Friday Fun - June 27, 2025

Welcome to my Friday Fun post. This is where I share with three different book parties that post on Fridays: Book Beginnings on Fridays, the Friday 56, and First Line Friday.

This week I have two books to share with you.

I'm reading  The Beauty in Their Scars which released this week.

I'm also reading An Uncharted Dream by Abbey Downey, which releases next week.

        Book Beginnings on Friday     

(Please join Gilion Dumas for Book Beginnings every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.)

and

First Line Friday

(Please join Carrie for First Line Friday.)

Here are my Book Beginnings/First Line Friday selections:

The Beauty in Their Scars by Joanna Alonzo:

"A wild maiden and her tamed beast were desperate to claw their way out of her head."

A bit confusing actually. Wasn't exactly sure where the author was going with this. It sort of sounded like she was trying to write a story maybe.

An Uncharted Dream by Abbey Downey:

"Leonora Thornton closed the doors of the Milwaukee Public Library behind her, shutting out the cold winter air and sounds from the busy street."

Heading into a library. . . that's an awesome start to a story.

Now for:

The Friday 56 

The Friday 56 is normally hosted over at Freda's Voice. But Anne from My Head is Full of Books is taking over for a while. 

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. It's that simple.

Here are my Friday 56 selections:

The Beauty in Their Scars by Joanna Alonzo:

 

"'You made the right choice,' Deb said, 'Don't let anyone make you doubt that.'
'I don't doubt it,' Calysta replied. 'I just. . . didn't expect it to hurt this much.'
'The right choices sometimes do.' Deb squeezed her arm. 'Obedience isn't always comfortable. Sometimes it's downright painful. Know that we're not just gossiping about you--'"

An Uncharted Dream by Abbey Downey

"Raising one hand to his chest like a stage actor, Mr. Flemming spoke in a voice that boomed too loudly through the cozy room. 'Miss Thorton, members of the Milwaukee Exploration Society, I was honored to be your guest today. The crisp air invigorated me. The exertion revitalized me.' His tone lowered to a more intimate level as he glanced down at Leonora and rested his hand on her shoulder. 'And the company was unparalleded.'"

Reviews:

Last week I shared one book in my Friday Fun post. Here is the link to my review:

The Making of a Beauty by Joanna Alonzo 

 

The Making of a Beauty by Joanna Alonzo Review

 

The Making of a Beauty by Joanna Alonzo was an awesome book, but very emotional. And just as a warning, the main character self harms, and there are some chapters where we see her cutting. Those chapters do have a warning at the beginning though.

This story is a prequel in the author's The Sacred and the Scarred series. Book one, The Beauty in Their Scars, released this week, and I can't wait to continue Calysta's story.  She has so much she struggles with as the half sister to popular twins Karina and Paige. She feels like a shadow compared to them, because of them and their friends'treatment of her. But suddenly their situation changes and they have to move and it looks like things just might get better for Calysta...or maybe not. 

This story takes place in the fictional countries of Ancoria and Qranth. At the beginning of the story, the Daniels family lives quite comfortably in Eirin City in Qranth. Due to certain circumstances they have to move to Chelidon, an isledom of Ancoria, where most of the story takes place, and the family isn't living near as comfortably, much to the dismay of the twins. We see the story from Calysta's point of view and see her struggles, quite intensely at times, and her trumphs. There are family, and friends, and enemies, and crushes. And we see her learning about God, Jesus and Christianity. 

I loved the relationships Calysta made and the way God starts working in her life. And how she learns about true beauty. The little boutique where she works sounds like a wonderful place and her boss sounds like a wonderful woman and friend. One strong in her faith. 

Then there is the introduction to Brendan who I can't wait to learn more about.  So far he seems like a bit of a creep, but we only see him briefly. 

Though there are some heart wrenching scenes, there is a good amount of humor and typical teen angst as well. 

It's a great book and I'm glad I realized I needed to read it before The Beauty in Their Scars.

Friday Fun - June 20, 2025

Welcome to my Friday Fun post. This is where I share with three different book parties that post on Fridays: Book Beginnings on Fridays, the Friday 56, and First Line Friday.

This week I have one book to share with you.

I'm reading The Making of a Beauty by Joanna Alonzo. This is a prequel to The Beauty in Their Scars which releases next week.

        Book Beginnings on Friday     

(Please join Gilion Dumas for Book Beginnings every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.)

and

First Line Friday

(Please join Carrie for First Line Friday.)

Here is my Book Beginnings/First Line Friday selection:

The Making of a Beauty by Joanna Alonzo:

"Children shouldn't leave toy stores with scars, but Calysta Daniels walked out of Wonder Chest in tears, broken in both soul and skin."

Now for:

The Friday 56 

The Friday 56 is normally hosted over at Freda's Voice. But Anne from My Head is Full of Books is taking over for a while. 

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. It's that simple.

Here is my Friday 56 selection:

The Making of a Beauty by Joanna Alonzo:

 

"What followed Amma’s announcement was the longest weekend of Calysta’s life. 

Time stretched unbearably, each second dragging into the next, like her family was trying to stall reality, slow the rewriting of their future so they could cling to their old life just a little longer."

Reviews:

Last week I shared one book in my Friday Fun post. I did finish the book, I just haven't had a chance to write my review

However here is the link to the review of a book I shared on Friday Fun a while back:

When the Sky Burned by Liz Tolsma 

 

When the Sky Burned by Liz Tolsma Review

 

When the Sky Burned by Liz Tolsma is one of six books in the A Day to Remember series. Historical fiction stories based around real life tragedies. I'm sure most people have heard of the Great Chicago Fire that took place in October of 1871. However, I had never heard of the fire that takes place in Peshtigo, Wisconsin. And that is the fire that is the focus of this book. Though we do get a bit of a look at the aftermath in Chicago as well as part of the story takes place there. As horrible as the Chicago fire was, the Peshtigo fire was just devastating. 

I loved getting to know Mariah, Jay, and the little girl Angelina. Mariah is actually engaged to Angelina's father, Hollis. However, from the get go I could tell he was no good. And then we also get to see part of the story from his point of view and that makes is 100% clear that he is a villain. I couldn't stand the way he treated not just Mariah, but Angelina as well. 

We get to know the characters prior to the fire. However, fire has been threatening for days. The hot, heavy, smoky air is something the characters have been living with as they go about their daily lives. I loved hearing about the paintings that Mariah created. And then there was the embezzelling that Jay was learning about as he worked on the books for the railroad company. 

The scene of the conflagration was heartrending. So emotional I found myself quite disturbed and in tears. Especially knowing this was an actual historical event that these fictional characters were living through. Seeing so many loved ones, friends, and acquaintances dying. And then the hardship that Mariah had to live with with her blindness. Add to that the suspense of the embezzeling storyline and the danger Jay was in, and there was so much that kept me invested in this story and these characters' lives. 

I needed to know how the author was going to resolve all the different situations. Definitely a powerful, faith-filled book. And one I highly recommend. 

Friday Fun - June 13, 2025

Welcome to my Friday Fun post. This is where I share with three different book parties that post on Fridays: Book Beginnings on Fridays, the Friday 56, and First Line Friday.

This week I have one book to share with you.

I read Protected by Jerusha Agen. This is a novella prequel in her Security League series.

        Book Beginnings on Friday     

(Please join Gilion Dumas for Book Beginnings every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.)

and

First Line Friday

(Please join Carrie for First Line Friday.)

Here is my Book Beginnings/First Line Friday selection:

Protected by Jerusha Agen:

"She knew the bullet was coming before she heard the shot."

Suspense right from the get go. Sure did draw me in. Wondered why someone was shooting at her.

Now for:

The Friday 56 

The Friday 56 is normally hosted over at Freda's Voice. But Anne from My Head is Full of Books is taking over for a while. 

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. It's that simple.

Here is my Friday 56 selection:

Protected by Jerusha Agen:

 

"'Drive home?' She swallowed. He meant he wanted to drive her. Kept trying to get her alone with him.

She turned to leave anyway. God could protect her from Jock, wherever he was.

'Tamara, wait,' Jenkin's voice drew closer behind her, but he didn't touch her. 'Please?'

She paused, looked over her shoulder, clutching her purse strap with tense fingers."

Reviews:

Last week I shared one book in my Friday Fun post. Here is the link to that review:

Tempest at Annabel's Lighthouse by Jaime Jo Wright.

Here is the review for another book that I shared about recently:

Hope's Enduring Echo by Kim Vogel Sawyer 

Hope's Enduring Echo by Kim Vogel Sawyer Review

 

I absolutely loved Hope's Enduring Echo by Kim Vogel Sawyer. I loved how faith played such an important role in each of the characters' lives. There was the reminder to trust in God, go to Him in prayer, persist in prayer, and hope. Hope even when things continue to look like they aren't going your way. Lean on other's hope if you can't find the strength to hope.
Jennie has taken over walking the water line for her father who had fallen months earlier. Though he should be improving physically, he was declining mentally, leaving his family dependent on Jennie doing his job so the family wouldn't lose their income and home. One day as she's walking the line Leo Day, a paleontology student notices her while looking out the train window. He's interested in discovering more about the bone she is waving around. They set off to find the rest of the skeleton.
Has God answered both of their prayers?
Yet they still have much adversity to go through, events that make them question God and what they thought was His will.
There were times I know I would have resisted submitting the way Jennie did to her parents. And I could see where I would have resented both Jennie's parents and Leo's father. But I appreciated seeing two families who were following biblical teachings and I felt they were good role models.
One thing that really excited me about this book in the first place was knowing that there was going to be a search for dinosaur bones. I wondered how the author would lean, whether young earth or old earth, creationism or evolution. I was pleased to see the characters bringing science and the Bible together.
I loved everything about this book and can't wait to read more by this author.
I received an e-copy of this book through NetGalley and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts.

Tempest at Annabel's Lighthouse by Jaime Jo Wright Review

 

Tempest at Annabel's Lighthouse is Jaime Jo Wright's newest dual timeline novel. Set in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, I love that it centered around a lighthouse. A lighthouse that was supposedly haunted. Of course, knowing Jaime Jo Wright and her stories, I knew there would be a logical explanation. That didn't diminish the suspense or creepiness. 

In the present day timeline Shea is visiting the area and staying in the lighthouse for two reasons, to research for a story she would write about the lighthouse and the legend surrounding it. And to take some time for herself, away from her husband, as their relationship hasn't been the best for a while. As she delves into the past she discovers some disturbing information and finds herself dealing with some dangerous situations.

In the past we see the story through the point of view of Rebecca, the mysterious woman that those in the present refuse to talk about. There is a lot of mystery surrounding her even in the past because she is found at the foot of Annabel's grave, not in great shape, and not even remembering her name. She only thinks her name is Rebecca because of the necklace she is wearing.

As the story progresses the reader learns how the two stories relate to each other and the mystery starts to unravel, though there are parts that remain a mystery up until the very end. 

I really enjoyed this story, but the ending left me feeling like I needed something more. The big reveal was a bit of a surprise, but also a bit confusing when it came to the explanation and was a bit anticlimatic. I did appreciate the focus on working through the marriage relationship. I admit, I wasn't a huge fan of Shea for most of the story, as she seemed focused on what she thought her husband should be doing for her, instead of seeing what he was already doing. 

And then there was quite a dark revelation that left me feeling quite unsettled. It had been hinted at, but I wasn't sure I was understanding right, until the very end.