The Captain's Lady by Louise M. Gouge

My first impression upon picking up The Captain’s Lady by Louise M. Gouge was one of elegance. From the sophisticated cover, to the rich time period filled with elegant silks and powdered whigs, to the graceful writing style ringing of merry old England, everything about this novel bespoke culture and refinement. Steeple Hill Love Inspired Historicals are breaking out of the mold of prairie romances and westerns to explore interesting times and places that are sure to please. This book will easily hold its own among the finest historicals being produced today for the CBA market.

The novel opens in the exquisite London home of Lady Marianne Moberly, daughter of Lord Bennington, during the time of the American Revolution. When Captain Jamie Templeton returns from the colonies for a visit, she is sure they will find a way to marry and be together despite their class differences. However, Lady Marianne has no idea that Captain Templeton has actually been sent by revolutionary forces to spy on her father in hopes of gaining government secrets.

The Captain’s Lady offers adventure, romance, and intrigue. Amidst all of that, it is layered with rich subplots and well-rounded minor characters. The book is a spin off from Ms. Gouge’s first Love Inspired Historical, Love Thine Enemy. While it works well as a stand-alone novel, the reader can also feel the depth of understanding for the connections between the many characters, locations, and situations that comes from an author creating an entire world in which a long-running series can take place. Just beneath the surface of this adventurous romance, lies the sense of an ongoing family saga that provides additional power to the story.

The conflicts in this book are organic to the plot. The tension never feels contrived or forced. The plot itself is well paced and resolves beautifully while still leaving possibilities for future spin offs. In addition to all of these merits, the book has a lovely spiritual tone. The hero and heroine are both true heart-felt believers longing to serve God, yet pulled apart by divided loyalties. In the midst of this, they seek God’s plans day by day and find opportunities to reach out and bless others despite their own crises.

This book is not just for Steeple Hill readers. I think any lover of romances or historicals will enjoy it immensely. The quality of this book is unquestionable. I give it a very high recommendation. Louise M. Gouge has found a new fan.

My Songwriting Inspiration

Today I’d like to talk a little about the source of inspiration for writers. Nearly all writers like to think that their inspiration comes from some sort of mystical muse. For Christian authors, we hope that muse is the Holy Spirit whispering in our ears. With each of my books, I had that clear moment when I sensed Him speaking a theme, a premise, or even a plot line to my heart.

But never in my writing have I felt the Holy Spirit step down and take the reins like I have in the area of songwriting. Allow me to share the story. My husband produces Christian television programming for the Arabic speaking world. Almost two years ago now, he decided there was a real need for songs in English that would help Americans to understand more about Islam and the Muslim people. He searched for a musician to undertake the project, but every time he asked, the answer came back the same. “I just don’t know enough about the subject.”

Well, having lived with my husband for 14 years at that point, I knew a lot about the subject. I mean a whole lot--like could have earned an honorary doctorate in Islam lot. So finally I said, “I write poetry, and I can play a little piano. Maybe God would give me a song.”

A few days later a line popped into my head. “They cry peace, peace, but there is no peace.” Hmm. It sounded like the perfect cry for the Muslim people. And it sounded oddly scriptural, so I looked it up. I found it in Jeremiah 8:11. From there God began to fill my heart with stories of Muslim people and their struggles. I wanted Americans to understand the beautiful hearts of these people and to catch a glimpse of God’s love for them. I wrote the song over a few hours time. Then a sat down at the piano, and surprisingly, my very rusty fingers stumbled their way onto the tune in my head. I tried to transcribe it onto paper, but at that point my neglected skills failed me completely.

I played it for my husband, and he videotaped it. I almost forgot about the song. I knew one of his friends had sent it to a composer, but I was busy writing novels, and it was far from my mind. Until, one day I went to a conference with my husband in Europe, and he turned on the completed song in a room of about 200 people. I was moved to tears along with everyone else. When it was over, I couldn’t help but clap.

I felt like Balaam’s donkey.

I have no real musical ability. But my husband had a song in his heart, and the Holy Spirit birthed it through me. I was just an instrument. A conduit. A clay pitcher. I hardly felt involved in the process at all. Since then I’ve written four songs about Islam— each in under a day. And each has been turned by composers and musicians into a stirring, emotional work of beauty. Only the Holy Spirit can do a work like that.

Here is the first one titled, “A Cry for Peace.” You can learn more about the songs, the stories behind them, and where to purchase them at http://acryforpeace.com/



Click here for Song #2, Please See Me.

The Pastor's Wife by Jennifer AlLee

Today I'm pleased to bring to you The Pastor's Wife by my good friend and fellow Inkwell Inspirations blogger Jennifer AlLee. I was so excited when I received my advanced copy in the mail. It’s always fun to check-out books by my author friends, and as it turned out, this was my very first Inky novel. The cover caught my interest right away. It was beautiful and engaging, and I couldn’t wait to start reading. Once I delved inside, the book did not disappoint. This delightful warm-hearted contemporary romance was a joy to read and an encouragement to my spirit.

While a traditional romance in structure, this book breaks out of the mold by introducing us to a hero and heroine who are married, but have been separated for many years, allowing Jen to take a hard look at the nature of love and romance from a Godly perspective. The book was not all about tingles and emotions, although the attraction was apparent. Instead, the primary plot was about forgiveness, healing, and reconciliation. Add to that the complex roles and expectations placed upon a pastor and his spouse, and this novel stands out from the pack as unique.

Maura Sullivan arrives in Granger, Ohio with the intention to claim her inheritance and quickly high-tail it out of town, hopefully before running into her estranged husband, Nick Shepherd. But fate, or perhaps God in the form of an eccentric old lady, has other plans. Maura finds her husband headed to the same meeting and discovers their departed friend, Miss Hattie, has carefully devised her will to force them into one last chance at love. While Maura still has the option to run away, she finds the offer to good to refuse. She had hoped the inheritance would give her a new start at life, and decides to give Nick one last chance. She can handle a few months with her husband for the reward dangled before her.

Nick longs to reconcile, but Maura has hardened her defenses against him. She was too hurt by him and his church members last time around. Besides, she has a secret she knows they can never overcome. In her mind, saving their marriage is not an option. She will live with him only for the specified time, and then move into her own apartment over the theatre.

Maura faces many challenges reacquainting herself with the town, renovating her rundown theatre, and being forced to deal with her husband and his congregation once again. This book kept me turning pages right until the emotional ending.

I was captivated to discover that Maura’s inheritance was in fact an old theatre. I loved watching the transformation of the quaint building, as well as the inclusion of drama and the theatre world in this story. The theatre also served to demonstrate how each of us must serve God in our own unique roles and gifts. Maura may have failed as a pastor’s wife the first time around, but once released into her own calling, she was able to view the situation from a different perspective. I enjoyed the way Jen depicted this second time around at love. Maura and Nick did not fall into the same traps. This time they faced the situation with a new level of wisdom and maturity that all of us need when dealing with the complicated subject of romance.

This book is not only an enjoyable read, it is an important book as well. Each of us should take time to ponder the roles of our pastor’s and their spouses. We should give a moment to consider how we can better understand and support them. I applaud Jen for shedding light on this significant subject.

Bend Don’t Break

Last night I was watching the Winter X Games, and I witnessed the most horrifying accident. A trick skier on a half pipe flew up about fifteen feet, came down, hit the pipe, and cracked the middle of his back on the rail, face up, bending his spine at a 90 degree angle in the wrong direction. By all logic, it looked as if the blow broke his back. Except that this was a clip of a run earlier in the week. The guy was a little achy, but he competed and delivered an amazing performance. You see, this skier bent. He did not break.

I understand about people who bend and don’t break. I’m raising three of them. It’s my middle son who skateboards and does gymnastics and best proves this illustration. He back flips off small buildings, jumps from the top of twenty-foot-playground equipment just for the fun of it. I don’t know what blessing of genetics has given me three children with good flexible bones, but trust me, I am very grateful. I am well aware that some kids break bones simply by tripping and falling.

Watching that skier reminded me of something. When we face hard times in our lives, we can either bend or break. I’ve been seeing an overused motif recently in Christian fiction, and I see a common origin. I’ve read at least five books in the last two months with characters who start out bitter and broken because of some tragedy in their lives. They did not bend with the winds of adversity. They blamed God and turned away from him. Of course, as the book goes along, they come to trust God no matter what bad things God throws at them, but still I see something problematic here.

I know the majority of Christians look at tragedies and assume it must be "God's Will." I wasn't raised that way, and I'm thankful. I look at a tragedy and assume it is the result of evil and an active enemy in the world. That God only wants to love and protect and heal us through this situation.

I realize this sort of theology is complicated, and I know it requires some sort of balance, but I will say that due to the way I was raised, tragedy has ALWAYS pulled me closer to God, never farther away. I have never blamed him for anything bad in my life. I have only turned to him to solve it and thanked him for the good.

Honestly, reading so many characters recently who do blame God for the tragedy in their lives, I have to wonder if in fact poor theology has led to all of this brokenness. If the bones, the skeleton of our relationship with God is weak, then we’re bound to break.

I don’t really know why tragedies happen. I assume it’s all very complex. Yet in my childlike faith, I choose to believe that ultimately, God wants only good for us. I’m sure there are many factors that could contribute: sin, doubt, not hearing a warning from God, simple weariness, an active spiritual attack from the enemy. Perhaps it merely comes back to a world where God has provided choice and therefore a certain degree of randomness must scientifically accompany that reality. I see no need to search out fault or cast blame. We simply live in a fallen world, and not yet being perfected creatures, naturally bad things will happen.

But if we truly see and believe that God is on our side and wants only the best for us (really the best like a loving father, not like a twisted sadist) then it is so much easier to trust him to see us through it. This leads to what I see as the key factor in characters and lives that do not break.

Good perception.

In any tragedy we can focus on the blessings or the problems. Here’s a quote from my first novel, “Only remember this, Dandelion: happiness is not so much about our circumstances as it is about how we perceive those circumstances. The poorest, crippled beggar on the side of the road can have joy in his heart; and the richest, most influential man surrounded by people who love him can be caught in the throes of despair. You can’t choose your circumstances, but you can choose how you will face them.”

With a proper perception of God and of circumstances, we can maintain the intimacy with our loving father that we will need in order to receive the help and healing we so desperately crave.

So I vote for characters and lives that bend and don’t break. For belief systems based on a proper understanding of God’s truly good and loving nature. For a recognition of an active evil in this world bent on our destruction, but an awareness that we as believers can overcome the world.

John 16:33 (New International Version) "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Oh, and in case you were wondering, MaryLu Tyndall and Karen Hancock are two of the best inspirational authors for teaching excellent theology in their novels. In general, most of the books I recommend in the side bar come from a solid theological perspective and provide many fresh insights into the wonder and nature of God.

The Raven Saint by MaryLu Tyndall

MaryLu Tyndall has done it again. The Raven Saint is yet another awesome pirate romance. Fun and adventure on the high seas.

This is the third book of Mary Lu’s Charles Town Belles series. It features a whole different sort of heroine. Grace Westcott is as uptight and prudish as Hope was flighty and sin-ridden and Faith was proud and driven. What a study in contrasts. And as you may imagine, Grace has much to learn in order to overcome her judgmental and legalistic attitude if she is ever going to come to grips with her feelings for the roguish pirate with a heart of gold, Rafe Dubois.

The story opens as Rafe kidnaps Grace in order to sell her to a Spanish don in the Caribbean. Although we quickly come to suspect that Rafe may have some worthy motives hidden behind his abominable actions, Hope has no way of knowing this. The hero and heroine prove an entertaining and often comical contrast. As for Grace, she does her best to find God’s plan in this terrifying situation, and strives to evangelize the pirates around her, but her methods leave much to be desired. All this occurs in the first few chapters and sets the stage for a rollicking adventure.

As usual, MaryLu provides great characters, stunning backdrops, comedy, heart-stopping romance, and plenty of excitement along with strong spiritual messages. For this book she also offers a fun cast of minor characters including Nicole, the charitable prostitute, Father Alers, the backslidden pirate priest, and Annette, a mixed-race slave girl. Annette especially caught my attention. She is bitter from being rejected by both the whites and blacks. For this reason, she delves into ancient ritualistic religion, bringing an interesting dark spiritual contrast to this otherwise light and uplifting book and supplying unexpected scope and depth. I applaud MaryLu for tackling some tough subjects, as Grace is challenged at every turn to examine her motives, her heart, and the nature of true Christianity.

This book concludes the Charleston Belles series with a rousing happily-ever-after and the reunion of the seafaring sisters. If you love romance, history, and pirates, you simply must read it!

To see my review of Blue Enchantress go to: http://awesomeinspirationals.blogspot.com/2009/08/blue-enchantress-review.html

A Stray Drop of Blood by Roseanna White

A Stray Drop of Blood by Roseanna White is a novel of epic proportions that blew me away. It beautifully wove together rich history, complex characters, deep spiritual content, romance, and a mesmerizing story all in an edgy and artistic package. This book is reminiscent of the highly acclaimed Mark of the Lion trilogy by Francine Rivers, yet takes its own unique twists and turns through the Roman Empire and the lives of the early Christians.

Abigail is a dangerously beautiful Hebrew slave girl living in the days of Jesus and the early church. However, she is no typical slave. She is raised and educated as a daughter of the Visibullis house, until the son Jason, a Roman centurion returns home to Jerusalem. Jason has been lured into the sinful lifestyle of the Romans and sees Abigail as a possession to be taken at will.

The story quickly enters deep waters when Abigail struggles through the emotional turmoil of being forced into the bed of the young, handsome, and charming Jason Visibillus. She is torn between guilt, resentment, and her own very natural desires for this man who grows to love her. And this is only the beginning of the tale. Abigail will continue on through many trials, heartaches, journeys, and even a personal encounter with the crucifixion.

This story delves deep into sin and the psychological consequences it creates. The author does not shy away from the dark realities of life. Instead she juxtaposes this darkness with the light of Jesus and the power of His shed blood in a way that is almost palpable and that touched me to the core.

I loved the way author contrasted Greek and Roman philosophy and mythology with Hebrew theology. It has been a long time since I have found a novel this mentally stimulating.

While this is far from the standard genre romance, fans of romantic fiction will enjoy this book for its elaborate look at love in all its many and complicated facets. This story provides plenty of passion and the happily-ever-after romance readers desire.

A Stray Drop of Blood is an excellent example of the benefits of small press publishing. Roseanna was able to break many of the “rules” confining CBA fiction and create something unique, powerful, and memorable. In addition, this book is much longer than the standard CBA historical novel, allowing it the epic scope I so appreciated.

I could go on all day about the elements of this book that I adored. Suffice to say that I give it my highest possible recommendation. This is a story that will stay with me for many years to come.

What do you think about typical Christian books? Would you prefer to read edgier and more artistic Christian fiction?

The Country House Courtship by Linore Rose Burkard

I write this review from a different sort of perspective. Books by Linore Rose Burkard are often touted as, “Inspirational Romance for the Jane Austen soul.” Now if you love Jane Austen, chances are you’ve already discovered Linore and her wonderful books based on that glowing recommendation. But I must confess. It scared me away. I don’t hate Jane Austen. In fact, I love the Regency time period with its elegant fashions, English countryside, and London balls. I quite enjoy any movie based on a Jane Austen novel. And, I do think the books are worth reading for educational purposes. But…I feel like I’m slogging through the formal convoluted language every time I pick one up. I must admit, I have yet to make it to the end of a Jane Austen novel.

For me, pleasure reading they are not.

So it was with some trepidation that began the advanced copy of The Country House Courtship sent to me for this review. By the time I reached the second chapter, I was able to breathe a sigh of relief because I found myself enjoying the book enormously. The language rings of Jane Austen, yet is much friendlier to the modern reader. The omniscient viewpoint made me feel like I was sitting with a friend as they told me a tale and proved a pleasant change from the norm.

I’ve been steeping myself in Christian novels for the last two years. There are a lot of new stylistic rules Christian writers are supposed to follow. For the most part these rules are good, but after reading 50 or so, they become too predictable. By adopting the style of Jane Austen, Linore Rose Burkard offers a refreshing new voice to the CBA market.

Of course this also brings to mind the fact that I was recently taught at a novelist retreat that contemporary authors should never read the classics. Writing has continued developing and growing and has become stronger with time. Reading the classics will cause you to write in a way that is obsolete. Clearly the teacher who said this took an extreme attitude (and trust me, as a former literature instructor I gave him an earful), but he also had a point.

In The Country House Courtship Linore combines the best elements of Regency fiction with the best elements of contemporary writing to delightful effect. I would call these books “Jane Austen Lite,” and I mean that in the best sort of way. There is no slogging or trudging through this book. Readers can enjoy a wonderful Regency style novel that is friendly to a modern day audience.

Beatrice Forsythe is certain her older sister’s marriage to a wealthy member of the ton will secure her own prosperous future. She dreams of going to London for her first season and meeting a handsome man of good fortune. She insists that marriage should be undertaken for practical considerations until she runs into an old acquaintance, Mr. Peter O’Brien.

At age twelve, Beatrice had impetuously promised to marry Mr. O’Brien after her sister broke his heart. Now, she is faced with him once again at Mr. Mornay’s country manor, where he is applying to be the vicar. While she finds him undeniably attractive and honorable, she is more drawn to the fashionable and wealthy Mr. Barton, a new neighbor to Mr. Mornay. He is the sort of man she has always desired to wed.

The author provides plenty of interesting twists and turns as Beatrice must learn what truly matters in life. The book provides insight into human nature and relationships, as well as into man’s relationship with God.

So of course, I highly recommend this book to Jane Austen fans. However, I think anyone who enjoys romance or historical fiction will love this book as well. Great job, Linore. You’ve won me over to this style.

What about the rest of you? Do you love Jane Austen or does she scare you away? Do you have a favorite Jane Austen book or movie?