The Book of Fire: human resilience and healing in the face of tragedy

The Book of Fire by Christy Lefteri is a story of tragedy and the resilience of the human spirit. In present day Greece, deep in an ancient forest, Irini lives with her husband, Tasso and their daughter, Chara. One fateful day, a fire rages out of control, changing their lives forever. In the aftermath, as the village tries to rebuild and injuries begin to slowly heal, Irini stumbles across the man who started the fire. He is dying but whether it was by his own hand or someone else’s is unclear. In her anger, Irini makes a decision that will haunt her. As the local police investigate the man’s death, Tasso mourns for his father who has been missing since the fire and Irini struggles with her decision and the meaning for their future. Can they rebuild their lives? Can they find forgiveness within themselves to move forward? 

Ms. Lefteri’s books are always gorgeously written with haunting images and deeply intimate with emotions and struggles. After falling in love with her writing since The Beekeeper of Aleppo (2019), I eagerly looked forward to The Book of Fire. Inspired by the fires that devastated Greece a few years ago, The Book of Fire is about the search for meaning in the wake of tragedy. It is a look at the human toll in all events, either natural or man made, people must learn to pick up the pieces and rebuild. Irini is deeply relatable as she makes a decision that most of us would probably have made in the heat of anger and the need for retribution and her coming to terms with her decision. Overall, I enjoyed The Book of Fire. If you enjoy deeply moving stories about the human spirit, I recommend The Book of Fire. 

The Book of Fire is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook

My Paper Heart: one summer and a life changing decisions

My Paper Heart by Magan Vernon is the first book in the My Paper Heart series. Libby Gentry has done everything she was supposed to. Getting into her top choice sorority? Check. Dating a hot guy from the biggest fraternity? Check. However, it all goes wrong when she fails out of college and her parents force her to work for her great aunt in rural Louisiana. The tiny town of Elsbury has nothing for her and she stands out like a sore thumb until she meets Blaine Crabtree, the small town charmer. As the two grow closer, Libby is faced with a seemingly impossible choice. A new opportunity arises in Chicago, she must decide to wait for Blaine or move on. 

I really wanted to like this story. Right off the bat, Libby is unlikable, shallow and vain. She tried to use her past as justification for her current behaviors and I just don’t buy it. And Blaine? Oh Blaine! His introduction in the story is not in the greatest light. And his reputation around town isn’t the greatest either. At one point, someone tells Libby that he is a playboy and will “sleep with any woman under 30.” WHAT?!?!?! By the end of the story, I was over their antics and back and forth that I didn’t care if they had any growth at all. Overall, I did not enjoy this story and I do not recommend My Paper Heart. 

My Paper Heart is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Finding Me: an unexpected inheritance leads to life changing experiences

Finding Me by Judith Keim is the first book in the Salty Key Inn series. An unexpected inheritance opens doors of possibilities and life changing opportunities. Sheena Sullivan Morelli and her sisters, Darcy and Regan, inherit a hotel on the Gulf Coast of Florida from their Uncle Gavin. As the black sheep of the family, Gavin had disappeared from their lives many, many years ago. However, there is a twist. They must live together for one year at the hotel and prepare the hotel to receive guests within a year. Sheen is eager to escape her role as an unappreciated wife and mother and rediscover herself. Dreams of sitting on the beach, sipping margaritas are dashed when the hotel is in desperate need of repair and renovation. Undaunted, the three sisters set a plan and are determined to meet this challenge to change their lives forever. 

Finding Me is a story about finding one’s true self. Sheena married young and devoted herself to her husband, his business and their children. Darcy works a job she hates while she dreams of something better. Regan has spent her life being the dumb blonde while hiding a true talent that she fears to reveal. Each sister must commit to their uncle’s last wishes or no one will inherit anything. This story should have been Sheena’s story with aspects hinting at Darcy and Regan’s stories in later books, however, the alternating points of view were distracting and with just too much going on. I didn’t like the fact that Sheena was willing to leave her husband, whom she claims to love greatly, and live apart for one year. Overall, I enjoyed the story but I am not sure if I liked it enough to continue the series. 

Finding Me is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Under the Golden Sun: a story of love and war

Under the Golden Sun by Jenny Ashcroft is a story of how one decision can change the course of one’s life. March 1941, England, Rose Hamilton is desperate for a change when, by chance, she comes across a want ad. A companion is needed to escort a young orphaned child to Australia. There are so many reasons she should ignore the ad but she is drawn to the plight of this poor child. On a whim, she meets with the child’s dying great-aunt and within weeks boards a ship on her way across the treacherous seas during wartime against the misgivings of her family and her fiancé. After the long journey, Rose and Walter arrive at his family’s cattle station home but their arrival isn’t as welcomed as she thought. Rose is determined to leave Walter when he is happy and settled and his wounded fighter pilot uncle, Max Lucknow, is the key. It becomes clear that she has grown to love Walter and his new family. How can she leave him behind when he isn’t the only reason she wants to stay? 

Ms. Ashcroft can be counted on for a beautiful story and Under the Golden Sun is no exception. I enjoyed each character as they are hardened by life’s harsh circumstances but through the magic of love and forgiveness, they find themselves softening and open to a better life. Though it doesn’t come easily, I liked the progression the characters go through as they face the demons they’ve been running from. I particularly like Rose as she battles feeling in limbo as she had suffered a terrible loss and life went on but she wasn’t the same. Even though the question of whether Rose stays or goes back to her life in England was fairly obvious; however, how it was answered was beautiful and heartwarming. It certainly brought a huge smile to my face. It was a hard book to put down as I was engaged in the family’s history and drama. I also enjoyed reading about the events of World War II through the eyes of another country. It isn’t just Americans or Europeans who experienced the war. I highly recommend Under the Golden Sun. 

Under the Golden Sun is available March 15, 2022 in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook. 

Listening Still: a unique gift that can be a gift or a curse

Listening Still by Anne Griffin is a story of a young woman who has inherited the family gift…or is it a curse? Jeannie Masterson can hear the recently dead and give a voice to their final wishes and revelations. Inherited from her father, their gift has helped the family funeral business thrive in their small Irish town of Kilcross. Jeannie made the decision to stay and help with the family business instead of following her teenage sweetheart to London. When her parents announce their plans to retire, Jeannie is jolted awake to the life she has been living. She finds herself at a crossroads once again. Does she stay in Kilcross with her comfortable marriage and the family business or does she take this chance to finally break free from a calling she loves and hates? 

Listening Still is billed as “a heartachingly honest look at what we give up and what we gain when we choose to follow our heart.” I was intrigued by the premise. It’s not every day that you hear about a book with the main character having the ability to talk to the dead. Unfortunately, Listening Still did not live up to its premise. From the very beginning, Jeannie is unlikeable. She whines like a child when she learns about her parents' retirement. Jeannie is very wishy-washy as she never really understands a question, leaving the other person with the assumed answer and gets upset when they push the issue. It seems even the most mundane decisions trip her up and she acts as if every decision is a life-altering decision. I found Listening Still hard to read. 

Listening Still is available in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook. 

The Most Dangerous Place on Earth: love or hate it, we've all been there

The Most Dangerous Place on Earth by Lindsey Lee Johnson is a story set in a place that many of us either relish or dread: high school. The story opens in the eighth grade with Cally Broderick being called into the office for neglecting to do her homework. While she is there, she unwittingly extends an act of kindness to the awkward kid at school. This sets off a chain of events which leads to a shocking event. Fast forward three years, Molly Nicoll is the new English teacher at the high school, she finds Cally, and her classmates in their junior year. Each chapter gives a different perspective of the same high school. You have the brain who must live up to his parents’ expectations. The talented dancer, the jock, the screw-up and all the other characters we seem to meet in high school. Their stories intertwined into a climax which leave the students and teacher baffled by the turn of events. Who will see their dream come true and who just wants to survive high school?

The Most Dangerous Place on Earth is set in Mill Valley of Marin County, California, an area of affluence and privilege. However, inside this high school we see the same issues and attitudes that this story could be set in almost any high school in America and the events could still resonate with us whether we enjoyed high school or were happy it was over. I highly recommend The Most Dangerous Place on Earth as a story that our actions have consequences and those consequences can follow us for the rest of our lives.

The Most Dangerous Place on Earth

will be available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble

on January 10, 2017

in hardcover and ebook

Saving Abby: a story of a woman's determination to do anything for her child

Saving Abby by Steena Holmes is the story of one woman’s desperate fight to have the child she’s always dreamed of. She must fight her husband, her friends, and her family to make her dream come true. Claire Turner has dreamed of having children since she was a little girl. When she married her husband, Josh, they dreamed together. After seven years of marriage, the dream of children has been unfulfilled. Until one day, after they returned from a cruise vacation, Claire isn’t feeling well. She’s been having severe headaches and constantly sleeping. At the request of her husband, Claire sees their friend and doctor, Abby Cox. The exam reveals that Claire is finally pregnant. As the good news spreads, Claire seems to be getting more and more tired and the headaches getting worse. After several tests, the doctors reveal something is seriously wrong. Claire’s only thought is to her unborn child. Her family and friends say she is being foolish. Can Claire save the life of her child? Will her choice put her own life at risk?

Saving Abby is an emotional story of a woman’s journey to motherhood when she’s faced with an impossible choice. The story gives no indication at the ending of the story. The reader may be expecting one ending or another; however, the end will leave the reader shocked and sadden. I recommend Saving Abby as an emotional story which leaves the readers with a question, what would have been our choice?

Saving Abby

is available on

Amazon in paperback $14.95

and with KindleUnimlited

as well as 

with Barnes and Noble

in paperback for $14.95

Why I believe everything happens for a reason

During that past seven months, I have been involved in a grief support group online which focuses on parents who have lost child either through pregnancy complications or childhood deaths. While the group support have meant a great deal for me, there is one thing that bothers me. Many of the members hate the statement, “everything happens for a reason.” They hate the statement so much that they get angry when they hear someone say it. I fully believe that everything does happens for a reason. I believe it for three reasons: God’s will, consequences or results of a decision and the nature of the world we live in.

In Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 tells us that there is a time for everything. God has a plan for all people and that we all must experience the cycles of life. The good and the bad. A time for life and death (verse 2) and a time to mourn and a time to dance (verse 4). I'm sure when people hear verses 1-8, they hear The Byrds playing in their head. I know I do. Many people would say then your babies were meant to die. Maybe they were because verse 11 says “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” We cannot see into the future or comprehend everything that God sees or understand. I fully believe with all my heart that the losses of my babies has strengthen my faith and trust in Jesus Christ, has brought my husband and me together and made us stronger and helped us appreciate the blessings that God has given us.

Judges 16 tells the story of Samson and Delilah. Samson, whose strength was greater than any man before, falls madly in love with Delilah and trusts her with his biggest secret. By telling her this secret, it led to his capture and his eventual death. The story illustrates that all our decisions have consequences for good or bad. God allowed Samson’s decision to follow its natural course and he suffered greatly for it. God does this in our lives today. Every decision will results in something. If we follow God’s plan and will, He will bless us but if we go against His plan and will, we will suffer the consequences of such a decision. We’re short on cash because we didn’t budget. We are having a fight with our loved ones because we decided to tell a secret or a lie. We worked hard at work and received a promotion. Bad decisions will yield bad results and good decisions will yield good results. Sometimes our situations are simply the results of past decisions.

Sometimes the events in our lives happen because of the fallen world we live in. Homes and businesses will be lost in a horrific storm. Certain weather patterns will form storms. There is no way to stop them or ease the damage they will cause. Earthquakes can occur at any moment and there is no way to predict them. We live in a fallen world and there is good and evil all around us. We can hope for the best but prepare for the worst. In life, there are no guarantees. There are no guarantees that everyone will live to see a ripe old age. God tells us in Job 14:5-7 that before we were even born, our days are numbered but God also tells us in Jeremiah 1:5 that before we were formed in the womb, He knew us and He has plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11). I believe that God has a plan when he took my babies back to Him. I may not fully understand why but I fully trust Him that He will reveal it to me in time.

In conclusion, I believe that everything happens for a reason. There is a season for everything. Decisions will yield good or bad results. This is a fallen world. My babies’ lives were cut short by our standards. But by God’s they lived as they were determined to. I realize now that if my first baby was born, my beautiful Abby wouldn’t be here now. I also realize that if Ziva had lived, I probably would not have started my blog and actively writing again. I don’t know the reasons why but I do know that God has a plan and I will trust Him with every breath. It may hurt to think that there’s a reason for everything but to me, something happening without a reason is even worst.