LiteraryScape: Book Club

Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels.

Matthew 7:1-5- “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment, you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but don’t notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is a log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

I love reading the words Jesus spoke. They are filled with wisdom and push us to take a hard look at the state of our own heart. His words cautioning us to not pass judgement on others are easier said than done for us.

I can imagine I am not the only one who struggles with making assumptions and quickly passing judgement. Even with the simplest thing like, “I can’t believe she wore that outfit to a church event.” Oh yeah, I’ve been guilty of that thought many times in my life.

In this week’s book club discussion of Kathleen Ball’s novella, The Settlers: Juan, we meet Sonia. She is a young woman who is battered and bruised by the judgement of others. One mistake in her young life left her abandoned and barely surviving.

While reading this story, I was saddened by the lack of grace and abundance of judgement and condemnation that towns people had for Sonia. It brought me right back to Matthew 7:1-5. God reminded me again how only He has the right to judge and condemn, because only He is holy and blameless.

It is easy to become trapped in the same mindset of the Pharisees; looking down on others who have sinned without seeing our own. Honestly, Jesus’s words paint a rather ridiculous picture of how we must look sometimes. I mean just picture us with giant planks sticking out as we try to wipe a speck of dust from our friend’s eye. Who by the way is standing there thinking ‘Seriously, can they not see the big blaring sin with red blinking lights right in front of their nose?’

Okay, now that we’ve all had a laugh at ourselves, let’s get to the tough stuff. It’s time we lay our judgements down and treat others the way God treats us, with grace, love, and mercy.

I’ll leave you with this final thought, the closer we draw to God, the more we reflect Him, the easier it is to lay down our judgment of others.

In this episode Tiffanie, Jamie and Melissa discuss the first book in Kathleen Ball’s novella series, The Settlers, titled Greg. We do want to make all our listeners aware the not all of Kathleen’s books are historical Christian romance. She does write secular romance as well, so be sure to check their genre before you start reading. This series however is part of her historical Christian romance genre.

Greg comes from such an amazing and unique family. He along with all his siblings are orphans that Mr. and Mrs. Settler have adopted. It makes for quite an interesting mix, especially as they continue to not only adopt more, but have children of their own. Goodness, gracious it’s a lot of mouths to feed!

Greg attempts to strike out on his own by trying his hand at mining gold. He ends up being shot at on day one and is rescued by his lady love, Mercy. You’ll fall in love with Mercy. She’s smart, tough, and such an innocent.

With this being a novella, it makes for a short story however Kathleen keeps you hooked from beginning to end. The danger and suspense around the gold mine mounts and you wonder if Greg and Mercy will make it out alive. Even then the threat to their lives follows them.

LiteraryScape gives The Settlers: Greg novella 2.75 lassos out of 3. We are sure you will be hooked by this sweet, fast paced love story.

Adventure Level = A Mocha

Mystery Level = An Espresso

Romance Level = An Espresso

(Rating Scale: Espresso= A Little, Mocha = A Medium Amount, Latte = A Lot)

Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels.

Today’s inspirational moment is a little different. This past week I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with author Julie Lessman about her newest book A Dare and A Prayer. If you ever get a chance to meet Julie you will soon discover she is an amazing woman of God filled with her own inspirational stories, which she packs into her novels. I’m sure you’ll walk away inspired by her interview.

Before we jump into the interview, I just wanted to take a moment to remind everyone that both Julie and I will be donating to two great anti-human trafficking groups with every copy of A Dare and a Prayer that is sold. Julie will be donating a portion of her book sales proceeds to Project Eden. I will be donating a dollar for every copy of A Dare and Prayer sold in October to Destiny Rescue. So be sure to get your copy before midnight tomorrow October 31, 2023.

Now let’s dig into this inspirational interview with award-winning author Julie Lessman!

What was your hope or desire for your readers as you worked on A Dare and a Prayer?

Wow, without question, it was the theme of trafficking, child trafficking. I didn't really expect to go there. I mean, this is a romance. And the hero is kind of a funny character. So, I mean, it's kind of a lighthearted book. I was actually God that told me I had to do it. I was not even contemplating doing a serious subject like that.

But I was in the middle of writing a scene. I mean, I was a good part of the way through the book. And all of a sudden, you know, in the scene where this little girl is supposed to run, you know, she's run through the streets, and she just runs into Henry’s legs. I was only going to put that in there to show how he picks her up and what a tender heart he has.

But when I was writing it, it's like, all of a sudden, my mind's eye, I saw this evil looking guy chasing this little girl. And I felt like God said, this is your theme. It's going to be child trafficking. And I'm going, this is World War II. I mean, I know it's prevalent today, okay? But I didn't think it was back then. And the other thing was it's a Japanese internment camp. And in my head, I thought Japanese were always very family oriented, very noble.

And so, I kind of bucked and thought, gee, a romance with a child trafficking theme, that doesn't sound like it's going to fly. But he would not let me go. I had to do it. And then while I was writing the book, I saw Sound of Freedom. I don't know if you've seen that movie or not.

It's Jim Caviezel and it was actually finished like five or six years ago. But Disney owned rights to it and would not release it and they did that on purpose. They didn't want to release it and Hollywood pretty much closed the door in these people's faces. So, they went into crowdfunding and they got it out on their own.

And wow, I think it's made well over 200 million by now. And it's just a powerful movie. And that really impacted me because, you know, I mean, Melissa, we hear about child trafficking for a couple of years now we've heard about it, you know, but you hear so much that you almost become numb to it. You don't think about it. And that movie brought it front and center again.

And that was like a confirmation to me that what I was doing was right. After I saw that movie, I went, yes, this is what He wants me to do. So back to your question, I wanted to jolt people and make them aware that this is just a heinous tragedy that's going on and it's really prevalent. And it was prevalent in World War II. It's been going on for centuries, okay, but it's really coming to the foreground now.

I think I did shine some light on it because I had a number of people say to me, you know I didn't really focus on this until this book. They said it was difficult to read but they thought I did a decent job. So, I mean, you know, that's kind of what I was hoping to accomplish. I think I did to a degree.

How have your readers received Henry's story?

I think mostly well, you know. I have a 4.7 rating on Amazon with 62 reviews and a 4.7 on Goodreads, which is hard to do. Usually, the Goodreads number is much lower because people, they feel like they can be more honest on Goodreads however I got 4.7 on both of them. So, I'm really, really thrilled about that.

You know, I was worried in the beginning because a lot of my diehard bloggers that review my books, a couple of them that have never given me a four star in my life, I mean they've read every one of my books and given me a five star, gave me four stars and I started seeing that and I thought, hmm, I wonder what that's all about. So anyway, but I think that seems to have changed now, it looks like the five stars are really rolling in a lot more so, I'm grateful.

So, I also am really curious because I love all of your books on the O'Connor family. Will there be more for the O'Connor family? Or do you feel like this is going to be it?

Oh no, no. Well, when I went into the Cousins O'Connor, my whole concept was, now there are 28 cousins. So obviously I'm not going to do them all, but the ones that we know. Like we knew Henry and Hope, okay, I mean, we were exposed to them, you know. Then of course, Collin and Faith’s, three girls. Then even Lizzie and Brady's first three, okay, I'm kind of thinking, I mean, I know that I will do Collin and Faith.I love Luke and, but they've got eight kids.

So, I'll probably do the first three of each of them. And I'm trying to do it in chronological order. Because like, for instance, Henry and Hope, you got to see in these books, you got to see Winnie and Julia, which are the two younger sisters and I just don't, I'm not crazy about Winnie. And I have to be.

I'm an emotional writer, Melissa. I have to be passionate about what I'm writing. And if I just kind of feel a little hum about it, I don't want to go there. So, I'm not sure. Maybe I'll do Julia and Winnie next, or maybe I'll just move to Faith and Colin. There's lots of O'Conners down the road here coming. And especially with the Christmas novellas.

I have two more to do. I have to do Stephen and Annie and I have to do Gabe and Alex. Then, what I'm going to do is in the next couple of years, I'm going to get them in there and then I'm going to do one final Marcie and Patrick Christmas novella. I'm going to put them all together in an anthology. It'll be the O'Connor Christmas anthology and you'll have a Christmas story for each of the couples and it'll end with Marcy and Patrick.

Can you give us a little insight then, you kind of already did actually a little bit, on what your next book might be for your readers.

Well, actually, this is going to surprise you, I think. I have never been at a point in my 15 years of writing where I didn't know what I was going to write next. I have always known, because my books are such that I can springboard. I get to love somebody in a book, and then I want to do a book on them. And that's kind of what it's been all along. But I'm stymied.

I told my husband, I actually kind of went into a little mini depression, not depression, but I mean a malaise because I go gosh, Keith, I, for the first time in my life in 15 years, I don't know what to write next, because I have to have passion.

My Silver Lining Ranch series, has a final book in it that I just am dragging my feet on. I've already got the story. It's The last sister and she's kind of a tomboy. And you read all those, so you know the twins. I was going to bring both of them back for Dash, the brother, and then the young tomboy sister, and just do one story with them. But I'm just not motivated. So, I don't know about that.

And the other thing I was thinking of is I kind of... a long time ago, I came up with this idea about doing a story in Charleston, South Carolina, right after the Civil War. It's going to be this woman who is, she's very classy, kind of a lot like, have you read my Heart of San Francisco series? Okay, Caitlin. She was just a very kind, loving, mature, beautiful person. Older, you know. I'm thinking of doing that with a woman who is the head mistress of the top school for girls on the East Coast. Because back right after the Civil War, there was a lot of that in Cha

Welcome, everyone. I am so excited to have Jodi Basye here with us. We just completed some episodes on her Cross Family Saga, and it's just an honor to have her on our show. We love to hear the behind the scenes of the books that we read. So, I would love to know what your inspiration was for the Cross Family Saga.

Well, it all started with Redeeming the Prodigal. And that was actually my debut novel. I had that story on my heart for years. I mean, like 20 years, probably total. Just, I had this image of this character. I had Jo in my mind and her at that, kind of where you see her at her lowest point, where she'd been cast out from the brothel and from where she was in the street. And I just had this, I don't know, story laid on my heart of the picture of redemption. And I wasn't sure where the story was going to go and I actually didn't have it initially planned out as a series, as a family saga.

So, it doesn't always read as much like you're going somewhere, because I hadn't really planned it that way. But later I realized I wanted to go further with sharing multiple redemption stories. But with Redeeming the Prodigal, my inspiration kind of became, I realized that so many, in Christian fiction, you know, your readership really is Christians.

So that salvation message is good, and it can be a good reminder. But that's not always what we need to hear. I had a time in my life where I really needed the message that even though I had grown up in church, even though I had been saved since I was a child that I had screwed up royally and I felt like well, almost like I don't get that redemption. Not that I lost my salvation, but the like I lost my usefulness to God.

I had to learn that I'm still continually being redeemed. All hope wasn't lost. And so that's where her story inspiration kind of played in. And then from there, I was like, I'm going to show different avenues of what you could be redeemed from pictures of redemption.

Who is your favorite leading lady in this series?

Oh, goodness. Oh, that's so hard for me. Especially now that I've wrapped up the last book that you guys even haven't seen yet. I think in some ways it's Jo, just that stubborn tenacity. And I like that about her. I like the, she's a little different.

Elaine completely surprised me. I did not expect her to become who she was. I really viewed her like Jo did when I started writing. And it was once she came alive on the page, I realized, a whole different character there that I didn't know we would be dealing with. And so, she kind of stole my heart a little bit in seeing a different side of her as the book came through.

And then Essie is my latest in redeeming the shackled and I really liked Essie. She is a very unique character. And so I don't know, I would have a really hard time picking, I really would.

Who would be your favorite hero of the series?

I like them all in their own way, of course, but probably Gideon. I like, the rough mountain man, doesn't always say the right thing, you know, kind of grumbly, but just has a big heart. I guess he would probably still be my favorite.

Okay, so speaking of your newest one, can you give us a little insight into Redeeming the Shackled because that one comes out October 30th, right?

Yeah, it'll be out by October 30th. I'm really, really excited about it. I don't want to give too much away about it, but you've got Jimmy, who you asked about, if he was going to show up, because we meet Gideon's brother Jimmy in Redeeming the Outlaw, just briefly. You don't get to see a lot of him, but he's our hero in Redeeming the Shackled, and Essie.

I don't know if you remember her in Redeeming the Outlaw, when Mary goes to visit Charlie, there's the girl who kind of showed her around and has been sitting with Charlie, and that's who Essie is, and she's our leading lady. And it's just a... It's a wild ride, and it was a wild ride to write, for sure.

It's a kind of a dual struggle with the redemption for both characters. And there's a major element of spiritual warfare in this one, and struggle with addiction, and there's just a lot going on that's going to be very different, but I really felt like it was things that aren't always talked about as much in Christian fiction.

It goes back to that grit that you had mentioned. What I wanted to show with this series was grit and grace. These are the real things, and that Christians sometimes have a tendency to not want to dig into, not want to see, and, but it's there, and we need to deal with it.

I allowed the grit in this series and some of the darker moments, because I feel like it's like an artist or a sculptor. There's an art terminology that I cannot remember that they use where you want the darkest darks so that it will, highlight the lights. And I wanted to go ahead and show the darkest point in these people's lives to highlight God's grace and allow God's grace to shine.

And so...this one's a double whammy with the two characters and what they're going through. But I really, really feel like it's a satisfactory end to the series and it kind of brings together a lot of, there was some things a little unfinished in some of the previous books that you actually get to see it all complete and come to a big ending.

Hear more by listening or watching our podcast.

Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels.

Hebrews 1:14 – Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who inherit salvation?

Have you ever wondered about the spirit world? Or how our prayers impact spiritual battles? We live in the physical world, yet out true home, our eternal home is in the spiritual world. I know this starts to sound a bit crazy but hang with me today. I want to shed some light on spiritual warfare and the power of our prayers.

I also just want to note that much of what I am sharing today comes from Pastor Jim Brown’s sermon, with some of my own thoughts mixed in. You can watch his sermon at the link provided in the blog post, which I highly recommend.

Let’s start by digging into Daniel 10. I am going to start with verse 4.

On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, I looked up and there before me was the man dressed in linen with a belt of the finest gold around his waist. His body was like chrysolite, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.

(Daniel 10: 4-6)

These verses describe the angel Daniel encountered. What an incredible picture of the mighty warrior angels of God’s army. The same angels that he sends to not only minister to you and I, but to fight our spiritual battles. For we know Satan wants to keep us from living up to our redemptive potential and he does this by attacking us with demons in the spiritual world. Check out how God’s angel ministers to Daniel.

I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; the men with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground.

A Hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. He said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling.

(Daniel 10:7-11)

Note the sentence: For I have now been sent you. Remember Daniel had spent three weeks praying and fasting prior to this. That is going to be a key detail for later. Let’s keep reading.

Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.

(Daniel 10:12-14)

Let’s pause and start connecting some dots. God sent this angel to Daniel to answer his prayers, because Daniel’s prayers were heard by God. However, this angel had been detained in battle with the prince of the Persian kingdom. This passage in scripture is so neat because it is giving us a glimpse into the spiritual battles that are taking place all around us. This angel had been battling one of Satan’s demons for twenty-ones days before the angel Michael came and assisted him. We cannot forget that Satan was once a part of God’s angel army and when he fell, he took a third of the angels with him.

During this angel’s detainment, Daniel continued to pray. However, don’t you think at some point he felt like God wasn’t listening to his prayers? We’ve all been there. We’ve been praying about a specific issue and yet nothing has changed. It’s as if God isn’t listening. Have you ever considered that there is a great spiritual battle taking place, delaying God’s answer to your prayer because Satan wants you to believe that God isn’t listening, that God doesn’t care about you.

Our enemy is crafty and desperate. He will use all the forces at his disposal to keep us from God. Yet have no fear for we are not alone in this battle. God’s angels are fighting for us. Not only that Satan’s desperation comes from the fact he knows he cannot defeat our mighty God, but he wants to take as many of us down with him as he can. This is why it is so important to put on our armor of God every day.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this, in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

(Ephesians 6:10-18)

Pastor Jim put it this way. When you do not put on the armor of God, it’s like walking into battle naked because our enemy is always coming after us. So every morning put on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, feet fitted with the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and sword of the Spirit. Because you don’t want to walk onto the battlefield naked.

Now, let’s finish out Daniel 10 and as I read this last part, pay attention to the many ways God used this angel to not only answer Daniel’s prayer to minister to him and renew his strength.

While he was saying to me, I bowed with my face toward the ground and was speechless. Then one who looked like a man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak. I said to the one standing before me, “I am overcome with anguish because of the vision, my lord, and I am helpless. How can, I your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe.”

Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. “Do not be afraid, O man highly esteemed,” he said. “Peace! Be strong now; be strong.”

When he spoke to me I was strengthened and said, “Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength.”

(Daniel 10:15-19)

I have a feeling we can all relate to Daniel in that moment. He was overwhelmed, distraught, weak and felt helpless. We’ve all been there, and we’ve all experienced that glorious moment when God not only answers our prayers but sends His angels to minister to us, but to bring us peace and to renew our strength to continue to fight the good fight.

I love these words of wisdom from Pastor Jim. God loves it when we ask for help. When we pray, He release His angels to do the work. There is no Christian who hasn’t had their name spoken by Jesus to God in Heaven. We must be praying people and battle in the spirit world with Him. Our prayers are weapons of warfare that provide ammunition for angels who battle for us.

I will leave you with this final thought: The God that met Daniel after he prayed can meet you too.

It is once again my honor and privilege to bring an in-depth review of Julie Lessman’s newest book, A Dare and A Prayer. Before we dive in, I want to let you know that Julie will be donating a portion of her book sales for A Dare and A Prayer, to Project Eden. They are an anti-human trafficking organization that you can learn more about here. While writing this novel, God led her to shed light on this topic which is tough for all of us. However, God gave her the words to weave it into her story in a beautiful way that will profoundly impact your lives (more on this later in the review).

To help further Julie’s efforts, LiteraryScape will be donating $1 for every copy of A Dare and A Prayer sold in the month of October to Destiny Rescue. They are an anti-human trafficking organization; my husband and I support. You can learn more about them here. So, we are asking you to help support the fight against human trafficking by purchasing your copy of a great story you won’t be able to put down. It’s a win-win for everyone! Thank you for your support!

Now, let’s dig into this sizzling, inspirational novel. And yes, I say sizzling and inspirational because I’ve come to expect nothing less from Julie. I must start off by pointing out the obvious about our hero, Henry Dennehy. He is the son of Mitch and Charity Dennehy and the grandson of Patrick O’Connor. Those who know the O’Connor family are probably already fanning themselves. The amount of good looks and charm packed in his DNA is criminal! He’s a man even the Godliest woman struggles with being tempted by; and he knows it. Just one of the many reasons why his fighter pilot buddies call him Hanky-Pank.

“So, you engaged now or what?” Duck said as he shoved his half-eaten tray away with a groan, his bet that Henry couldn’t turn the head of his favorite nurse obviously leaving him as cold as his uneaten eggs.

“Naw.” Henry waggled his brows as he wolfed down a piece of biscuit. “But she did promise to name her firstborn after me.”

“Dollars to doggies she’d rather have her firstborn with ya,” Lieutenant Wade “Cowboy” Weston said with a wayward grin as he returned from a second helping in the mess line. His Texas drawl was thick as he tossed a piece of honeyed biscuit into his mouth. He winked. “Or me.”

Like all men in the O’Connor family, they fall hard for a woman of God who makes them get right with the Lord before they give them their heart. Amy Leigh MacArthur is that woman for Henry. I love the way the guys describe Amy as she enters the mess hall. (A side note this scene is based off an experience Julie’s daughter had in college. You can hear more about it in Episode 79.)

Duck’s jaw dropped as he stared at Henry outright. “Are you out of your pea-pickin’ mind?” He leaned in, fingers gripped to the table as he enunciated every word. “That’s-Amy-Leigh-MacArthur!”

Henry blasted out a sigh of frustration that a mere girl could hamstring so many men. “She’s a girl, Duck, just like any other.”

Cowboy blew out a long, slow whistle. “Sorry old buddy, but this is where you and I part ways. I agree with Duck. Hear tell she plans to become a nun or a missionary or something like that after the war, which means that that thar woman is as untouchable as Lady Liberty, and I’ve heard stories to prove it.”

. . . Cowboy observed Hank with a half-lidded look while he rolled a toothpick in his mouth. “I’m inclined to agree with the boys. You’re good Hank—but nobody’s that good.” He glanced over his shoulder, gaze darting to the table of nurses and back. “Here tell that filly’s shot down more flyboys than the Japs.”

You are going to enjoy Henry and Amy’s love story, which is a long hard-fought battle on Henry’s end with crushing blows to Amy. However, Julie keeps the romance sizzling as per her usual! Check out Henry and Amy’s first kiss.

His tone soothed and she pressed in, wondering why it suddenly didn’t matter that she was in Henry Dennehy’s arms. Her pulse skipped a beat when he kissed her hair—once, and then again—before those deadly fingers roamed to draw her closer.

Her breathing grew shallow as his mouth ventured on, slowly kissing her forehead, her eyes, her ear before luring a soft moan from her lips when he suckled the soft flesh of her lobe. “Henry no,” she said, her voice little more than hoarse consent when he caressed the curve of her cheek, the shape of her jaw.

“Oh, Amy…” he whispered, finally fondling her lips with such tenderness, they parted in ready assent, his mouth mating with hers in gentle exploration that robbed her of any desire to say no. Pulse throbbing, she returned his kiss with such passion, his raspy groan tangled with her own, unleashing a firestorm of heat that sealed her surrender.

Henry and Amy are not the only ones enjoying romance and passion. Julie brings back the entire O’Connor family. And of course, spotlights the romance that still burns between Charity and Mitch, and Marcy and Patrick. Not to mention the newfound romance in the marriages of Alex and Gabe, and Hope and Bren.

There are several new supporting characters to fall in love with as well. Here’s a quick run down!

Master Sergeant Michael O’Leary aka Pop:

Henry picked up pace, suddenly anxious to talk to “Pop”—Master Sergeant Michael O’Leary—his crew chief. He’d taken an instant liking to Sarge during training at John Rogers Field, Hawaii Territory, before they’d arrived on Saipan. Sarge reminded him so much of his own “Pop”—Patrick O’Connor, his grandfather—that he’d taken to calling Sarge “Pop,” too, upon occasion, especially when he’d spout spiritual stuff.

Lieutenant Evelyn Wong:

Evelyn shook her arm, rattling the pen from her grip. “It’s got to stop, Amy—this bitterness, this anger—you’re only hurting yourself . . . and me.”

Fingers quivering Amy shielded her eyes with her hand. “I’m sorry, Ev, but for the first time in my life, I don’t know how.”

Evelyn gently kneaded her arm. “You do know how—you have to forgive him.”

Lieutenant Shane Kelly aka Preacher:

“You could bow out of the dare, Henry,” Preacher said quietly, “and leave Amy alone.”

Annoyance prickled at the back of Henry’s neck, the idea of throwing in the towel on a bet not settling well. And the thought of leaving Amy alone even worse. He slammed his hands in his pockets, gaze looking away. “I can’t do that, Preach.”

“Because the pride and money mean more to you?” Preacher’s tone was not kind.

Koyu:

“Hen-ree!” Koyu hopped up from the table and barreled straight into Henry’s legs, prompting one of the very few smiles he’d enjoyed this last month as he swung the little guy high up in the air. “You here today?” the boy asked in his rudimentary English, and Henry set him down with a chuckle, squatting in front of him.

Sister Genevieve:

“I’ve got a plan,” Henry said in a near growl, tossing his ball cap on the desk before dropping back into the chair with a tight fold of arms. “How ‘bout I beat the guy to a pulp?”

Sister’s mouth twitched. “As much as I like that idea, Lieutenant, I’d rather not see one of my best volunteers in the brig, leaving me in the lurch when it comes to those little boys.”

Li, Sora, and Kei:

“Hen-ree!” The moment he appeared in the doorway, Li shot into his, legs, going airborne when he swung her up and around, his husky chuckles merging with her bubbly giggles. “Love Hen-ree,” she shouted, clutching his neck as if she would never let go.

Henry’s gaze locked with Amy’s over Li’s little shoulder, and her stomach instantly turned over at the sheen of love in his eyes before he grinned at Sora and Kei, strolling over to lightly tousle their hair with Li still in his arms.

As you may have guessed, Li, Sora, and Kei are the victims of human trafficking. If you’re like me, it may make you a little nervous to read this novel. Cruelty at this level is hard to swallow. And if I’m honest, I read to escape these harsh realities. So, for those of you on the fence, I want to reassure you that Julie weaves this difficult topic into the story so well, you’ll walk away inspired. I love the way Henry’s out bursts, of righteous anger, over this atrocity inspires others to help and protect these innocent young women.

“I want all of you to take a good look at these children,” he emphasized, tone harsh, “at the bruises, the beatings, and the shame they bear at the hand of this monster whom everyone here knows is not their uncle.”

“What if this were your daughter?” Henry shouted, his voice hoarse with

Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels.

John 14:1-3 – “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”

The events over the past week in the Gaza Strip can cause many of us to doubt, especially when such evil from the pit of hell is on display. Today I want to remind you that God is still and will forever be in control; and encourage you to find peace in Him and His word.

In Julie Lessman’s newest novel, A Dare and A Prayer, Henry, Amy, and their friends see evil firsthand as they volunteer at a refugee camp in Japan. Unfortunately, they were unable to intervene at the time.  As you can imagine this was frustrating for them, but they sought God in prayer and trusted He would provide a way to help. Check out this encouraging scene.

“And what’s the next step after that?” Amy asked, her voice as tentative as her hope. She knew all too well that the military preferred to stay away from Camp Susupe governmental and law-enforcement issues, if at all possible.

“Well, once we secure the witness, Hana will help me file a complaint to have Chu arrested by Camp Susupe police”—Henry’s heavy sigh carried along the breeze—“but we both know that’s a long shot with the military’s hands-off policy there.” His mouth tamped down. “And only God knows how long it will take after that if we even get that far.”

Her features softened. “He does know,” she said quietly, “and He will do something.”

(Julie Lessman, A Dare and A Prayer)

I always enjoy the inspiration Julie packs into her novels. God’s word is a treasure to us in the hard times. His word is packed with documented evidence of how He not only saves His people but is in complete control of everything and everyone. Even using those who commit evil acts, to accomplish His will. For nothing and no one can stop Him!

Oh, what peace and victory we have in Jesus! For no matter what evil, we face on Earth, we stand with God in victory!

Until next time have a blessed and victorious week with Christ!

In this episode Jamie and Melissa discuss Redeeming the Outlaw by Jodi Basye. This is the third book in her Cross Family Saga.

Jodi let’s her readers continue to enjoy Gideon and Jo’s love as she spotlights Matthias and Elaine’s journey to happy ever after. If you remember Jo’s sister, Elaine the pain, from Redeeming the Prodigal then you can well imagine what an interesting story Jodi wrote. Especially since she paired her with Matthias a former outlaw from Jo’s past.

It won’t take long for your curiosity to be peeked by Elaine and her “secret”. She struggles as many adverse situations push her over the edge. Her need to be clean is something I can relate to. However, you can well imagine how difficult this is when living on a sheep ranch with her sister Jo.

Matthias struggles to keep food in his belly as he embarks on his new life, as upstanding citizen. When he finally catches a break, he soon realizes he’s in over his head with the same kind of people he’s trying to avoid.

The love that grows between Matthias and Elaine is gentle and sweet. He’s the only one who sees her struggle and works to help her overcome it. Not only that, but he goes above and beyond to help her avoid situations that cause her agony. Elaine helps Matthias see that he is not defined by his past sins and is worthy of love.

This is a novel you will not want to miss as LiteraryScape gives Jodi Basye’s Redeeming the Outlaw 3 out of 3 lassos. Matthias and Elaine’s love story is sure to have you hooked and hog-tied from beginning to end.

We gave the following elements the ratings below.

Adventure: Mocha

Romance: Mocha

Mystery: Mocha

Rating Scale: Espresso= Very Little, Mocha= Medium Amount, Latte= A Lot

Be sure to connect with Jodi by visiting her website here!

Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels.

Romans 3:22-24: This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

This week’s inspirational moment comes from Jodi Bayse’s novel, Redeeming the Outlaw. I want to start by jumping right into the excerpt from her novel, then we will dig into today’s inspirational moment. Check out this scene between Matthias, our outlaw, and his friend Jo from Redeeming the Prodigal.

“Mrs. Harris said she needed to forgive me, so her sins would be forgiven. I don’t s’pose someone like her could have anything as bad as I have that needs forgiving.”

“It’s not about worse or better. Or being more deserving. Christ died to pay the penalty for Mrs. Harris and for you, alike. The kicker is, He also did the same for men like Kane Blake and Darby McBride. None of us are better than the other—not in God’s eyes. If he’s willing to forgive us for what we’ve done, we oughta forgive those who’ve hurt us as well.”

(Jodi Bayse, Redeeming the Outlaw, page 319)

We tend to get stuck or trapped by two thoughts on sin. The first one being that one sin is worse than the other. The truth is, sin is sin, and all sin hurts God and grieves His heart. Whether we are a gossiper or a murderer, our sin breaks God’s heart.

If we fall into this line of thinking that our sin is small and not nearly as bad as the next person, we put ourselves in a terrible place where the Devil can sneak in and gain a foothold. This thinking can lead to looking down on others and judging them. Remember Matthew 7:1-5 – “Do not judge, or you to will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

These verses lead to the second downfall to this way of thinking. When we see our sin as less than someone else’s, we don’t confront it head on and repent. This is because in our minds we justify our “small sin” as being okay because it is not nearly as bad as so and so’s sin. Here the Devil has yet another opening to gain a foothold. We turn a blind eye to our “small sin”, and it festers and keeps us from God’s blessings.

The second line of thinking we fall into, is that our sin is too great for God to forgive. This is a lie from the pit of hell. It is an insult to Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross and the power of His resurrection. On top of that it is an insult the keeps us trapped in the clutches of enemy number one, Satan. When you come to Jesus with true repentance and confession there is nothing, He cannot forgive you of and redeem you from.

If you are trapped in this lie, then tell the Devil to take a hike, because you are a child of God. And let me just remind you that Jesus has already gone down to hell and kicked Satan’s butt. He holds all power and authority, and you belong to Him!

I am not sure where you are today in your walk with Christ, but I pray you are clinging to Jesus and the hope and victory you have in Him. I will leave you with this final thought: We all fall short of the glory of God and that’s where Jesus meets us.

In this episode Jamie and Melissa discuss the second book in Jodi Bayse’s, Cross Family Saga, titled Redeeming the Prodigal.

Jodi brings her readers a gritty romance that will keep them turning the page. We were astounded by the depth of feeling she was able to draw from us, as we followed Josephine through her character arc.

Josephine aka Jo is the damsel in distress, yet she struggles to accept the help and love that is being freely given to her. She will remind you somewhat of Gomer as she struggles to not return to life in the brothel. This struggle is intense and will leave readers with racing hearts.

Gideon is a man of God, who bears a burden that is not his to bear. This of course has dictated a portion of his life which in turn leaves him in an unhappy situation. That is until he runs into Jo. It only takes one encounter for him to come running to her rescue. However, he struggles to get her to accept his help and love.

This novel demonstrates how God engineers our circumstances for our good and His glory. You can hear more about that by listening to our inspirational moment episode here.

LiteraryScape gives Redeeming the Prodigal 3 out of 3 lassos. We are sure it will have you hooked and hog-tied from beginning to end!

The following ratings were given for Redeeming the Prodigal.

Adventure: Mocha

Mystery: Espresso

Romance: Espresso

Rating System: Espresso=Very Little, Mocha= A Medium Amount, Latte=A Lot