Tag: Dual Timeline

2 January 2023

Book Review | What Happens Next by Christina Suzann Nelson

True crime podcaster and mother Faith Byrne is newly and unhappily divorced.

She’s even less happy when her ex wants to take her two daughters to Hawaii for the three whole months of summer, not just the short holiday she’s originally agreed so they could attend their father’s wedding.

But that does mean she’s free and unencumbered when she gets a strange request from the sister of a childhood best friend. Back when she was ten, she’d spent a summer at her grandmother’s house in Deep Valley, Oregon, where she’d befriended Heather, the girl next door.

Despite their promises to write, Heather never replied to any of Faith’s letters. Now Faith finds out why: Heather disappeared a matter of days after Faith left Deep Valley. And her parents never told her.

That got me hooked.

The story itself was told from three points of view: Faith, Dori (Heather’s mother, who is still grieving for her lost daughter and can’t understand why everyone else – including her husband – has moved on), and Heather herself, from 1986.

We therefore saw Health and Faith becoming friends at the same time as we saw Faith searching for her lost friend. It was an effective way to unravel the mystery and show Faith’s investigation.

While I enjoy a good crime novel, I’m not a fan of true crime novels (or nonfiction). True crime has real victims, and I’d much rather engage my imagination with make-believe than dwell on something that actually happened to someone … and which left behind mourning family and friends.

I think this is why I liked and appreciated Faith’s take on true crime: because she wasn’t focusing on the crime.

She was focusing on the people.

Her listeners expected stories of hope and healing, of people who fought through loss to come out stronger and still maintaining compassion and wholeness.

I’d describe What Happens Next as dual timeline women’s fiction with a touch of mystery. We did find out what happened to Heather, although I didn’t think the mystery was the main focus. It was more a story of relationships, particularly marriage, and grief.

Recommended for those who enjoy well-written novels with great characters.

Thanks to Bethany House and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Christina Suzann Nelson

Christina Suzann Nelson is an inspirational speaker and Christy award-winning author. Her first novel, If We Make It Home, was honored as one of Library Journal‘s top five inspirational novels of 2017, and her 2021 novel, The Way It Should Be, won the Christy Award for general fiction.

In 2017, Christina was named the OCW Cascade’s Writer of Promise and received a Cascade award for her novel Swimming in the Deep End. Her stories have been published in the Cup of Comfort for a Better World, Cup of Comfort for Adoptive Families, as well as other publications.

Christina is over-the-top about her passions, including the stories created somewhere in the twists and turns of her less-than-focused brain. When she’s not writing, Christina serves on the board of Every Child Linn-Benton, a nonprofit where she has the opportunity to influence the lives of families and children in the foster care system.

On a typical day, she chases escaped farm animals, reads, hikes with her dog, and enjoys her husband and six kids.

Find Christina Suzann Nelson online at:

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About What Happens Next

Popular podcaster and ex-reporter Faith Byrne has made a name for herself telling stories of greatness after tragedy–but her real life does not mirror the stories she tells. While her daughters spend the summer in Hawaii with her ex-husband and his new wife, she must manage life on her own. But all that changes when she’s asked to spotlight her childhood best friend’s missing person case on her podcast.

Dora Crane has never accepted that her younger daughter could be dead, keeping her home looking the same as when her daughter disappeared. But when her husband leaves her, and her older daughter intervenes, she agrees to counseling and to pack up her missing daughter’s belongings under one condition: Faith Byrne comes to Deep Valley and sheds light on the cold case.

As the investigation moves forward, the two women uncover desperate secrets, and Faith and Dora must face the long-hidden truth before they can begin to move forward.

Award-winning author Christina Suzann Nelson masterfully leads readers on a journey of discovery, healing, and friendship in this suspenseful and poignant tale.

Find What Happens Next online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads | Koorong

12 December 2022

Book Review | Passages of Hope by Terri J Haynes

Gracie NcNeil has inherited her grandmother’s row house in Philadelphia, which she plans to turn into a yarn shop and hold knitting lessons. While renovating the property, she discovers a secret cellar, which she realises may once have been used by the Underground railroad.

Olivia Kingston is a previous resident of the house, a seamstress by day and a Underground Railroad conductor by night. It’s dangerous work for both the escaped slaves and for those who assist them … especially those who are free Blacks.

The contemporary part of the story follows Gracie’s research about the house, her efforts to start her own knitting business, and her developing relationship with Clarence, her neighbour’s grandson. It’s a sweet romance, but the depth in the story is in Gracie’s personal journey.

Gracie suffers from a deep-seated feeling of unworthiness, not helped by her Uncle Ryan, who seems to take every possible opportunity to find fault or bring her down. I suspect many of us have an Uncle Ryan figure in our lives, and have to learn how to ignore that negative voice (and to try not to be the negative voice to others, especially our children).

Olivia’s story is where all the tension comes in.

While we, the reader, know the house has survived, we have no idea of what happened to Olivia or her “passengers”—in particular, Beulah, a young mother escaping with her ill daughter, Hope.

Olivia lives on the same street as well-known conductor and abolitionist William Still, and brings Still and his work to life brilliantly – the communications, the records, and the ever-present challenge presented by the slave catchers. As a history lover, I particularly enjoyed this aspect of the novel.

Passages of Hope by Terri J Haynes is an excellent dual timeline novel set in Philadelphia and featuring the Underground Railroad. #ChristianRomance #BookReview Share on X

Passages of Hope is part of Barbour Publishing’s Doors to the Past series, which is a set of standalone historical novels. The plot and characters reminded me of Ashley Clark’s dual timeline novels.

Recommended for fans of dual timeline fiction from authors who aren’t afraid to address some of the tougher aspects of US history.

Thanks to Barbour Publishing and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Abut Terry J Haynes

Terri J. Haynes, a native Baltimorean, is a homeschool mom, writer, prolific knitter, freelance graphic artist and former Army wife (left the Army, not the husband). She loves to read, so much that when she was in elementary school, she masterminded a plan to be locked in a public library armed with only a flashlight to read all the books and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. As she grew, her love for writing grew as she tried her hand at poetry, articles, speeches and fiction. She is storyteller at heart. Her passion is to draw readers in the story world she has created and to bring laughter and joy to their lives.
Terri is a 2010 American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis contest finalist, and a 2012 semi-finalist. She is also a 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Quarterfinalist. Her publishing credits include: Cup of Comfort for Military Families, Crosswalk.com, the Secret Place Devotional, Urbanfaith.com, Vista Devotional, and Publisher’s Weekly.

Terri holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology, a Master’s degree in Theological Studies and a certificate in creative writing and graphic design, meeting the minimal requirements of being a geek. She and her husband pastor a church where she serves as executive pastor and worship leader. Terri lives in Maryland with her three wonderful children and her husband, who often beg her not to kill off their favorite characters.

Find Terri J Haynes online at:

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About Passages of Hope

Discover the Story Behind a Secret Passageway

Gracie Kingston begins renovations on the Philadelphia house inherited from her grandmother and finds a secret room. It is connected to a house nearby, the home of William Still, the man known as the father of the Underground Railroad. As she researches, she discovers a mystery in her house’s ownership. In 1855, Olivia Kingston helps a mother and her young child by hiding them in a secret room in her home. As she helps, she learns that there may be an impostor conductor in their community. As Gracie’s and Olivia’s stories intertwine, they learn the meaning of sacrifice and love.

Walk through Doors to the Past via a new series of historical stories of romance and adventure.

Find Passages of Hope online at:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

25 November 2022

First Line Friday #261 | What Happens Next by Christina Suzann Nelson

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m sharing from What Came Next by Christina Suzanne Nelson, a dual timeline novel with an intriguing mystery to solve.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

About What Happens Next

As the investigation moves forward, the two women uncover desperate secrets, and Faith and Dora must face the long-hidden truth before they can begin to move forward.

Award-winning author Christina Suzann Nelson masterfully leads readers on a journey of discovery, healing, and friendship in this suspenseful and poignant tale.

Find What Happens Next online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads | Koorong

Click here to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

Don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

22 November 2022

Bookish Question #253 | Have you ever re-read a book and had it impact you two different ways?

Have I ever re-read a book? Yes, of course I have.

(Although not so much lately, as I have so many books in my to-read pile. I have found myself accidentally re-reading books, because I find them on my Kindle, start reading, and don’t remember that I’ve read them before.)

I’ve actually had that happen a couple of times this year: I only realise I’ve already read the book when I go to add it to my Goodreads list and find it’s already on my Read shelf.

In one case, I thought the book was average and forgettable, so the fact I’d already read it didn’t surprise me (especially when I read my review, which essentially said the book was forgettable).

But the other did surprise me, because I enjoyed it much more the second time around.

That book was The Edge of Mercy by Heidi Chiavaroli.

I’d put off reading it several times because while the book was described as dual timeline, the cover made it look like a historical. That gave me the impression it was set in two historical timelines.

That didn’t interest me because I’ve been going through a contemporary phase (I can’t be the only person who goes through reading phases). Yes, I could have read the actual book description which would have made it clear the book was a contemporary, but that is one of the disadvantages of reading on Kindle: there isn’t a back cover with a book description.

Anyway, once I started it (again), I realized The Edge of Mercy is actually a contemporary story that has flashbacks to the past through a diary.

Here’s the Amazon description:

Two women, three hundred years apart, must face the devastation of all they hold dear…

Suspecting her husband is having an affair, Sarah Rodrigues fights to appear unbroken while attempting to salvage her family. Though distracted by her own troubles, Sarah is summoned to an elderly friend’s deathbed for an unusual request—find a long-lost daughter and relay a centuries-old family story.

Determined not to fail her friend, Sarah pieces together the story of her neighbor’s ancestor, Elizabeth Baker, a young colonist forced into an unwanted betrothal but drawn to a man forbidden by society.

While Sarah’s family teeters on the edge of collapse, her world is further shaken by the interest of a caring doctor and a terrible accident that threatens a life more precious than her own.

Inspired by the unconditional love she uncovers in Elizabeth’s story, Sarah strives to forgive those who’ve wounded her soul. But when light shines on the dark secrets of her neighbor’s past and the full extent of her husband’s sins, will looking to a power greater than herself rekindle lost hope?

The Edge of Mercy reminded me of The Scarlet Thread by Francine Rivers.

The heroine married young, and focused on raising a family while her husband built a successful business. Now her husband has now left her for another woman.

As with The Scarlet Thread, the writing in The Edge of Mercy was excellent, and the story focusses on the woman: on her reaction to being suddenly single, on an external event (her neighbor dying) that pushes her to look beyond herself, and on her eventual (but subtle) reconciliation with God through the story. It’s also a story of the main character, Sarah, as she tries to find her identity now her marriage has ended. As she says on the first page:

I … couldn’t imagine who I was without Matt to define me.”

I think that’s what got my attention this time: a main character with a mistaken view about her identity. We should not identify ourselves purely in relation to those around us. We are more than someone’s daughter or wife or mother or colleague or friend.

As Christians, our identity is in Christ.

And I wanted Sarah to discover that …

What about you? Have you ever read a book a second time and had it impact you differently?

14 November 2022

Book Review | Like the Wind by Robyn Lee Hatcher

Six years ago, Olivia’s husband divorced her, leaving her with nothing, not even custody of their daughter, Emma. But Daniel is now dead, forcing Emma to leave her friends, her school, and her home in Florida to live with her mother in Bethlehem Springs, Idaho. Predictably, there is a lot of conflict between Olivia and fifteen-year-old Emma. Olivia is an excellent parent, and never criticises her dead ex-husband no matter how easy that would have been or how much he deserved it, but there is still tension between the two. After all, they are virtually strangers.

Tyler Murphy grew up in foster care, and now works for a law firm, investigating families to make sure the children are being protected. Conveniently, his newest case is in his home town, hired by Peter Ward to investigate the daughter-in-law he’s never met. That was an obvious set-up for future conflict, and was perhaps a little too predictable.

And, given this is a contemporary romance, there is the obvious building relationship between Olivia and Tyler, and Tyler’s inevitable big reveal that goes exactly as well as I’d expected. I have to admit that I’m not a fan of plots where there is a big secret that you know is going to go down like a lead balloon when it’s revealed. Yes, I know we want to see some tension in the novel, but I still want to be surprised.

That all made sense. What didn’t make as much sense was the inclusion of journal extracts from an unnamed woman writing in the 1930s, as the Great Depression took hold of California. It wasn’t clear who was writing the journal until around the halfway point. As such, I didn’t find it nearly as interesting as the contemporary plot … and I probably thought it detracted from the overall plot for most of the novel.

As it turned out, the journal was an excellent choice for showing the story’s spiritual arc, as the journal writer shared her thoughts on and struggles with God in mini sermons. While I still preferred the contemporary arc, I do think the journal was a clever literary device.

Like the Wind by Robin Lee Hatches is a strong contemporary Christian romance featuring an older couple with excellent writing. Share on X

Overall, Like the Wind was a strong contemporary romance with excellent writing and lots of strong characters. It’s also nice to see an older couple in Christian romance (Tyler is forty and never married; Olivia is a little younger).

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Robin Lee Hatcher

Best-selling novelist Robin Lee Hatcher is known for her heartwarming and emotionally charged stories of faith, courage, and love. Winner of the Christy, the RITA, the Carol, the Inspirational Reader’s Choice, and many other industry awards, Robin is also a recipient of Lifetime Achievement Awards from both Romance Writers of America and American Christian Fiction Writers. She is the author of 75+ novels and novellas with over five million copies in print.

Robin enjoys being with her family, spending time in the beautiful Idaho outdoors, reading books that make her cry, and watching romantic movies. Her main hobby (when time allows) is knitting, and she has a special love for making prayer shawls. A mother and grandmother, Robin and her husband make their home on the outskirts of Boise, sharing it with Poppet, the high-maintenance Papillon, and Princess Pinky, the DC (demon cat).

Find Robin online at:

About Like the Wind

A life in pieces. A hundred-year-old journal. And a chance for love to be reborn.

Olivia Ward arrived in Bethlehem Springs alone—with no job, no home, and no money—after her manipulative ex-husband used his power and wealth to destroy everything. Six years later, the peaceful life she rebuilt is once again turned upside down when she learns that her fifteen-year-old daughter, Emma, will be coming to live with her. The reunion should be a dream come true, but years of deception have driven a wedge between them. And Emma seems more interested in an old diary she discovered than reconciliation with her mother.

Tyler Murphy knows what it’s like to lose everything. Propelled by his history in the foster-care system, he’s determined to root out dishonesty and protect the most vulnerable through his work as an investigator. When he’s hired to investigate Olivia Ward, though, he finds himself longing to believe she’s exactly who she appears to be, and he soon realizes that his desire to learn more about her has nothing to do with his job. But how can he pursue a relationship that began with a lie?

In this latest novel from award-winning author Robin Lee Hatcher, an antique diary, a family-fueled investigation, and unexpected feelings collide to create a promise that’s worth fighting for.

You can find Like the Wind online at:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

11 August 2022

Book Review | When Stone Wings Fly by Karen Barnett

When Stone Wings Fly is a dual-timeline novel set in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in the present, and in the 1930s when the park is still being established. One of the first Christian novels I read was Christy by Catherine Marshall, which was set in the Great Smokies before it became a National Park (and I also enjoyed watching the TV series in the 1990s).

So I was keen to read another Christian romance in the same setting.

The historic story is about Rosie McCauley who doesn’t want to sell her family land, the land where she and her sister were born, and where her parents and grandparents are buried. She meets Benton Fuller, who is studying birdlife in the mountains. They form a friendship.

In the present, Kieran Lucas is trying to make ends meet while working two jobs and taking care of her grandmother in her spare time. After growing up in care, she wants to learn more about her family while there is still time. After Granny Mac tells Kieran about her early years in the Smokies, Kieran tries to find her grandmother’s childhood home with the aid of National Park Service guide Zach Jensen.

I’ve read a few of Karen Barnett’s earlier historical novels, although I haven’t read any of her previous books about America’s National Parks. I enjoyed the historic aspect of When Stone Wings Fly, particularly setting up the National Park. I was interested in how the park was set up—by buying the land from the legal residents, using money donated from everyone from schoolchildren to the Rockefeller family.

I liked the romances—both of them—and I thought the novel dealt with the problems of age and dementia in a sensitive and appropriate manner.

There were a couple of plot points that I didn’t think were necessary. Sure, they needed to happen to set up the novel’s climax, but I didn’t think events had to happen the way they happened. I don’t want to say so much because that would be a #spoiler but it’s like baking. It’s not great if you take the cake out of the over before it’s cooked, but you can always put it back in the oven to finish cooking. Don’t leave it sitting on the the table then complain it’s not cooked.

But that’s a small issue overall. I liked all the characters – they were intelligent, hardworking, and willing to fight for what they wanted. The writing was excellent, and I was left feeling as though I knew the characters and had visited the Smokies, and seen the good and the bad.

Thanks to Kregel Publications and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Karen Barnett

Fueled by a passion for research and learning, and a secret desire to travel in time, author Karen Barnett creates historical romances that draw readers deep into a story. She’s fascinated that even though human history is constantly changing, Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). The point where those two facts collide forms the basis for her writing–finding those moments when an ordinary person brushes up against the eternal.

A graduate of Valparaiso University and Oregon State University, Barnett’s debut novel, Mistaken, was released in 2013 and earned her the Oregon Christian Writers “Writer of Promise” award and a Cascade Award for best historical fiction. She also won the coveted “Writer of the Year” title from the prestigious Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference in 2016. The Road to Paradise was a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writer’s Carol Awards in 2018.

Karen spent several years working in outdoor education as a park ranger and naturalist for Mount Rainier National Park and Oregon’s Silver Falls State Park before becoming a stay-at-home mom and professional writer. She spends her free time hiking, taking photographs, and decorating crazy birthday cakes.

Karen and her husband live in western Oregon and are trying to adjust to the empty nest life now that both kids are in college. Well, their home isn’t entirely empty––they still have three mischievous dachshunds underfoot.

Find Karen Barnett online:

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About When Stone Wings Fly

Kieran Lucas’s grandmother is slipping into dementia, and when her memory is gone, Kieran’s last tie to the family she barely knows will be lost forever. Worse, flashbacks of her mother’s death torment Granny Mac and there’s precious little Kieran can do to help.

In 1931, the creation of the new Great Smoky Mountains National Park threatens Rosie McCauley’s home. Rosie vows the only way the commission will get her land is if they haul her off in a pine box. When a compromise offers her and her disabled sister the opportunity to stay for Rosie’s lifetime, her acceptance sets her apart from the other mountain folk. And the bond she’s forming with ornithologist and outsider Benton Fuller only broadens the rift.

Eighty-five years later, Kieran heads back to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to find answers to her great-grandmother’s mysterious death and bring peace to Granny Mac before it’s too late. Park Historian Zach Jensen may be the key to locating both the answers. But what Kieran needs clashes with the government regulations Zach is sworn to uphold. Can she trust God for a solution to heal this generations-old wound?

Find When Stone Wings Fly online at:

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Read the introduction to When Stone Wings Fly below:

6 September 2021

Book Review | Undercurrent of Secrets by Rachel Scott McDaniel

Undercurrent of Secrets is a dual-timeline novel, part of the new Doors to the Past series from Barbour Publishing (and thanks to Barbour Publishing and NetGalley for providin a free ebook for review).

In the present timeline, Devyn Asbury is mostly over her humiliating breakup from social media mogul Travis Leeman. She’s working as the wedding coordinator on the Belle of Louisville, a traditional paddleboat steamer. She entered the boat in the Once Upon a Wedding contest, and is now a finalist in the Timeless Wedding Venue category.

But she didn’t get the original email .. which means she now has less than six weeks to plan and pull off an award-winning function.

Designer Chase Jones asks Devyn to help with some research. He’s trying to find the identity of the woman in an old photograph that appears to have been taken on board the Belle. Devyn agrees, as long as Chase helps with the invitations for the important event. The two get closer as they work together to track down the mysterious woman and … well, you know. This is a romance novel, after all.

In the past timeline, Hattie Louis is happy on board the Idlewild, the paddleboat steamer that has been her home her entire life. But her happy life is threatened by Jack Marshall, the new first mate, who takes over Hattie’s role and who appears to be hiding a secret.

Even worse, that secret might involve illegal behaviour implicating the Idlewild’s captain, the only father she has ever known.

I did find the opening chapters a little confusing. The opening line was brilliant:

But this brilliant line gave me the impression the relationship had just ended (especially as the novel begins on what would have been Devyn’s wedding day). In fact, I think the relationship had ended months before – perhaps a year. Knowing that up front would have explained why Devyn was open to a relationship with Chase—because she’d moved on.

Once I worked that out, I really got into the story and enjoyed watching Devyn and Chase search for clues to the identity of the mysterious Hattie of Chase’s photograph. The search was even more interesting once it became obvious that Chase’s Hattie was Hattie Louis.

One of the fun parts of reading dual timeline novels is working out how and when the timelines intersect, then trying to predict what’s going to happen in the past to end up with the present we know about. I’m pleased to report that Undercurrent of Secrets had a couple of excellent twists which were a complete surprise to me, and to Devyn (although, in hindsight, one shouldn’t have been a surprise to Devyn …)

Hattie was definitely my favourite character.

She was intelligent and plucky, as well as being multi-talented (and I even found out what a calliope was). The historic parts of the story felt authentic, and the author’s note at the end showed how much of the story was based on fact. (Yes, there really was an Idlewild, and she did survive.)

However, it was the modern heroine, Devyn, who learned the most important spiritual lesson, and I liked the way the author wove that into the plot. And I did like the fact Devyn was prepared to hold out for someone better. While I love reading romance novels, it would be great to see more novels that show marriages—good and less good.

Undercurrent of Secrets by Rachel Scott McDaniel is an enjoyable dual-timeline #ChristianRomance set on a historic steamboat on the Ohio River. #BookReview Share on X

Overall, I very much enjoyed Undercurrent of Secrets, especially the unique setting.

Recommended for fans dual timeline Christian romance.

About Rachel Scott McDaniel

Rachel Scott McDaniel is an award-winning author of historical romance. Winner of the ACFW Genesis Award and the RWA Touched By Love award, Rachel infuses faith and heart into each story. She currently enjoys life in Ohio with her husband and two kids.

Find Rachel Scott McDaniel online at:

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About Undercurrents of Secrets

Two women, a century apart, are bound by a haunting secret aboard a legendary steamboat.

As wedding coordinator for the 100-year-old steamboat The Belle of Louisville, Devyn Asbury takes pride in seeing others’ dreams come true, even though her engagement had sunk like a diamond ring to the bottom of the Ohio River. When the Belle becomes a finalist in the Timeless Wedding Venue contest, Devyn endeavors to secure the prestigious title with hopes to reclaim some of her professional dreams. What she hadn’t planned on was Chase Jones showing up with a mysterious photo from the 1920s.

A century earlier, Hattie Louis is as untamable as the rivers that raised her. As the adopted daughter of a steamboat captain, her duties range from the entertainment to cook. When strange incidents occur aboard the boat, Hattie’s determined to discover the truth. Even if that means getting under First Mate Jack Marshall’s handsome skin.

Find Undercurrent of Secrets online at:

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And don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

28 September 2020

Book Review | The Edge of Belonging by Amanda Cox

The Edge of Belonging is one of the best debut novels I’ve read in years.

It’s a dual timeline story where the past and present are only twenty-four years apart and feature the same characters.

In the present day, Ivy Rose Lashley is a school counsellor who loves her job and the children she works with, and is engaged to the handsome Seth. But that all unravels after her grandmother’s death, and she returns to her hometown where she finds her grandmother has left her a puzzle to solve—the mystery of her birth and subsequent adoption.

In 1994, Harvey James finds an abandoned newborn, so takes her back to the camp he calls home.

But he doesn’t have baby milk or diapers or anything needed to care for a newborn, and he doesn’t have money to buy any. He finds supplies in an unlocked church, and proceeds to name the baby Ivy Rose, and to care for her as his own.

I know this is supposed to be Ivy’s story, but I thought Harvey was the more interesting and sympathetic character, because his problems were not problems of his own making. Having said hat, nor were Ivy’s. At first, I thought Ivy’s problems with Seth were the result of her own bad judgment, but as the novel progressed it became obvious that their relationship was the result of her own emotional needs weaknesses, many of which stemmed from being adopted.

But Harvey was the character who tugged at my heartstrings.

He’s had a rough deal in life but hasn’t let it turn him bitter. In fact, he doesn’t seem to realise how bad it’s been. Instead, all he wants to do is love and protect baby Ivy, and you can’t hold that against him. At the same time, the present story gave an idea of the direction the past story would take, and that tugged the heartstrings even more.

There were lots of twists in the story, most of which only became obvious towards the end so I won’t give spoilers. Let’s just say that I started by saying this is one of the best debut novels I’ve read in years, and I stand by that opinion.

Edge of Belonging has a great dual-timeline plot, wonderful characters, a strong underlying Christian message, and writing that is good enough to make the strongest person weep. Recommended.

Thanks to Revell and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Amanda Cox

Amanda Cox is a blogger and a curriculum developer for a national nonprofit youth leadership organization, but her first love is communicating through story. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Bible and theology and a master’s degree in professional counseling. Her studies and her interactions with hurting families over a decade have allowed her to create multidimensional characters that connect emotionally with readers. She lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with her husband and their three children.

Find Amanda Cox online:

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About The Edge of Belonging

When Ivy Rose returns to her hometown to oversee an estate sale, she soon discovers that her grandmother left behind more than trinkets and photo frames–she provided a path to the truth behind Ivy’s adoption. Shocked, Ivy seeks clues to her past, but a key piece to the mystery is missing.

Twenty-four years earlier, Harvey James finds an abandoned newborn who gives him a sense of human connection for the first time in his life. His desire to care for the baby runs up against the stark fact that he is homeless. When he becomes entwined with two people seeking to help him find his way, Harvey knows he must keep the baby a secret or risk losing the only person he’s ever loved.

In this dual-time story from debut novelist Amanda Cox, the truth–both the search for it and the desire to keep it from others–takes center stage as Ivy and Harvey grapple with love, loss, and letting go.

Find The Edge of Belonging online:

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Read the introduction to The Edge of Belonging:

And don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

25 February 2019

Book Review | The Secrets of Paper and Ink by Lindsay Harrel

The Secrets of Paper and Ink is the story of three women: Sophia Barrett, a women’s counselor from Phoenix, Arizona; Ginny Rose, bookshop owner from Port Willis, Cornwall; and Emily Fairfax, governess and lady’s companion in Victorian England.

Sophia returns to work after a three-month enforced sabbatical following a mental breakdown—the result of her conflicted feelings over the death of her fiance a year ago … her abusive fiance. She lasts less than an hour before her past intrudes again and she runs away. This time she makes a spur-of-the-moment decision to visit Cornwall, once home to her favourite dead novelist.

Owning a bookshop in a remote Cornish village isn’t Ginny’s dream—it’s her husband’s dream. But he’s currently off “finding himself” in London, leaving Ginny with a failing business and no other means of support. She could go back to America and back to her parents, but that would mean being back under her mother’s control.

Emily’s story comes to us through a journal Sophia discovers in the back of Ginny’s shop. She’s the impoverished daughter of the town’s drunken parson, now supporting herself as a governess while secretly writing a journal, a novel, and letters to her forbidden beloved.

It’s good to see Christian fiction that deals with the hard areas in life.

The Secrets of Paper and Ink features a therapist who’s a victim of domestic violence, a separated Christian woman, and an impoverished gentlewoman. All are in difficult situations, partly a result of their own bad decisions but more a result of the decisions of the men they depended on.

The Secrets of Paper and Ink is a powerful story of love and loss and loving again.

The writing is excellent, and I loved the way the author wove the Victorian story into the contemporary. The main theme is of three women forced to discover their identities as individuals rather than as daughter, fiance, or wife. It’s a challenge many modern women still face—finding our purpose in God rather than in man.

It’s a strong message that’s presented well.

The novel isn’t preachy at all—in fact, you could give this to a non-Christian friend and they probably wouldn’t even guess it’s from a Christian publisher. At the same time, it’s true to real life and true to the Bible. Sin is present, but so are the consequences. And the end message is most definitely Christian: that we are defined by Whose we are. It doesn’t matter where we’ve been or what mistakes we’ve made along the way. What matters is that we can find our peace in God.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Lindsay Harrel

Lindsay Harrel is a lifelong book nerd with a B.A. in journalism and M.A. in English. She lives in Arizona with her young family and two golden retrievers in serious need of training. Lindsay has held a variety of jobs, including curriculum editor for two universities, medical and business writer, and copywriter for a digital marketing agency. Now she juggles stay-at-home mommyhood with working freelance jobs, teaching college English courses online, and—of course—writing novels.

When she actually has time to do other things, she loves to sing, read, and sip passion iced teas from Starbucks. She loves to watch God work in ordinary lives to create something extraordinary, and she writes to bring hope to those who may have lost it along the way.

You can find Lindsay Harrel online at:

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About The Secrets of Paper and Ink

Brought together by a charming bookstore in England, three women fight to defy expectations, dream new dreams, and welcome love into their lives.

As a counselor, Sophia Barrett is trained to help people cope with their burdens. But when she meets a new patient whose troubles mirror her own, she realizes she hasn’t dealt with the pain of her recent past. After making a snap decision to get away for the summer, Sophia moves overseas to an apartment above a charming bookstore in Cornwall, England. She is hopeful she will find peace there surrounded by her favorite thing: great literature.

Bookstore owner Ginny Rose is desperate to save her business without asking for help from a husband who’s decided to take a break from their marriage. Ginny never imagined she’d be solely responsible for keeping afloat her husband’s dream, but the unexpected friendship with her new renter has her feeling more optimistic. Between the two of them—and Ginny’s brother-in-law, William—the bookstore might stand a chance.

Then Sophia finds a notebook in the bookstore that contains journal entries from Emily Fairfax, a governess who lived in Cornwall more than 150 years ago. Sophia learns that Emily harbored a secret passion for becoming an authoress—as well as a deep love for her childhood friend, Edward, whose station she dared not dream to touch.

Eager to know more of Emily’s story, Sophia goes on a quest—dragging Ginny and William with her—to discover the heart of the woman behind the beautiful entries. Soon Ginny’s need to save the bookstore becomes more than a way to save her marriage, and Sophia finds new purpose of her own. Together they find that sometimes both heartache and hope can reach across the centuries.

You can find The Secrets of Paper and Ink online at:

Amazon US | Amazon AU | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong