Sarah Holman's Blog, page 75

Adventure Between the Pages: Lady of Esteem

Buy it Here
Age Appropriate For: 15 and up for some romance
Best for Ages: 15 and up
Description: Miss Amelia Stalwood may live in London at her absent guardian's townhouse, but she's never actually met any nobility, and instead of aristocrats, her closest friends are servants. Quite by happenstance, she's introduced to the Hawthorne family and their close family friend, Anthony, the reformed marquis of Raeburn. They welcome her into their world, but just as she's beginning to gain some confidence and even suspect she may have caught Anthony's eye, she's blindsided by an unexpected twist in her situation accompanied by nasty rumors. Will she lose her reputation when the world that has only just accepted her turns its back on her, or will she rest in the support of the friends who've become like family and the man who's shared his faith and captured her heart?

It was a Sunday and I just wanted something light and quick to read. While I am a lover of long books, there are times that I just want something quick. I saw this one, and a good friend had liked it, so I read it. Wow! I don’t think I have laughed or enjoyed a novella like this in a long time.

Amelia is an adorable, spunky, klutzy heroine whom you cannot help but love. She is also loving and kind and has a strong faith. She reminded me a lot of my friend Jessica P., which made me love her even more. Anthony was a fun character as well and a good match for Amelia.

The setting was so much fun! It feels like a Jane Austen with London, balls, pretty speech, and dramatic situations. It was so enjoyable I wanted to spend more time in the setting.

The story, while short, was well written and perfect. So many novellas feel like drawn out short stories or novels crammed into fewer words. This story didn’t feel like either. I applaud Hunter on her skill and looking forward to reading more of her work.

I highly recommend this book for those who like Jane Austen, romance, and novellas.


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She is Hurting, God

I wrote this for my sister, Rose, late last year. I am dedicating it today to her and all my single friends.
She is ready to be a motherShe is ready to be a wifeShe is ready to be a homemakerBut she is hurting, God
She is ready for a man of character She is ready for commitment She is ready for a relationship with you as the foundationBut she is hurting, God
She is keeping busyShe is touching livesShe is a blessingBut she is hurting, God
She is prayingShe is reading her BibleShe is seeking YouBut she is hurting, God
She is my best friendShe is my sisterShe is always there for meBut she is hurting, God
And I am hurting for her too
I don’t know why you are making her wait so long, but I know you have great plans for herI don’t know why you allow men to intentionally and unintentionally hurt her heart, but I know that You will be close to her in her pain
I don’t know if you will give her this dream,but I do know that You care her more than I ever could
She is hurting Godbut I know you will hold herand I will hold her too

What Good are Book Reviews: For Authors

Film Friday: The North Avenue Irregulars

I call myself an old Disney nut, not for their animated films, but for their live-action films made in the 50’s-70’s. This film is one of the later ones, but it is a very fun film where the pastor is the hero, and he fights for what is right. 
Pros: Clean, funny, family friendly, pastor shown as the good guy. Family and church are shown as good, normal things. 
Cons: There are a couple of comments that vaguely relate to crude events, but nothing very clear. One scene is with a bunch of guys in their undershorts, but it doesn’t last very long. One scene has a girl in a not-so-decent dress.

Adventure Between the Pages: Unbroken

Buy it Here Description:Difficulties arise at Triple Creek Ranch when Orlena, Norman Mavrich’s spoiled, pampered younger sister comes to live with her brother and his wife. The move is much against Orlena’s wishes, and she doesn’t hesitate to let everyone know it. Time and again Mr. and Mrs. Mavrich are driven to their knees to find strength to face another day. Join the young ranch boss, Norman Mavrich, his sweet wife, Jenelle, and the rest of the members of Triple Creek Ranch as they strive to be examples of Christ to the unbroken newcomer.
I was intrigued not only by the description of this book, but also the lovely cover. I bought myself a copy of the e-book while it was on sale, and it quickly made it to the top of my to-read list.The writing was much stronger than I anticipated. While I think that teen readers will get the most out of this story, older readers won’t be put off by juvenile writing. Morris has a good grasp on the craft of writing. The only major flaw was sudden point-of-view changes.
The story itself was a slower moving story, taking time to develop the characters and give glimpses into everyday life. There were a couple of points where I was ready for the speed of the story to pick up, but the pace was steadily the same. It helped me to remember to slow down and enjoy the development of a story better.
The characters where fairly well done and likable. Jennelle was a bit too perfect in my mind. I kept waiting for her to get a little irritated at Orlena at least once, but it didn’t happen. Norman and Orlena were both very believable in both their actions and internal thoughts.
I really appreciate the strong values that were portrayed in this story, without being preachy or overt. Doing what was right and following Jesus were just who and what Jenelle and Norman were. There was never a point I felt like rolling my eyes because of a cheesy message, and I applaud Morris for accomplishing that.
Overall I really enjoyed the story and look forward to reading more by this author at some point. I am sure that she will do better with each book she writes and will continue to turn out godly, moral stories that both parents and children will love.
I highly recommend this book to younger readers who enjoy westerns, stories about daily life, and character building stories.

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Well, that didn't go as planned

This was another week when I didn't meet my goals. I was tired, had a hard time focusing, and things came up. Even when though I forced myself to stay in front of my computer screen for hours, the words were slow in coming. Life distracted me from what I wanted to do, but that is okay. One of the things I learned long about goals is that they are good things, but they should never keep you from what God places in your path to do.
Here is to hoping that this week is busy, productive, and full of meaningful time with God.

Film Friday: Polycarp

I never cry at movies, but I sobbed through the last third of this movie. It is by far the most powerful Christian film (second only to Matthew) I have ever seen. I think this is one of the best Christian films ever made.

Pros: Strong faith message, no romance, clean, well-acted, and good church history.

Cons: some instance scenes, hard themes, and convicting (you have been warned.

Adventure Between the Pages: Journeys of Four

Buy it Here Description:Christine Spurgeon is painfully shy and, at this point in her life, pretty miserable most of the time. When her parents decide that they are going to start attending a new church, she is less than pleased. Much to her surprise, the first sermon strikes home, and Christine finds her sleepy Christianity shaken to the core. Peter Gottswald, a truck driver living with his younger brother, has started to change. What started out as grief over his parents’ death, moves on to deeply concern his family. As he tries to lose himself in a world of fiction and their worry grows, his family tries to discover what he’s running away from before he loses sight of reality altogether. Claudius Rivers wants nothing to do with Christianity whatsoever. He doesn’t need it, so he doesn’t bother, beyond going to church with his family. At first, Claudius manages to get away with ignoring just about everyone in the congregation, until an older man befriends him. As he gets to know the man, taking notice of the behavior of the rest of the people in the church, he’s brought to a realization that he must either reject Christ or follow Him. Claudette Crutch has claimed to follow Christ for years, but that doesn’t stop her from letting her rebellion against authority increase on a daily basis. She thinks that she’s fine, until she witnesses the spiritual transformation of another young woman in her church and she is forced to begin questioning her so-called Christianity. When will the four paths connect, to where will they lead, and how will they get there?
If you don’t want to be convicted, if people taking their faith seriously bothers you, stay away from this book. Honestly, this book is one the best, yet hardest books I have read in a long time. It is an honest, yet compelling book at living your life for Christ in everyday circumstances. It was powerful, convicting, and heart changing.
There are some books that you can tell an author poured a lot of emotion into. Even if I hadn’t followed the author’s blog and read some of the posts concerning this book, I still would have felt the emotion that went into this story. I could feel the hurt, heartbreak, tears, frustration, and hope that were poured into these pages. It made the book all the more powerful and real.
Each of the characters was well done and believable. They feel like real people you would know if you met them. They each have real struggles and real issues. Christine was my favorite as we have a lot in common. Her struggle parallels what I have gone through in the last couple of years, and it was healing and convicting at the same time to read the story.
The message of faith is very clear, but doesn’t feel forced. However, this is not a light read. This isn’t a book that you read then brush aside. I can already tell it is going to stick with me a while and affect some change as well. I have not been so convicted by a fiction book since A Memory Between Us.
I highly recommend this book for Christians who are looking for strong fiction, believable stories, and a book that will turn your thoughts toward God and living for him.
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Lots of Writing

Last week, it was a struggle to complete my goals, and I didn't make all of them, but I did finish what I considered to be the most important one: I finished Courage and Corruption. I was an awesome to see how the story changed as I went.

Well here are this weeks goals!

Want a free book every week?

I thought that might get you attention and no, there aren't any strings attached. Okay, maybe one, you have to sign up for my weekly newsletter. That is right, you sign up for my weekly newsletter and every week you are alerted to what is free. I have already given two of my short stories away for free, don't miss what is coming up next!

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