Sarah Holman's Blog, page 104

Finds of the Week

When the Staying Gets Tough
~A wonderful post that really touched me~


Grace, When I Forget
~A Beautiful reminder~

Who has Captured your Moral Imagination?
~A very good article on the morals of our entertainment~


How to be Cute According to Disney
~so much fun~




Kids, go to college or you’ll die alone in misery
~Laughed so hard and it is so good (one cuss word in the article)~


When He Reaches for You
~My latest post on Meditations of His Love~

Book Review: Into the Whirlwind

Age Appropriate For: 15 and up (reading level and moderate romance)
Best for Ages: 18 and up
Description: After her father's death, Mollie Knox takes over his watchmaking company and uses her head for business to solidify the good name of the 57th Illinois Watch Company. Her future looks bright until the night her beloved city is destroyed in the legendary Great Chicago Fire. With her world crumbling around her, Molly must do whatever it takes to save her company in the aftermath of the devastating fire. Zack Kazmarek is an influential attorney with powerful ties to the political, mercantile, and ethnic roots of Chicago. His only weakness is Mollie Knox, a woman who has always been just beyond his reach. However, all bets are off after the fire destroys Chicago, and Mollie is in desperate need of assistance. Just as Zack finally begins to pursue the woman he loves, competition arises in the form of a hero from her past who can provide the help she needs to rise from the ashes. While Mollie struggles to rebuild, the two men battle for her heart. One has always loved her, but the other has the power to save her. In the race to rebuild the city, can she survive with her business and her heart intact?
How can I even begin to describe how much I loved this book? Maybe if I tell you that Elizabeth Camden is now my favorite author you will start to understand. I don’t think I have ever read an author with such well-developed characters. Against the Tide and this book had characters that I fell in love with so much that I loved a plot that I wouldn’t normally like.
I so understood Mollie. I feel as if she is a real person and I could meet her someday. She was an excellent heroine who had her strengths and her flaws. She thrives on order but is forced to live in chaos after the Chicago fire. Her response was so real and understandable, as well as courageous at the same time.Zack… At first I didn’t like him, then I loved him, then I hated him, and then I wanted to marry him. He was that well written. Like Mollie he was deep. He had his strengths and his flaws. I loved how complex he was. His parents? They added such a wonderful dimension to the story.
One thing I was asked about while reading this book was how the love triangle worked. Typically, I dislike love triangles because someone (usually the girl) ends up looking really stupid. They spend half the book trying to decide which guy, and I want to scream at the character because the choice is obvious. Into the Whirlwind was very different. Yes, the main girl does struggle to choose between two guys. However, her struggle is very real and understandable. I totally got why she wasn’t sure and why she considered another guy. I also think the resolution was very believable, not sappy-roll-your-eyes like many love triangle endings.The setting of this book was amazing. I really do feel like I was there during the fire. I came away knowing a lot more about it than I did before. Having seen a few nature disasters in our area (the Bastrop, Texas fire took place not too far from where I live) I have an understanding of how people react. Elizabeth Camden captured the emotions and feelings so well.
I can’t say enough about this book. You just have to buy a copy for yourself and let yourself be swept…Into the Whirlwind.
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I received this book from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review. I was under no obligation to write a positive review. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.

Multitudes on Mondays

After being sick for almost two weeks, you become very thankful once you are well again. This week, I am thankful for.
381. Medicine
382. Movies
383. Hot soup
384. Hot Tea
385. A caring mommy
386. Loving siblings
387. Soda
388. TV series
389. Good books
390.Fun computer games

Writing Saturday: L is for Lines

Today, I want to share with you some lines from Adventures and Adversities.

"Whatever you do, Alditha, wherever you go, trust God, and never stop smiling. Your life will be hard, and bitterness would be the easiest thing for you to feel. Remember that you serve a God that knew that this would happen before you were born."
“I do not think God is angry with your tears.” William sat down on the hillside, overlooking the area where the young workers were playing. “Even Jesus himself shed tears over the loss of Lazarus and was saddened at John the Baptist’s death, even though he knew that they were in heaven.”
“Do you think bravery means to be without fear? You are greatly mistaken. You are brave not because of your lack of fear, but because you did not let that fear stop you."
"I understand that if you focus on what is wrong in your life that is all you will see. But if you open your eyes you will see all the good gifts God has given you."

Writing Saturday: K is for Kings

Absolute power corrupts absolutely  ~ John Acton
It is hard for us in America to even wrap our brains around the idea of an absolute ruler. Really, we complain that our police, judges, and elected officials have too much power. We have no understanding for what it is like to live under a dictator or a king. We have no concept of a culture that blindly accepts the orders above them.
When reading fiction set in the Middle Ages I was struck with how rebellious the fictional characters where. If you study the time (or read well researched books like In Search of Adventure) you will find most people never questioned the authority above them.
It was called the Dark Ages for a reason. The literacy rate was so low; it makes our inner cities look amazingly well schooled. The Bible? The only people who had access to God’s word were a few priests who could read Latin.
Because of this, the masses looked to the Pope and the King as God’s appointed voices in their lives. To question them would be likened to questioning God.
Yes, there were some rebellions, but it was mainly between the nobles, squabbling for more control. The peasants, for the most part, accepted their lot as God ordained and accepted the king’s word as absolute.There were some wonderful rulers, but absolute power to often corrupts absolutely.
Do you think you would have fought for more rights in you had lived in the Middle Ages?

Book Review: Wren by Rachel Rossano

Buy it on Amazon
Age Appropriate For: 13 and up (mild violence, some romance)
Best for Ages: 13 and up
Description: Wren Romany is as unconventional as they come. Born to a large, devout family and then forced out to fend on her own, she earns her living as a bounty hunter. As her second winter alone looms, she decides to stay in one place for the season. Seeking shelter, she offers her hunting skills in exchange. Tourth Mynth, the master of the ruined fortress in the valley, needs help. His small household faces a hard winter. As son of a disenfranchised noble, he has plenty of space beneath his roof, but not much to eat. Wren's offer seems a good fit. Wren soon learns the residents of Iselyn need more than simply meat on their table. The valley's residents squirm beneath a harsh master. Unsolved murder and betrayal lurk in the Mynths' not so distant past. And Tourth's battle with his emotional scars from the recent civil war will determine the fate of the whole valley.
I was so excited to be asked to review yet another of Rachel’s books. I was honored to be asked to review Duty, and I had enjoyed reading Exchange. So when Rachel asked me to review Wren, I jumped at the chance.
Like Duty, Wren is set in a fictional world. However, it feels more like historical fiction than fantasy. There isn’t any magic, strange creatures, or other creepy fantasy elements. So both those who like mild fantasy and fiction set it times past will enjoy this book.
The basic premise of the story is that siblings are separated and forced to make their own way in the world. I have been interested in reading this series ever since I read a blog post by Rachel Thomson about it years ago. I am very eager to read the other book in the series that has already been published – Taerith.Overall, I loved that adventure that kept me turning pages. There were a couple of points that things were a little confusing either from the number of characters, or from a messy political situation. But those moments were very few and far between.
Wren is a strong woman, she has to be. She makes her living as a bounty hunter and has earned the reputation of being one of the best. Somehow, Rachel managed to make Wren strong without making her boy-like. Many strong female characters end up hating the fact that they are girls. Wren wears men’s clothes because she needs to, and feels awkward in dresses, but she didn’t seem to hate the fact she was a girl.  The banter in this book was amazing. I mean, who doesn’t love the friendly banter of guys. I liked all the men who worked for Tourth Mynth and how they interacted. A couple of times it was confusing, there were a lot of characters to keep track of, but I loved it.
Tourth I think was my favorite part of the story. His battle with his past was very well done and believable. He was also just an awesome leading guy: strong, handsome, caring, and a man of good character. He is everything a girl could want in a leading man.
The romance was very light and mostly toward the end of the book. I really enjoyed it, though. It was so sweet.
I highly recommend this book for adventure seekers, mild fantasy lovers, mild romance lovers, and readers who enjoy fun banter.
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I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. I was under no obligation to write a positive review. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.

Writing Saturday: A Bit of Inspiration #9

Movies have often sparked the ideas that turned into my books.
My first book (which has not been published) was inspired by Robin Hood


My first published work was inspired by Star Wars


And my current WIP (work in progress) was inspired by Sue Thomas FB-Eye, and Scarecrow and Mrs. King


What movies have inspired you?

Book Review: Gone South

Age Appropriate For: 13 and up

Best for Ages:  15 and up (themes, and reading level)

Description: Leaving frosty Michigan for the Deep South was never a blip in the simple plans Tish McComb imagined for her life, dreams of marriage and family that were dashed five years earlier in a tragic accident. Now an opportunity to buy her great-great-great-grandparents’ Civil War era home beckons Tish to Noble, Alabama, a Southern town in every sense of the word. She wonders if God has given her a new dream— the old house filled with friends, her vintage percolator bubbling on the sideboard. When Tish discovers that McCombs aren’t welcome in town, she feels like a Yankee behind enemy lines. Only local antiques dealer George Zorbas seems willing to give her a chance. What’s a lonely outcast to do but take in Noble’s resident prodigal, Melanie Hamilton, and hope that the two can find some much needed acceptance in each other. Problem is, old habits die hard, and Mel is quite set in her destructive ways. With Melanie blocked from going home, Tish must try to manage her incorrigible houseguest as she attempts to prove her own worth in a town that seems to have forgotten that every sinner needs God-given mercy, love and forgiveness.

I had seen that one of my Goodreads friends was reading and loving Gone South so I decided to get it to review.

I loved Tish from the start. She had a chaotic childhood (always moving about and a father who was always changing careers) yet she chose to embrace not blame those years. She has a good relationship with her mom, which was so refreshing. Most of all, I loved her because she loved people like Meg who everyone had given up on.

Meg tugs at your heartstrings. No one wants to give her a chance. She has done wrong in the past, but also has been misunderstood. She wants to do better and Tish, the hated outsider, is the only person who will help her.

The story is not light or fluffy. However, they didn’t discuss anything that made me blush or even uncomfortable. The story really made me think about how I am treating the “bad” people in my life. It made me want to love them more and reach out to them.

My only complaints about this book are 1. The use of the word y’all didn’t feel southern and 2. The ending left a few minor things untied. It was still satisfying.

I highly recommend this book those who love books that make you think, stories about forgiveness, and tales set in the south.

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I received this book from Multnomah Books in exchange for my honest review. I was under no obligation to write a positive review. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.

Writing Saturday: J is for Joy

Joy in the midst of pain. It seems like those words were spoken by a crazy person locked up in a mental institution. However, I think it is because we misunderstand the word joy.
Don’t run from tests and hardships, brothers and sisters. As difficult as they are, you will ultimately find joy in them; if you embrace them, your faith will blossom under pressure and teach you true patience as you endure. And true patience brought on by endurance will equip you to complete the long journey and cross the finish line—mature, complete, and wanting nothing. James 1:2 The Voice
I think this verse shows what joy really is. It isn’t a happy feeling inside. It is more of contentment in knowing that these things, though hard will not destroy you. It is the inner knowledge that God will never abandon you even in the worst of times.
In Adventures and Adversities, Alditha is struggling to find joy in the midst of her pain. She wants to be happy and smile even when life gives her hardship. However, that is much easier said than done.
Tacking this concept was timely for me. I was struggling with many of the same things that Alditha does in her book. Will she learn what I have? That either you choose joy, or you will be eaten alive my bitterness? I guess you will have to read the book to find out.

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NIV

Book Review: Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer

Age Appropriate For: 15 and up for marital themes
Best for Ages: 18 and up
Description: No one steps on Archer land. Not if they value their life. But when Meredith Hayes overhears a lethal plot to burn the Archer brothers off their ranch, a twelve-year-old debt compels her to take the risk. Fourteen years of constant vigilance hardens a man. Yet when Travis Archer confronts a female trespasser with the same vivid blue eyes as the courageous young girl he once aided, he can't bring himself to send her away. And when an act of sacrifice leaves her injured and her reputation in shreds, gratitude and guilt send him riding to her rescue once again. Four brothers. Four straws. One bride. Despite the fact that Travis is no longer the gallant youth Meredith once dreamed about, she determines to stand by his side against the enemy that threatens them both. But will love ever be hers? Or will Travis always see her merely as a short-straw bride?
This book had been sitting on my Kindle for a few months. Several of my friends kept raving about Karen Witemeyer, so I decided to give her a try thinking it would be a nice, light, one-time read. Boy, was I in for a big surprise.
It was so refreshing to have a strong Christian message without feeling preachy. I know it is hard for many authors to find that happy medium. If they want some pointers, study Karen Witemeyer. Her messages are woven seamlessly into the story, yet make you feel stronger in your faith. I don’t know how she does it, but I plan to study her work.
Travis? I wish I could marry a guy like him. He was human, had faults, but had a strong, sustaining faith. He has respect for Meredith and other women and is a real leader. I love how he develops.Finally! A book set in Texas that actually sounds like Texas. So many books sound like Hollywood’s version of Texas, which, if you live here, is far from the truth. Witemeyer is a Texan so that helps, but she did an excellent job of representing the state I call home.
This book is for older reads due to the fact most of it takes place after they are married. There were a couple of conversations that might make younger and sensitive readers squirm a little, but nothing is described at all. I am pretty sensitive, but nothing talked about took away from the enjoyment of the story.I highly recommend this book to those who love romance, cowboy stories, and faith-building fiction.

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