Cecily Wolfe's Blog: The Start of Something New - Posts Tagged "inspirational"

Wow! I am so grateful for these wonderful reviews over the past few days . . . what a fantastic way to start the new year!

"I would give this higher than a five star rating if I could." Thank you for the wonderful review of Throne of Grace, Debbie! http://amzn.to/2AIRgVa



Another five star review for one of my more controversial (ha ha!) titles, Reckless Treasure: https://www.amazon.com/review/R2EYH50...

Thank you, Victoria!



Rebellious Writing's team review of the first two books in my Cliff Walk Courtships series, Throne of Grace
and Crown of Beauty:

http://www.rebelliouswriting.com/2018...



Eugenie and Brett here on Goodreads - thank you both for your five star reviews and lovely comments on Throne of Grace:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! I can't wait to share new stories - and revisit others (with Treasure of Hope and Starlight releasing this year) with you all!

If you live in Northeast Ohio like me, you know that we are snowed (and iced!) in for a bit (well, it IS Ohio!) and it occurred to me that I should take some time while stuck indoors to make up a list of my favorite books read in 2017. Note: these are books I read in 2017 but may not have been published in 2017.

I will list them by genre, but some do cross over. I hope you take a look and see if we have any favorites in common - if we do, leave a comment and tell me which ones! I'd love to know what you read and liked last year as well.

Here we go (in no particular order - I don't think I could pick an absolute favorite in each genre, or overall):

Fantasy & Science Fiction
A Girl in Black and White
A Gathering of Shadows
Allerleirauh

Romance
French Restitution, French Retribution, French Restoration (yes, the entire series)
A Daring Arrangement (historical)
Devil in Spring (historical)

Christian/Inspirational/Amish
Abiding Mercy
The Beloved Hope Chest
Upon a Spring Breeze
Written in Love

Nonfiction
Mindfulness: 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge: Step-By-Step Guide to Living a Stress-Free & Happy Life
The Gift of Love: One Woman's Journey to Save a Life

Young Adult
Stalking Jack the Ripper (historical, mystery, horror)
Strange the Dreamer (fantasy)
The Evaporation of Sofi Snow (science fiction)
The Glass Spare (fantasy)
Lord of Shadows (fantasy)
Long Way Home (romance)
K My Name Is Kendra (realistic)
Collide (fantasy)
Chloe (realistic)
Let the Sky Fall (fantasy)

I read about 150 books a year, and if it looks interesting, I will read it regardless of genre - obviously I read a lot of YA (I specialize in working with teens in my 'real life' job, so this makes sense, although I do enjoy YA on a personal level) and I like most other genres as well.

What are your 2017 favorites, and what are you looking forward to reading in 2018? I think I'll leave my 2018 to-read list for another post!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Did you know that Throne of Grace is FREE

FREE

FREE

YES

FREE

through all retailers?

Happy Valentine's Day!

If you get a copy, please let me know what you think. Leave a review here or where you download it - even a few words with a rating is wonderful. Help this series reach new readers, especially as book three, Treasure of Hope, will be available this fall. I am working on it now, and I can't wait to share the third and final Davenport story with you -

YES
for those of you who have asked, Josie and Arthur's baby will arrive, and will of course, have a name. I might just have a contest where readers can guess his or her name to win a set of all three books, signed, in paperback.

I just came up with that now - but it sounds fun, doesn't it? You all know how I love to give things away so why not?

Stay tuned for details closer to Treasure of Hope's release date (October).

Thank you for reading!

Did you know that Throne of Grace is still FREE for all e-book platforms?

Whether you have a Kindle, Nook, or read on your computer or phone (or other device) you can get the first book in my Cliff Walk Courtships series for FREE.

Over 4000 readers have downloaded it since the beginning of the month (WOW!) and I'm not sure how long it will be free, so be sure to grab it while it is!

Thank you so much to everyone who has read and reviewed Throne of Grace, as well as the sequel, Crown of Beauty. I can't wait to share the conclusion of the story later this year in Treasure of Hope.

Readers continue to ask if Josie and Arthur appear in books two and three - yes! They are very important to the continuing story, and some of you know how big my crush on Arthur is. It is serious business! He is devoted to Josie, so I am out of luck.

Stay tuned for details on the Davenport baby as well, who will absolutely make an appearance before the story is over.

As February comes to a close (March! then April! then May! then summer!) so will the sale on Reckless Treasure (99 cents), so be sure to snag your copy soon. In case you haven't seen this review of Reckless Treasure (I've only shared it just about everywhere - I love it that much!) I have to quote it in its entirely because it is just that great:

"Wow, ya'll, I think this book is like, the romantic equivalent of Game of Thrones, but no one dies, or that episode of America's Next Top Model where Tyra loses it. WE WERE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU. I got invested in all of these characters, rooting for certain things to happen, only for the author to be like, not today, Satan.

The book is told third person from the point of view of several characters, a lot of them wholly unlikable. A few of them, I really wanted to yank from my kindle and punch in the face myself. In the middle of all these characters, you've got Francesca, Trish, Mitch, and Henry that I was rooting for, even if I had my side eye stink eye on Henry for a little while because I didn't know where his motivations lie. Oh, Mitch, WE WERE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU.

This is kind of like an old fairy tale. A poor princess, evil step mother or mother, the fairy god mother is actually a man, and it's not exactly what you think it is when you start reading. But it was an enjoyable read."

This review made my week.



And . . .

Throne of Grace is STILL FREE. Not sure how long that one will go on (hopefully until Treasure of Hope releases in October!) but who knows? Nearly 5000 readers (!) have already downloaded their copy, and the reviews have been wonderful, so thank you to everyone who has not only downloaded but left such fantastic praise for this sweet story and series.

Just some examples:

"What I enjoyed most about Throne of Grace was its unashamed faith. Sometimes in writing Christian characters or Christian themes, an author will pull back trying to avoid being overt. Ms. Wolfe pulls no punches in that regard and it really works. The story really hinges on the main characters being believably devoted to God as the linchpin of the whole story. The two protagonists, Josie and Arthur, are first drawn to one another because of their mutual faith. It is through this commonality that they are able to see past social stratification, which is an important topic of the book, to regard one another as equals in God's sight and consider exploring a relationship beyond professional partnership. Note I said consider just now, because the focus of the book isn't so much on the budding romance between a man and woman, but their concerted effort to pursue a task God has drawn them both to accomplish. At times, Ms. Wolfe had the option of trying to rationalize away some events, but chose to not do so and turned the reader directly to God as the source. I think that is as bold and needed in literature as life and really works well for Throne of Grace, underscoring the title's significance and the themes of the book."

"This is a beautiful Christian historical romance with so much more substance throughout the book. I loved it! I cannot wait to start the next book in the series. "

"Enjoyed this book so much. Found it encouraging, as they face hardships and difficulties in a godly manner. Especially like the leading male character, such a caring and attentive guy. Love his integrity, his grit, his devotion and courage to address opposition and judgement from others. A great lesson on judging, as well."

"This is a great love story. Moving, uplifting and filled with golden nuggets for the heart, this is one of the best Christian love stories I’ve read in some time."

"I was captivated with the story from the first line."

I love reading this great comments as I work on book three in this series - Sarah and Sam's story is the darkest of the three, and it's some tough going, but I promise another happy ending and of course, the Davenport baby. I get soooo many emails/messages about THE DAVENPORT BABY. I think he or she is the most popular character in this series and he or she has yet to be born.

Thank you so much for reading, and have a fantastic weekend!

***The first book in my inspirational historical romance trilogy is still FREE!***

Sarah has a tough road to walk in Treasure of Hope, the third and final book in my inspirational historical romance series, Cliff Walk Courtships, as CWC readers are well aware.

A little less than 8 weeks until Sarah and Sam's story releases, and of course, Josie and Arthur's baby makes an appearance. You can get Josie and Arthur's story, book one, Throne of Grace, for FREE at your favorite e-book retailer. https://amzn.to/2wNbtJE

I am excited and a little sad that the Cliff Walk Courtships series is at an end with the release of Treasure of Hope today, which is only 99 cents through the end of October.

I am in lovely Newport, Rhode Island, the setting for this series, exploring the Cliff Walk and the mansions I love so much that I had to write about them.

This is the moon gate at gorgeous Chateau sur Mer, You can find out more about this stunning home, built in 1852, here: https://www.newportmansions.org/explo...

Please let me know what you think of Treasure of Hope and the end of this story, which left me in tears even as I wrote it. Stay tuned for more pictures from Newport, where I am headed for a vanilla milkshake at the Newport Creamery right now!

This review of Treasure of Hope makes me sooo happy! I love these characters, too, and it's so hard to let them go!

Book one, Throne of Grace, is still FREE! https://amzn.to/2EX8965

If you're waiting on the paperback edition of Treasure of Hope, it should be available before December 1.

My Cliff Walk Courtships inspirational historical romance trilogy has new covers!

Book one, Throne of Grace, is still FREE!