Mist of Midnight

Greetings to my fellow readers! I will confess to a bit of nervousness here. I have never been part of an official "blog tour" before. As you can see, my little piece of the web is pretty small, but I'm thankful for the chance use it as I share author Sandra Byrd and her newest book, Mist of Midnight, with you.

What I appreciate about Sandra is her diversity as a writer. I have enjoyed everything she has written, from the French Twist Series to the Ladies in Waiting books (see my review for Secret Keeper).
There is a different flavor to each series, but Sandra brings the same passion and zest to every story she undertakes and I love it. I was really looking forward to reading Mist. 
To be honest, I was a bit apprehensive when I started the book, because it was SO different from what I am used to reading, and really, from anything that is out there right now. I honestly couldn't decide if I liked it or not.
But I couldn't stop reading. And the deeper I got into the story, the more I began to find the rythym and flow of the words. I found the flavor of the story- and I remembered other books I enjoyed with a similar feel.
Mist of Midnight is mysterious without being dark. There are clues dropped along the way for you to discover,  but they leave you with more questions than answers. I did feel the ending was a bit rushed, with the truth finally being told almost at the last moment. Mist really reminded me of Bleak House by Dickens- as a reader you know more is going on, but what is truth? And who is telling it? These questions keep the pages turning. I loved the details about India- and the way Sandra tied the two worlds together.
Mist of Midnight is different. But it's a kind of different that is needed in a market filled with so much of the same. I enjoyed the book, and the reminder of books-gone-by that it stirred in me.
I recommend for fans of Jane Eyre & Victoria Holt books.

Synopsis

In the first of a brand-new series set in Victorian England, a young woman returns home from India after the death of her family to discover her identity and inheritance are challenged by the man who holds her future in his hands.

Rebecca Ravenshaw, daughter of missionaries, spent most of her life in India. Following the death of her family in the Indian Mutiny, Rebecca returns to claim her family estate in Hampshire, England. Upon her return, people are surprised to see her...and highly suspicious. Less than a year earlier, an imposter had arrived with an Indian servant and assumed not only Rebecca's name, but her home and incomes.

That pretender died within months of her arrival; the servant fled to London as the young woman was hastily buried at midnight. The locals believe that perhaps she, Rebecca, is the real imposter. Her home and her father's investments reverted to a distant relative, the darkly charming Captain Luke Whitfield, who quickly took over. Against her best intentions, Rebecca begins to fall in love with Luke, but she is forced to question his motives—does he love her or does he just want Headbourne House? If Luke is simply after the property, as everyone suspects, will she suffer a similar fate as the first “Rebecca”?

A captivating Gothic love story set against a backdrop of intrigue and danger, Mist of Midnight will leave you breathless.

Glass House

It's been a while since I've written a personal post. But these words have been floating around in my mind and heart for a week, and I finally let - or made- myself put them down.
You may not know this, but I'm grieving. I'm also tired. Mostly, I'm tired of grieving. But it's okay. And it will be okay. And maybe you need to hear this, too.

Glass House

"How are you?" They ask.

"I'm fine." I say.

And most days, I mean it. I'm not 'good' - but I'm better than 'okay'. And really, it's not fair of them to expect much more from me.

After all, life isn't easy inside the glass house of grief.

I can't help feeling it. Exposed. Everywhere I go. Everyone I meet. I wonder, "Are my curtains drawn tight enough? Can they see?" Because I know- I know- if they took the time to look closely, they would see it all. You can't hide behind transparent walls.

Everything was stable, secure, and safe. And in one moment- one instant, frozen forever in the endless drift of time- everything changed.

Fragile. Precarious. Exposed.

Wounded. Still bleeding. Half-alive. Pieced together. Barely breathing.

I'm fine.

Just don't look too closely.  You might see through my "socially acceptable" smile. My "polite conversation". My "normal life".

The glass house came down again last week. Shattered from the inside. I don't remember what triggered the collapse. It doesn't matter anymore.

I know when it's coming. I can feel the cracks forming, hear the soft splintering sound as the fissure spreads. Reaching out, never satisfied. It grows.

So does my panic. I feel it building inside me. The explosion. The loss of control. There's nothing I can do to stop it. It's time to hide.

I curl into a ball. I hold myself together while I fall apart. And it comes.

The explosion. Again. And again. And again. Like waves against the shore. Powerful, destructive, relentless- it radiates out from me.

Like Jericho, my crystal fortress lies in ruins at my feet. I don't like to lose control. And yet, there's a bitter beauty to it all.

This... is real.

My shattered, broken heart laid bare. Raw, exposed, unprotected. Such a strange relief.

I am myself.

Light breaks through the smoke of my destruction.

It falls from heaven, reflects off each and every piece of glass. Color erupts around me.

Ah yes. The breathtaking glory found in the midst of this place of death.

And yet, I choose to rise again. The Light reminds me I cannot stay here in this ruin. My hands are strengthened. My heart, re-bound. I take up the shards.
I bleed. I feel the pain of all that's wrong with my world. I keep working.

Piece by piece, life fits together again. The glass house shines in the light of a new day. Because life, you see, must go on.

I am not destroyed. I am whole.

I am...fine.

For now.

Tears of the Sea

It's been just over 12 hours since I finished Tears of the Sea by MaryLu Tyndall, and this book still hasn't let me go. It is truly one of the most beautiful scriptural allegories I have read in a very long time.

Wait a minute. Amazon says this book is about a mermaid. 

Yes, it is. Skeptical? Don't worry- I was too. In fact, I had no idea the book was an allegory when I started reading it. It didn't take long for the parallels to start standing out, and suddenly I was filtering the book in an entirely new way.

A King, holy, glorious, righteous, and good.
A lost world, full of suffering souls.
A Prince, sent to save the lost, willing to give himself for the least of these- even unto death.
A crew of faithful servants, unsure what the big picture is, but willing to follow their Captain anywhere.
An evil overlord and his minions, desperate to take over the world and defeat the King once and for all.

And one woman. Cursed. Unloved. Alone. Desperate for redemption, freedom, love.

Can you see it?

Books like this are the reason this blog has it's name-  Tears of the Sea is more than words. Written by & from a heart surrendered to Christ, this book is truth. It is powerful, and deep, and wide as the ocean.
I refuse to say more because I don't want to spoil it for you. I want you to read it for yourself. Let it wash over you and open your eyes again to the truth of scripture. See in a new light just how much He loves you. What He gave to redeem you. What awaits those who press on toward the upward call in Christ.

If you only read one book- just one- this whole year, make it this one.

Amazon Link

I recommend for fans of C.S. Lewis' Narnia, Francine River's Redeeming Love, and Ted Dekker's Black, Red & White (The Circle Trilogy)

PS- I couldn't resist a light-hearted post script... I was already in love with this book, but after visiting MaryLu's Pinterest board and discovering her model for Savion was Chris Evans? Well....let's just say I love Tears even more now.  :)