Thursday, March 24, 2016

Book Review: The Painter's Daughter by Julie Klassen, Plus a Q&A!

Sophie Dupont assists her father in his studio, keeping her own artwork out of sight. In private, she paints the picturesque north Devon coast, popular with artists--including handsome Wesley Overtree, who seems more interested in Sophie than the landscape.

Captain Stephen Overtree is accustomed to taking on his brother Wesley's responsibilities. Near the end of his leave, he is sent to find his brother and bring him home. Upon reaching Devonshire, however, Stephen is stunned to learn Wesley has sailed for Italy and left his host's daughter in serious trouble.

Stephen feels duty-bound to act, and strangely protective of the young lady, who somehow seems familiar. Wanting to make some recompense for his own past failings as well as his brother's, Stephen proposes to Miss Dupont. He does not offer love, but marriage "in name only" to save her from scandal. If he dies in battle, as he fears, she will at least be a respectable widow.

Desperate for a way to escape her predicament, Sophie finds herself torn between her first love and this brooding man she barely knows. Dare she wait for Wesley to return? Or should she elope with the captain and pray she doesn't come to regret it?





Julie Klassen’s latest novel, The Painter’s Daughter once again brings us to her time period of specialty, Regency era England.  We find Miss Sophie Dupont, early along in a pregnancy by a man she loves, but a man with who has more of a heart for his painting work than for her.  Wesley’s younger, more responsible brother Stephen offers to marry her in order to try to keep her and the child from scandal. With the elder Wesley seemingly gone from her life, she faces a choice that is heart wrenching and difficult.

I enjoyed The Painter’s Daughter very much.  At 450-plus pages, the novel is a bit longer than my usual reads, and I wondered if it would hold my attention. I was not disappointed in the least. Klassen has once again woven a tale that is compelling, entertaining and romantic from opening chapter to closing sentence. While dealing with difficult situations such as premarital sex and the horrors of war, she is able to convey these concepts in ways that are perfect for conservative readers and yet also retain their importance in the lives of these characters.  From secret passageways to second sight-like predictions, there are intrigues around every corner and plot developments that always kept the story moving.

The characters of The Painter’s Daughter are also very enjoyable. I found them to be realistic, interesting and well drawn (so to speak) throughout the story. Despite her condition, Sophie is very much a proper lady, and is kind and gentle to those around her, even those who spurn her presence in their lives. Stephen reminds me of the literary figure Captain Poldark—from his service in the military, to his concern for the downtrodden, to the scar across his cheek.  He is a gallant gentleman who knows his flaws but endeavors to overcome them.  Wesley is a romantic, almost silly figure. He wants to have his cake and eat it too. Despite being the elder brother, he is not known for being the most responsible individual, and it was probably no surprise to his family that he had taken in Miss Dupont in the way that he did. I could go on with more characterizations, but the underlying thought is that I enjoyed this cast of characters. They held my interest through the highs and lows of their lives.

Julie Klassen may not be a painter, but she certainly paints lovely scenes with her descriptions of the lands around the area, the houses the individuals inhabited, the clothes they wore, and especially the tools of the trade in the work of the artists. Klassen has clearly done her homework (which will be mentioned in the Q&A after this review).

Regardless of your interest in art, the 19th century or England, The Painter’s Daughter is a compelling story of love, loss, war, forgiveness and redemption.  Christian readers will especially enjoy its clean content and occasional spiritual references, but this novel could truly be relished by anyone who seeks out a sweet story that will captivate from beginning to end. I congratulate Julie Klassen on another work well done, and look forward to her next title, The Inkeeper of Ivy Hill, due later this year.




Along with my review copy, Bethany House Publishers also included this interesting Q&A with author Julie Klassen, which I thought I would share with you as well:

Can you briefly describe your new novel?

Artist Sophie Dupont believes dashing Wesley Overtree will marry her. But when he sails to Italy, leaving Sophie with child, she contemplates a marriage proposal from his brother, Captain Stephen Overtree. Stephen does not offer love, but "marriage in name only" to save her from scandal. Desperate for a way to escape her predicament, Sophie finds herself torn between her first love and this brooding man she barely knows. Dare she wait for Wesley to return? Or should she elope with the captain and pray she doesn't come to regret it?

Castle Rock near Lynton, north Devon, England, UK.
Where did you find inspiration for this novel?

I have always wanted to write a marriage of convenience story, and have also been intrigued by the former Church of England laws that prohibited a widow from marrying her brother-in-law and vice versa. So when Sophie contemplates marriage to an army captain she barely knows, she realizes that even if the captain were to die in battle, she could not later marry his brother, whom she loves. During my last trip to England, an old friend and I traveled to North Devon to research another book (Lady Maybe). While we were there, we spent several evenings in our B&B brainstorming the initial ideas for this book. We also fell in love with the stunning coastal landscape, and learned it had been a favorite among painters in the 19th century.  That spurred me to write about artists, and knew I had found the perfect place to set The Painter's Daughter as well.

You recently attended the national conference of the Jane Austen Society of North America. How do events like these enlarge and enrich your knowledge of the Regency period?

Because I write novels set in the Regency time period when Austen's novels were published, I see the conference--and events like it--as a chance to conduct research and spend time with fellow Austen enthusiasts. Workshops on topics like English country dance, village life, crime, carriage travel, the military, marriage law, tea and fashion all help me learn more about the era and sometimes spark story ideas. Other highlights of the conference included dancing at a ball in my Regency gown, and attending a 19th century church service--a chance to not only study the period, but to "live" it!

How did you go about researching the professions of your main characters (a painter and an army captain)?

For Sophie, the artist, I read a great deal about famous painters of the period, and relied on a website called Pigments Through the Ages, which helped me identify paint colors and methods in use at the time. Also, two artist friends were kind enough to read the painting scenes and make suggestions to add authenticity to the techniques and to the mindset of an artist. For Stephen, the army captain, I studied books and museum websites to get a grasp on British army strategy, uniforms, weapons, and rankings during the Napoleonic Wars.

What is the most difficult part of the writing process for you?

For me, the hardest part of writing is making myself tough it out, stay in that chair for days and weeks on end, and write the first draft. After that, the editing and revising come a little more easily, though it's all hard work.

This is your tenth Regency novel. Congratulations! What are you working on next?

Thank you.  Next, I am working on my first-ever series, focusing on the relationships, struggles, and romances of a group of friends in an English village. Book One will tentatively release in December 2016. I am excited to hear what my readers think!




About the Author

Julie Klassen loves all things Jane—Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Julie worked in publishing for sixteen years and now writes full time. Three of her books have won the Christy Award for Historical Romance. She has also been a finalist in the Romance Writers of America’s RITA Awards. Julie and her husband have two sons and live in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Learn more about Julie and her books at her website, follow her on Twitter, and visit her on Facebook and Goodreads.













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Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Nourish Your Family's Spiritual Health this Easter

Only a few days before Easter!  I hope everyone is having a great week, and that you have somewhere you can attend this Sunday to celebrate Christ's resurrection.  What an amazing miracle and gift from God!


Spring-into-Faith-&-Fun

If your family is like most, breakfast is rushed to get everyone out the door. Lunch is spent at school or work. So where does that leave dinner? Nourish your family's spiritual health as you eat supper together. Adventures in Odyssey and Odyssey Adventure Club want to give you a free resource to help you begin your new dinner tradition of making the most of your family mealtime, beginning this Easter season. Simply head to this page and fill out the form to receive a free sample of Whit's End Mealtime Devotions.

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Want new resources to continue to build your family's faith, even after Easter is over? Consider signing your family up for the Odyssey Adventure Club (OAC). It offers safe and free content for everyone in your family. Membership to the OAC costs just $9.99 a month — or even less if parents make a six-month or one-year commitment. Enrollment provides more than enough content to keep kids engaged throughout the year:
  • Access to exclusive content and first looks at books and select Radio Theatre dramas.
  • On-the-go access to the OAC app for both iOS and Android users.
  • 24/7 streaming access to nearly 800 AIO episodes.
  • A new, members-only AIO episode every month.
  • A subscription to Adventures in Odyssey Clubhouse Magazine, and more.
To learn more about the Odyssey Adventure Club, visit www.oaclub.org, Facebook, Twitter. and Pinterest.

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Easter Devotions and Activities for Your Whole Family

Easter-Download 

We're down to the final two weeks before we celebrate Easter and Jesus' resurrection. Do your children understand and grasp the full meaning of why we celebrate the holiday? Adventures in Odyssey and Odyssey Adventure Club want to provide your family with a week of meaningful, fun Easter activities to help make the holiday come alive this year. Simply head to this page and sign up to download your free PDF full of family devotions, egg wraps, recipes, crafts, and cards. Oh, and as a bonus, here's a free activity sheet from Focus on the Family!

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If you're looking to dig into the Easter holiday more and want to build your kids' faith, consider signing your family up for the Odyssey Adventure Club (OAC). It offers safe and free content for everyone in your family. Membership to the OAC costs just $9.99 a month — or even less if parents make a six-month or one-year commitment. Enrollment provides more than enough content to keep kids engaged throughout the year:
  • Access to exclusive content and first looks at books and select Radio Theatre dramas.
  • On-the-go access to the OAC app for both iOS and Android users.
  • 24/7 streaming access to nearly 800 AIO episodes.
  • A new, members-only AIO episode every month.
  • A subscription to Adventures in Odyssey Clubhouse Magazine, and more.
To learn more about the Odyssey Adventure Club, visit www.oaclub.org, Facebook, Twitter. and Pinterest.

Friday, March 11, 2016

Walk Through Holy Week with Odyssey Adventure Club

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The Bible is no doubt a timeless book, but often it's seen by the younger generation as ancient and antiquated. How can we make the stories of the Bible—particularly the Easter story—alive and exciting for our children? Adventures in Odyssey has created a free activity kit for families to experience the Easter story brought to life through eight days of Christ-centered and fun activities. Click here to sign up and download the kit for free.

Spring-into-Faith-&-Fun 

If you're looking to bring the Bible to life further during the Easter season, consider signing your family up for the Odyssey Adventure Club (OAC). It offers safe and free content for everyone in your family. Membership to the OAC costs just $9.99 a month — or even less if parents make a six-month or one-year commitment. Enrollment provides more than enough content to keep kids engaged throughout the year:
  • Access to exclusive content and first looks at books and select Radio Theatre dramas.
  • On-the-go access to the OAC app for both iOS and Android users.
  • 24/7 streaming access to nearly 800 AIO episodes.
  • A new, members-only AIO episode every month.
  • A subscription to Adventures in Odyssey Clubhouse Magazine, and more.
To learn more about the Odyssey Adventure Club, visit www.oaclub.org, Facebook, Twitter. and Pinterest.

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Review and Giveaway: Sincerely Yours by Robin M. Helm

Living with time turned upside down . . .
Accepting the consequences of rash decisions . . .
Learning to view adversities as opportunities . . .
Striving to make the most of second chances . . .
Recognizing obstacles as the gifts of God . . .
Seeking to undo the damage done to relationships . . .
 

Sincerely Yours begins immediately after Accidentally Yours. In this Christian fantasy fiction series, after prayers uttered by both Fitzwilliam Darcy (1793) and Will Darcy (21st century) result in accidents for both men and a time switch, each Darcy must adjust to his new era and try to win the heart of the woman he loves. 




As mentioned in my review of Accidentally Yours, the second title in the collection is Sincerely Yours, which we'll take a brief look at today, as well as host a giveaway!  This novel picks up right where we left off in the first, so it would behoove readers to cover Accidentally Yours before delving into this volume. As others have found, the character of Fitzwilliam Darcy (who has been transplanted into modern day) was a distasteful one in Accidentally Yours. Author Robin Helm assured me that things would improve in time, that he would be more likeable in Sincerely Yours.  I am happy to report that this was indeed the case. He begins to mature and think about others’ concerns a bit more than he did previously.  I do still find him to be an uncomfortable guy, not quite settled into his new time period. He reminded me of the Star Trek characters “Captain Spock” and “Commander Data”, as someone who greatly wants to relate to those around him (especially to a certain Bennet girl), but struggling to do so.  He seems completely devoid of any knowledge of women at all, even knowledge gleaned from his decades of experience in his century of origin.  That portion of his personality I found difficult to believe. Being awkward in a new time period is one thing, but having hardly the sense of how to speak to a woman at all is another.  That being said, I was pleased with Fitzwilliam’s development, and I look forward to seeing what Robin Helm has in store for us in the next book, Forever Yours.

I have very little new thoughts to offer in regard to the plot line with Will, a modern man who finds himself transported back in time, into the body of a certain Fitzwilliam Darcy.  He remains a wonderful character, and Helm does her best writing while situated in this era.  She truly could write a full novel set in this time period, and I hope that she has a work in progress.  I find her modern-era writing to be somewhat self-conscious and awkward, but when we are immersed into her Regency England (or thereabouts), she does very well.  The prose is very readable, but is also realistically Regency. I enjoy her characters, their interactions, and their connections to the original Austen source material. My hope is that she continues to refine her craft and bring more of this to her readers.
 

Sincerely Yours is an interesting and entertaining follow up to Accidentally Yours, and it deliciously ends with a pair of cliff-hangers that will entice readers to continue on to the conclusive volume, Forever Yours.  I haven’t decided whether I hope our protagonists remain in their new time periods, or if they somehow are able to return from whence they came.  Regardless, I’m sure I’m in for a captivating journey with likeable characters and diverting narratives in a world that many Austenesque fans would enjoy.



Sincerely Yours Giveaway!

Author Robin M. Helm has graciously offered two copies of Sincerely Yours.  One copy will be a Kindle edition for an international reader, and a U.S. winner may choose between an autographed paperback or the Kindle edition.  Contest period ends on March 25th at 12am EST. Please use the Rafflecopter widget below for your contest entry.



a Rafflecopter giveaway




About the Author


Robin M. Helm is the author of a modern Christian fantasy fiction series, The Guardian Trilogy, which includes Guardian, SoulFire, and Legacy. She has also published the Yours by Design series, a Christian Regency/Modern Romance with a paranormal element. Accidentally Yours, Sincerely Yours, and Forever Yours are all available for purchase in both e-book and print formats.

Mrs. Helm shares a blog, Jane Started It, with the other writers of the Crown Hill Writers' Guild, and is one of the founders and administrators of BeyondAusten.com, a website for readers with common interests. She also has published three Regency short stories, "First Kiss," "The Prize," and "Treasure Chest," which can be read on Jane Started It on her author's page or at BeyondAusten.com. She has one husband, one granddaughter, two daughters, two sons-in-law, four family dogs, five part-time jobs, and six published books.

Mrs. Helm is the Associate in Music and Music Academy Director at her church, the interim choir director, a piano teacher, and an elementary music teacher. She formerly taught high school English.

She graduated with a BA from Piedmont International University. She is a member of the Delta Epsilon Chi honor society, the American Legion Auxiliary, JASNA, and the scholarship faculty of the United States Achievement Academy.





Connect with Robin M. Helm




Book 1
Book 2

Buy the paperback, get the Kindle edition for free with Amazon's Matchbook program! Learn more HERE.

Friday, March 4, 2016

Begin Prepping for Easter with the Odyssey Adventure Club

Witness-the-Greatest-Story-Ever-Told

Easter is right around the corner! It's an exciting time of year for families, churches, and Christians everywhere as we remember the greatest story ever told: how God loved us so much He sacrificed His Son so we could spend eternity with Him. Take advantage of the Easter season to spend more time with your family investing in your kids' faith.

To get you started, you can download a fun cutout to have a craft night with your family and to prepare them for Palm Sunday. Plus stop by this page for a slew of crafts, recipes, and stories to share with your family during this special time of year!

90-Devotions-for-Kids-Quote-1

If you're looking to take one more step in investing in your kids' faith during the Easter season, consider signing your family up for the Odyssey Adventure Club (OAC). It offers safe and free content for everyone in your family. Membership to the OAC costs just $9.99 a month — or even less if parents make a six-month or one-year commitment. Enrollment provides more than enough content to keep kids engaged throughout the year:
  • Access to exclusive content and first looks at books and select Radio Theatre dramas.
  • On-the-go access to the OAC app for both iOS and Android users.
  • 24/7 streaming access to nearly 800 AIO episodes.
  • A new, members-only AIO episode every month.
  • A subscription to Adventures in Odyssey Clubhouse Magazine, and more.
To learn more about the Odyssey Adventure Club, visit www.oaclub.org, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

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