Beautiful Clouds!

A couple days ago, I went outside and was just hit with how beautiful the clouds were! I took several pictures of them, but am unable to post them here. Instead, I found some pictures of similar clouds and here they are:

 

These aren't quite what I saw, but they were beautiful nonetheless and reminded me of ocean waves. So, I wrote a poem about them! It's far from perfect (and definitely free verse), but I hope you will enjoy it!

I look to the sky and see the sea,
Waves undulating through the clouds
Like so many currents flowing through the ocean.
It is a beautiful sight, yet terrible indeed.
It is as though a storm was about to break
Upon the vessels of the heavens,
Those poor ships tossed to and fro
Upon the oceans of the air.
Will their shattered remains soon fall
To the earth on which I stay,
Looking up upon these ships?
Nay! For soon a breeze of miraculous work
Shall cast these storm-clouds aside,
And all shall be safe once again.

Bleeding Heart

Bleeding Heart
Amber Stokes

Five bleeding hearts. One profound journey.

Summer 1886

Sally Clay's livelihood has been snatched away, but in its place arises an opportunity to escape from her sordid past and an unrelenting, unwanted suitor. Boarding a train with a heartsick rancher and an enigmatic miner, she leaves Virginia City behind and heads to Northern California, waiting for the chance to make right what went wrong three long years before.

But the road to revenge is far from smooth. Sally soon learns that the jagged pieces of a broken heart can far too easily wound the hearts of others - and hers isn't the only heart that's broken. Tragedy and fear dog her steps as she flees from the redwood forests to the high desert and back again. Will her bleeding heart ever find a way and a place to heal?

A desperate soiled dove. Three men who come to care for her. One man determined to claim her.

All on a journey that will show them what true love really involves.

Inspirational Historical Romance

My Review

Bleeding Heart by Amber Stokes is the tale of Sally Clay. She chased after her love, Jack, only to be left in the dust with no way back home. Thus, the innocent young girl became a soiled dove—a tavern girl. But there is hope for love yet. She sets off to find Jack again, with the help of Myghal and Joe. But will redemption ever come? Will broken hearts ever be healed? And will she find new love with one of her companions?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! There were so many ups and downs I could never figure out what would happen next! There was romance, danger, and so very many broken hearts that needed healing. It was also an excellent portrayal of the old west—the mining, logging, and railroads, as well as the ups and downs of living in the old west.

My only complaints would be the names. There were so many people’s names introduced in the very beginning that I could not keep track of who was who. I knew who the main characters and villains were, but the other names that only appeared in the main characters’ backstories were confusing. Also, at the beginning, I could not figure out where they were or where they were going! Eventually, I discovered that the Virginia City in the book was in Nevada, not Virginia as I had originally thought. If I had known that at the beginning, it would not have been so confusing! However, by the end of the book, all these problems were resolved completely. I would only have appreciated more clarity at the beginning.

Over all, though, Bleeding Hearts was an excellent book! I definitely recommend it! And guess what! the kindle version is only $0.99! Amazon


Things you should know: The main character is a prostitute, but there is absolutely no sex in the book. The villain lusts after Sally so much that he has to have her. Because of this, there is a little violence.

The King's Great Love

here once lived a kind and good King who loved a certain young Princess from a faraway land. Even a as  young girl, this Princess was known for her great beauty. When the time came that she was of an age to be married, the King came to ask for her hand.

After He arrived, the King, in view of the entire royal court, knelt before the Princess. "I have loved you since before you were born. Will you be my bride?"

The Princess looked down at the King kneeling before her and whispered, if only to herself, "Do I even have a choice?"

"Yes, Princess," the King likewise whispered, "you always have a choice."

Then the Princess glared down at Him and declared for all in the room to hear, "Then I will NEVER marry you."

The King bowed and backed away, determined to wait for her.

After that day, the Princess went her own way. She did not listen to her Father, but spent his money lavishly and her time flirting with the men who came to call. She herself ruined her purity, and the day came when her Father forced her to leave the palace since she would not stop her immoral lifestyle. Then she turned to theft and prostitution to "earn" her living.

In her travels, the Princess found herself in the King's country and was soon brought before the King to be judged for her crimes.

In the courtroom, the King presented Himself to the Princess and bowed, as was befitting one of her station.

The Princess glared up at Him from her position on the floor, since she was too weak to stand from the diseases that ravaged her body. "You said you loved me," she spat, "but look at you--ready to send me to my death! Well, do not expect any groveling from me! Do your worst!"

The King looked at the Princess and saw who she was--and who she was meant to be. He saw her dirty, ragged clothing and her diseased skin. He also saw how hopeless the Princess was and how she regretted the things she had done, although she would never admit it.

The King then sat in His great throne and declared, "Princess, you have been charged with theft, lying, and immoral living. Do you deny these accusations?"

Her voice flat, the Princess replied, "No."

"The penalty for these crimes is death. All here know that the penalty for breaking these laws must be paid, I cannot simply pardon anyone. Therefore," the King stepped down from His throne and knelt down before the Princess, "I will take your place, Princess."

This finally broke the Princess and she cried, "I cannot ask you to die for me!"

"You are not asking; I am offering. All you need to do is accept."

"I cannot if it means you will die. You have done nothing wrong--I have. I deserve it, but you don't."

The King smiled at her, "I will die to take your place whether you say you will accept or not."

Finally seeing hope, the Princess asked, "You would truly do that for me, even if I don't accept?"

"Yes."

"Then," she said with tears in her eyes, "I accept."



Just as the King loved the Princess so much that He would die for her, even after all she had done, so God loves us. God created us and loves us, but we disobey His laws by lying, stealing, idolatry, jealousy, murder, adultery, and so many other things. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). 

But God still loves us. He loved us so much that He could not simply allow us to die in Hell—the punishment for our crimes against Him. Instead God sent His Son Jesus, who is God, to be the perfect human and die in our place. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8)

But He did not stay dead! Three days after Jesus’ death, He rose from the dead! “…that

Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3-4).

If we believe what Jesus has done for us, God will forgive us for our sins and bring us into Heaven when we die. “…Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved…” (Acts 16:31).

All you need to do is believe.

Duty: a novel of Rhynan

Duty to King

Tomas Dyrease, the newly made Earl of Irvaine and the village of Wisenvale, owes his good fortune to his king and the recent civil war. When his benefactor demands Tomas marry the cousin of a noble, he obeys. However, no one warned him that she wasn’t a typical noblewoman.

Duty to Others

Brielle Solarius struggles to keep her village from starvation under the new Lord Wisten, her cousin. The men rode off to war and never returned. The remaining women and children face a dire winter if they do not find a solution soon. When she learns her cousin sold her into marriage to save his life, she isn’t surprised. However, she is taken aback by Lord Irvaine’s unpolished ways. Was this man a noble or a foot soldier?

Duty to Each Other

Bound by the words of their vows, they face a rough future. They must forge a marriage while battling betrayal, accusations of treason, and villains from the past. Survival depends on their precarious trust in each other. Failure could mean death.

Amazon

 

My Review

 

Set in a medieval fantasy world, Duty: A Novel of Rhynan, by Rachel Rossano, tells the tale of Lady Brielle Solarius. With the crowning of a new king, Brielle is essentially sold into an arranged marriage to the new Lord Tomas by her evil cousin Orwin. But because of her duty to her people, the poor widows also forced into marriage to strangers, Brielle determines to willingly marry this man Tomas. Besides, because of her cousin’s work, her village will starve through the winter if she doesn’t have Tomas’s help. Yet, as they leave to acquire food for the winter, Brielle’s little village is attacked!

I really liked this book! When I found it, I thought it would just be a sweet little romance, but conspiracies, battles, and sieges abound as well! There is never a dull moment in the novel, what with the romance and the action. And truly, just as I thought all was well and couldn’t imagine how the author would make the rest of the novel interesting, the worst happens and drives Brielle and Tomas into another adventure!

To me, Duty seemed to be written well. There were a few tiny spots that confused me, but they were few and not extremely pertinent to the tale. Aside from that, I have no complaints.

Things you should know: There was definitely violence in this novel, as much of the plot revolved around soldiers and battles. In one instance, a pregnant woman is threatened with death (with a sword to her throat. However, the descriptions of the battles were not graphic. The author wrote that the characters cursed, yet didn’t include what the curse word was. Women are indeed forced into marriage, but the overall attitude toward it, at least by the leading characters, is that it is unfair and wrong. The leading characters kiss and hold each other, but sex is only implied, not described.

I have received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.



Secrets Kept

With a curse, she will build an army.
With the dagger, she will undo the last sacrifice.
But first the sorceress must find the secret keeper.

Torn from her homeland and thrust into a betrothal against her wishes, Ayianna learns her family has a deadly secret that now has her on the run. She joins forces with Kael, an embittered half-elf, and Saeed, an elderly High Guardian, to seek answers to her father’s death, the destruction of Dagmar, and the plains people’s bizarre behavior.

Ayianna discovers there is more at stake here than just her mother’s disappearance and her familial duty to her betrothed. The sorceress has cursed the plains people, and it is a race against time to release them before the sorceress resurrects an ancient evil.

Amazon

 

My Review

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Secrets Kept, by J L Mbewe, is the fantasy story of a young woman, Ayianna, who discovers she's betrothed to a stranger and loses her family in one fell sweep. Then she is thrust together with three unlikely companions--a prince, an elf guard, and her betrothed--to flee for their lives, and then go on a quest.

I enjoyed this book very much, but it isn't the best I book I have ever read. Ayianna and her friends traveled all over their fantasy world called Nalu, encountering some things I found rather new to the fantasy world, such as childlike monsters that dissolve into dust when killed or an evil harpy lord who preys on virgin girls. I enjoyed the adventure of the novel and the secrets that nearly every character hides, and of course the lies they use to cover them up. There were also scores of unanswered questions hanging over their heads throughout the tale, and only some of them were answered in the end.

However, I found that there were too many unanswered questions. Every good book needs such questions to pull the reader in, but this one had questions that needed answers, such as what a word means exactly or how one race survived the massacre without its queen (the supposed only survivor) at least knowing something. I also thought there were too many gods to keep track of, and the Shadow God, who I believe was supposed to be Creator God, had so many different names that I couldn't keep him separate in my mind from the other gods.

Despite this, Secrets Kept was an intriguing book left begging for a second book!

Things you should know: There was a number of spells cast on the people by the sorceress and her minions. Monsters abounded. The sorceress was known for sexual immorality. There was also a graphic description of a massacre and numerous battles against evil. Also, the characters accidentally traveled into a hell/abyss sort of place that wasn't very well defined as to what exactly it was.

Goddess Tithe

The Vengeful Goddess
Demands Her Tithe

When a stowaway is discovered aboard the merchant ship Kulap Kanya, Munny, a cabin boy on his first voyage, knows what must be done. All stowaways are sacrificed to Risafeth, the evil goddess of the sea. Such is her right, and the Kulap Kanya's only hope to return safely home.

Yet, to the horror of his crew, Captain Sunan vows to protect the stowaway, a foreigner in clown's garb. A curse falls upon the ship and all who sail with her, for Risafeth will stop at nothing to claim her tithe.

Will Munny find the courage to trust his captain and to protect the strange clown who has become his friend?
Amazon

My Review

Goddess Tithe, by Anne Elisabeth Stengl is a tale of courage versus fear. When a stowaway is found on the ship Kulap Kanya, all the sailors fear the wrath of the Goddess Risafeth of the Sea. She demands that all stowaways be thrown overboard. None who have resisted have survived, or so the stories go.

Yet Captain Sunan refuses to toss the stowaway out.

The main character, Munny, is a cabin boy on his first voyage out to sea, and he can only believe what the experienced sailors have told him about the goddess. However, Munny likes the stowaway, Leonard, even if he is a bit strange. But, when strange things start happening,will the captain finally throw him overboard? Or will the older sailors do it without the captain's permission?

I thoroughly enjoyed this novella. It portrays people's beliefs in superstition and ultimately shows that it is useless. Also, several of the characters, including Munny himself, demonstrate true courage and self-sacrifice in the face of danger, even when nearly everyone else is too afraid to act. This is true character.

Things you should know: *Spoiler alert*
This book contains false gods, or rather a goddess which, while she is a real creature, she is not a real goddess. She is only called that because she has power. Also, there is an alternate world that the characters travel to on accident. Strange creatures appear in the sea, some dead. The storm is alive. And there is some swearing by terms such as "Dragon's teeth" and "Iubdan's beard".

I have received a free copy of this book in exchange for an hones review.

Tales of Goldstone Wood

The Tales of Goldstone Wood series by Anne Elisabeth Stengl is another one of my favorites.

The first book, Heartless, is about Princess Una who has just come of age and is anxiously awaiting suitors. Her first suitor, Prince Aethelbald of Farthestshore, is not what she expected at all. He's not exactly handsome, daring, charming, or any of the other things you would expect a prince to be. And don't even mention his name! Other suitors quickly come, and these meet her expectations. But each betray her in the end. Finally the Prince of Farthestshore's enemy, the Dragon, comes to claim Una. She quickly falls into his evil clutches. And yet life is miserable!

Aethelbald, however, does not give up so easily. He searches for his long lost love, even follows her across the continent! All because of his all-encompassing love.

 

I love these books, because each one shows Christ's love for us so perfectly, even when we are detestable and horrid. I cannot give Anne Elisabeth enough praise for her beautiful allegories!

 

Besides that, each tale is told with adventure, romance (sometimes thwarted), and humor. Anne Elisabeth mixes fairytales and Bible stories together in a perfect and unique way, and humor is entwined throughout. Each novel is told in a serious and often intense manner, yet somehow manages humor.

Things you should know: There is violence, magic, fantasy creatures, and travel between worlds. The only swearing is with made-up words, such as "Dragon's teeth" and "Iubdan's beard".

Overall, the books have a sort of magical, fairytale feel, which includes traveling from one world to the next, and enchanted princes and princesses.

I highly recommend these books!