Contemporary Romance Review: Authentically Izzy by Pepper Basham

What it’s about:

“Dear Izzy—I feel certain there’s a book-loving man living relatively nearby waiting to speak bookish to you ’til death do you part. You just haven’t met yet.”

Izzy Edgewood is a wannabe bookstore owner, quote queen, and Lord of the Rings nerd who has been waiting for Prince Charming to sweep her off her sneakered feet. But it’s hard to meet people when you spend more time with fictional humans than real ones. Which is why her pragmatist cousin Josephine decides to take Izzy’s future into her own meddling hands and create an online dating profile for the hopeful romantic.

To Izzy’s shock (and suspicion), Josie’s plan works. Soon, she’s dialoguing with a Hobbit-loving man named Brodie who lives in a small town an ocean away from her home in the Blue Ridge Mountains. But is their shared love of books, family, and correspondence enough to overcome Izzy’s fear of flying and the literal distance between them? And is a long-distance relationship even worth considering when a local author has been frequenting the library where she works and is proving to be a perfectly fine gentleman?

In this epistolary novel from award-winning author Pepper Basham, bookish dreams and happily-ever-afters collide to create a beautiful sort of magic that’s even better than fiction.

My Thoughts:

If you are a lover of literature and books, like I am, you’ve got to read Authentically Izzy. It took me a bit to get used to reading the epistolary style, but I’m so glad I kept reading. I absolutely loved the characters. Izzy is adorable and so smart. Brodie will sweep readers off their feet. And the cousins are a hoot. Truly, if you enjoy a story with lots of book references, this is the one for you. Plus the description gave me the desire to visit Brodie’s island. Much of the story brought smiles to my face as I followed Izzy on her dating journey. If you read and enjoyed Katherine Reay’s The Printed Letter Bookshop and Of Literature and Lattes, you’ll enjoy Pepper Basham’s latest. I received a free copy of the book with no expectations. The opinions here are mine.

Walking With God

James 4:7-10

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Have you ever walked away from God? 

There was a time, years ago, when I inched farther and farther away from God. Let me tell you—it was a dark and lonely place. I went through the motions—going to church, praying empty prayers, and smiling when I didn’t feel like it, then God pounded on the door of my heart and called me to come back home. He pursued me, and I answered. I grieved over the distance I’d placed between God and me, over the sins in my life, and the sorrow in my heart. You know what? God opened His great big, beautiful arms to me and welcomed me back to Him. Ever since that day, I’ve not stepped away again. Instead, I’ve found comfort, peace, strength, joy, and hope in the arms of the Lord, and He has blessed me with opportunities to share His great love.

The book of James holds many nuggets of wisdom and truth. “Come near to God and He will come near to you,” is a promise I can count on. I’ve experienced His closeness in my life, and I’m thankful for God’s constant presence. I’m also thankful for Jesus and His grace, for forgiveness and His unfailing love.

In this month of Thanksgiving, I’m grateful for the Bible which gives me wisdom, God who holds me close, and Jesus who gave His life for my sins so I can someday meet Him in heaven.

This world is not an easy place, but with the Lord by our side, we will thrive.

Draw close to God and He will draw close to you.

Hope from a Thankful Heart

Anxiety is so common in our society. 

I don't have the answers as to why,

 but I do know when I spend time

thanking God, my anxiety eases. 

The more I thank Him, the less I have to be anxious about.

The apostle Paul must have known this too.

His advice to present our requests,

to God gives us hope and much to be thankful for.

 

Thankful for Communion

Mark 14:22-25

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.”

Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it.

“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them. “Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

I remember getting into trouble as a child during communion.

When I was a little girl, before the establishment of junior church, I sat with my parents in the pew and listened to the sermon, sang the songs, and tried to behave. One Sunday, when the deacons passed the communion plates of little wafers of bread and tiny cups of juice, I got curious. I reached to take a piece and my mom let me know that was not the thing to do. If I remember correctly, she took me by the hand and took me outside to explain why. From that point on I didn’t touch the trays until I confessed my love for Jesus and was baptized.

From the day I became a believer, I’ve been enamored with the time of communion at church. That moment when I bow my head and consider the sacrifice Jesus gave for me and the grace He pours over me. He didn’t have to die. He could have lived on earth and just been a good guy. Instead, Jesus came and took on my sins and burdens. He called the weary, the poor, the hurting, the sinners, and the saints to Him. I’m beyond thankful that God created a way for people to come into a relationship with Him. I’m also thankful my mom taught me what communing with God meant. I’d be lost without my Jesus.

In this month of Thanksgiving, reflect on Jesus and the burden He carries for us.

Peaceful and Thankful

My daughter, Hannah and I visited a pumpkin farm in Kentucky, 
where they had the most beautiful chrysanthemums.
When I snapped photos of them, 
I knew I wanted to share their beauty on my blog.
What better time, than November-
the month we think about Thanksgiving.

In Colossians 3:15, the Apostle Paul reminded the church

to be at peace and to be thankful.

God still calls us to live a peaceful life, with Christ in our hearts, 

and to express our thankfulness for all of His amazing gifts.

 

Historical Fiction/split-time Review: Free to Love by Bettie Boswell

What It’s About:

This is a prequel to Bettie’s book, ON CUE

As Ginny writes her musical, inspiration comes from journal entries, letters and poems, telling the story of a mistress and her maid, bound together by slavery and blood, journeying toward freedom and love.

Early and Missy Hollings, her mistress, have always been together. Missy keeps a journal of the dangers both young women face while living with her nefarious stepbrother. Her father seems oblivious to their safety until the stepbrother's threatening advances increase. When Missy's father realizes both young women are in danger, he allows them to leave on a journey north with an aunt. He also reveals the shameful secret behind the young women's true relationship. The aunt insists that George, another slave, must be part of their journey, to keep Early safe. When Missy's family forces Early into marriage with George, will their relationship be forever changed?

They encounter dangers and help on their journey north. Will Early and George's forced marriage survive the dangers along the way when their path separates them from Missy?

My Thoughts:
I read On Cue and enjoyed the story, so I wanted to check out this prequel. I love this story of these two strong women as they navigate the horrors of slavery in the south. Early and Missy grew up like sisters, but as adults they face trials that may break them apart. Boswell does a beautiful job showing the turmoil and dedication these two share through decisions they must make. One of my favorite characters is their aunt who takes them north to find freedom and the promise of a new life. Throughout the story, Ginny, from On Cue, reflects on the journal and other ephemera she finds as she writes her musical. If you enjoy stories set in the south, historical accounts of that time period, or simply a great story, you’ll want to read Free to Love. I purchased a copy from Amazon. Opinions are my own.

My review for On Cue

What Do You Fear?

Psalm 33:18-22

But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him,
    on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
to deliver them from death
    and keep them alive in famine.
We wait in hope for the Lord;
    he is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts rejoice,
    for we trust in his holy name.
May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,
    even as we put our hope in you.

Our Golden, Rosie, shakes when she hears loud noise.

Monday morning, we awoke to a crew of roofers ripping off the shingles on the building next door. When I tried to take Rosie out to do her business, she trotted to the edge of the grass, squatted, then ran back inside. She refused to take her walk. Thankfully, Tim drove her to a safe place, and she was happy.

Like Rosie, I fear certain things—failure in my writing, making a mistake and hurting another person, letting someone down, and worst of all—spiders. Yes, those creepy, crawly creatures freak me out. But seriously, fear is real. We all fear something.

In the Psalm we are called to fear the Lord. Not the fear that causes me to hide, or curl up in a ball, or throw my shoe at an eight-legged creature, but a fear of reverence. Healthy fear of God involves, adoration, devotion, respect, wonder, and worship. As a young Christian, the thought of being afraid of God confused me. Why fear someone who loves you? After becoming a parent I understood much better. Although I don’t think my girls ever truly feared me, they had a healthy respect for me and understood the parameters I set.

God watches over his children, and He loves like no other. Even as I hold a healthy fear for my creator, I also trust Him completely and hope in Him wholly.

Fear the Lord with joy!