I almost didn’t request a review copy of Everything is Just Beginning because I wasn’t sure I wanted to go back to 1989, and because I wasn’t sure I wanted to read a novel about a wannabe musician.

But I changed my mind, requested it, and I’m glad I did.

Michael Sullivan has been kicked out of his band and apartment, so has moved in with his uncle. He’s not an immediately likeable character: it’s not immediately clear why he was kicked out of his apartment, but it’s obviously not the first time.

He’s working a basic retail job and grumbling about life, then decides to gatecrash a party in the hope of meeting Dusty Wheeler, a big name in the music business. If Mike can get Dusty to listen to a demo tape, maybe the guys will let him back in the band.

The story is written in first person point of view, which will bug some people.

I like first person, but I do prefer to be in the head of a likeable female character, not a male with a woe-is-me attitude. Yes, the whole story is from Michael’s point of view.

He meets Dusty and Deb Wheeler at the party, although he doesn’t realise it at the time. He also meets their daughter, Natalie, who is blind.

Once Michael gets over himself, he turns into a readable and relatable character. his bravado is hiding a difficult childhood and a desperate desire to be a musician – a proper musician. As he spends time with the Wheeler family, he falls for Natalie (who does not appear to return his feelings), they decide to write music together, and Michael gradually loses what Natalie describes as his morose vibe.

Natalie is also a great character.

She’s had a privileged upbringing, and it’s easy to forget she’s blind. It’s actually been along time since I’ve read a novel with a blind main character. She was musical and clever, with an amazing memory, and it was great to read such an individual and competent character.

As it turned out, the fact the novel was set in 1989 was less about the historic events of 1989 and more about the music … which happens to be the music I grew up with and still prefer listening to, so that was great.

Everything is Just Beginning doesn’t easily fit into a genre.

It’s not explicitly Christian, although it’s fairly obvious the Wheeler family are Christians.

It’s not technically contemporary, but isn’t historical enough to be truly considerd a historical.

It’s not Young Adult fiction, although it does have elements of a coming of age story.

It’s not a romance, in that the core story is Michael’s relationship with music through Natalie, rather than Michaels’ relationship with Natalie.

It’s also not literary fiction, despite the great writing, because there is a definite plot with strong character arcs.

If you like great writing, compelling characters, and a bunch of 1980s music reference, you’ll enjoy Everything is Just Beginning.

Thanks to Revell and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Erin Bartels

Erin Bartels is the award-winning author of We Hope for Better Things, The Words between Us, All That We Carried, and The Girl Who Could Breathe Under Water (coming January 2022). Her short story “This Elegant Ruin” was a finalist in The Saturday Evening Post 2014 Great American Fiction Contest and her poetry has been published by The Lyric. She lives in the capital city of a state that is 40% water, nestled somewhere between angry protesters on the Capitol lawn and couch-burning frat boys at Michigan State University. And yet, she claims it is really quite peaceful.

Find Erin Bartels online at:

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram

About Everything is Just Beginning

An Immersive Story of Music, Struggle, and Starting Over from an Award-Winning Author

Michael Sullivan is a talented lyricist and a decent guitarist, but since he was kicked out of his band (and his apartment), he’s not sure he’ll ever get a record deal. Living with his loser uncle in a beat-up trailer and working a dead-end job, Michael has little reason to hope for a better future. Until the invitation for a swanky New Year’s Eve party shows up in the mailbox. It’s for his uncle, with whom he shares his name, but his uncle is going out of town . . .

On the effervescent night of December 31, 1989–as the Berlin Wall is coming down, the Soviet Union is inching toward democracy, and anything seems possible–Michael will cross paths with the accomplished and enigmatic young heir to a fading musical dynasty, forever altering both of their futures.

Award-winning novelist Erin Bartels enchants with this story of two lonely souls who have exactly what the other one needs–if they could simply turn their focus from what is ending to what is just beginning.

Find Everything is Just Beginning online at:

Amazon | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

Click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

First Line Friday #270 | The Hearts of New Cheltenham by Chautona Havig

by Iola Goulton

27 January 2023

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line.

Today I’m sharing from The Hearts of New Cheltenham by Chautona Havig, part of the Destination Christmas novella collection.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

About The Hearts of New Cheltenham

♥ The only way not to break her best friend’s heart is to get someone else to steal it. ♥

It wasn’t a marriage pact exactly, but Crystal and Jarod had agreed to discuss the idea if neither of them had found anyone during the ten years post-college graduation. Just a conversation—no pressure or obligation.

But as the discussion date looms, Crystal knows she wants more from life than a nice existence with a best friend she isn’t in love with. Begin “Operation Find Jarod a Girl.” Phase one—well, she owes his boss thanks for that. A month off work should just about do it…if she can get him to agree to a month in New Cheltenham.

Jarod doesn’t see the point, but he’s willing to make the trip if it keeps him away from his family’s drama this Christmas. He didn’t expect to find someone like Ellie there, and he definitely didn’t expect to fall for her.

But with Ellie and Jarod hitting it off so well and Jarod becoming exactly what she’d been looking for, Crystal wonders if she’s made a colossal mistake.

A novella of love and friendship that defies a love triangle to interfere.

Find The Hearts of New Cheltenham online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

Click here to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today.

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Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

Don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

Bookish Question #262 | What is wrong with book marketing (from a reader perspective)?

by Iola Goulton

24 January 2023

My degree is marketing, and while I’ve never worked in marketing in a professional capacity, it’s a subject I’ve always had a keen interest in.

My first comment about book marketing is that authors defined “marketing” too narrowly.

Marketing is about more than advertising and promotion.

Marketing starts with the product: having a good book (so that’s about plot, characters, genre, writing, and editing). It’s about packaging that book in a format readers want (paperback, eBook, audio), and selling the book somewhere readers can find it (place) at a price they are willing to pay.

Once an author has got the basics right, they can start thinking about book marketing in the sense of advertising.

Even that has two aspects: promotion (actively advertising your book to new readers) and platform (passive marketing via a website or other online locations that are ‘set and forget’).

I see several groups of authors who get marketing wrong.

One group takes the scattergun approach:

~~Mention~~ spam their book online all day, every day, posting in as many Facebook groups as possible and filling their Twitter feed with self-promotion. While this approach might have worked in the early days of social media, there are issues with this approach:

If the Twitter (or other social media algorithm) sees posts that aren’t getting any engagement, they will stop showing those posts to followers. No views = no readers.
The Facebook groups that permit this kind of “hit-and-run” promotion have nothing but promotion, so there are no readers left in those groups. No readers = no sales.
Many social media networks no longer show posts that are obviously self-promotion. Instead, they show paid advertisements. Why would they show free promotion when they can show paid promotion?

Another group subscribes to the “Field of Dreams” marketing mantra:

If you build it, they will come. No, they won’t. You can build the best mousetrap (write the best book) in the world, but if you don’t tell people about it, they can’t buy it. (And if they don’t need a mousetrap, they won’t buy it even if you do ell them about it). I see a lot of authors writing and publishing in genres that don’t get a lot of reader interest (e.g. poetry and memoir).

The final group subscribes to all the marketing theories …

Although they often forget the one that says “start with a great book”. A “great book” is subjective, but there are a lot of signs of a not-great book (bad cover design, spelling errors in the advertising copy, bad editing etc).

They have a website, they get on social media, they start a newsletter. They write lots of social media posts and send lots of long newsletters and and and …

And it’s all too much.

It makes me tired. Perhaps it’s because this is the end of a long year (long three years?). Perhaps it’s that I don’t have the attention span. Perhaps it’s because I don’t have the capacity to take everything in, but it’s too much.

Of course, what’s too much for me isn’t too much for someone else (and might not be enough for some people).

One newsletter a month might not be enough … but three in a week is too much.

So that’s what I find many authors get wrong with book marketing (from a reader perspective): sometimes it’s focusing on the wrong thing (advertising) and sometimes it’s just too much.

What about you? As a reader, what do you think authors get wrong with book marketing?

Book Review | The Weight of Air by Kimberley Duffy

by Iola Goulton

23 January 2023

I almost didn’t request The Weight of Air because it seemed to be mostly set in the USA. Kimberley Duffy’s previous novels have both been partly been set in India, and the unique location was one of the strengths.

I also wasn’t engaged by the thought of a circus setting, or the idea of a strong woman as a heroine.

But Kimberley Duffy captured my attention from the first page with her blend of an unusual setting and an intriguing heroine with a unique occupation (although I almost changed my mind when the circus master suggested she be tattooed …). The story was compelling, particularly once Jack and Mabel arrive in New York, and try to join the circus and find Mabel’s mother.

It’s a story that picks up on some issues not commonly seen in fiction: a woman in an unusual job. A woman who is bigger and stronger and earns more than her husband. A woman who struggles with feelings of unworthiness.

A woman searching for her identity.

The story also touches on mental illness, particularly postpartum depression and OCD. Both are dealt with in a realistic yet sympathetic manner, and provide valuable insight into the problems faced by those who suffered rom mental illness in a time before modern medications were available.

The underlying research was a definite strength.

It gave the story a feeling of authenticity, yet Duffy never allowed the research to overwhelm the story. The focus was always on the characters, their relationships, and their predicaments (and there were plenty of predicaments).

Overall, I thought the story was excellent, and certainly met the high standard I’ve come to expect from Kimberley Dufy books.

Recommended for Christian historical fiction fans, especially those who enjoyed The Lady and the Lionheart by Joanne Bishof (and perhaps even those who didn’t).

Thanks to Bethany House and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Kimberly Duffy

Kimberly Duffy enjoys writing historical fiction that takes readers back in time and across oceans. Her books often feature ahead-of-their-time heroines, evocative settings, and real-life faith. When not writing or homeschooling her four children, she enjoys taking trips that require a passport and practicing kissing scenes with her husband of twenty years. A Long Island native, she currently resides in southwest Ohio.

Find Kimberly Duffy online at:

Website | Facebook | Instagram

About The Weight of Air

Two women–bound by blood, torn apart by circumstance–find together that true strength comes in many forms.

In 1911, Mabel MacGinnis is Europe’s strongest woman and has performed beside her father in the Manzo Brothers Circus her entire life. When he dies unexpectedly, she loses everything she’s ever known and sets off in the company of acrobat Jake Cunningham in hope of finding the mother she thought was dead.

Isabella Moreau, America’s most feted aerialist, has given everything to the circus. But age and injury now threaten her security, and Isabella, stalked by old fears, makes a choice that risks everything. Then her daughter Mabel appears alongside the man who never wanted to see Isabella again, and she is forced to face the truth of where, and in what, she derives her worth.

As Mabel and Isabella’s lives become entangled beneath the glittering lights and flying trapeze of Madison Square Garden, their resiliency and resolve are tested as they learn the truth of what it means to be strong.

Find The Weight of Air online at:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

First Line Friday #269 | Over the Waters by Deborah Raney

by Iola Goulton

20 January 2023

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. I’m working through my to-read list, and the next book is Over the Waters by Deborah Raney, the 2019 reissue of a 2005 novel which I want to read because of the setting: Haiti.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

About Over the Waters

“Dr. Botox” to the bored rich women of Chicago, plastic surgeon Max Jordan is shocked by his son Joshua’s decision to focus his medical degree and talent on Haitian orphans. Embittered by Joshua’s sudden death, Max searches for resolution in the place his son called home—an orphanage outside of Port au Prince.

The selflessness of Joshua’s coworkers stuns Max. He is particularly taken with American volunteer Valerie Austin, whose dream of a tropical honeymoon has been crushed, replaced by a stint working in the impoverished orphanage. But Valerie’s view of Joshua’s sacrifice—and her own—challenges everything Max knows. Have the doors to his gilded cage finally opened to a freedom he’s never known?

Find Over the Waters online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

Click here to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

Don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

Bookish Question #261 | Do you get frustrated when you read a book that’s marketed wrong?

by Iola Goulton

17 January 2023

Do I get frustrated when you read a book that’s marketed wrong?

Yes.

But first let me give you an example to explain what I mean by a book that’s marketed wrong.

Several years ago, I bought a book with a bright pink illustrated cover that featured a picture of the Eiffel Tower. I expected the book to be a romance, or perhaps a rom-com.

Why?

Pink is the colour of romance.

The Eiffel tower is in Paris, the famed City of Love.

Illustrated covers tend to feature on romance or rom-com novels.

But …

The book was not a romance.

It was women’s fiction. it may or may not have been a good novel: I don’t remember. All I remember is reading it and waiting for the romance to start (it never did … because it wasn’t a romance novel).

So that’s one aspect of marketing that can annoy me if done wrong: the cover should match the genre.

The book title and description should also indicate the genre, and shouldn’t give any spoilers.

If the title is “A Wedding Disaster” I’m going to expect a wedding (with a disaster) in the first few chapters.
If the book description references an event that’s going to change the character’s lives, that event should happen in the first few chapters.

Most other book marketing blunders don’t bother me from a reader perspective.

As a reviewer, editor, and participant in a lot of online author groups, I often come across books that aren’t marketed well. I might offer advice, but it doesn’t necessarily bother me as a reader.

So what does bother me?

Seeing unsuspecting authors spend their money on dodgy publishing and marketing packages.

This bothers me as an advisor and as a Christian, but not as a reader. Unfortunately, the people who have spent (wasted) money on “marketing services” tend to get defensive when people suggest that time and money could have been better spent on pretty much anything else.

Dodgy services I’ve seen include:

Paying for your book to be uploaded to Amazon or included on Goodreads (which authors can do themselves for free)
Paying to activate the “Look Inside” feature on Amazon (again, something authors can do free)
Paying for a publisher to write and send a press release (that will go straight to spam)
Paying a publisher to create a “premium” book video (that will cost thousands and be less effective than an author-produced book trailer)
Paying a publisher thousands to create
Paying a “literary agency” to take their book to an overseas book fair (that will result in exactly zero sales)

This really frustrates me: “Christian” agents or publishers taking advantage of unsuspecting authors to separate them from their money in a manner that promises success but will deliver nothing the author couldn’t do themselves.

Click here to find out more about the paths to publishing, and how not to get caught by an unscrupulous vanity press.

Book Review | Where Grace Appears by Heidi Chiavaroli

by Iola Goulton

16 January 2023

I bought Where Grace Appears on sale for 99 cents after seeing it advertised online, and I read it in less than a day. That, to me, is the highest compliment. Oh, and then I went and bought the sequel, Where Hope Begins.

The opening line got me intrigued from the start:

It’s been said that all good novels start with a secret, and Where Grace Appears certainly backs that view.

Josie Martin has one year to go to achieve her dream of a master’s in clinical psychology in New York, but now she’s home and hiding a secret: she’s pregnant to one of her professors, an old friend of her deceased father. And Professor Finn Becker wants nothing to do with Josie or their baby.

Tripp Colton is the man who has loved her since forever, the man whose marriage proposal she turned down last year. Now he’s managing his grandfather’s construction business in Camden, Maine, and trying to convince himself to move on from Josie. But he can’t.

I admired Tripp for being up-front with Josie about his feelings for her. He loves her, and he’ll wait as long as it takes for her to return the feelings. And I wanted him and Josie to get together, just as soon as Josie shares her secret with him.

She plans to tell Tripp just as soon as she’s told her family, but that goes predictably wrong (thanks, small-town gossip). Without wanting to add spoilers, Tripp’s reaction was both unbelievable and everything it should be: a perfect picture of unconditional love underpinned by forgiveness.

God loves us with unconditional love, and this is one of the few contemporary Christian romances that shows the tough side of unconditional love.

Tripp almost seemed too good to be believable until I remembered that’s how God loves us, and how he calls us to love others.

Where Grace Appears is a departure from Heidi Chiavaroli’s dual-timeline stories, but does link back to one of her previous novels. The Orchard House is set in Louisa May Alcott’s home, and Where Grace Appears is set in a house of the same name, and features a family named for the Alcott family (and with similar personality traits).

Little Women fans will enjoy spotting all the Little Women references. However, you don’t need to be a fan to enjoy the story.

Where Grace Appears is a strong contemporary romance that hits all the expected small-town notes while showing an enviable demonstration of Christian forgiveness and unconditional love.

About Heidi Chiavaroli

Heidi Chiavaroli is a writer, runner, and grace-clinger who could spend hours exploring Boston’s Freedom Trail. She writes Women’s Fiction and won the 2014 ACFW Genesis contest in the historical category. She makes her home in Massachusetts with her husband, two sons, and Howie, her standard poodle.

Find Heidi Chiavaroli online at:

Website | Facebook | Goodreads| Pinterest | Twitter

About Where Grace Appears

Ashamed of being duped by her handsome psychology professor, Josie Martin returns to Maine too proud to admit her foolishness to those closest to her. As the one-year anniversary of her father’s death approaches, she seeks solace in an old friend, Tripp Colton, and a new business venture that will prove to herself and her loved ones that she is still capable of success despite her overwhelming failure.

When Josie announces she will not return to school to finish her graduate degree but wishes to remain in Camden to help her mother achieve a lifelong dream, the entire family gets behind her idea to open and run a bed and breakfast inspired by Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House. Even Tripp gets excited about restoring Josie’s great-aunt’s Victorian home for the purpose, but when Josie’s unexpected news is revealed, their friendship and the new feelings blooming between them are threatened.

As summer gives way to fall, Josie struggles with decisions regarding her family’s future, dealing with past mistakes she cannot run from, and her feelings for Tripp. When the opportunity for grace comes along, will she take it? Or will she continue to allow her failures to define her worth?

A contemporary twist on the well-loved classic, Little Women, readers will fall in love with the Martin family—Maggie, Josie, Lizzie, Bronson, Amie, and their mother Hannah—each trying to find their own way in the world and each discovering that love, home, and hope are closer than they appear.

Find Where Grace Appears online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

Don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

First Line Friday #268 | Where Grace Appears (Orchard House #1) by Heidi Chiavaroli

by Iola Goulton

13 January 2023

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. I’m quoting from Where Grace Appears, which I recently purchased from a BookBub deal. I have read some of Heidi Chiavaroli’s previous books, so was thrilled to find she’d written a contemporary Christian romance … my favourite genre.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

About Where Grace Appears

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

Click here to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

Don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

Bookish Question #260 | How big is your to-read pile?

by Iola Goulton

10 January 2023

I don’t like this question because it forces me to question why I’m buying new books or requesting review copies when I have all these unread books …

Having said that, I didn’t buy as many new books last year. I also made an effort to only buy new books if I was going to read them right away (and I mostly succeeded).

Note: that only counts for paper books and paid eBooks, not free downloads. I will still download a free eBook if it looks interesting.

But back to the question: how many books are on my to-read pile?

My paperback to-read pile is about the same size as last year.

I bought two or three paperbacks last year that I haven’t read (although one is still stuck somewhere in the global supply chain, so I haven’t received it yet).

I have 87 books in my TBR folder on my Kindle.

Those are books I bought in 2021 or earlier (and paid for). There are another 211 books in the free folder on this Kindle (and who knows how many in the Kindle cloud).

I have 18 Kindle eBooks I bought in 2022 and haven’t yet read.

Oops, that’s more than I thought. A couple look like free books, so are perhaps they’re in the wrong folder.

One is a book I bought on someone else’s recommendation, started, but haven’t finished.

Three are books I edited (so I have already read them), and I bought the eBooks to support the author. I guess that’s only 15 I have to read …

So while my to-read pile is still ginormous, it has gone down this year:

I only (only!) have 17 books I’ve bought and haven’t read, but there are 40 books I have read from last year’s to-read pile. So my pile has decreased by 23 books.

That’s a win. (Well, I’m taking it as a win.)

So I have 105 eBooks to read, and an uncounted number of paperbacks.

What about you? How big is your to-read pile?

Book Review | Kiss Me on Christmas by Sarah Monzon

by Iola Goulton

9 January 2023

Kaitlyn Stafford is the solo mother of ten-year-old Liam. Liam has been diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Autism Spectrum Disorder (GAD, ADHD, and ASD). Kaitlyn’s sister announces she’s getting married at Christmas, which is going to be a big and possibly difficult disruption to Liam’s Christmas routines.

What could have been a difficult trip is made easier when Liam recognises his favourite YouTuber, Beckett Walsh, as they are about to board the plane. Beckett turns out to be the best man at the wedding they are about to plan.

Yes, that’s totally the setup for every Hallmark Christmas movie ever: an unlikely couple thrown together in a small town for a white Christmas.

The romance between Kaitlyn and Beckett develops quickly (well, this is a novella so it kind of has to), but it never feels rushed. That’s quite an achievement. It’s also based on an attraction to the inner person, which is something I like in romance. The developing relationship was perfectly paced and had all the feels.

What sets this story apart is Liam. Stories with sole parents (usually mothers) aren’t unusual, but stories with characters with ADHD or ASD are rare to non-existent. (If you can think of any, let me know.) It wasn’t just that Liam was a neurodiverse chararacter. It was that he was such an endearing and likeable character and was portrayed so realistically.

Kaitlyn and Beckett were inspiringly patient with Liam and their willingness to engage with him on his terms. They also taught him how to engage with other people. Kaitlyn’s interactions with her mother were particularly touching in this area.

Sarah Monzon has partly based Liam on her son, Elijah (with his permission). This is why Liam comes across as such a believable and well-rounded character. However, Monzon also points out in her Author’s Note that Liam is unique:

“If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met exactly one person with autism.”

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a novel (or novella) I want to re-read, but this is definitely on the list.

Recommended for fans of Christmas romance, or those looking for Christian fiction with neurodiverse characters.

About Sarah Monzon

A Carol award finalist and Selah award winner, Sarah Monzon is a stay-at-home mom who makes up imaginary friends to have adult conversations with (otherwise known as writing novels). As a navy chaplain’s wife, she resides wherever the military happens to station her family and enjoys exploring the beauty of the world around her.

Find Sarah online at:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

About Kiss Me on Christmas

Single mom Kaitlyn Stafford has never considered Christmas a balancing act, but when her sister calls with the news that she’s getting married in less than two weeks—on Christmas Day—that’s exactly what the holiday looks like becoming. Helping with the out-of-state wedding will be fun. The challenge will be doing so while accommodating her neurodivergent son’s need to keep every single one of their Christmas traditions while they’re away from home. It’ll be tricky, but she can do it.

At least, that’s what she thinks before her son’s favorite YouTuber, Beckett Walsh, shows up on the scene, knocking her world off-kilter with his speaking glances and knowing smiles. How on earth is she supposed to pull off her balancing act when her world’s just tilted on its axis?

Kiss Me on Christmas was published as part of the multi-author Destination Christmas novella collection.

Find Kiss Me on Christmas online at:

Amazon (Novella) | Amazon (Collection) | BookBub