Welcome to my Book Review Blog. My goal is to connect readers with the wonderful and amazing books I am blessed to reveiw. And to introduce you to the talented and wonderful authors responsible for writing these books. May my love for books show through my reviews on this site.
Book: Long Live Love: Walking Out Freedom From Painful Generational Patterns
Author: Rena Roberts
Genre: Spiritual Memoir
Release Date: May 6, 2023
While utterly broken and at the end of herself, Rena Roberts broke free from spiritual bondage…and you can too.
In real life, victory over destructive generational patterns is rare. Psychologists have studied pathological family patterns for decades, trying to discover why they persist but to no avail. Part memoir, part psychological education and application, and part Christian living, Long Live Love is an invitation and opportunity for self-reflection and healing from family-of-origin issues.
Rena Roberts grew up in a profoundly dysfunctional home and set out to create a healthy, loving Christian family of her own. But when her daughter began to rebel in her late teens, Rena found herself stripped of her faith and everything she counted on from God. It was then that He began to radically transform her as she surrendered to His will and word, no matter what.
Rena’s approach to overcoming deep bondage and spiritual darkness will embolden others to go after freedom recklessly and bring the power of God’s supernatural love to their family line. This journey of freedom from generational jail is told in three sections: Longing, Living, and Loving. Each chapter ends with spiritual growth and reflection questions to examine the longings we have throughout our lives, how we try to live differently from our family of origin, and how we can truly love those we never thought we could.
About the Author
Rena Roberts grew up in poverty amongst a profoundly dysfunctional family. She muscled her way through college and a graduate degree in Psychology/Counseling. Rena became a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in 1998. She specialized in the treatment of eating disorders for twenty-five years. She has worked as a primary therapist at a residential treatment center, a clinical director of a day treatment center and in private practice over the course of her career. After homeschooling her three children and holding leadership positions in her local church, she underwent a spiritual crisis that ultimately led to the authorship of her first book, Long Live Love: Walking Out Freedom From Painful Generational Patterns. She now speaks by invitation to various women’s and youth groups sharing her life’s work and God’s work in her so far.
More from Rena
I wouldn’t say there’s anything fun about my book. It’s intense and raw and very real. It has been super fun to receive feedback from readers! They love it. They are inspired by it. They all thank me for writing such a vulnerable book. They love the reflections questions..I think my chapters on forgiveness are most inspiring to my readers and some have applied the practices I encourage and report to me that it has been life changing, saved their marriages, etc. That’s super fun!
I also realized that I love to write and that I am a writer. I did not know that prior to this project. I hope you enjoy it. I look forward to your thoughts.
Haunted by tragedies and failures, Anargen and Jason each struggle to find their way. Night has fallen in the Lowlands and neither teen has an easy road ahead. In Anargen’s Era, Monarch Ilyron’s powers and influence grow, forcing Anargen and his dwindling list of allies to travel the length of the Lowlands in a desperate attempt to keep the Quest and all they hold dear from falling into ruin.
Jason meanwhile must find Aria and her grandfather to help unite the Knights of Light from across the Lowlands against his brother, Dorian. But agents of darkness and painful vestiges of his past mix with vindictive new enemies to make the hope of seeing the dawn of the longed-for King’s Day ever so faint. If either teen gives in and surrenders, doom will come swiftly on their world.
And now enjoy these interesting questions and answers with Author Brett Armstrong
1.Do you like music or silence when you write?
Answer: I like writing in both. Sometimes I need music to help put me in a creative mood, though most often music doesn’t immediately inspire me as I’m writing the literal words, so much as inspire the tone or evoke a theme for me that I later write into a passage. In particular, any time I hear “Lament for Father”, the theme music for Quest of Fire, I’m transported to the Lowlands and feel ready to traverse more of its moors and mountains.
That being said, quiet is probably the most conducive for me to be productive. When I’m alone and have a day off from work I can write thousands of words without feeling any pain for pressure. Those occasions are few and far between though so over the years I’ve gotten used to writing when I can in whatever circumstances I can. Writing time is a gift so I treasure any of it I get.
2. How did you go about developing the setting(s) for this story?
Answer: For Anargen’s era I knew the group would be nursing its wounds from what happened in Shadows at Nightfall, so I always imagined they would be moving kind of slowly, sticking to smaller towns while they tried to grapple with what they’d all just endured. So, that’s where Resurgence of Dawn opens for that era’s story arc. I also knew the group needed to reach Kirke, the grand capital city of Anargen’s homeland, but they again wouldn’t be strolling in. The dark forces of the world bore down on them all the harder during their weak moments, so I wanted settings that reflected that brokenness and despair.
In a lot of ways, Jason’s story in the Modern Era took on the opposite quality. Whereas Anargen’s was intensely zoomed in to him and those closest to him, Jason’s story has him traversing two thirds of the Lowland’s expanse by the story’s end. Some of the settings were meant to show how the locations in common between the two eras have changed. Others were meant to give a taste of the diverse collection of nations at play in Jason’s story, because the Lowlands in his era is heading towards a war that will shake every nation. Since it’s also Cinaed the Storyteller’s intention to bring the Defenders of all the Realms together to try to stop that war before it ravages the Lowlands, readers really needed to get that first sense of how big and bold that ambition will prove to be.
I’ve hinted for years that the Lowlands are so much bigger than readers have seen to this point and world-building is enormously important to me. This is the book that finally pulls back the curtain and lets readers see just how deep and expansive the story world will be.
3. Which character was most challenging to create? Why?
I think the most challenging character to handle well in this book is one who only appears briefly. I can’t really give too many spoilers about his role and what he does, but I’ve alluded in other books to elves being a “species” of the Lowlands. Like most of the creatures/species/races in Quest of Fire, my take on them isn’t exactly the same as what’s most commonly depicted in current fantasy. Which makes it tricky, because there are reader expectations. And when you start to consider all the myriads of portrayals and expectations people have for elves and what they’re intended to symbolize in Quest of Fire, it took a lot of care. Add to that the very limited space he’s appearing in and it made including him a little bit daunting. But I think, especially for the importance of elves to the final books, it was worthwhile.
4. Your favorite thing about writing?
It’s hard to describe. When I’m writing a story, it’s a lot like how I feel when I’m reading a book and then re-read it multiple times. Seeing the story come together and then with each new scene, understanding how it all blends and links together to fill in all the spaces more and more clearly is so rewarding. Likewise, I’m a huge fan of foreshadowing and depicting an arc or theme through parallelism across the story and its motifs. It’s that sense of pieces fitting into place and making sense and creating something more beautiful and compelling than any one piece on its own that really gets me. Which is one reason I love Scripture and how you can see the expanse of God’s work with mankind weaving together through the Old Testament threads and coming together in a tapestry that ultimately depicts Christ and then the way all those threads from Genesis to Revelation culminate in the most incredible story one could ever read. Any time I reflect that kind of storytelling in my writing, I feel like I’m being a faithful servant and useful instrument for my Creator.
5. Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones? Do reviews influence your writing?
I know a lot of authors advise against it, but I do read all of the reviews for each book. At least the ones I’ve come across. I understand why some authors don’t read them, but for my part I feel like it’s pretty important to get a sense of how others perceive the story. Some reviews you can just tell it wasn’t someone the book was ever going to appeal to no matter how well written, but others have useful insights. I kind of apply the same rule of thumb to reviews as I do to critiques in writing workshops, source all the comments but then find the consistent points across them and those are things that likely did work well or that could use some fine tuning. Shadows at Nightfall got really positive comments around the creativity of the battle scenes present in the book, but I also got some criticism around how many battle scenes appeared in the book overall. I took that to heart and tried to be extra conscious as the story unfolded in Resurgence of Dawn to not fixate on the battle portions and to use them more sparingly. So, I read them and try to improve however I can, though ultimately every story is a journey and my prayer is always that ultimately it is the Lord Who is leading me. Thank you Brett for answering these questions for us. As for me, I’m not a fantasy or SciFi reader, but many in my family are. Reading the info here about this new book, I can see where it will be a favorite of those who write it. So go out and check on this book. It just might be your next read.
About the Author
Brett Armstrong has been exploring other worlds as a writer since age nine. Years later, he still writes, but now invites others along on his excursions. He’s shown readers haunting, deep historical fiction (Destitutio Quod Remissio), scary-real dystopian sci-fi (Day Moon and Veiled Sun), and dark, sweeping epic fantasy (Quest of Fire). Every story is a journey of discovery and an attempt to be a brush in the Master Artist’s hand. Through dark, despair, light, joy, and everything in between, the end is always meant to leave his fellow literary explorers with wonder and hope. Always busy with a new story, he also enjoys drawing, gardening, and spending time with his wife and son.
More from Brett
Resurgence of Dawn takes the main characters, Anargen and Jason, and those they care deepest about through some intense trials. Everything seems to be falling apart around them and each character has a mountain of guilt weighing down on top of them. They know that their mistakes in Shadows at Nightfall enabled the forces of darkness to advance their evil campaign. The lives of others they cared about were lost or endangered and the Quest is overlooking the precipice of failure and ruin. They have repented of their errors and turned back onto the path of light but these consequences still haunt them. And in that haunting lies a continuingly heinous fear that they will falter again. Things are only complicated further when trusted allies abandon and betray them.
Epic fantasy stories are often filled with darkness, but the best of these stories show that the light is never so far away as we imagine. When I write the entries in this series, I’m acutely aware that in our world too it seems as if darkness is winning the war. It’s my sincere hope that as readers encounter the perseverance and surrender to the High King’s will that Anargen, Jason, and so many other characters choose to pursue, they will be encouraged to do the same in our world. I have watched friends fall away from the faith, been buffeted by the storms of life, and been battered by the continual assault on my faith that come from living in our fallen world. I know others have endured the same and often far worse. So, if these stories of Knights and valor and steadfastness as the world crumbles can encourage one person to pursue the Light and hold fast to the Way, the Truth, and the Life; then every hour spent in dreaming and drafting and agonizing over edits is worth it to me. Stories can and should entertain, but they should also inspire and encourage readers to face the real world when the story ends. All the more, because “the night is far gone; the day is at hand.” *
To celebrate his tour, Brett is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card, copy of Resurgence of Dawn, and digital extras (exclusive map and music)!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
Could a captivating art exhibit hold the key to truth—and love?
Budding artist May Parker is captivated by the Japanese exhibits at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition and longs to know more about her mother’s heritage—which her mother refuses to speak of because of the heartache she left behind in Japan. Wanting to experience more of the exhibits, May works as a Camera Girl–but her curiosity leads her into danger when a suit of samurai armor becomes the target of an elusive art forger.
After ten years apart, May is reunited with her childhood friend Lee Munro, a police detective assigned to keep a watchful eye on the exposition. Their friendship immediately begins to blossom with hints of something more, but when they become entangled in a dangerous heist involving the samurai armor and their love is threatened, can they overcome the odds against them?
About the Author
Tracie Peterson is the bestselling author of more than 100 novels, both historical and contemporary, with more than 6 million copies sold. She has won the ACFW Lifetime Achievement Award and the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. Her avid research resonates in her many bestselling series. Tracie and her family make their home in Montana.
More from Tracie
Knowing You is book three in the Pictures of the Heart series. This series has proven to be a lot of fun for readers, as well as for me. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the research and chance to share this tidbit of history.
In the summer of 1909, Seattle was finally able to debut The Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition – often affectionately called the AYP. The AYP was set up with amusement park rides, vendors, concerts, and all things typical of a fair. It was also designed to showcase various details about life in Alaska, the Yukon, and a variety of Pacific Islands. The latter included Hawaii, the Philippines, and Japan as well as others. When I started looking into the various displays, I came across the building they put together for the Japan Building. They spoke of the various displays that the building held and how photographs and other pieces of memorabilia told of Japan’s history. It was a fascinating set up and I couldn’t help but think it might be fun to have a heroine who was part Japanese.
I mapped out the story studying various aspects of Japanese history, talking to folks who knew more than I did on the topic and reading (a lot) on things like the Samurai and their armor, the Satsuma Rebellion, and the language and Kanji. I learned so much and tried to weave some of the most interesting bits into the storyline. I kept thinking about the fact that most people in the United States in 1909 probably didn’t even know where Japan was, much less anything about their history. There was, after all, no Internet.
Another fascinating thing about the AYP was the fact that it was set on the campus of the University of Washington. The AYP groomed the grounds and put in beautiful fountains and over 50,000 flowering plants. They built several permanent buildings for the University of Washington and strictly adhered to their policy of no-liquor on campus. This was unusual because all the other fairs and expositions had allowed alcohol. Nevertheless, from June until October the fair saw nearly four million visitors, and from all reports, they had an amazing time.
I hope you’ll enjoy your journey with me to the AYP!
To celebrate her tour, Tracie is giving away the grand prize package of a $20 Amazon gift card and one paperback set of the Pictures of the Heart series (Remember Me, Finding Us, Knowing You)!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
Please scroll down for the review for BOOK 2: TWIN POWER: THE BEST SNOW DAY EVER
Join us for this tour from Nov 20 to Dec 15, 2023!
Book Details:
Book Title: TWIN POWER by Ben and Kiyanda Young Category: Children’s Fiction (Ages 3-7), 30-38 pages Genre: Children’s Book Publisher: Twizzler Bees Entertainment Release date: June, 2021 Format available for review: print-softback (USA only), ebook (PDF) Will send print books out: USA Tour dates: Nov 20 to Dec 15, 2023 Content Rating: G. This children’s book is for everyone.
Book Description: Sebastian and Simone are not just brother and sister. They are twins! They show little readers some cool things they can accomplish because of their Twin Power.
Join them in their adventures to see how Twin Power and working together make being twins super fun … and convenient.
The stories and adventures that the twins experience will show all children how to use teamwork to accomplish tasks. Through a series of activities included at the back of each book, little readers will practice memorization, counting, and matching while having fun coloring.
Twin Power Books are products of Twizzler Bees Entertainment LLC. Sign up for our newsletter and find more fun and educational activities at www.twinpowerbooks.com and feel free to reach out with questions or comments at info@twinpowerbooks.com.
Book Title: TWIN POWER: THE BEST SNOW DAY EVER by Ben and Kiyanda Young Category: Children’s Fiction (Ages 3-7), 30-38 pages Genre: Children’s Book Publisher: Twizzler Bees Entertainment Release date: October, 2021 Format available for review: print-softback (USA only), ebook (PDF) Will send print books out: USA Tour dates: Nov 20 to Dec 15, 2023 Content Rating: G. This children’s book is for everyone.
MY RATING: Five Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Book Description:
Sebastian and Simone are not just brother and sister. They are twins!
They show little readers some cool things they can accomplish because of their Twin Power.
Join them in their adventure, The Best Snow Day Ever as they learn to use their Twin Power to have winter fun with some neighborhood children. From a snowball battle to making a snowman, working together makes being twins super fun … and convenient.
The Best Snow Day Ever is the second in a series of Twin Power Books starring fraternal twins named Simone and Sebastian. The twins learn how to work together and teach little readers about what it means to be a twin and a best friend.
The stories and adventures that the twins experience will show all children how to use teamwork to accomplish tasks. Through a series of activities included at the back of each book, little readers will practice memorization, counting, and writing while having fun coloring.
TWIN POWER: THE BEST SNOW DAY EVER by Ben and Kiyanda Young is the fantastic second book in the Twin Power series. Simone and Sebastian are twins that love playing in the snow. They love the snow so much, and they are thrilled other boys and girls from the neighborhood want to throw snowballs with them. But the other kids were bigger than Simone and Sebastian and they begin to feel overpowered.
This is a sweet addition to the Twin Power series. The story is full of excitement, as well as having some valuable lessons for little ones. It’s fun to see how the twins use their situation to better themselves. As with the first book, Illustrators Imre Papp creates the cutest illustrations for this book. The colors are bright and vibrant, capturing the little ones attention immediately. I love love the faces Papp created. The children’s expressions are sometimes hilarious, and alway cute as ever. The pictures go so well with the words of the story. This is an adorable book that will be wonderful for any elementary classroom or day care, especially where their are twins. I’m giving this book Five Stars.
A special thanks to the author/publisher for a copy of this book. I am not required to write a positive review, the opinions here are mine alone. I am disclosing this with my review in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
Meet the Authors:
Ben and Kiyanda Young are the proud parents of an amazing set of fraternal twins, Zara and Owen. As parents, they promote individuality among their children while encouraging their twins to support and rely on one another. The special bond between Zara and Owen is what inspired the Youngs to write Twin Power, the first in a series of award-winning books highlighting the unique relationship that twins share. In addition to being Zara and Owen’s parents, Ben is a gastroenterologist and Kiyanda is a surgeon, both with medical practices in Virginia.
Join us for this tour from Nov 20 to Dec 15, 2023!
Book Details:
Book Title: TWIN POWER by Ben and Kiyanda Young Category: Children’s Fiction (Ages 3-7), 30-38 pages Genre: Children’s Book Publisher: Twizzler Bees Entertainment Release date: June, 2021 Format available for review: print-softback (USA only), ebook (PDF) Will send print books out: USA Tour dates: Nov 20 to Dec 15, 2023 Content Rating: G. This children’s book is for everyone.
Book Description: Sebastian and Simone are not just brother and sister. They are twins! They show little readers some cool things they can accomplish because of their Twin Power.
Join them in their adventures to see how Twin Power and working together make being twins super fun … and convenient.
The stories and adventures that the twins experience will show all children how to use teamwork to accomplish tasks. Through a series of activities included at the back of each book, little readers will practice memorization, counting, and matching while having fun coloring.
Twin Power Books are products of Twizzler Bees Entertainment LLC. Sign up for our newsletter and find more fun and educational activities at www.twinpowerbooks.com and feel free to reach out with questions or comments at info@twinpowerbooks.com.
TWIN POWER by Ben and Kiyanda Young is an adorable book about Sebastian and Simone and teaches children about children who are twins. The book is fun and full of life as we follow the twins on their adventures. And one thing about twins, they learn to do things together, and they show their friends and classmates how they csn do things faster together. Your child will also learn the good and not so good things that twins deal with, but mostly it is good. It would be fun to have a twin. Someone you grow up with, and are alike in so many ways.
I think this would be a fabulous book for any classroom or children’s library, and it would be wonderful for any elementary library. I’m giving this one Four Stars.
A special thanks to the author/publisher for a copy of this book. I am not required to write a positive review, the opinions here are mine alone. I am disclosing this with my review in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
Also Available for Review:
Book Details:
Book Title: TWIN POWER: THE BEST SNOW DAY EVER by Ben and Kiyanda Young Category: Children’s Fiction (Ages 3-7), 30-38 pages Genre: Children’s Book Publisher: Twizzler Bees Entertainment Release date: October, 2021 Format available for review: print-softback (USA only), ebook (PDF) Will send print books out: USA Tour dates: Nov 20 to Dec 15, 2023 Content Rating: G. This children’s book is for everyone.
Book Description:
Sebastian and Simone are not just brother and sister. They are twins!
They show little readers some cool things they can accomplish because of their Twin Power.
Join them in their adventure, The Best Snow Day Ever as they learn to use their Twin Power to have winter fun with some neighborhood children. From a snowball battle to making a snowman, working together makes being twins super fun … and convenient.
The Best Snow Day Ever is the second in a series of Twin Power Books starring fraternal twins named Simone and Sebastian. The twins learn how to work together and teach little readers about what it means to be a twin and a best friend.
The stories and adventures that the twins experience will show all children how to use teamwork to accomplish tasks. Through a series of activities included at the back of each book, little readers will practice memorization, counting, and writing while having fun coloring.
Ben and Kiyanda Young are the proud parents of an amazing set of fraternal twins, Zara and Owen. As parents, they promote individuality among their children while encouraging their twins to support and rely on one another. The special bond between Zara and Owen is what inspired the Youngs to write Twin Power, the first in a series of award-winning books highlighting the unique relationship that twins share. In addition to being Zara and Owen’s parents, Ben is a gastroenterologist and Kiyanda is a surgeon, both with medical practices in Virginia.
Lorelei Collins possesses a soft heart for any animal in need, so when she finds a buffalo calf bawling beside its mother’s lifeless body, she can’t help but bring it home to raise on the ranch she and her sisters are building in the Rocky Mountain wilderness. Little does she realize that its white coloring is rare and considered sacred by Native Americans, which makes it highly valuable to them and the European trappers alike.
A flood of men visit their ranch to regard the marvel, some trying to woo Lorelei into marriage so she’ll bring the buffalo calf along as dowry, and others trying to steal the calf outright. When the men’s advances become more sinister, she approaches Tanner Mason, the quiet and mysterious owner of the new trading post, with an idea: She and the calf will move to his post, along with her family’s trusted Blackfoot friend. This will solve both their problems, bringing customers to his trade room and protecting her family from the trouble brought on by so many strangers. Yet as the danger travels with her, Lorelei and Tanner are faced with a threat greater than anything they’re prepared for–one that will test the limits of both their abilities and the love growing between them.
USA Today bestselling author Misty M. Beller delivers an exhilarating addition to the Sisters of the Rockies series fraught with peril, adventure, and romance amid the majesty of the Rocky Mountains.
Misty M. Beller is a USA Today bestselling author of romantic mountain stories, set on the 1800s frontier and woven with the truth of God’s love.
Raised on a farm and surrounded by family, Misty developed her love for horses, history, and adventure. These days, her husband and children provide fresh adventure every day, keeping her both grounded and crazy.
Misty’s passion is to create inspiring Christian fiction infused with the grandeur of the mountains, writing historical romance that displays God’s abundant love through the twists and turns in the lives of her characters.
Sharing her stories with readers is a dream come true for Misty. She writes from her country home in South Carolina and escapes to the mountains any chance she gets.
More from Misty
My latest release, Rocky Mountain Promise, follows the four Collins sisters who traveled west to accomplish their father’s deathbed request, and stayed on to run a ranch in the Wyoming Rockies. This particular book is Lorelei’s story, the third sister by age.
I loved writing Lorelei! She LOVES animals and has a heart to heal and nurture. Growing up on a ranch in the early 1800s, she understands that animals are important to survival, but she loves taking in any injured or orphaned creature she finds.
Like the orphaned buffalo calf with beautiful shades of white fur she discovered on the plains. The creature was only a couple weeks old, far too young to survive on its own in the wild, so she took it home to nurture until it could be released back into a herd.
Little did she know, white buffalos are extremely rare and considered sacred by the Indians, which puts them in high demand. I first learned about this belief when I was reading the non-fiction book My Life as an Indian, a memoir of James Willard Schultz, a white man who married into the Blackfoot tribe and lived among them for many years.
The respect for the white buffalo originally began with the Sioux, and they have a legend about the White Buffalo Woman that I won’t take time to share here (though you can read about it in Rocky Mountain Promise!). The deep respect for a white buffalo spread quickly among all the tribes and the trappers who lived in the Rockies and the surrounding plains, and such a creature (or even its hide) became one of the most sought after treasures in that day!
In Lorelei’s story, trapper and Indian alike show up in their cabin yard to see the remarkable white calf, some trying to woo her into marriage so she’ll bring the buffalo calf along as dowry. Others try to steal the calf outright. She ends up taking drastic measures to protect both the calf and her family. Any guess what she did?
I pray you love Rocky Mountain Promise as much as I do!
splashesofjoy 