top of page
Montacute_House by GregMontani.jpg
Writer's pictureDienece Darling

October's Books with Dienece

Updated: 6 days ago

Have we met yet?

I'm Dienece Darling. My first name is an alternative spelling of Denise, a spelling which my mother fell in love with when she was a teenager. Do you know what's funny about having a common name that isn't spelled the common way? It took me years to remember how other people spell my name! LOL


Well, one more thing about me is that I write first person historical romance, but I read a variety of books (whenever time and commitments permits. Don't you hate being responsible sometimes? Oh, well, such is adult life...) This month I squeezed three wonderful books into my schedule, and they were worth the effort!


Before the Season Ends by Linore Rose Burkard

This couple quickly became one of my all-time favourite regency couples!

To be honest, I wasn't sure about this inspirational regency romance the first few chapters, but from the moment the hero walks onto the scene, I fell in love with both the heroine and the hero. And then I was up late (way too late for a responsible adult) reading their beautiful love story.

This book is something very special. I rarely highlight in eBooks, but I highlighted in this one. It has some good faith content with some great lines like:

'A Christian's good works are the expression of gratitude for salvation; not efforts to earn it.'

'The still small voice of God which she desperately wanted to hear was lost amidst the noise of her own unhappy thought.'

'Life, she was beginning to realize, came at you with its hand full, but what it held in its hands did not always obey the rules of your mind or heart-or even your better judgement.'

'Why was it often true that the more reason she had to pray, the less she seemed to do it?'

Keep scrolling for a way to buy this book or even get it for free!


Because of You by Hannah Currie

I don't read Hannah's princess stories, and this is definitely not a princess story. It's a contemporary YA, but even more so, it's a wonderful encouragement and challenge to go on a mission's trip!

The author actually took a short-term mission's trip at the age of 16 to Thailand. This is not a recount of that event. It's a fictional story with nuggets of truth from her real-life adventure. It also shares about an actual teen's mission's group (she didn't make this organization up!). And it's just awesome. I cried and was completely inspired by this. It even encourages us how to be missionaries at home too.

I cannot gush about this book enough! You must read it. It's such a blessing.

Besides the somewhat romantic title, this is an inspirational YA story without a stick of romance. The title actually comes from a beautiful poem about God, and I'd like to quote the last line of it. 'I smile, I live, I am because of You.' FYI, the faith in this book! Just wonderful.

If you're looking for something to inspire your teen (or anyone!) in their faith and/or missions, this is the book I'd recommend.


An Ivy Hill Christmas by Julie Klassen

This is a masterclass on how to write an unlikeable character so that the reader is eager to discover just how this person is redeemed.

I thorough enjoyed this story, and while it technically belongs to a series about Ivy Hill, I've never read the series. This works just as well as a standalone.

Richard is not a good guy pretending to be a bad guy. He is terrible, and yet in all his mistakes, I kept thinking, 'Oh, he is so going to learn a lesson about this, and I can't wait!' Julie just made the fellow work somehow. Plus, Richard stopping being an actual rake quite some time ago (which helped a lot). That doesn't mean he isn't a fop and selfish. He also says horrible things about people, but somehow, I liked him. How is that even possible? See, I told you this was a masterclass in writing. Plus, I just loved this story.

I loved the characters, the fabulous writing, the fun Christmas traditions, and so much about this book!



 

Book Mentions


Our first is actually mentioned above because I read it this month! But here is the official blurb (scroll back up if you want to read my review of it!):


Before the Season Ends

Winner of the FaithWriters Seal of Approval!


Ariana Forsythe is sent to her wealthy aunt's London townhouse and thrust into the world of the upper crust. Trouble finds her with an instant enemy in Lady Covington, an aging beauty. Ariana must team up with the Paragon, the darkly handsome and powerful Phillip Mornay, to quench the scandal. She can trust God's hand in her life, but can she resist Mr. Mornay's increasing claim on her heart? When she finds herself betrothed to him, she is faced with a terrible choice--and she must make it soon, before the season ends!


There are two ways to get this book. You can purchase it on Amazon or sign up to the author's newsletter and get it for free!




35 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments

Rated 0 out of 5 stars.
No ratings yet

Add a rating
bottom of page