Lovely Words

Watching the 1999 version of Alice in Wonderland (my personal favorite!). So many profound lines that make me stop and think. I'll never get tired of this unique story. ♥

Sincerely,

Hebbros (Review & Cover Reveal)

(Tentative cover art)

"It is the children who will be most malleable in your hands. Train them up in the way you would have them to go, and the next generation of Mizgalians will be the first of many to reach the state of perfection that I seek."

Hebbros is a city in search of the truth. What is truth? Can the truth be changed? If so, what is to keep the truth from changing day to day? Who controls truth?

A young boy is challenged to discover the answers to these queries himself. Once the truth is discovered and embraced, keeping it alive and sharing it with others proves a greater challenge. 

Luke is opposed on all sides - evil men are determined to silence the Faithful and outlaw their powerful God. The faith of Luke and his small band of comrades is continually tried and tested as they battle for truth, right over wrong, the overthrow of the rampant evil in their city, and freedom from the bondage of lies.

Hebbros is a tale brim full of adventure, mystery, intrigue, laughter, discover, friendship, betrayal, loyalty, and peace. Familiar faces bring back the tales of Arcrea we first fell in love with, and scores of new ones recapture our interest and our excitement for more. Friends and foes alike will be made on this epic journey. 

Young Luke (Image copyright Nicole Sager)

Elaina (Image copyright Nicole Sager)

Nicole Sager is a talented author with a sincere desire to extend truth to others and to share the gift of love and salvation that is offered to us by the One true God - Jesus. You will spot eye-opening analogies of our current times and happenings within the pages of Hebbros that add a personal and inspirational touch to the story.

I highly recommend Hebbros to everyone; children and adults alike will enjoy this clean Christian fantasy (with absolutely no magic/mysticism!) that holds a powerful message for each and every one of us to be encouraged, convicted, and inspired by.

Will the freeing truth of the Faithful be silenced by evil? Or will mercy and righteousness prevail?  

Experience the Arcrean Conquest as you wait for the upcoming release of Hebbros :

1. The Heart of Arcrea

2. The Fate of Arcrea

3. The Isle of Arcrea

Refreshed and inspired,

A Super Fun Blog Post

Hello All!
Yesterday I mentioned in my "Liebster Award" post that I had a Super Fun Blog Post coming up (don't worry, this isn't actually it- ). This weekend I will be posting a cover reveal and review for Hebbros- an upcoming release from Nicole Sager (The Heart of Arcrea). I'm SO excited for you all to read this book! It is such an incredible epic full of excitement and inspiration. (But I'll save all that for my review. ;)) SO keep your eyes open this weekend for my Super Fun Blog Post! You don't want to miss it!

With much excitement,

Liebster Award! :)

Thank you, Michaela, for nominating me for the Liebster award! You have a lovely blog! I've enjoyed getting to know you some. :)

Rules:
~Thank and link back the person who nominated you 
~List eleven facts about yourself 
~Answer the eleven questions asked by the blogger who nominated you 
~Nominate 9 bloggers who have fewer than 200 followers (you can't nominate the blogger who nominated you)
~Ask them eleven questions
~Let them know of their nomination!

Eleven Facts:
Hmm..
1. I love coffee and tea equally and drink large amounts of each a day. 
2. I have an incredible family. Really incredible. 
3. I love reading Daniel 10 (in the Bible). It's just so neat. :)
4. I love tall ships and all things nautical. 
5. Lady Jane Grey is my favorite Tudor.
6. I have recently gotten hooked on Jane Austen fan fiction.
7. I love wearing long skirts/dresses and twirling. ;)
8. I have so many fandoms I can't keep up with them.
9. Chandeliers fascinate me- they're so beautiful.
10. I would color with crayons over markers any day. 
11. A super fun post is coming up soon on my blog! :D

My Answers:
1. Who is your favorite Disney princess?
Well for the longest time it was Belle; she's a reader and she's brave and loyal. Now I kinda like Ana. ;) So I'd have to say both.

2. What is your favorite season?
Autumn! :D ...and Spring. Both of the "jackets-and-open-window-weather" seasons.

3. If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would it be?
England. (To visit my incredible friend! ♥ :))

4. If you could have tea with any book character, who would it be?

Jo March. So I could give her a piece of my mind. 

5. List your five favorite foods.

Oh dear. >.< *think think think*

6. What is your favorite class in school?
Reading/Literature. B-) Worldview was awesome too...and involved a ton of reading. :)
7. Vanilla or chocolate?
Vanilla, mostly.  
8. Coffee or tea?
Both! :) 

9. Pearls or diamonds?
Both are gorgeous, but pearls make any outfit elegant. ;)
10. If you could be the heroine in any movie, who would it be and what movie would it be for?
Hmmmm....very hard question. Kate, of Blackmoore; Marianne, of Edenbrooke; Renny, of the Heart of Arcrea; Eliza, of A Change of Fortune... I've met so many great heroines, it's hard to decide. :P
11. What is your favorite song?
I love Be Thou My Vision; How Great Thou Art; Yesterday (The Nelson Family); Arise & Go (Jonah: S&S); lots of various showtunes and Christmas songs... again- there are so many. ;)

I honestly can't think up 9 other lovely blogs on the spot right now, so I will nominate my dear friends 
Sophie, at Laughing with Lizzie (my favorite Jane Austen blog!) And
Aerykah, at Expressions of Me (a fellow review-blogger!).
Love you gals. :)

My questions for you would be: 
1. What is your favorite classic (novel)?
2. What is your favorite BBC period drama? 
3. What are you currently reading?
4. What is your favorite era?
5. What is your favorite reading genre?
6. Who is your greatest inspiration?
7. What is your favorite hobby?
8. Which is your favorite season?
9. What is your favorite quote/saying?
10. What is your favorite animated movie?
and 11. What is your favorite shoe style? :)

Sincerely, & with lots of laughs,

The Wife Campaign

I so enjoyed this, my first delightful regency from Regina Scott! The evening I started it I got almost halfway through before stopping for the first time. The story moved quickly, the characters were WONDERFUL, and the message of trust was sweet and encouraging. 
There were plot twists (ok...one big one, really, but I can't give it away ;)) that I had no idea were coming! I enjoyed the characters camaraderie throughout the last two thirds of the story, and Quimby definitely stole the show as the Master Matchmaker for this story! He was great. 
I really enjoyed the character of Ruby's father, and Lady Amelia was super cute- she made me laugh. ;)
The Wife Campaign was a well written, detailed tale of trust, love, and mercy in which all Regency enthusiasts will find a treasure. 
I look forward to reading the rest of this series.

Have a lovely Resurrection Sunday!!! He is risen!

Pride & Persistence

This book made me "happier than a gorilla with bananas"! As my first Jane Austen fan fiction novel, this book definitely left me ready to dive into more variations! I particularly look forward to reading more from Jeanna. :D
Pride and Persistence brings us the same characters that we know and love from the original classic, but a brilliant twist adds more to the story than even Jane gave us, all those years ago (I will still always be partial to the original, but I enjoyed hearing about some of the characters pasts that we've never heard about. ;)). I appreciated that our loved ones maintained the same personalities and characteristics that originally had us in raptures (reading about Mrs Bennet in particular was exactly like watching the 1995 adaption, and Jane was so classic as well. I loved it.), and that the new take on the story was believable. I really have enjoyed the few amnesia stories I've read- I think it really opens the author up to many opportunities for comedy and also contention.
Mr Collins made me laugh so hard! He's just as greasy, gross, and annoying as he always has been. :P His resentment towards Elizabeth and high opinion of himself was obvious, and resulted in some hilarious scenes. ;)
The depth of character I saw in Lady Catherine made me wonder if perhaps the author has her novel in the works(?). :}
Lizzy and Darcy were so adorable together! What a sweet romance. I enjoyed the theme of persistence and that Lizzy had to fall in love with him over time, whereas in the original novel it's quite quick and I've read articles about how improbable it would be for them to actually get married so early on, especially taking Lizzy's stubborn nature into account. ;)
I would have to say my favorite character was Colonel Fitzwilliam- and that I cannot wait to read his story that is currently in the works, I believe! :D He was definitely in it a ton more than in the original. He was so sweet and had a great sense of humor. I enjoyed reading his talks with Lizzy and his analogy and advice to her about storms. (If that makes you curious at all, you'll have to read it. ;))
Thank you SO much, Miss Jeanna (and Soph ;)) for encouraging me to read this and listening to the updates on my progress (which, I'm afraid, were few and far between since I couldn't stop reading!)- I will always have you two to thank for getting me hooked on JAFF. :)

Keep your eyes open for my upcoming interview with my good friend and the author of this charming novel- Jeanna Ellsworth!

Sincerely,

April Lady

Dear Reader,
By my 3 1/2 star rating, I would not have you take it I did not enjoy this book- I could never NOT enjoy a Heyer- but out of ALL the Heyers I have read, this was one of my lesser favorites. ;) I love regencies full of banter and love-hate relationships between the couple right up til the end when they realize they've been ridiculous to think they didn't like the other, but I get super frustrated when the story is about a married couple who absolutely adore each other but are confused by misunderstandings and misconceptions about each other because they refuse to COMMUNICATE! and it just builds and builds until you think they're going to end up completely hating each other- and then someone sheds light on the situation (in this case through a series of hilarious events that take place over the last 3 chapters) and the leading couple realizes how stupid they were and how if they'd JUST told the other this or that NONE of this would have happened. :P *sigh* I suppose it would have been an extremely short novel if the author had taken my preferences into consideration, so I'll tell you that- since I knew the entire time everything would turn out well (this IS a Heyer!<3)- I was able to relax and enjoy the story. But being frustrated the whole time and wanting to slap some sense into Giles and Nell kind of made f me impatient for the end and I was (*gasp*) only too happy for the end of this book to come and everything to be resolved. And, of course, I still recommend this to all my fellow Heyer fanatics! ^_^
Tally-ho! 
~A Satisfied-in-the-end Blogger
p.s. I hope my review made sense- I tend to ramble. ;)

Caught in the Middle

This was my first Regina Jennings novel. I absolutely love her style! Rich. Engaging. Beautiful. Everything flowed so nicely and the plot progressed perfectly- not too fast, not too slow. The character growth was believable- not one of those one-extreme-to-the-other scenarios where they suddenly see the light and are a new person; instead, it took time, but it happened (cause I also don't like stories where the characters are so down in the depths of despair for SO long that you lose hope that they'll ever let it go and move on. ;)). Both Anne and Nick steadily built up faith, hope, and love. The result was a sweet- but not over the top- romance, with enough conflict, adventure, and banter to keep things interesting. The message of surrendering yourself to Christ- giving Him complete control, rather than refusing to trust Him and trying to handle everything on your own- was conveyed in a loving and non-condescending way. 
I look forward to reading more of Jennings work in the future! (Especially going back and reading the first two books in this series. -How do I never seem to realize when I'm reading ahead in a series?! ;P) 

I received this book from Bethany House publishers for my honest review.

Sincerely,

Through the Deep Waters

What an inspirational and heartwarming story! Though not everyone will relate to Dinah's background or circumstances, all will be able to understand her pain and yearning for truth and peace- we've all been there (some are now!). Others may relate even closer to Dinah, and if so, this story is definitely for you. 

Each major character in this story is looking for guidance and direction, but they have fear rooted in their circumstances and/or past.

Dinah's awakening to the knowledge of a God who loves her and desires a closer relationship with her despite her past sins and lineage was touching to see and the reminder that no matter what is going on in our lives God will never leave us or forsake us was a comfort. 

Ruthie needed to learn to surrender her will to the Lord and have patience as she waited to discover His plans for her life- and once they were made known to her, to accept them with joy and grow in doing His will.

Content referenced in the back cover synopsis regarding Dinah's "horrible decision" was handled well and without much detail; however, I would not recommend the story for younger girls.

Most of the characters in this story- major and minor- were lovable and fun! 

Kim's novels always leave me encouraged, strengthened, and satisfied. 

To find out more about Kim Vogel Sawyer and her charming novels, visit her website: http://kimvogelsawyer.com/

You can also try out the story here: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/SneakPeek_ThroughDeepWaters.pdf

For information on the publisher, author, and novel, click here: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?work=221541

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.

Sincerely,

Lord Haversham Takes Command (100th post!!!)

(Such a lovely series!!)

Heidi Ashworth always knows how to make me laugh! I have no idea why I waited so long to read this, but it was worth the wait! (Even if I still wish I would've read it earlier. ;)) 
It was nice to read about the same lovable characters from the rest of the series, but have new people thrown in to keep the series from becoming repetitive. (A series should have a limit of 2 books in which the same characters take center stage. In my opinion. ;)) I so enjoyed the first two books in this story about Ginny and Anthony- and now I've enjoyed their daughters story! Mira and Harry were wonderful leads and made an adorable couple! George was SO annoying and conceited. :P
The plot moved very quickly- almost too quickly at parts; at times it seemed there was insufficient information and I kind of got confused as to what exactly went on by the end...but thinking back over the story, it all made sense. Just a bit rushed. However, having the mystery move quickly left more time for conversation and comedy, so I was completely satisfied. ^_^ I loved Harry needing to have tea in order to think through his plans clearly! So British. ;)
I'm looking forward to reading the fifth book in the Delacourt series, and any future works of Heidi Ashworth. :)

Excitedly-because-this-is-my-100th-post!!!!,