Kellyn Roth's Blog: Kellyn Roth, Author, page 34

Welcome to Reveries (Giveaway + Blog Tour)!

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Well, ladies and gentlemen, it’s finally happened! Reveries has moved to a self-hosted blog, and here we are! Whether you’re an old follower or a new one, I’m so excited to have you here.

Some things are changing … but don’t worry! It’ll be the same old posts from the same old me (no, I haven’t been kissed by a frog and turned into a gorgeous amphibian … yet). And we’ll be getting back into the swing of things this very next week (kinda – I’ll explain). So yay for blog posts!

JUST IN CASE YOU’RE ABOUT TO WANDER OFF … there are lots of big announcements in this post! So y’all stick around or you’re going to be quite confused. *threatening look* (Also, giveaway!)

Okay, let’s get right to it.

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Giveaway

First, we’re having a small celebration for the launch of this new blog (!!!) which includes a giveaway! Annnnddd … you stand to win six historical romance novels by six historical romance authors!

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DOESN’T THIS LOOK AMAZING!? I am soooo tempted to enter myself, but uh … it’s my giveaway. And I already own most of those anyway in paperback, so I need to stop whining.

Reveries has moved!

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Guess what?

Reveries has moved to kellynroth.blog!

So excited to see you over at my new blog! Be sure to head over and follow!

TTFN!

~Kell~

I Don’t Dance by Jesseca Wheaton (Blog Tour)

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Title: I Don’t Dance

Author: Jesseca Wheaton

Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance

Setting: Southern United States

Publisher: Jesseca Wheaton

Source: from author (in exchange for honest review)

Overall Rating: 3.5/5 stars

I Don’t Dance by Jesseca Wheaton

Ty and Jen have been friends for nearly as long as anyone can remember. But when Ty goes off to college and leaves her behind, he has to face the reality that he cares for her as more then just a friend. 

As graduations approaches and with only one summer left before he begins basic training, Ty must make a decision. Military life is never easy; is it fair to force it on the one he loves? 

In the midst of wrestling with the question and coming to the realization that summer is quickly drawing to a close, Ty struggles to face questions he cannot answer, and is forced to examine his own heart. 

Is it possible that God has a future for him with Jen? Or will the summer close with only memories of days gone by? 

Buy on Amazon ~ Add on Goodreads

I don’t know quite what to say about this novella. On one hand, it was a great story with good plot, characters, writing, and setting. I’ve no complaints there.

However, I just didn’t enjoy it. The characters live in a completely different world than my own – and I just couldn’t get into that world. Everything about their lives – and especially about the traditions surrounding the romance – was difficult for me to understand. It’s one of those things I respect but don’t comprehend.

You see, personally, it makes me mad to think that a guy would ask my parents for permission to date (something I don’t believe to be necessary) before even speaking of romance to me – or that my parents would keep this from me for three months. It seems to show a lack of respect for my personal opinions and ability to have original thoughts! I’d be so furious – that guy would definitely be immediately rejected!

Blog Tour: Kiera by Kate Willis

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Hello ladies and gents!

My friend Kate Willis is publishing a book! It’s called “Kiera,” and it’s a futuristic Christian fiction story with a sweet romance thrown in.

To celebrate this release, I get to interview one of the characters from Kiera; the title character’s best friend, Destiny.

Destiny is one of the best characters in the book! She doesn’t outshine the protagonist – she’s a good best friend, after all! – but she’s also just way too much fun. She actually reminds me a lot of my own best friends – which was definitely a plus.

The Thief, The Damsel, and The Dragon: Cover Reveal!

Hello ladies and gents!

I know, I’m supposed to be moving blogs soon. And we will be! Shortly.

Quest for Leviathan by Amanda Tero

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Title: Quest for Leviathan

Author: Amanda Tero

Genre: Historical Fiction

Era: Biblical – Time of Job

Publisher: Amanda Tero

Source: from author (in exchange for honest review)

Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

Quest for Leviathan by Amanda Tero

Leviathan took the life of Anath’s father. Anath has spent three years preparing for the voyage that will end the threat of Leviathan. Yet as the Valor launches into the depths of the Mediterranean, an inward quest also begins, taking Anath to depths he is not willing to face.

Buy on Amazon ~ Add on Goodreads

I’ve said “WOW!” a lot in reference to this novel. “Wow” when I heard that Amanda was writing it, as in, “Wow, I can’t wait to read that!” “Wow” when I saw the cover. And, finally, “Wow” when I finished the book.

However, I have to write an entire review using other words, so here goes!

(Also, let me take a moment to say … the illustrations are top notch! Wow! I don’t suppose Natalie Nelson is looking for more clients …? I will eventually have a project that needs illustrations, so I’m starting to do my research, haha.)

PLOT: 5/5

Let’s take a brief moment to appreciate this …

THERE WAS A LEVIATHAN! AND IT WASN’T TREATED LIKE A FANTASY ELEMENT! THIS BOOK WAS WRITTEN FOR 11-YEAR-OLD ME!!!

I don’t know if I ever told you this, but I wrote a lot of “science fiction” stories as a child about “Dr. Kelly and Her Assistant James” (me and my brother) going to find things like the Loch Ness Monster/plesiosaur/Elasmosaurus, Big Foot (which I actually don’t believe exists, haha) (unless we’re talking about some lunatic who hasn’t shaved in ten years), and the Behemoth/Mokele Mbembi/Apatosaurus. (Also, forgive me if I’ve forgotten spellings by now!)

I also wrote a page of the next book in the series … in which Dr. Kelly, her assistant James, and their daredevil baby brother Thad were going to track down the Leviathan (a.k.a. Kronosaurus) (can you tell I’ve thought this out?) (though now I think I messed up and got the wrong plesiosaur. I may need to do some more research).

ANYWAY … suffice to say this is really my subject. So I was absolutely thrilled when I heard about this book!

The plot was amazing. Job 41 has gotta be one of my favorite books in the Bible, and it was amazing to see a fictional Leviathan spring to life on the pages! It was an exciting adventure story with a beautiful beginning, middle, and end.

The only thing I can think of is the ending may have been a little rushed – but that could partially be because I wanted more, so it didn’t detract from my rating.

Why I Keep Coming Back to the Victorian Era

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We’ve Moved!

Reveries has moved to kellynroth.blog!

Click here to read the updated post!

Why I Keep Coming Back to the Victoria Era

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Today’s post is going to be rather brief with some quick announcements. First, I was privileged to participate in this year’s Indie eCon! Be sure to follow the link to find out more about it. There’s a lot of amazing and informative blog posts going up on all different genres – and how to write them!

I wrote a blog post about the Georgian, Regency, and Victoria eras. Right now the formatting makes it a bit hard to read, but hopefully that will edit itself or some such.

In that post, I mentioned that the Victorian era is my specialty. Well, that’s pretty much true! Though I don’t know that it’s my favorite era of all time (I also love Edwardian and the 1920s, ’30s, and ’40s), it’s definitely one of the best! But why do I write Victorian fiction?

Here are my top five reasons for writing Victorian fiction.


The morals.

I’m not legalistic in my personal beliefs, but … there’s something fascinating about the strict propriety of this era.
I don’t know why, but it just pulls me in! All the nuances of the rules and regulations that governed proper society are fascinating.
(Also, this was an issue of overcorrection, not of complete idiocy. They did have some points!)



The fashions.

What? I’m the only one who really wants to try on a corset!
You have to admit that the ladies manages to look elegant in a ridiculous way, though, with their sweeping gowns and funny hats.
And I will ignore the fact that they were heavy, hot, tight, and scratchy.



The changes.

Even in a society ruled by severe, old-fashioned rules, big changes were coming … in fact, many were already there!
Railroads, slavery, suffragettes, mills! #hottopics



All the stereotypes.

Each generation following has come up with their stereotypes about the Victorian era, and now there’s quite a bundle!
It’s fun to sort through them and play with them.
Also, racism and oppression was not the only thing that happened in the last ten centuries.
*glares at my current history book which gives chapters and chapters to racial stuff and like a paragraph to literal wars* I wanted to learn about all of history? Racism = terrible … but wars = important to learn about, too???



Dickens, Bronte, and BBC.

All the authors and all the miniseries have made me want to write in this era!
Honestly, if your favorite books and movies were set in an era, you’d want to write about it, too!

One last thing before you go! I’ve decided to extend the beta-reading deadline for Once a Stratton to June 30th. If that deadline makes it easier for you, then I would love to see you sign up!

The first batch of beta emails will go out tomorrow and another Sunday. For that reason, the form will be closed Saturday evening. (If you’re running late, I might open it up for you. I’m that nice kinda person.

25 Spoiler-Free Facts About At Her Fingertips

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Last year, I posted 25 Spoiler-Free Facts About The Dressmaker’s Secret and Ivy Introspective.

Now it’s time for 25 Spoiler-Free Facts about my most recent novel, At Her Fingertips. *super excited* *jumps up and down* *spins in a circle* Hopefully you’ll enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them!

Towards the end of this post there’s also a signup form for people who would like to alpha/beta read Once a Stratton. I’m only looking for a few and the timeline is pretty tight, but if you can, and I’d love to have you!

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And now, without further ado …

The Facts

AFOP was really the first book in what would become “The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy” that I wrote. Back then it was called The Sapphire of the Seine, and yes, it was set in Paris.

God-Defined Dreamer

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From movies to books to songs, you hear the resounding message: “Follow your dreams.” And I suppose there is some right in the saying. There’s certainly nothing wrong with working towards your goals.*

However, I believe people who feel strongly that following your dreams** is the one way to go have missed Something important. Not always, but occasionally what we want most is not what is best for us.

To a certain extent, I took on this subject in At Her Fingertips, but I’d like to expand on my ideas today. Bear with me!