I knew it was possibly a little foolish to sign up for yet another blog tour so close to our moving date, but I really couldn’t resist last week. I loved Faith Blum’s last release, All the Way the Savior Leads, and ‘Tis so Sweet was a novella, I figured it would probably be safe.
So one hot afternoon after the author sent it to me, while Dad drove our family out to the ocean to cool off, I read. Then, my little sister and I played in the surf and got ourselves thoroughly soaked, having the time of our lives. When we were done cooling off (and trust me, even the cold south Pacific feels good on hot days!), and everyone else had had a good swim, we headed home again—and Dad took the longer, scenic route to get back. Which gave me just enough time to finish this book.
I loved it. A whole book (hey, a novella counts, right?) plus a nice hour at the beach? Just perfect.
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About the book:
Trusting God is hard.
Eleanor Miller has never lacked for anything, but she wanted to become a schoolteacher anyway to instill the love of learning into other children. Unlike what happened with her brother, Grover.
Grover hated school and authority. He rebelled any change he could. When he almost killed a man, their family was torn apart and he was disowned.
Eleanor understands her father’s decision, but she worries she will never see Grover again. Will she find out how sweet it is to trust Jesus in everything no matter what happens or will she stop trusting Him completely?
Available now on your favorite eBook platform.
My thoughts:
The historical setting of this book was probably the first thing that drew me in. Although the language used felt almost too modern, I loved the Laura Ingalls feeling to the story, what with old-time school teachers and the like. After that, the story itself grabbed me. I instantly felt sorry for Eleanor and Mr. Miller, when they’re trying to deal with Grover. And the poor boy, not directing his life correctly…I probably felt most sorry for him.
The story progressed fairly fast, and there were quite a few time gaps, but the characters grew through that time, which was good to see. The overall theme—that of learning to trust the Lord whatever happens—is an important one, and I appreciated how that was brought out as well.
I did struggle with one part, where someone was hung…the emotions there, while fairly realistic, did feel “off” somehow. I don’t really know how to describe it. But since I’ve gone through something similar with my brother, my sense of “off” there could simply be due to the fact that it’s hard for me to read about anything related to that kind of a death. It just struck me as not being quite accurate. However, even in that, the theme came through pretty well, and I appreciated the way it was applied.
In all, this short book was a lovely companion to the series (or at least, the amount of them I’ve read!). It follows the same general theme of making a song the driving point of the book, and the song appears in different pertinent situations to help illustrate the main theme. No matter what happens in life, we still need to trust Jesus. And as we all know, that’s not very easy—but it’s so worth it! I think this story brought that fact out beautifully.
I received this book for free from the author, and chose to share my opinions about it.
About the author:
Faith Blum is a 20-something author of multiple books in various genres. She loves to write, read, play piano, knit, crochet, sew, watch movies, and spend time with her husband. She lives in Wisconsin in a small town with her husband and cat where she can write to her heart’s content during the day. Faith’s goal in her writing is to encourage Christians in their walk with Christ.
Giveaway!
Faith is offering three prizes:
- Grand prize: $10 Amazon Gift Card
- 1st Prize: eBook of ‘Tis So Sweet
- 2nd Prize: Prize: eBook of ‘Tis So Sweet
Preorder opportunity:
‘Tis So Sweet is a companion novella to Faith’s next novel, He Hideth My Soul. Faith is excited to announce that He Hideth My Soul will be published on February 26th! And it’s now available for preorder for just $0.99. Reserve your copy today!
Other tour stops:
January 26
Bookish Orchestrations – Introductory Post
Inksword – Author Interview
Wildflower Acres – Book Spotlight
January 27
God’s Peculiar Treasure Rae – Book Spotlight
Writings, Ramblings, and Reflections – Special post from the author
January 29
Rachel Rossano’s Words – Book Spotlight
Purposeful Learning – Book Review
January 30
Janice’s Book Reviews – Book Review
January 31
Bookish Orchestrations – Giveaway Winner
What song has challenged you lately in an area you need to grow in? What song has encouraged you lately?
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