Book Notes: August 9, 2023 - Clean Suspense Romance

 Welcome to the scenic route! I know my post is late today. I had a few things which needed doing this morning before I could sit down to write. But I hope you're looking forward to these book reviews, the author challenge response, and today's three word prompt. Let's get going!

Book Review: Every Secret Thing (Acts of Valor, #2) by Rebecca Hartt

Every Secret Thing by Rebecca Hartt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It's been a while since I read this book. I did write a review when I finished but Amazon and Goodreads were finalizing their merger or something. It saved to Amazon, but not here at Goodreads. I remember being riveted, that the action was pretty much non-stop. I liked the hero's deep-rooted faith and how he shows it in his life and in the way he treats others. The heroine was interesting, too. I loved her drive to do the right thing, even though her life was in danger. If you enjoy suspense romance set in the modern military, and you prefer clean and/or inspirational stories, then you would probably enjoy this book, as well as the others in the series.

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Book Review: Cry in the Wilderness (Acts of Valor, #3) by Rebecca Hartt

Cry in the Wilderness by Rebecca Hartt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely /loved/ this story. The plot, the characters, the pacing, everything was so well done. And add to that it's a clean, inspirational story and I'm sold. I can't remember if there were any technical issues in this book, but the story itself was a winner. The MCs showed strength and courage in the face of some pretty strong opponents. The way the heroine is strong in her faith and how she grows stronger throughout the story was inspiring. I love how it impacted the hero, too. If you're looking for a story you can't put down, one which is clean and inspirational, in which the MCs actually build a solid relationship, then this might be the book for you.

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Author Challenge: #AboutTheAuthorAugust by Jameson C. Smith

Q: What sparked your love of writing?

A: I don't think I can pinpoint that. I've always loved books, for as long as I can remember, actually. I remember reading a Disney early reader titled "Lucky Puppy" which was about one of the Dalmatian puppies from 101 Dalmatians. I was five years old, I think and I remember sitting in a rocking chair and reading it to myself. I also love picture books, even now, if the art is actually beautiful and not crude or boring. 

I guess what really sparked my interest was just a love of books in general. I have an excellent imagination when my brain isn't overloaded with All Of The Thoughts, All At The Same Time. Sitting down to focus on writing helps my mind calm down, as does sitting down to read. 

One of the earliest stories I loved, that I can remember besides the puppy one, was the story of Beowulf and Grendel. Strange, I know, but hear me out. The artwork was reminiscent of Brian Froud's. I don't know if he ever illustrated a story for the Childcraft series back in the 70's but, wow! Those sketches really snagged my attention. No color, to speak of...all done in a sort of blue-gray, probably ink, but the details were so beautiful.

Since music is my ingrained love, with reading following as a close second, true fine art didn't really stand a chance. If I can't figure something out within a relatively short amount of time, and I also don't necessarily /need/ that thing, I won't spend the necessary time on it to perfect it. I barely do that with music, but for vocals. I get by on piano and guitar...super basic stuff. 

That's enough about that. On to the word prompt!

Just Keep Writing: Wednesday Whimsy

If this is your first time participating in this kind of writing exercise, you're in for a treat. If you've done this with me before, just keep scrolling for the prompt.

Rules:

1. You can use any/all of the words and/or the photo in the prompt below to create a unique written work. Fiction or nonfiction, poetry or prose, even lyrics are acceptable.  
2. Please keep the material you write clean (i.e. nothing R-rated or worse) if you wish to share the link to your work here, as well as if you link back to my site. I strive to keep my site free of such things. My readers know and expect this. I respect your right to write whatever you feel you need to write. And you're free to use my prompts. But if your material is graphic, I'd rather not view it, and most of my readers will not wish to. 
3. Have fun! This type of exercise is perfect for growing in the writing craft, or for helping through a rough patch in your current WIP. If you're looking to push your author limits and you normally write in nonfiction prose, try a whimsical collection of lyrics. If you normally write poems about real life events, try your hand at a fanfic. Give yourself some room to explore.

Don't forget to leave a link to your creation (unless you're writing graphic material) so my readers and I can check out your work. I'd appreciate a link back to this post to help me reach more readers, but it's not required. 

What do you think? This list looks promising to me.

Thank you so much for visiting today! I hope you found something useful, helpful, or just plain interesting in the post. Why not visit again tomorrow? Maybe ask a creative friend to join you here. I hope you'll visit again soon. 

Tomorrow, I'll have a new word prompt ready, as well as the response to tomorrow's #abouttheauthoraugust challenge. 

Until next time,
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