In some ways, it made the resolution – though lovely and neatly-tied up – seem a little simplistic.

I received a copy of The Wedding Chapel from Net Galley for my honest review.

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Tortured Soul Blog Tour

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Learn more about the book, read my review, buy a copy of Tortured Soul now, connect with the author, and enter to win a copy!

About the Book:

A single woman evicted from her family home. A terrifying specter that only she sees. A dark connection between his past and hers…

After her father’s tragic death and her mother’s recent passing, loss leaves an emptiness Jeannie Lyons can’t fill. Now she must leave her family home, the one place where her parents’ memory still lives.

An old house on the edge of town becomes Jeannie’s new home, one too big for her and her three-legged cat, but she soon gets the impression she’s not alone. Her brother blames her overactive imagination. Her sister-in-law suggests counseling. Her would-be boyfriend is the only one who believes her, but can she trust him? With nowhere to turn, Jeannie must face her inner demons and confront this soul from beyond the grave.

Set in modern times, this supernatural thriller is loosely based on the apparitions to Eugenie von der Leyen (1867-1929).

"A terrifying specter that only she sees." Tortured Soul by @LindenTheresa Enter to win! #supernaturalthriller
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My Review:

Tortured Soul is a unique supernatural thriller!

After being unceremoniously evicted from her family home by her overprotective brother Erwin and his growing family, Jeannie Lyons must create a new home in the rental house Erwin has found for her.

Lonely and unable to let go of the grief still binding her to her deceased parents, Jeannie and her three-legged cat try to make the best of it.

But something strange is happening in the house. Noises, movement, a specter.

Jeannie must confront not only her grief and loneliness but the terrifying ghoul in the corner of her bedroom. Her family and her parish priest dismiss her concerns, leaving Jeannie with only Oliver, Erwin’s quirky photographer friend, to confide in.

The Christmas setting and snowy, isolated landscape lend an eerie quality to this story that looks like a ghost story, but is really a story about mercy.

Not only will you be entertained – and maybe a little spooked! – but you’ll be mindful of praying for those who need it most

About the Author:



[image error]Theresa Linden

Theresa Linden is the author of award-winning Catholic teen fiction that weaves the natural with the supernatural. She has several published novels, including a dystopian trilogy, a contemporary young adult series, two short stories in Image and Likeness: Literary Reflections on the Theology of the Body, and a short story in Secrets: Visible & Invisible. She holds a Catechetical Diploma from Catholic Distance University and is a member of the Catholic Writers Guild. Her books can be found on CatholicTeenBooks.com, Catholic Reads, FORMED and Virtue Works Media. A wife, homeschooling mom, and Secular Franciscan, she resides in northeast Ohio with her husband and three teenage boys.

Links:

Blog: Things Visible & Invisible

Website:  www.theresalinden.com

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/theresalindenauthor

Twitter:  www.twitter.com/LindenTheresa

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THANKS FOR STOPPING BY! STAY A WHILE AND LOOK AROUND. LEAVE A COMMENT. SHARE WITH A FRIEND. IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE, PLEASE SIGN UP FOR MY AUTHOR NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP-TO-DATE ON NEW RELEASES, EXTRAS, AND HOT DEALS!

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The post Tortured Soul Blog Tour appeared first on Carolyn Astfalk, Author.