Tag Archives: dual timeline

Top 10 Tuesday — First Person POV

11 Mar

Happy Tuesday! Today TTT bloggers are listing books featuring their favorite plot device or theme. I decided to go with first person POV (a narrative technique where the story is told from the perspective of a character in the story). First person POV can be hit or miss. The books I have listed are done really well. In some cases the book is all first person, in others only in a small part of the storyline is it used, but all are done with great effect. I have included books from a number of genres so you can find your favorite.

Head over to That Artsy Reader Girl for more bloggers’ favorites.

Top Books Using First Person POV

All’s Fair in Love And Christmas by Sarah Monzon

Darkness Calls The Tiger by Janyre Tromp

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawson

In This Moment by Gabrielle Meyer

Lethal Standoff by DiAnn Mills

The Songs That Could Have Been by Amanda Wen

Up From The Dust by Heather Kaufman

The Warsaw Sisters by Amanda Barratt

What Happens Next by Christina Suzann Nelson

Woman in Shadow by Carrie Stuart Parks

Top 10 Tuesday — Supplemental Reading

15 Oct

Happy Tuesday! As you can expect from me, I changed up this week’s TTT topic. I just wasn’t feeling a rehash of books I read in my long ago classes, so I’ve created a list of books I would include as supplemental reading for dusty college classes 😉 . At least that’s how I view them now from a lens that is *ahem* 40+ years old. Please note that I am all for reading the facts, but a little entertainment is always a good addition. I hope you find a book that sparks your imagination.

For more on topic bloggers, check out That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Supplemental Reading

Computer Technology 301: Topics in Cyber Security

Alaskan Cyber Hunters Series by Kimberly Woodhouse

Ecology 101: Conservation

Where Trees Touch The Sky by Karen Barnett

World History 201: Wartime in The Far East

Darkness Calls The Tiger by Janyre Tromp

The Women by Kristin Hannah

Political Science 201: The McCarthy Era

The All American by Susie Finkbeiner

American History 301: Forgotten Events in The Civl War and Reconstruction

The American Queen by Vanessa Miller

Library Information Sciences 101: Building A Library

Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles

Criminal Justice 301: Hostage Negotiation

Lethal Standoff by DiAnn Mills

Top 10 Tuesday — Redeemed!

17 Sep

Happy Tuesday! Nothing says Christian fiction like a redemption story. That is certainly what God’s business looks like, and CF authors work hard to make that plain. While the message may be overt or subtle, redemption — freedom that is found through Christ — is powerful. I’ve included Biblical fiction and general fiction in my list, proving that redemption has been offered by God throughout time. I hope you find a story to love.

For more redemptive stories, check out That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Redemption Stories

The Edge of Belonging by Amanda Cox

Flame of Resistance by Tracy Groot

Like Water from My Heart by Charles Martin

Love Amid The Ashes by Mesu Andrews

Love in A Broken Vessel by Mesu Andrews

The Masterpiece by Francine Rivers

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers (no list of redemptive stories is complete without this book)

Redeeming Grace by Jill Eileen Smith

The Rhythm of Fractured Grace by Amanda Wen

The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass by Katie Powner

Top 10 Tuesday — Most Anticipated Books of The Last Half of 2024

25 Jun

Happy Tuesday! Can you believe that 2024 is almost half over? Even though I am so behind on my reading, I can’t resist adding upcoming releases to my staggering TBR pile. No apologies, though. 😉 There are a variety of genres (although there is A LOT of suspense) represented in my list, so I hope there is one that will pique your interest.

For more bloggers’ lists, check out That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top 10 Most Anticipated Books of The Last Half of 2024!

Between The Sound And Sea by Amanda Cox

Cold Vengeance by Nancy Mehl

Cornered by Lynette Eason/Lynn Blackburn/Natalie Walters

Every Moment Since by Marybeth Whalen

The Fabled Earth by Kimberly Brock

Lethal Standoff by DiAnn Mills

Over The Edge by Irene Hannon

Specters in The Glass House by Jaime Jo Wright

Something Borrowed by Susie Finkbeiner/Rachel Scott McDaniel/Allison Pittman

Target Acquired by Lynette Eason

Spotlight on Women’s Fiction — The Way Back

19 Jun

The Way Back JustRead Takeover + Review Blitz

Welcome to the Takeover + Review Blitz for The Way Back by Heidi Chiavaroli hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About The Book

The Way Back

Title: The Way Back
Series: Lights of Acadia #1
Author: Heidi Chiavaroli
Publisher: Hope Creek Publishers
Release Date: June 18, 2024
Genre: Dual Timeline Women’s Fiction

Young love means everything . . . until it leaves you with nothing.

The summer before her senior year of high school, Laney Jacobs and her best friend jump from a six-story beachside cliff in an attempt to impress their boyfriends. Laney rose from the water. Her friend did not.

Six years later, when Laney’s troubled mother’s memoir hits the bestseller list airing the family’s destructive secrets, Laney is forced to relive the trauma, this time in the public eye. To escape the scrutiny, she seeks shelter at her estranged grandmother’s seaside inn. But she can’t reconcile the loving woman with the heartless parent in her mother’s book. As she seeks answers, the boyfriend who once cost her a promising future reappears, stirring up both pain and hope.

When her mother’s vindictive fans threaten her grandmother’s livelihood and the lighthouse Laney has come to love, she turns to the century-old words of a young lighthouse keeper to help her find the courage to move forward. But once truths from the past come to light and old love finds new beginnings, will Laney discover that forgiveness is the only way toward true healing?

 

Excerpt

“Laney?”

The baritone voice sounds so familiar. Not one of the other servers, though. 

“Laney.” It comes again, this time louder. The deepness of it probes and picks at the scarred places I’ve been trying to bury for the last six years. My blood turns to ice.

It can’t be. 

I’m imagining things. No one from California is all the way out here except me. And even if one person from my old life happened to show up in Bar Harbor, of all people it wouldn’t be him, the person I tried so hard to escape.

The bartender slides one glass of wine toward me, and I clutch the stem of the glass with enough force to shatter it. I turn from the bar as if my feet are weighed down with wet cement. 

A small intake of breath passes my lips at the sight of him. 

I’m caught unawares by how good he looks in his khakis and polo shirt, the slight shadow of stubble across his chiseled chin. I try not to think of all he’s likely accomplished in the six years since high school, of all I haven’t—the too-old college drop-out.

My face burns and I attempt to swallow down my emotion. “Jason.”

“I can’t believe you’re actually here.” He places his hand on my arm, and I’m shocked by the instant heat that burns my skin. A foreign longing rushes through me, and I attempt to tamp it down. 

I pull away from the fingers that scorch the skin beneath my blouse. “What—what are you doing here?”



PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop


About The Author

Heidi Chiavaroli

Heidi Chiavaroli (pronounced shev-uh-roli…sort of like Chevrolet and ravioli mushed together!) wrote her first story in third grade, titled I’d Cross the Desert for Milk. It wasn’t until years later that she revisited writing, using her two small boys’ nap times to pursue what she thought at the time was a foolish dream. Despite a long road to publication, she hasn’t stopped writing since! Heidi writes women’s fiction, combining her love of history and literature to write both split time stories and contemporary fiction. Her debut novel, Freedom’s Ring, was a Carol Award winner and a Christy Award finalist, a Romantic Times Top Pick and a Booklist Top Ten Romance Debut. Her second Carol Award-winning novel, The Orchard House, is inspired by the lesser-known events in Louisa May Alcott’s life and led her to write The Orchard House Bed and Breakfast series, a contemporary twist on Little Women. Heidi makes her home in Massachusetts with her husband, two sons, and Wyatt, her standard poodle.

Connect with Heidi by visiting heidichiavaroli.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.


Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a print copy of The Way Back, themed canvas tote bag, bath salts, 3 specialty teas, ocean-inspired candle, magnet, gel pen, notebook, and $25 Amazon gift card!

The Way Back JustRead Giveaway

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight June 19, 2024 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on June 26, 2024. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

Enter Giveaway


Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

JustRead Publicity Tours

TTT — Must-Read Authors

21 May

Today’s TTT topic is authors I’d love a new book from. For me that translates into must-read authors! Of course, I want a new book from these authors! My list encompasses a variety of genres, so you can find a new must-read author too. I have included their last published book or the next one up to whet your appetite! 🙂

For more authors who need to write a new book soonest, check out That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Must-Read Authors

Amanda Barrett — The Warsaw Sisters

Lynette Eason Target Acquired (available 8/20)

Susie Finkbeiner — The All-American

Irene Hannon (contemporary romance) — Sandcastle Inn

Irene Hannon (romantic suspense) — Over The Edge (available 10/24)

Valerie Fraser Luesse — Letters to My Sister

Katie Powner — The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass

Sarah Sundin — Embers in The London Sky

Kimberly Woodhouse (romantic suspense) — 70 North (available 10/24)

Jaime Jo Wright — Specters in The Glass House (available 10/24)

TTT — May Flowers

7 May

Happy May! Today bloggers are sharing books with flowers in book titles or on book covers, etc. I am going with flowers on the cover, since I shared flowers in titles in February. My list features books from a variety of genres — I hope you find one to love!

For more flowery book lists, check out That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Books With Flowers on The Cover

Bookshop by The Sea by Denise Hunter

Heirlooms by Sandra Byrd

The Key to Love by Betsy St. Amant

Letters from My Sister by Valerie Fraser Luesse

The One You’re With by Lauren K. Denton

The Orchard by Beverly Lewis

Shiloh by Lori Benton

The Vanishing at Castle Moreau by Jaime Jo Wright

The Warsaw Sisters by Amanda Barrett

When Stone Wings Fly by Karen Barnett

Top 10 Tuesday — Bookish Inns

16 Apr

Happy Tuesday! Today I am again tweaking the TTT prompt. Surprise, surprise! 😉 Instead of listing characters I would like to vacation with, I am spotlighting real life and fictional inns featured in books. While some of the places I’ve traveled to in my reading leave a bit to be desired as destinations (ghosts, disappearances, murders), I have enjoyed my vicarious stays. There are a variety of genres, so you should be able to find a book that sparks your interest.

For more on topic TTT posts, check out That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Bookish Inns

Real Life Inns/Hotels Featured in Books

Ever Faithful by Karen Barnett (Old Faithful Inn)

The Lady in Residence by Allison Pittman (Menger Hotel)

A Stranger’s Game by Colleen Coble (Jekyll Island Club)

What The Mountains Remember by Joy Callaway (Grove Park Inn)

One Person’s Dream . . .

Home to Chicory Lane by Deborah Raney

On A Summer Tide by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Sandcastle Inn by Irene Hannon

Another Person’s Nightmare . . .

The Inn on Hanging Hill by Christy Barritt

Night Falls on Predicament Avenue by Jaime Jo Wright

Tidewater Inn by Colleen Coble

Top 10 Tuesday — Reading Rambles

27 Feb

Happy Tuesday! I live in Georgia, a state with many natural delights. Beaches, mountains, swamps, even a little grand canyon! — lots of places to explore nature. Today’s TTT topic is nature found in book titles or on covers. I chose two rambles — the woods of north Georgia and the beaches of the Golden Isles. The titles of the books I chose feature things that can be seen on nature walks in both locations. Some of the covers do double duty for today’s topic too! I hope you find a book to excite your imagination!

For more nature musings, check out The Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Books in Reading Rambles

A walk through the woods of north Georgia.

Mountain Laurel by Lori Benton

The Nature of Small Birds by Susie Finkbeiner

Roots of Wood And Stone by Amanda Wen

Until Leaves Fall in Paris by Sarah Sundin

Wonderland Creek by Lynn Austin

A walk in the Golden Isles.

Driftwood Bay by Irene Hannon

Hope Beyond The Waves by Heidi Chiavaroli

The Inn at Ocean’s Edge by Colleen Coble

Pelican Point by Irene Hannon

A Vast And Gracious Tide by Lisa Carter

Book Review — The Rhythm Of Fractured Grace

22 Feb

The Rhythm of Fractured Grace JustRead Takeover Blitz

Welcome to the Takeover + Review Blitz for The Rhythm of Fractured Grace by Amanda Wen hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About The Book

The Rhythm of Fractured Grace

Title: The Rhythm of Fractured Grace
Series: Sedgwick County Chronicles #3
Author: Amanda Wen
Publisher: Kregel Publications
Release Date: February 20, 2024
Genre: Christian Split Time Romantic Women’s Fiction

Is Siobhan too far gone to respond to the song of a God who’s calling her back to him?

When a new customer brings a badly damaged violin into Siobhan Walsh’s shop, it is exactly the sort of challenge she craves. The man who brought it in is not. He’s too close to the painful past that left her heart and her faith in shambles.

Matt Buchanan has had a rough start as the new worship pastor. A car accident on his way into town left him with a nearly totaled truck, and an heirloom violin in pieces. When he takes it to a repair shop, he’s fascinated with the restoration process–and with the edgy, closed-off woman doing the work.

As their friendship deepens and turns into more, they both discover secrets that force them to face past wounds. And the history of the violin reveals more about their current problems than they could have ever expected.

On the nineteenth-century frontier, a gruesome tomahawk attack wiped out most of Deborah Caldwell’s family. Her greatest solace after the tragedy is the music from her father’s prized violin. Given her horrendous scars, she’d resigned herself to a spinster’s life. But Levi Martinson’s gentle love starts to chip away at her hardened heart, until devastating details about the attack are revealed, putting their love–and Deborah’s shaky faith–to the ultimate test.

Full of forgiveness and the message that no one is too damaged for God’s healing touch, the final book in the split-time Sedgwick County Chronicles will thrill fans of Rachel Hauck, Lisa Wingate, and Kristy Cambron.

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Christianbook | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | BookBub

Excerpt

Tucking the violin under one arm, Siobhan held the door for Matt, the bells jingling against the glass, and ducked into the little shop after he hobbled through. The small space was cluttered with instruments of every size, shape, and description, from basses and cellos standing at attention along a far wall to violins and violas hanging from hooks near and far. The comforting scents of wood and varnish enveloped her in a gentle hug. 

Of all the jobs she’d pictured herself in, tucked away in a tiny shop learning how to rehair bows and repair stringed instruments hadn’t even made the list.

But after her last job? Tucked away seemed ideal.



More Books in Series

Roots of Wood and Stone The Songs That Could Have Been

My Impressions:

Wow! I didn’t think I could like a book more than I already liked the first two books in Amanda Wen’s Sedgwick County Chronicles, that is, until I read The Rhythm of Fractured Grace. Another dual timeline novel set in modern day Wichita and the late 1800s Kansas frontier, this novel has powerful themes of forgiveness, identity, and worthiness in God. Modern day Siobhan has been damaged by the church. Manipulated and abused by a person in authority, then shunned by fellow church members, she keeps a low profile with her dyed hair and baggy plaid shirts. That is until Matt hobbles into her life on crutches holding a violin certainly damaged beyond repair. The second story centers on Deborah, a woman wounded physically and emotionally by an attack in her childhood. Both women feel less than, unworthy of love from man or God. I loved how the author used the old, broken violin as a bridge to the women’s stories and as a symbol of restoration. God is everywhere in the two women’s lives, though they either don’t see it or don’t want to. The men in their lives aid in the healing of their hearts, but it is God who works His will in their lives. I loved, loved, loved that!

With novels with two or more timelines, I generally like one story over the other, but in The Rhythm of Fractured Grace, I was immersed in both. The characterization is strong, the themes were relevant to my life, and I just did not want either story to end! This one is a highly recommended read!

Highly Recommended.

Audience: Adults.

(Thanks to Kregel for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)


About The Author

Amanda Wen

Amanda Wen is a Selah Award–winning, Parable best-selling author of inspirational romance and split-time women’s fiction, including Roots of Wood and Stone and The Songs That Could Have Been, and a professional musician. Wen currently lives in Wichita, Kansas, with her husband and three children.

Connect with Amanda by visiting amandawen.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.


Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a signed copy of the book, a mug, chai mix, and a kitsugi heart necklace!

The Rhythm of Fractured Grace JustRead Giveaway

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight February 21, 2024 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on February 28, 2024. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

Enter Giveaway


Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

JustRead Publicity Tours