{{contact.first_name}} Here's this week's Fab Fiction Friday
Feb 16, 2024 3:31 pm
HELLO ,
Here is the rundown of what you'll find in today's email:
- Mini life update
- Writing update
- Recent reads
- Book feature of @tawnisbookshelf
Welcome back to Fab Fiction Friday where I share books and authors I think you'll love as well as update you on my writing journey!
LIFE UPDATE
Sorry, it's been a few weeks. Sickness has been running rampant through my house for the last month. It's seems like as soon as we get over one cold, another one strikes. But I'm back and even though it's been a while, I think this email is going to be short and sweet!
WRITING UPDATE
In January I wrote just over 10,000 words of When Forever Stays and I think most of them will be usable words! Which is a win since I probably have 10,000 or more words I previously wrote that will need scrapped. I've really been focused on writing every day, or being in the document every day, even if I add 2 words or delete 2 words. But progress is progress no matter how slow.
RECENT READ
I know I previously talked about this book, at least in the sense that it was my current read, but I finished it days after that email went out and let me tell you...WOW! Through Thorny Ways has more faith than any other book I've ever read. It's probably my favorite Christian Historical Romance ever. It is just SO good.
MY REVIEW:
Through Thorny Ways is a book that will stay with you long after you read the final page.
I had high expectations coming into this book…and it exceeded those expectations thoroughly.
I’m not sure if I’ve ever read a book with more faith than this one. Chapter three and on, every time I turned around God was brought up, faith was tested, faith was made new, church hurt was redeemed, and broken pasts were restored. If you’re looking for a book heavy hitting on faith—Through Thorny Ways IS THE BOOK FOR YOU. It is saturated with Scripture in a natural way. Characters--both main and side-- quoted and shared it, but it never felt awkward or unnatural—it was built into who they were.
Tears came and went countless times once I hit the 50% mark. There have been maybe 5 books out of hundreds that I’ve read that have made my cry—this was one of them. And when I say I cried, at parts I literally wept. My eyes are swollen as I write this review. But every single tear was worth it. And each of those tears was well-earned by Jennifer Q. Hunt.
Family secrets, hidden treasure, betrayal, death, straying from God, church hurt, family drama, childhood illness…it’s all in here and all pieced together creating the beautiful mosaic of God’s perfect plan.
I need to say it again: the faith in this book is flawless. Natural. Authentic. Beautiful. It’s crucial to these character’s overcoming the obstacles in their life. It’s crucial for the Christian reading this beautiful book—because this book is hard. And I mean that in the best way possible. Even through the tears I NEEDED to power through and see what happened next.
Adam and Airlee’s romance is slow and oh so beautiful. Unconventional, but so perfect. And yes, it was central to the story, but I loved how Jesus was center stage in their relationship and in this story.
There are a billion other things I could say. But I’ll end with this: go get this book. It is absolutely amazing. You can thank me later.
RATINGS:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️
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@TAWNISBOOKSHELF SPOTLIGHT
CLEAN FANTASY ROMANCE
In here I will choose a book to highlight and share it with you! Every book I share here has been personally read and vetted by me.
This week's is a bit different than my usual reads, since it is a fantasy romance (aka a romantasy) but it was so good and I 10/10 recommend even as someone who isn't hugely into the fantasy scene.
This week's book is:
The Starlit Prince by C.F.E. Black:
To break his curse, he must break her.
Talia will do anything to keep her family from ruin, including chase down a thief when he steals her family's most valuable possession. But her hopes crumble when the thief turns out to be her domineering landlord intent on forcing her hand in marriage. Desperate for a way out, Talia accepts a snap deal from a mysterious stranger: he'll save Talia's family from the landlord's schemes if she'll marry the stranger that very night.
Rafael has been searching for a sacrifice for many years. To free himself from his curse, he must make a woman fall in love with him, only she must die if the love is true—and he's just secured a bride who knows nothing of his plans.
As the sun rises, they are married, and Talia is whisked away from her safe, predictable life and thrown into a world full of magic and dark secrets.
Talia soon realizes she may have thwarted her landlord's evil plan, but she's stepped into something much more dangerous. As she uncovers the secrets of her elusive fae husband, Rafael, she learns that his marriage to her was not out of the goodness of his heart, and to get close to him is to flirt with death itself. But the truth is so much more complicated than she ever imagined, and true love isn't something that comes easily—she must fight for it, and risk losing everything.
The Starlit Prince is a reimagined spin on the Spanish fairytale, The Lily and the Bear, with Beauty and the Beast vibes, perfect for readers who enjoy fractured fairytales with tormented heroes, determined heroines, and the impossible love that binds them. This is a no-spice romance with darker themes set in a world of connected standalone books. If you enjoyed A Word So Fitly Spoken or Once Upon a Broken Heart, check out The Starlit Prince!
MY REVIEW
Talia and Rafael's romance was so twistedly beautiful. I loved how their story started out as a mashup between a marriage of convenience, enemies-to-lovers, slowburn romance. Even more so, I loved how the heroine knew what the meaning of love was and how it was more than just an emotion to her and a choice she needed to make even when everything was stacked against her.
Somehow the broody Rafael was likable from the beginning. I sympathized with both characters very early on and was cheering for both of them individually and as a couple--even though as a couple there were minimal romantic interactions...but once their romance truly started POW it was so sweet and tender with a perfect dose of swoon.
This was a super fast-paced read that had the perfect amount of world-building where it painted the scene, you could imagine yourself there, but didn't slow down the pacing of the story with unnecessary details. The side characters were important to the story and also likable despite their attitude and wants for Talia (I can't say more than that without giving away the plot).
Almost all of the characters were morally gray but with a legitimate reasoning for their sketchiness--except Talia, she was just an innocent bystander caught up in this whirlwind of mystery in an attempt to save her family's future.
The stakes were high on both sides and it ended in a satisfyingly sweet way. I recommend this book even to people who aren't hug fantasy fans, because the romance was top tier with a strong and captivating plot.
There wasn't faith in this book outside of some allegorical statements. But it also isn't marketed as Christian fiction--so I was good with it.
RATINGS:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
💋
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Have a fabulous weekend!
Have you read all my books?
Secrets, Lies, and Deadly Ties
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