Words Spoken True Book Review.

Title: Words Spoken True.

Author: Ann H. Gabhart.

Genre: Christian, Historical Fiction, Romance.

Plot: Adriane Darcy, at twenty-two, is more concerned with getting out the daily editions of her father’s newspaper, the Tribune, than with getting married. Practically raised in the pressroom, Adriane would rather engage in a conversation of politics with her father and his business associates than attend all the social functions with young Stanley Jimson. However, it’s 1855 and her behavior is scandalous enough as it is, even in Louisville, Kentucky. When her father announces that Stanley has asked for her hand in marriage, panic rises up in Adriane and she finds herself carried away on a flood toward the dark closets her stepmother used to lock her in as a child. She’d always liked Stanley but she doesn’t love him and can’t find a way out of becoming his wife come September.

At Mrs. Wigginham’s Library Aide Society meeting {with Stanley in tow}, Adriane meets Blake Garret. The new editor for the Herald newspaper and quickly becoming the Tribune’s rival, Garret has been the talk of the town since he moved from New York to Louisville a few months earlier. Despite the fact that they are from opposing newspapers, the spark of attraction between Adriane and Garret is obvious to them, and to certain keen observers. Over the course of six and a handful of chance meetings, Adriane realizes with a shock that she loves Garret. But how can she love him when she barely knows him and is engaged to Stanley, whom she’s expected to marry? Meanwhile, Garret has determined to scoop the headlines before the Tribune and to stand for what’s right in his fiery editorials, but he’s also determined to rescue Adriane. Even if he has to kill Stanley to do so.

When the decision has been made, will Adriane and Garret be able to withstand the flood of reactions and survive the high cost of standing firmly for what they believe is right, even at the endangerment of their lives and everything they hold dear?

Likes/Dislikes: Set in the political unrest of 1855 and including the bloody election riots in Louisville on August 6^th, the historical detail of the book was impressive. The author obviously took the time to research the history and setting of the story, producing a gripping tale that transported me back in time in an understandable, vivid manner without boring me. The characters were all very well drawn and the plot moved at a good pace, not too fast and not too slow. The only downsides to the story were a subplot involving a vicious river slasher {no details}, and the passion between Adriane and Garret {not graphic but still, it was easy enough to figure out what was up}.  All in all, I highly enjoyed this book {except, perhaps, the passion scene but that was nicely done and not as bad as I was afraid it would be} but I only recommend it to older teens and mature readers.

Rating: PG-17 and up, mainly for content.

Date Report Written: February 17^th, 2012.

I received this book free from the publishers in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

A Random Valentine's Day Post.

Yes, yes, I know I'm supposed to post my usual Round of Interesting Posts on Tuesdays but today is special because it's Valentine's Day! {Or, it was.... Anyway, that little detail doesn't matter; it's Valentine's Day till midnight my time! *grins*} So, being creative, let's see how creative I can make this post. *rubs hands together and gets to work*


First up, let's check out the classic 1 Corinthians 13 - God's thoughts on love basically.


1 "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 


2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 


3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. 


4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 


5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 


6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 


7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 


8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 


9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 


10But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. 


11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 


12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. 


13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love."
                                                                                                         ~ 1 Corinthians 13, NKJV

For my own thoughts on love, well, those have all been trying into poems for the special someone God has brought into my life and I kinda doubt you'd all really wanna read those creative, random rather mushy poems that he adores {for some odd reason; perhaps because they're all about him? Hmmm...... *winks*} but maybe one verse won't hurt. Um, now which verse do I pick? *mentally panics*

"I love you for you.

It started as a trickle,

A small drop,

A tiny seed,

And grew.

Stronger and stronger,

Day by day, drop by drop,

Inch by inch it grew;

My love for you grows."

Okay, that's enough of what I have to say on love. At least, as far as poetry is concerned. *winks* Now let's find some fun quotes on love! *looks gleeful*

“Doubt thou the stars are fire;
Doubt that the sun doth move;
Doubt truth to be a liar;
But never doubt I love.”
                ~ William Shakespeare.


“You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching, 
Love like you'll never be hurt, 
Sing like there's nobody listening, 
And live like it's heaven on earth.”
                                       ~ William W. Purkey.


“You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.” 
                 ~ Dr. Seuss.


“A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.” ~ Elbert Hubbard.

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”  ~ Lao Tzu.


“Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.”  ~ Robert A. Heinlein.


“Tis better to have loved and lost 
Than never to have loved at all.”
                                      ~ Alfred Tennyson.


“Love is like the wind, you can't see it but you can feel it”  ~ Nicholas Sparks.

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.” ~ C.S. Lewis.


“We’re all a little weird. And life is weird. And when we find someone 
whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into 
mutually satisfying weirdness—and call it love—true love.” ~ Robert Fulghum.


“Love is needing someone. Love is putting up with someone's bad qualities because they somehow complete you.” ~ Sarah Dessen.


“A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment.” ~ Jane Austen.


“We love the things we love for what they are.”  ~ Robert Frost.


"I argue thee that love is life. And life hath immortality." ~ Emily Dickinson.

"Romeo save me, they're trying to tell me how to feel
This love is difficult, but it's real
Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess
It's a love story baby just say yes."
                                                ~ Taylor Swift.

And that, my fine readers, shall have to conclude this Valentine's Day post. I do hope you've enjoyed yourself today and here at my blog. Catch ya later!

The Hardest Thing To Do Book Review.

Title: The Hardest Thing To Do.

Author: Penelope Wilcock.

Genre: Christian, Historical Fiction, History.

Plot: It's Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, and the monks of Medieval St. Alcuin's Abbey are going about their daily routines, eagerly awaiting the arrival of their new abbot, John, who was formerly the abbey's infirmarian and had just spent a year at Cambridge preparing to take up the role of abbot. His return was expected any day now and Brother Tom, the abbot's esquire, has been keeping busy getting the abbot's rooms ready for him. On the road, John - still an infirmarian at heart - helps many of the people he meets; one of the men he comes across on his journey is an Augustinian monk from St. Dunstan's Priory which, he is shocked to learn, has recently suffered a catastrophic fire in which many of the monks perished. Troubled by this news, John continues on his journey after helping the man as much as he could. His safe arrival  causes relief and joy to fill the abbey, and John begins to settle in his new role as abbot.

When William, the former prior of St. Dunstan's, shows up on the abbey's doorstep a few days later bruised, burnt and hungry, discord and tension spread rapidly among the brothers - fueled by Tom's keen memory of William's cold-hearted cruelty to their former abbot. John, with the burden on responsibility on his shoulders now and being a kindly person, tries his best to keep the peace. But winning forgiveness and a place in the abbey will be a hard battle for William, even with the abbot's goodwill. In fact, it will be the hardest thing he has to do.

Likes/Dislikes: I liked all the characters, how they all interacted with each other and grew in this story. It was amusing to be reading their conversations and find out what each one considers to be the hardest thing they have or had to do. I also especially liked how Tom and William grew throughout the course of the story. It was very interesting to read a book set primarily in a Medieval abbey without having knights, damsels in distress and all the glamorous figures one thinks of from that time period popping in and out of the tale. All in all, a very enjoyable, highly recommended read.

Rating: PG-12 and up for reading level although not necessarily a children's book.

Date Report Written: February 11, 2012.

I received this book free from the publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

Book Review and Author Interview.

Title: The Fairy Tale Trap.

Author: Emily Casey.

Genre: Retelling, Fairy Tale, Action/Adventure, Humorous.

Plot: Teenage military brat Ivy Thorn has moved again. She and her mom have spent most of her life moving – doing the same routine over and over again; settling down, sending out roots and then ripping them up again to relocate. Ivy really feels the stress of this latest move. Her first night in their new house, she searches for her picture of her father. When she can’t find it, she decides to call it a day and goes into the bathroom to brush her hair. A face not her own peers back out of the mirror at her and the next thing Ivy knows, she’s no longer in the bathroom.

Now stuck in a fairy tale – Beauty and the Beast no less – Ivy, with her sarcastic outlook on life, has to find a way around various annoying {or sometimes helpful but mostly annoying} spells, an enchanted forest, an idiotic prince, roses with sharp thorns, and a pixie with a bizarre sense of humor in order to get back home. When making a crucial decision backfires horribly, Ivy realizes she’s in over her head. With no idea how she got into the fairy tale in the first place, how is she to get back out?

Likes/Dislikes: Mrs. Casey has taken a creative spin to the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast and run with it as only she could. Giving her heroine a sarcastic tough-girl character with a soft center paired up with Beauty, the usual heroine of the tale now demoted to sidekick, was a new twist on the tale. The addition of Prince Ferguson is a hilarious one! I highly enjoyed the lively banter between Ivy and the obnoxious pixie. All in all, a very enjoyable book. Highly recommended for teens and up.

Rating: PG-12 and up for content and reading level.

Date Report Written: January 30, 2012.

I received this book free from the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

Author Interview!

Welcome, Mrs. Casey, to my library! How are you this fine winter day? It’s winter? I live in Florida, so I’ve got the back doors open. It’s about 72 degrees!

Do tell us a little about your latest writing project! I’m finishing up Cinderella and Zombies (which is new territory for me) and I should start the sequel to The Fairy Tale Trap later this month!

What made you want to become a writer? I guess the most honest answer is that I love writing stories. But I didn’t realize it until I read a book on writing. It had some writing exercises and I wanted to try them all! After that, I couldn’t wait to plan my first novel.

How do you get inspiration for your stories? It’s different every time. With The Fairy Tale Trap, I had the character first, then threw her into something she’d struggle with, but that I wanted to write about. Fairy Tales were a natural choice (because Ivy doesn’t do ball gowns and she definitely would never kiss a frog).

Are your characters inspired by real-life people, your imagination, or a mix of both? A mix of both. Ivy is her own character, but some of the details from her life were taken from personal experiences and friends’ experiences.

Which area would you say you’re strongest in as a writer? {Plot, dialog, description, action, characterization, showing vs. telling, etc.} It changes with every book. I think Ivy is a really strong character with a great voice. But sometimes the plot will just take off and I struggle to keep the characters center-stage.

Which area are you weaker in? It’s difficult to show the reader WHY a character does what she does. I know as a writer (most of the time) but sometimes I forget that my characters are strangers to the reader on page 1.

What do you do when you hit writer’s block? Write by hand. Poof! It’s gone.

Do you have a favorite spot to write? The library. My inner nerd takes over and the words fly onto the screen.

Do you work best in peace and quiet or surrounded with background noise and action? I like it quiet. My brain can work at a problem from several angles if it’s not distracted.

What kind of music {if any} do you prefer to listen to while writing? Before I sit down to write first-draft material, I do housework while listening to a playlist of Muse, Enya, and the How to Train Your Dragon soundtrack. Weird combination, I know.

How do you decide which story to work on next? Whichever one I’m most excited to write. Burnout isn’t fun. Neither is working on a book that you don’t love.

Which genre do you prefer to work with? Young adult fantasy, all the way. I love the magic and writing from inside the head of someone who doesn’t care about rules.

Who has influenced your writing the most? I answer this question differently every time. Honestly, I think it’s just a mixture of everything I’ve read, of all the writing classes I’ve taken, and my own personality. The “mental compost” that J.K. Rowling talks about is pretty accurate.

Who are your favorite authors? Shannon Hale, Patricia Briggs, J.K. Rowling, Gail Carriger, and Maria V. Snyder to name a few.

I understand you’re a stay-at-home mother of two young children, how do you balance writing and motherhood? Nap time is sacred writing time. If I don’t do it when the kids are asleep, I have no excuse for missing my word count goal.

What is your advice for other aspiring authors out there? Practice. A lot.

Where can my readers go to find out more about your books? I just put up a new page on my blog called Will You Like My Books? It goes through some of the pros and cons of my stories so readers can decide whether the books are for them.

And for a random question, what is your favorite color? Purple.

Thank you, Mrs. Casey, for taking a few minutes of your valuable time to share with us about your books. If you are interested in purchasing a copy of Mrs. Casey's book, you can do so here at Amazon.com. To read the next review in The Fairy Tale Trap blog tour, check out Coranne's blog tomorrow. To read an excerpt from this book, check out Wednesday's post. To watch the epic movie trailer for this book, click Play. *grins*

Book Tag.

I found this originally over at Maria Shiphrah Dalton Publications and thought I'd give it a go. *grins*

1. Favorite childhood book/s?
The Chronicles of Narnia, Little Women, Jo's Boys, The Mother West Wind Series, Pilgrim's Progress.

2. What are you reading right now? 
The Hardest Thing To Do by Penelope Wilcock, Seeing a Large Cat by Elizabeth Peters, and Ranger's Apprentice: The Lost Stories by John Flanagan. Oh and The Better Part by somebody-or-other.

3. What books do you have on request at the library?
At the moment, some computer books for my man. *winks*

4. What do you currently have checked out at the library? 
Seeing a Large Cat, The Curse of The Pharaohs, Children of the Storm - all by Elizabeth Peters, and a computer book.

5. Do you have an e-reader? 
No but I'm thinking I might have to reluctantly get myself a Kindle after all.

6. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once? 
Well, I'm currently reading three {the one by Wilcock is almost finished} and that is about my limit as to how many I can read at one time.

7. Can you read on the bus? 
Never tried before.

8. Favorite place to read? 
In the winter by the fireplace, in the summer out in the shade somewhere, in the spring and autumn curled up in the greenhouse or some other cozy outta-the-way place. I'll read most anywhere actually.

9. Do you ever dog-ear books? 
Good grief no!

10. Do you ever write in the margins of your books? 
No. The only book that has notes in the margin {and everywhere else} is my Bible.

11. What makes you love a book? 
A well written and well thought out plot that makes sense and flows well without giving everything away at once or boring me, strong often sarcastic and humorous characters, a fair number of random occasionally-unconnected-to-the-plot scenes and/or conversations, action and adventure!

12. What will inspire you to recommend a book? 
If I think it appropriate for my siblings to read and I liked it then I'll probably recommend it. 

13. Favorite genre? 
Historical Fiction hands down. Enough said.

14. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews? 
Heck, if I don't like a book I'll say so but in a polite usually non-confrontational manner - unless it was really bad. 

15. Favorite Poet? 
Emily Dickinson. 

16. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?

 Five or six. Why do you ask?

17. How often have you returned books to the library unread?

 *sigh* More often than I care to say. And it's usually because I get the books and then life gets super busy and then people put holds on the books and then - well, never mind.

18. Favorite fictional character?
King Tirian, Meg March, Dan {from Little Men}, Reepicheep, Susan {from Chronicles of Narnia - there's hope for her yet!}, Mr. Knightly, Mr. Darcy, Jane Bennett, Elinor Dashwood, Halt and Gilan {from Ranger's Apprentice}, Ramses {from Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody Mysteries Series}, and a great many others that I've forgotten.

19. Favorite fictional villain?

 Umm, I don't recall any favored villains.

20. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation? 
I don't take vacations. 

21. The longest I’ve gone without reading. 
Oh, probably three weeks. About as long as I can go without having chocolate. *grins*

22. Name a book that you could/would not finish. 

Well, there have been a few I would not finish because they were awful, and I keep trying to finish Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T.E. Lawrence and a book on the Sahara desert but since I keep getting them from the library, I'm just gonna buy them so I can read at my own pace.

23. What distracts you easily when you’re reading? 
Nothing unless there's an earthquake, someone screaming "Fire!" or a certain someone being obnoxious in order to get my attention. *glares* You know who you are.

24. Favorite film adaptation of a novel? 
The epic A&E six-hour long version of Pride and Prejudice. That movie is so grand!

25. Most disappointing film adaptation? 
The wimpy 2005 Keira Knightly version of Pride and Prejudice. So lame. And probably a few others I haven't seen in awhile.

26. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through? 
A new book or that obnoxious person mentioned above. *grins*

27. Do you like to keep your books organized? 
Umm, well most of them are currently in a box right now so they're not exactly very organized but yes, I tend to keep them organized in my own fashion.
 
28. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them? 
I collect books {except library books - I wish I could collect some of those} so I keep most of my books save the ones I didn't like or well, didn't like. *grins*


Well, that was fun! Now it's your turn! Have at it folks.

Excerpt: The Fairy Tale Trap.

Beast’s eyes stay glued to Beauty. His tail lifts up.

And I do the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.

I kick Beast in the mouth. My foot connects with his teeth. I brace myself, expecting pain to shoot across my foot, but Beast whimpers. I stare down at my feet, baffled. “These shoes are awesome!”

“Ivy, run!”

Beauty’s already at the bushes, picking her way through the thorns.

“Oh, right.” I dash after her as Beast gathers himself together. He snaps at me and I give him another one, a swift kick backward with every bit of power I can put into it.

With love, from Ivy.

~ The Fairy Tale Trap by Emily Casey.

A Round of Interesting Blog Posts 20

And we're back! Sorta. Anyway, let's check out what you all have been posting about lately. *rubs hands together* This is gonna be fun!

Ruth over at Booktalk and More gives us the rundown of last Sunday's episode of Downton Abbey.

Holly over at The Bookshelf has a fun book review up.

Casey over at Writing for Christ ~ The Audience of One has a post on a new up-and-coming fictional release that looks intriguing.

Rachel over at Inkpen Authoress shares a humorous quote from Pride and Prejudice in honor of her Valentine's Day inspired blog party.

Meredith over at Austenques Reviews has a neat review on a fun retelling of Persuasion.

Ruth over at Booktalk and More has a fun book review to share with us.

Ashley over at The Epic Reader has a well put together book review up.

Ruth over at Booktalk and More shares her thoughts on the new movie The Adventures of Tintin.

The Authoress over at Maria Shiphrah Dalton Publications does the rounds of a fun book tag.

Well, there ya are. Take time to browse the links. Catch ya later and keep blogging!