Yesterday I shared my take on the first two in the Mosaic Series, and today I’ll feature book 3, The Red Journal by Deb Elkink and book 4, A Beautiful Mess by Brenda Anderson.
The Red JournalAuthor: Deb Elkink
Series: The Mosaic Collection, Book 3
Genre: Women’s Christian Fiction
Flirty globetrotter Sybil badgers her friend Libby to travel along in seeking out the world’s “sacred places”—a monastery in Japan, a mountaintop in Africa, a mosque in Istanbul. Her footloose wandering far from family values costs her more than money.
But Libby can’t afford to travel, and she’s plagued by a different kind of restlessness. Grieving the recent death of the grandmother who raised her in their inner-city Minneapolis tenement now slated for demolition, Libby faces homelessness in both heart and habitation.
When Libby discovers a cryptic message from beyond the grave and an antique ring pointing to a mystery in an inner room of a mansion museum in North Dakota, she sets out on a quest of her own for the meaning of heritage and home.
The Red Journal, Deb Elkink’s Mosaic Collection debut in the third spot, explores the relationships between friends, grieving, and a family mystery that the main character, Libby, is desperate to solve. Facing unemployment and homelessness, she turns to her friend Sybil who tries to pull her away from her faith as much as her late grandmother tried to pull her toward God. An interesting take on friendships between women and the inner turmoil that they are left with when their last living relative dies, leaving them alone to wonder about their heritage. I would love to read a continuation of this story-line!
A Beautiful MessAuthor: Brenda S. Anderson
Series: The Mosaic Collection, Book 4
Genre: Women’s Christian Fiction
Can she love the child who broke up her marriage?
Nearly four years ago, Erin Belden’s happy life became a shattered mess. After her husband admitted to an affair and that a child had been conceived, he left her and their young daughter for his new family. Now, she’s finally ready to put the pieces of her life together. She’s set to launch her own business and even thinks her heart might be open to romance–should the right man come along.
But just when everything seems to be lining up, she receives a devastating call: her ex-husband and his wife have been killed in a car accident, and Erin is listed in their will as their daughter’s legal guardian.
How can she be a mother to the child–let alone love the child–who broke up her marriage? Does she have the courage to start over yet again and turn this mess into a mosaic of beauty?
A single mother’s journey from bitterness to forgiveness.
A Beautiful Mess is a contradiction in terms – it is definitely BEAUTIFUL, and definitely NOT a mess! The wording comes to play in character Erin’s heart, however, when her ex-husband literally leaves his daughter – by his second wife and the cause of their break-up – in his will. Just when she thinks she’s getting her life together, this happens. She is convinced she doesn’t have the ability to love the child, and is simultaneously worried that the child will become too attached to her. I loved this book, and read it in two sittings! Brenda Anderson is a master storyteller of gritty, realistic women’s fiction with a Christian message, and this “Beautiful Mess” is no exception! You will love it!
If you’re looking for some short Christmas reads, pre-order Hope Is Born: A Mosaic Christmas Anthology and get it the first week in December! I can’t wait for you to read my story, which introduces the characters and settings for my upcoming June 2020 release of book 1 in the “RenoVations” series! (total aside, I understand Stacy Monson’s story may have something to do with her story in When Mountains Sing? You’ll have to read them to find out!)
Stay tuned for tomorrows interview! I just thought of another question for Brenda Anderson – Did character Erin Belden get her name from a certain curly-haired girl detective? Hmmmm . . . .
Blessings and great reading!
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